Illuminati - house rule about groups and specials

[PK]

LG, I think you're misunderstanding the rules. The player can only hold the card in his hand if it's a Special. If it's not a Special (if it's a group, an artifact, or an NWO), he must play it to the table. No exception.

So it's impossible for someone to "bluff" having a Special. The only choice the player gets to make is whether to show everyone what the Special is (e.g., as a threat) or keep it hidden.

[StormyWaters]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

LG, I think you're misunderstanding the rules. The player can only hold the card in his hand if it's a Special. If it's not a Special (if it's a group, an artifact, or an NWO), he must play it to the table. No exception.

So it's impossible for someone to "bluff" having a Special. The only choice the player gets to make is whether to show everyone what the Special is (e.g., as a threat) or keep it hidden.

His post sounds to me like a player could, in opposition to the rules, hold a group card while saying "yeah this is totally a special and not a group at all".

Like I said, it's cheating to do that, so if your players are doing it, I'd call them out and probably not invite them back.

[LorenzoGatti]

Of course holding cards in hand pretending they are Specials is cheating, but Illuminati implies a peculiar attitude towards cheating (just like Munchkin is designed for arguing about rules) and otherwise sane players might think that "playing dirty" is appropriate; if it's possible, someone is going to try, and I want to avoid this specific way to cheat.

Do you think that choosing groups and having many more Specials could upset the game?

[StormyWaters]

Originally Posted by LorenzoGatti

Of course holding cards in hand pretending they are Specials is cheating, but Illuminati implies a peculiar attitude towards cheating (just like Munchkin is designed for arguing about rules) and otherwise sane players might think that "playing dirty" is appropriate; if it's possible, someone is going to try, and I want to avoid this specific way to cheat.

While I think Illuminati requires you to be devious, cutthroat, and deceptive, it certainly doesn't imply that you should break the rules. I would just tell your players "if you draw a group and keep it in your hand, you're cheating and it's not cool".

If you're really concerned about it, make your players show the corner of the card (with the yellow stripe) to prove that it's a special and not a group. They don't have to show any text, but prove that it's got the yellow bar that makes it a special.

Do you think that choosing groups and having many more Specials could upset the game?

What do you mean? The Y2K expansion adds a ton of specials and makes them WAY more common.

[PK]

It's true that Illuminati does offer a "cheating" variant . . . but in such a variant, I don't see the problem with someone lying about his Specials. I mean, you're playing a cheating game -- you're asking for crap like that to happen. :)

[ian king]

All that card flipping would give a disadvantage to The Network as well, which is already one of the least attractive cards to have.