www.independent.co.uk Open in urlscan Pro
2a04:4e42:200::347  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

POST

<form id="reg-lite-form" class="reg-form i-amphtml-form" target="_top" method="post" action-xhr="/internal-api/newsletter-component/submit/lite" verify-xhr="/internal-api/newsletter-component/verify" custom-validation-reporting="interact-and-submit"
  on="valid:AMP.setState({liteRegValid: true});invalid:AMP.setState({liteRegValid: false});submit-success:AMP.setState({ success: true })" novalidate="">
  <div [hidden]="success">
    <div class="sc-1vqdyfr-1 cbngAm"><input class="newsletter-key" name="newsletters" type="hidden" readonly="" value="receiveInsideWashingtonNews"><input name="regSourceNewsletter" type="hidden" readonly="" value="IND_INSIDE_WASHINGTON"><input
        name="regSourceSection" type="hidden" readonly="" value="US politics"><input name="regSourceMethod" type="hidden" readonly="" value="Article%2BSignpost">
      <div class="sc-lqqm6o-0 kwqiUS"><input type="text" id="reg-lite--form-email" name="_" class="not-logged-input is-pristine is-untouched"
          pattern="^(?=(.{1,64}@.{1,255}))([!#$%&amp;amp;'*+\-\/=?\^_`{|}~a-zA-Z0-9}]{1,64}(\.[!#$%&amp;amp;'*+\-\/=?\^_`{|}~a-zA-Z0-9]{0,}){0,})@((\[(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)(\.(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)){3}\])|([a-zA-Z0-9-]{1,63}(\.[a-zA-Z0-9-]{2,63}){1,}))$"
          required="" aria-controls="reg-lite--form-email-helper-text" aria-describedby="reg-lite--form-email-helper-text" placeholder="Email" value=""><label for="reg-lite--form-email"></label>
        <div class="error-text" visible-when-invalid="valueMissing" validation-for="reg-lite--form-email">Please enter a valid email address</div>
        <div class="error-text" visible-when-invalid="patternMismatch" validation-for="reg-lite--form-email">Please enter a valid email address</div>
        <div class="error-text" visible-when-invalid="customError" validation-for="reg-lite--form-email"></div>
      </div>
      <div class="sc-hav996-0 kPNYDY sc-hav996-3 sc-1vqdyfr-2 jkTynS fPIBbz signup-btn lite-registration-submit form-submit"><button class="sc-1aus1tj-0 gVzKBG sc-hav996-2 cdpIxt form-submit" name="submitBtn" disabled="" type="submit"
          [disabled]="!liteRegValid"><span class="btn-text">SIGN UP</span><span class="sc-hav996-1 fBxEEz btn-loader"></span></button></div>
    </div>
    <div class="sc-76suco-1 eQYuKq newsletter__checkbox sc-1vqdyfr-3 jrttfy" data-nosnippet=""><input type="checkbox" id="newsletter-checkbox" name="newsletters" value="receiveIndyOffers"><label for="newsletter-checkbox"
        class="sc-76suco-0 iirJrL checkmark">I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html">privacy policy</a></label>
    </div>
  </div><input type="hidden" name="^" data-action="signUpNewsletters">
  <div submit-success="true"><template type="amp-mustache">
      <div class="sc-1i5cmds-0 ljiSWI">
        <h2 data-nosnippet="" class="sc-1i5cmds-1 kxzXqt">Thanks for signing up to the<br> <!-- -->Inside Washington<!-- --> email</h2>
      </div>
    </template></div>
  <div submit-error="true" data-nosnippet=""><template type="amp-mustache">
      <div class="sc-19svp5f-0 jelnWK">{{ #verifyErrors }}<!-- -->{{ message }}<!-- -->{{ /verifyErrors }}<!-- -->{{ ^verifyErrors }}<!-- -->Something went wrong. Please try again later<!-- -->{{ /verifyErrors }}</div>
    </template></div>
</form>

