
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,969
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Illuminati (Second Edition)
- 2–6 players
- 60–180 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2018

Rules assistance for Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction is an expansion for Illuminati released in 2010 for 2–8 players, 180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Steve Jackson (I) and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Tile Placement.
From the publisher's website: It's getting easier to find the conspiracies all around us. Just look at the news. Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction is about today's headlines. Supermajority, Health Reform, Bank Collapse, Superpatriot Act, Economic Stimulus – they're tools for world control. You knew it all along, didn't you? This set introduces "New World Order" cards to the classic Illuminati game. A NWO card affects all the players, not just the one who put it down. This mechanic first appeared in the collectible card version of Illuminati. You liked it then – so here it is for the original game. Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction contains 18 NWO cards to boost, penalize, and offend major political and social groups of all kinds. There are also five special cards to trigger, add, or remove NWO effects.
Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction is 180 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction has a complexity rating of 2.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction belongs to these categories: Card Game, Humor, and Political. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Tile Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction are: Steve Jackson (I). These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Illuminati: Mutual Assured Distraction as an expansion for Illuminati. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Illuminati to use it. Check that your edition of Illuminati is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.