Strategy

Conspiring for a shared victory may seem easier than grabbing the whole pie. But be careful who you trust.

When someone leaves the room, conspire against him. There is always a way to make your position a little bit better and his a little bit worse.

Negotiate with everyone. Your foes are less likely to attack you if they think you might help them win.

To avoid being attacked, you should look strong enough to defend yourself, but not so strong that you are a threat.

Watch your rivals constantly; keep track of how close they are to their Goals. The more Plots they have, the more likely they are to play some fiendish trick and win in one turn. Don't count on others to warn you of danger . . . they may have made a private deal!

The Perfect Deck

Half the victory comes before the game starts -- when you choose the cards for your deck, and decide how you'll use them. World domination should never be left to chance. Pick cards that work well together . . . to defend each other, aid each others' strengths, work toward your own goal and smash your foes.

A very aggressive deck works well in a two-player game. Multi-player games call for more defensive cards, and a careful buildup of power. Either way, you want a few key high-Power cards, some groups with useful special abilities, and a variety of good Plot cards. Bring a variety of Group cards, so you can choose the special abilities you need to frustrate your rivals' plans.

The best decks have a theme. A deck can be built around an Illuminati card, or an alignment (or two), or an attribute (like Science), or a Goal card, or even a particular strategy.

But there is no such thing as the perfect deck. Any deck can be beaten . . . by a good player who knows what's in it. So . . . vary your deck and your strategies! If you lead with the Mafia every time, your rivals will bring Mafia cards of their own, and take it away from you. Switch cards between games, or use the same cards in a different way. Don't be predictable!

And don't depend on the cards to win for you. A good player with a starter deck can beat a careless player with a custom-built deck.

Balanced Power Structures

If a group controls many puppets, you must protect it _ losing such a key group really hurts. If all your groups branch from one Illuminati control arrow, you can be wiped out in one attack.

But if one of your rivals makes this mistake, you can win by taking several groups in one attack!

Threats and Negotiations

Any agreement between players, secret or otherwise, is permitted, if it does not actually violate the rules. In particular, you can always try to change an opponent's mind, by promises, bribes or threats, about an action that he plans or announces.

Deals can be made either openly or secretly. The possibilities are limited only by your own duplicity.