POST

<form id="login-form" class="login-form i-amphtml-form" method="post" target="_top" action-xhr="/internal-api/user/login/commenting/submit" verify-xhr="/internal-api/user/login/verify" custom-validation-reporting="interact-and-submit"
  on="valid:AMP.setState({loginDisabled: false});invalid:AMP.setState({loginDisabled: true})" novalidate=""><input type="hidden" name="returnUrl" value="/news/world/americas/us-politics/illuminati-card-game-trump-covid-b1839470.html">
  <p class="sc-1wvnxd-5 gxIlgI">Log in</p>
  <div class="sc-1wvnxd-11 gpURqp">
    <div class="sc-lqqm6o-0 kwqiUS"><input type="text" id="login-form-email" name="-" class="is-pristine is-untouched" required="" aria-controls="login-form-email-helper-text" aria-describedby="login-form-email-helper-text"
        placeholder="Enter your email"><label for="login-form-email">Email address</label>
      <div class="error-text" visible-when-invalid="customError" validation-for="login-form-email"></div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="sc-1wvnxd-11 gpURqp">
    <div class="sc-lqqm6o-0 kwqiUS"><input type="password" id="login-form-password" name="password" class="sc-1wvnxd-7 dVxtGV input-password js-hideshowpassword is-pristine is-untouched" required="" aria-controls="login-form-password-helper-text"
        aria-describedby="login-form-password-helper-text" placeholder="Enter your password"><label for="login-form-password">Password</label>
      <div class="error-text" visible-when-invalid="customError" validation-for="login-form-password"></div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="form-errors" submit-error="true">Email and password don't match</div>
  <div class="sc-hav996-0 kPNYDY sc-hav996-3 sc-1wvnxd-8 jkTynS hzHlvR"><button class="sc-1aus1tj-0 gVzKBG sc-hav996-2 cdpIxt form-submit" name="submitBtn" disabled="" type="submit" [disabled]="loginDisabled"><span class="btn-text">Submit</span><span
        class="sc-hav996-1 fBxEEz btn-loader"></span></button></div>
  <div class="sc-1wvnxd-2 ginYWn"><a href="/forgotten-password" class="sc-1wvnxd-3 iyBMBm">Forgotten your password?</a></div>
  <div class="sc-1wvnxd-9 gjMseg"></div>
  <p class="sc-1wvnxd-6 ijsXlC">New to The Independent?</p><a id="registerLink" href="/register" class="sc-1aus1tj-0 jbpcNh">Register</a>
</form>

Text Content

Jump to content

UK EDITIONCHANGE

US EditionAsia EditionEdición en Español
Sign up to our newslettersSubscribe: £6 for 6 months
{{indy.truncatedName}}
Log in / Register
Independent
Jet2holidaysBest betting sites
SubscribeMenu

 * News
   * News
   * UK
   * US
   * World
   * UK Politics
   * Brexit
   * Health
   * Business
   * Science
   * Space
   * News Videos
 * Sport
   * Sport
   * Football
   * Paris 2024 Olympics
   * Formula 1
   * Rugby Union
   * Cricket
   * Tennis
   * Boxing
   * UFC
   * Cycling
   * Golf
   * Betting
   * Sport Videos
 * Voices
   * Voices
   * Editorials
   * Letters
   * John Rentoul
   * Mary Dejevsky
   * Andrew Grice
   * Sean O’Grady
 * Culture
   * Culture
   * Film
   * TV & Radio
   * Music
   * Games
   * Books
   * Art
   * Photography
   * Theatre & Dance
   * Culture Videos
 * Lifestyle
   * Lifestyle
   * Shopping
   * Beauty
   * Fitness & Wellbeing
   * Tech
   * Money
   * Food & Drink
   * Fashion
   * Love & Sex
   * Women
   * Health & Families
   * Royal Family
   * Motoring
   * Electric Vehicles
   * Car Insurance Deals
   * Lifestyle Videos
 * Travel
   * Travel
   * UK Hotel Reviews
   * News & Advice
   * Simon Calder
   * Cruises
   * UK
   * Europe
   * USA
   * Asia
   * Australia & New Zealand
   * South America
   * C. America & Caribbean
   * Middle East
 * Premium
   * Premium
   * Politics Explained
   * Editorials
   * Voices
   * Long Reads
   * News Analysis
   * Today’s Edition

More
Best
 * Advisor
 * Home & Garden
 * Tech
 * Broadband deals
 * Fashion & Beauty
 * Deals
 * Food & Drink
 * Kids
 * Books
 * Travel & Outdoors
 * Sports & Fitness

Climate
 * News
 * Electric Vehicles
 * Voices
 * Sustainable Living
 * Explained
 * Climate Videos
 * Solar Panels
 * SGI

