GURPS Illuminati by Nigel D. Findley is a role playing game supplement published by Steve Jackson Games for use with GURPS Third Edition.
The supplement is available as a PDF from DriveThruRPG for $9 or in printed form from sites such as Amazon. The original printed version is the one reviewed. The book has 128 pages, with one being the front matter, two the Contents and two the Index.
The Introduction starts by explaining that the world of the Illuminati seems very like the real one, but with a hidden group or groups in the background stage-managing things. And that some believe this is the real world. It then goes on to explain that the Illuminati have always existed, in one form or another, then gives the history of the Bavarian Illuminati, founded by Adam Weishaupt, with their goals and eventual banning. Or, in this setting, apparent banning; the Illuminati continue abroad even until today; they exert vast power by controlling other groups. An Illuminated campaign is looked at and how to roleplay one, in a world where nothing is as it seems and what’s behind a group of conspirators is usually another one. There are different ways things can be connected. In one, there’s a single group behind everything, whilst in another, which will generally be more fun to play, there are many different competing groups, each jockeying for power. Finally, it explains that GURPS Illuminati is different from most GURPS worldbooks in that it isn’t rules-driven; mostly it’s about background and philosophy, because the primary way an Illuminated campaign differs from a normal one is in philosophy.
Sidebars look at the Bavarian Illuminati’s goal of world rule, orders of initiation, propaganda, other Illuminated organisations, controlled groups and conspiracies everywhere, including equal and opposite ones. And be paranoid about satellites and more, victory, which is difficult, and an Illuminated glossary.
Finally, there is a list of 50 awful things about the Illuminati.
1. Characters starts by explaining that there are certain character types that fit well into an Illuminated campaign, and that any campaign can be Illuminated. The types are not jobs, however. The character types are named and described, along with how they may be connected to the Conspiracy, knowingly or unknowingly, or how they may have stumbled across evidence that it exists, with appropriate advantages, disadvantages and skills, and other related character types.
Advantages, disadvantages and skills are looked at next. Some of the regular ones have changes in an Illuminated campaign, and these changes are covered. There are also new ones. Equipment explains that the core groups of the Conspiracy frequently have technology that is one or more Tech Levels higher than the campaign as a whole, though these devices will be kept secret and only used when there’s almost no possibility of them falling into the wrong hands. Starting wealth is covered, and that the game means that characters of all statuses can interact. Finally, jobs are covered with names, wages and success and failure results.
2. The Illuminated Campaign starts by explaining that any campaign is Illuminated; the players just don’t know it as yet. The Illuminated part can come into the foreground, be seemingly defeated, and go into the background again. Following this are notes on how to develop a power structure, which can either be developed in advance, or as the game is played; both have advantages and disadvantages. The first method looks at planning out an Illuminated structure in advance, with the various steps that go into that, whilst the second looks at creating a structure on the fly.
Next it looks at how to get characters involved in the Illuminated campaign, along with crossovers with espionage, cops and horror, and a campaign in other times and places, such as historical and the future. Following this are various Illuminated adventure seeds.
Sidebars look at power structures, Illuminati warlords, the gold standard, famous Illuminati, controlling subordinate groups, magic, technology, taking over governments, the Cybergate matter, time travel, the Cabal, humorous Illuminati and stats and details on various NPCs for an Illuminated campaign.
3. Illuminated Groups describes a number of Illuminati groups and other organisations that can be used in a campaign. The Illuminati describes a number of groups, many of which really existed, and how they could be working in a campaign. Other Organisations has other groups that the Illuminati might incorporate in their power structure. Sidebars look at other organisations, Illuminati methods, using the Illuminati New World Order card game to base the game on and Alphan (a species of aliens) characters.
4. Why Does Mr. Beamish Have Tinfoil in His Hat? explains that in an Illuminated campaign, senseless things happen all the time, except, in such a campaign, they are not senseless. It looks at how people can become gradually illuminated, meaningless tasks the characters may be asked to do and mysterious events that may happen to them, along with strange people, warnings and accidents. The Illuminated groups may have access to strange gadgets and the various odd events may be intended to turn people into pawns, or to use them against other groups. Sidebars look at how people can be tracked – with pagers, when this was written – how a manufacturing protocol can enable the Illuminati to use automated factories to build their own designs, the conspiracy of the tabloids, a campaign idea, where the Illuminati might be hiding and why they are so secretive.
