Over the next few years, three expansions for the Pocket Box Illuminati game were published. After researching the Illuminati and conspiracy theories, and 'extensive and enthusiastic playtesting' it went on the market in July 1982 in the (at the time) usual SJG Pocket Box format. He decided 'a game about the secret-conspiracy idea behind Illuminatus!' was viable.

Steve Jackson decided against adapting the novel because of the expense of game rights, and the difficulty of adapting a novel with such convoluted plots. In September 1981, Steve Jackson and his regular freelance cover artist Dave Martin discussed their shared admiration of the Illuminatus! Trilogy, and the latter suggested a game. Depending on the number of players, a game can take between one and six hours. It can be played by two to eight players. It contains groups named similarly to real world organizations, such as the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Semiconscious Liberation Army. It was designed as a 'tongue-in-cheek rather than serious' take on conspiracy theories. The game has ominous secret societies competing with each other to control the world through sinister means, including legal, illegal, and even mystical. Illuminati is a standalone card game made by Steve Jackson Games (SJG), inspired by the 1975 book, The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea.

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