TV
 * Behind The Headlines
 * On The Ground
 * Decomplicated
 * You Ask The Questions
 * Binge Watch
 * Music Box
 * Love Lives
 * Travel Smart
 * Watch on your TV

 * Today’s Edition
 * Crosswords & Puzzles
 * Most Commented
 * Newsletters
 * Ask Me Anything
 * Virtual Events
 * Betting Sites
 * Online Casinos
 * Wine Offers
 * Vouchers
 * Indy100


THANK YOU FOR REGISTERING

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be
automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in


NewsWorldAmericasUS politics


THE 1990S CARD GAME THAT ‘PREDICTED’ 9/11, DONALD TRUMP, COVID AND THE CAPITOL
RIOT

ILLUMINATI: NEW WORLD ORDER CONTINUES TO ATTRACT CONSPIRACY THEORISTS THREE
DECADES AFTER ITS LAUNCH FOR ITS APPARENTLY UNCANNY ABILITY TO FORETELL THE
FUTURE

Joe Sommerlad
Thursday 29 April 2021 15:42 BST
Comments

ARTICLE BOOKMARKED

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Don't show me this message again
✕

The ‘Terrorist Nuke’ card from Illuminati: New World Order (Amazon)
Leer en Español


SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY INSIDE WASHINGTON EMAIL FOR EXCLUSIVE US COVERAGE AND
ANALYSIS SENT TO YOUR INBOX


GET OUR FREE INSIDE WASHINGTON EMAIL


Please enter a valid email address
Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The
Independent. Read our privacy policy


THANKS FOR SIGNING UP TO THE
INSIDE WASHINGTON EMAIL

{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something
went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

An out-of-print multiplayer card game that first appeared in 1994 is continuing
to attract interest and unease online over its apparently eerie ability to
“predict” major global events, from 9/11 to the election of Donald Trump, the
coronavirus pandemic and the failed insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January
2021.

Illuminati: New World Order was released by Steve Jackson Games and cast the
player as a puppet-master pursuing world domination on behalf of their chosen
mythic secret society, the game offering a choice of the Bavarian Illuminati,
the Discordian Society, the UFOs, the Servants of Cthulhu, the Bermuda Triangle
and the Gnomes of Zurich.




The goal of Illuminati - spun off from the same company’s 1982 board game that
was in turn inspired by The Illuminatis! Trilogy (1975) fantasy novels by Robert
Shea and Robert Anton Wilson – is to develop and consolidate a power structure
through which to rule the globe from the shadows on behalf of your chosen order,
manipulating society and dealing out apocalyptic blows to your opponents as you
go.



“Maybe the Illuminati are behind this game,” Mr Shea wrote in his introduction
to the original game’s rulebook.



“They must be – they are, by definition, behind everything.”



While the game’s preoccupation with globalist deep state conspiracy themes was
clearly wildly ahead of its time, anticipating our bamboozled, boggle-brained
era of fictional election-rigging claims, QAnon, anti-vaxxers, 5G paranoia and
seething app-based nonsense cauldrons like Telegram, it’s the 2,000AD,
Tarot-style illustrations on the cards themselves that are the real source of
fascination.

Illuminati’s “Terrorist Nuke” card, for instance, shows an explosion midway up a
skyscraper in a scene that looks undeniably like the attack on the Twin Towers
of the World Trade Center in New York City on 11 September 2001.

One depicts a bomb blast at the Pentagon, the next shows barbed-wire fencing
around the White House shielding the president from civil unrest, a scene
realised in summer 2020 during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in
Lafayette Square in response to the police killing of George Floyd.



Speaking of Mr Trump, there’s even a “Charismatic Leader” card that features a
blonde-haired demagogue addressing a crowd of adoring supporters in a seemingly
uncanny forecast of the reality TV businessman’s rise to power, amusing given
that he was a bankrupt Atlantic City casino impresario at the time of the game’s
launch with very little prospect of being taken seriously ever again.


The ‘Charismatic Leader’ card from Illuminati: New World Order (Amazon)

There’s a Hillary Clinton card in the deck and a tree-hugging Al Gore (they were
US first lady and vice president at the time), Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
makes an appearance and there is a particularly gruesome card anticipating the
advent of militant political correctness, now a regular bugbear of Fox News and
the rest of the conservative media ecosystem, which portrays two hanged men
holding signs announcing their crimes.



“Used Insensitive Pronoun,” reads one.

“Ate Flesh of Dead Animals,” says the other.