5. Just the Facts, Ma’am is about how the characters might try and follow the trail of the Conspiracy. It starts by looking at the characters working on their own, following evidence from the past or looking at coincidences and accidents, real or not. Sidebars look at communications, ciphers and codes.
The characters may also be following clues deliberately fed to them by the Conspiracy, to destroy them or to manipulate them, or to make it look as if they are important to another group. Sidebars look at how there may be a group within another group that knows more about what is going on, ways of spreading disinformation or undermining credibility, false evidence and imposters.
Characters may also be following clues planted by one group to draw the characters’ attention to a different group. The characters may also attempt to go to the authorities, and it looks at how this could be handled, with sidebars looking at how to undermine the characters’ credibility. Men in Black can enter the picture, as can others who may help the characters, some of them more reputable than others. Sidebars look at some other conspiracies.
6. The Men in Black looks at being in service to a conspiratorial group. Such groups always need new blood and it starts off by looking at the process of joining secret societies, both open and hidden, and initiation rituals. Who is in charge of the society, which is not necessarily the most visible people, missions, including chain of command and different kinds of missions, are looked at; many mission types fit well with espionage themes. Finally, it looks at how to design adventures. Sidebars look at Men in Black, with stats for regular ones as well as superpowered or alien MIBs, why groups want may want blood, what membership may entail, those who are tools of the Conspiracy without being willing and the signs, symbols, ritual and trappings of groups.
It then briefly looks at working against conspiratorial groups, how the characters might be recruited, patronage by other groups, including those that may not be conspiratorial in nature, and the fact that characters do not necessarily know that who is recruiting them is who says they are recruiting them. Sidebars look at how various different professions can help a conspiracy.
7. FNORD! Secret Societies in the Real World acknowledges that the world in the book is an extreme creation, but that elements can still be used in any campaign. It looks at real world secret societies, because they do exist, and some are not that secret as people know they exist, conspiratorial groups in the past, incompetent conspiracies and the existence of small-c conspiracies.
It then looks at using the Illuminati in a non-Illuminated campaign, with various ways of dealing with them if they do still exist, though not at the scale of a fully-Illuminated campaign, and if they used to exist but are no longer around. Finally, it looks at using the Illuminati in other genres.
Sidebars give details of some small-scale conspiratorial organisations, which in a more Illuminated world could also be part of larger organisations.
8. Press the Button Marked “Help” is a chapter of GM advice. It starts with some methods of keeping ahead of the players if they move too fast, without being too arbitrary. These are various types of mind alteration; insanity, altered memories, implanted memories and programmed behaviours. The complexity of a campaign and how to keep the mood running are next and finally it looks at what to do if the players are failing to follow what’s happening.
Sidebars cover chemically induced amnesia and attitude chips, the Conspiracy being a fake, though a fake that can accidentally become real, how to unlock implanted information and the mind control laser.
The Bibliography looks at various sources of inspiration, in nonfiction, in various categories, fiction, film and television, magazines and games, with brief notes on them.
GURPS Illuminati in Review
The Contents covers the major sections and sidebars. The Index is more thorough. Navigation is okay. The text is either a single column with sidebar or two column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are various black and white illustrations, including cartoons, up to full page in size, which may all be custom. Presentation is decent.
Though this is a GURPS supplement, and there are GURPS stats in it, there are rather less of such than might be expected in most GURPS worldbooks, as is explained in the Introduction. There are stats for various things, especially in 1. Characters and some of the sidebars, but the supplement does have use as a system neutral resource, and the stats could be converted with comparatively little difficulty. Though advice is provided on running Illuminated campaigns in other genres, there is no doubt that this supplement is most suited to a present-day campaign.
This is a type of supplement that can also be integrated with other campaigns, though a true Illuminated campaign will gradually see the Conspiracy start to take to the fore, as its elements are gradually uncovered. It should also be noted that a true Illuminated campaign is very definitely not going to be suitable for every player; global conspiracies of the magnitude imagined in this supplement are almost unbeatable. And, if run with their true resource base, there is no almost about it. GURPS Illuminati is a very different type of GURPS worldbook and it can be found by clicking here.
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