From: irilyth@fenris.claremont.edu (Josh Smith)
Subject: Re: New Illuminati
Originator: irilyth@fenris
Organization: Evil Geniuses For A Better Tomorrow
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 06:15:45 GMT

We added an illuminatus (pink card) by the name of The Spanish Inquisition,
before we had ever seen the Monty Python version. We found them very
playable: dominant in some games, less significant in others, depending on
the strategy of the player and the mix of groups revealed--just like most
other illuminati. Here's the text of the rules, in the same style as the
other illuminati descriptions:

The Spanish Inquisition

Originating in medieval times, the Spanish Inquisition enforced its rule
through terror and cunning. Their weapons were fear, surprise, ruthless
efficiency, and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope; their motto: "No
one expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Mentioning their name at the wrong
time is a sure way to bring down their wrath. 

Power and Goals: The Spanish Inquisition has the power to interrupt the
normal turn sequence, and act at any time during the round. On the
Inquisition's turn, they may either act take their turn or pass; if they
take their turn, play proceeds normally. If they choose to pass, they wait
for the opportunity to strike in the next round: immediately after any
player has taken income and turned over a card, the Inquisition may
interrupt the normal sequence of play and take their passed turn.

They collect income, but do not turn over another card; they are then
allowed their usual two regular actions, unlimited free actions, and two
money moves. After they are finished, the player whose turn was interrupted
turns over another card, and continues as before. The Inquisition must jump
in before their next turn, or they miss their chance, and can never interrupt
more than once in one full round. Note that if the Inquistion is to
interrupt the Network, they must do so before the Network turns over their
second card, and that two cards are turned over after the Inquisition is
finished. 

The Inquisition's goal is to break the spirit of stubborn groups; thus,
their special victory condition is to control groups with a total of 35
resistance.

Playing the Inquisition: Your special ability is a great advantage at the
start of the game, when everyone is scrambing to get their hands on a
powerful group; as soon as you see one, jump on it and get control of it. Be
careful not to use your special power too maliciously or flagrantly, though;
the other players are likely to see it as a more serious threat than it is,
and will gang up on you if you start to look too dangerous. Subtlety is of
the essence; being able to jump in whenever a good group comes up is of no
advantage if everyone else is going to spend against your efforts to gain
power.

Opposing the Inquisition: Because the more powerful groups tend to have a
higher resistance, the Inquisition, like the Bavarians, can move rapidly
towards victory just by building a strong power structure. The same tactics
used against the Bavarians will be necessary to stop the Inquisition: the
other players will have to make a concerted effort against them to keep them
from snatching up every good group on the board.  If the Bavarians and the
Inquisition are both in the game, playing them off against each other is an
excellent way to keep two very powerful illuminati busy. On the other hand,
if they decide to bury the hatchet and go for a joint victory, watch out!
Together, they will be nearly unstoppable unless agressively opposed by
everyone else in the game. On the other hand, since they're both after the
same sorts of groups, it will be difficult for them to set up a joint
victory in the first place. 
-- 
Josh Smith, User Support Coordinator  ::  Home: irilyth@fenris.claremont.edu
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont CA USA ::  Work:    josh@fenris.claremont.edu
"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography,
and the dancers hit each other." --Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts
Newsgroups: rec.games.board