There’s a “March on Washington” card, one for “Market Manipulation” instigating
a deliberate Wall Street crash, and even a “Plague of Demons” descending on DC
to set Q hearts racing.

Illuminati has long-since been discontinued and become a collector’s item, with
unsealed decks sold on Amazon and eBay for almost $2,000, the wildly inflated
price an indicator of high demand among a certain sort of feverish-minded
consumer.



In addition to the game’s artwork, a further source of intrigue is the fact that
the Secret Service raided the offices of Steve Jackson Games in Austin, Texas,
on 1 March 1990 and confiscated hard drives and documents, some of which
pertained to the board game.

While conspiracy theorists believe this represented the feds moving in to
hastily hush up Illuminati and stop the developers revealing the existence of
its secret societies to the wider world (why would you choose to make that
information public in board game form, rather than, say, by hosting a press
conference?), this is simply untrue.



One of the company’s employees, Loyd Blankenship, was also a hacker who served
as the system operator for a messaging board that had published a stolen set of
files detailed how America’s 911 emergency response systems worked, a fact the
Secret Service had been tipped off to and been a granted a search warrant to
investigate.


The Hillary Clinton card from Illuminati: New World Order (Amazon)

Speaking to Vice News about his old boss in 2012, Mr Blankenship said: “Steve is
a huge fan of conspiracy theories. Not that he believes in them – as far as I
could tell in five years of working with him – rather, he is immensely
entertained by them.”

The site also spoke to illustrator John Grigni about the “prophetic” imagery he
drew for the series.

Mr Grigni admitted the coincidences but said that the likes of the “Terrorist
Nuke” card were inspired by anxiety about the threat potentially still posed by
post-Soviet Russia rather than any vision of what was to come from al-Qaeda.



“Terrorism was heating up as a ‘headline seller’ without the ever-present threat
of nuclear annihilation, but we were still looking at Hamas and Palestine as
likely culprits for such acts,” Mr Grigni explained.

“Art direction-wise, frankly a nuke wouldn’t just blow up one building, even a
‘tactical’ nuke would do damage on a much larger scale. It does seem oddly
prescient, given the ‘Twin Towers’ shown.”

Steve Jackson himself has also addressed the game’s origins, telling Dragon
Magazine in the mid-1980s that his intention was primarily satirical and that he
hoped to keep the tone “tongue-in-cheek rather than serious”.

He explained that the original concept arose from a conversation with cover
artist Dave Martin in September 1981 about their mutual administration for the
Shea and Wilson novels.


The epidemic card from Illuminati: New World Order (Amazon)

“Even aside from the question of buying game rights to a novel (always an
involved and expensive process), there was the subject matter,” Mr Jackson
recalled.



“Giant golden dope-smuggling submarines, talking dolphins, anarchistic midgets,
the holy man underneath Dealy Plaza (the Dealy Lama, of course), dozens of
secret organisations with obscene acronyms, and a final deus ex machina in the
form of a real live (and horny) goddess… Even if you could figure out who was on
whose side, which I didn’t think I could, how could you make a game out of it?
But it was such a fascinating thought!”

Mr Jackson explained that he had carried out extensive research into cults and
conspiracy theories and observed: “It’s possible to get deadly serious about the
idea of conspiracies and assassinations. I didn’t want that. Among all the
material I’d read, the articles with the really wacky theories – even if they
were presented totally seriously – were the most fun to read. Logically, then, a
wacky game should be more fun to play.



“As much as possible, I wanted to retain the ‘flavour’ of the conspiracy
material I’d been reading. That’s why groups like the South American Nazis, the
Cattle Mutilators, the fluoridators, the Communists, the oil companies and the
United Nations, are in there.”

Perhaps the clearest insight into Illuminati’s alleged soothsaying properties
comes from Mr Blankenship, who told Vice: “It’s pretty much like any psychic –
say that a Middle Eastern leader will be killed next year and you have a decent
chance of getting it right.”




MORE ABOUT

Donald Trumpcoronavirus pandemicCapitol riotSaddam HusseinAl-QaedaQAnonBlack
Lives MatterGeorge FloydHillary ClintonAl GoreFox NewsSecret
ServiceHamasConspiracy TheoriesUFOs


JOIN OUR COMMENTING FORUM

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see
their replies

Comments


1/4THE 1990S CARD GAME THAT ‘PREDICTED’ 9/11, TRUMP AND THE CAPITOL RIOT


THE 1990S CARD GAME THAT ‘PREDICTED’ 9/11, TRUMP AND THE CAPITOL RIOT

The ‘Charismatic Leader’ card from Illuminati: New World Order

Amazon


THE 1990S CARD GAME THAT ‘PREDICTED’ 9/11, TRUMP AND THE CAPITOL RIOT

The Hillary Clinton card from Illuminati: New World Order

Amazon


THE 1990S CARD GAME THAT ‘PREDICTED’ 9/11, TRUMP AND THE CAPITOL RIOT

The epidemic card from Illuminati: New World Order

Amazon


THE 1990S CARD GAME THAT ‘PREDICTED’ 9/11, TRUMP AND THE CAPITOL RIOT

The ‘Terrorist Nuke’ card from Illuminati: New World Order

Amazon
















✕


SUBSCRIBE TO INDEPENDENT PREMIUM TO BOOKMARK THIS ARTICLE

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?
Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

Subscribe
Already subscribed? Log in


MOST POPULAR

World’s biggest solar farm is big enough to power a country
Moscow ready to strike French troops as UK sends Kyiv 1,000 drones
The mystery of the giant snake found in drawings across the world
EasyJet turns 4-year-old away from Gatwick – but not from Southampton
Treasury rubbishes Rishi Sunak’s £2,000 tax hike TV debate claim


POPULAR VIDEOS

Trump’s 2016 words on presidents and felony indictments
Sarah Ferguson breaks silence on Charles and Andrew’s reported feud
Mbappe speaks out on Real Madrid deal: ‘Things made me unhappy at PSG’

An event that happens once every 2,000 years is taking place in the Antarctic
Military horses that bolted through London to take part in Trooping the Colour
EA Sports finally confirms when FC 24 Euros update will go live
Helldivers 2 players 'created a black hole' but are terrified of what might come
through
Hospice patient declared dead found alive by shocked funeral home staff




SPONSORED FEATURES

Moscow ready to strike French troops as UK sends Kyiv 1,000 drones
UK’s 4,000-year-old mysterious ‘Seahenge’ structure finally decoded
The mystery of the giant snake found in drawings across the world
Treasury rubbishes Rishi Sunak’s £2,000 tax hike TV debate claim
General election 2024 - live: Labour accuses Sunak of lying 12 times


 * Get in touch
   * Contact us
   * 
 * Our Products
   * Subscribe
   * Register
   * Newsletters
   * Donate
   * Today’s Edition
   * Install our app
   * Archive
 * Other publications
   * International editions
   * Independent en Español
   * Independent Arabia
   * Independent Turkish
   * Independent Persian
   * Independent Urdu
   * Evening Standard
 * Extras
   * Advisor
   * Puzzles
   * All topics
   * Betting Offers
   * Voucher codes
   * Competitions and offers
   * Independent Advertising
   * Independent Ignite
   * Syndication
   * Working at The Independent
 * Legal
   * Code of conduct and complaints
   * Contributors
   * Cookie policy
   * Donations Terms & Conditions
   * Privacy notice
   * 
   * User policies
   * Modern Slavery Act




THANK YOU FOR REGISTERING

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be
automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Close

UK EDITIONCHANGE

US EditionAsia EditionEdición en Español
Subscribe
{{indy.truncatedName}}
Log in / Register

Jet2holidaysBest betting sites
{{#items}}


{{#STAMPSMALL}}{{/STAMPSMALL}}{{#STAMPCLIMATE}}{{/STAMPCLIMATE}}{{#STAMPPREMIUM}}{{/STAMPPREMIUM}}{{TITLE}}{{#DESC}}{{DESC}}{{/DESC}}


   {{#children}}
 * {{title}}
   {{/children}}

{{/items}}

 * Today’s Edition
 * Crosswords & Puzzles
 * Most Commented
 * Newsletters
 * Ask Me Anything
 * Virtual Events
 * Betting Sites
 * Online Casinos
 * Wine Offers
 * Vouchers
 * Indy100


Close the sidebar
✕

Log in

Email address

Password

Email and password don't match
Submit
Forgotten your password?


New to The Independent?

Register

Or if you would prefer:

SIGN IN WITH GOOGLE

Want an ad-free experience?

View offers

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of
service apply.

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

 * My Independent Premium
 * Account details
 * Help centre
 * Logout

Close the sidebar