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Old 05-28-2012, 01:38 PM   #1
EtherDais
 
Join Date: May 2012
Default INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Fellow gamers, discordians, subgenii, and fans of INWO and Illuminati,

As someone who would to keep playing INWO with his friends (it turns out there are some of us out there who still try to play this game when we can, in preference to the Illuminati box set), it's bad enough to be scrounging for cards that are OOP, but the situation for we weird INWO players has gotten worse. It's just strange and big enough that perhaps SJG should consider exploiting it, but at the very least, I'd like to bring it to your attention.

What do I mean?
The cost of INWO cards has gone through the roof. A booster POP box is now in the ~$270 range. Don't believe me? Check it.

I'm not sure where this first started (maybe with Icke), but this page has some documentation of the phenomena. I think I've found one of the earlier instances of this meme in 2005 (http://www.rinf.com/news/jun-05/16b.html) however I suspect that it's from somewhere else at first. It's gotten worse that that, in that the meme keeps propagating, and seems to have jacked up the value of INWO cards across the board. Where you could once get a $20 POP box in 1998 ($84 retail)

As a pretty big fan of Illuminatus! (and RAW more generally), I'm amused to see these ideas taking root in the collective mind. As a collector/player of INWO, im sad to see that now i'm going to get hosed because any conspiracy noob amateur who thinks he's 'seeing the truth' is going to want a set of INWO cards to let him READ THE FUTURE OF WORLD HISTORY.... (or something) The rationale for this meme is terrible, and nobody seems to have read any of the development notes Steve put at the beginning of the INWO book (now ~$60-90, my copy was $3). Collaborative effort and thoughtful construction couldn't be the reason for why the INWO cards describe reality that well! Instead, JACKSON MUST HAVE KNOWN they'd use the earthquake projector to give Japan a SUPER earthquake and nuclear disaster combined, just as those clues were hidden regarding the pentagon and the twin towers! In this sense, INWO cards are really great for a hindsight-powered nostradamus-ing, like a tarot deck which allows one to see past events!

Just so you know, lots of people are onto you!.(wink) Remember those damages awarded for being raided by the S.S. for no good reason 22 years ago? A simple donation to SJGames would have been showing their hand, so they had to RAID you in order to give you the money to deliver the INWO designs they wanted! (I'm looking at you, Smith, Ryan, and Kovalic!) I must say, it's a brilliant scheme, and I can only hope that we all get so lucky as to be raided and then compensated as we are inducted into the dark order, hopefully in the near future!

There seems to be lots of copy-pasta about the topic, but it keeps evolving enough that several someones must believe it.

So now, this kind of thing is why I can't buy any more INWO cards without taking out a damn loan.


It's also the reason why SJG should humorously(seriously) consider making a new INWO expansion to work with the old cards. Think about it, there's interest and money to be made by boldly admitting/announcing that, yes, these cards contain little taunting messages from THE CONSPIRACY about future terrorism, natural disasters, and other weird **** -- That's why you should buy more!

Empower your friends by 'playing' just like the 'big kids' do!

"After 20 years in the waiting, from the official game-designers of the Secret Masters, the meagerly awaited new expansion to INWO, INWO: Millennium! Prepare for the next 1000 Years of conspiracies!"

You could write another book about the cards then, which includes Assassins, Subgenius and (fill name here) card descriptions, along with a fun history of internet accusations and speculative rumors about SJGames!

I know better than to REALLY expect more INWO to come out, but the time is ripe for fantasy about exploiting its indoctrination into 'conspiracy lit'. You know you're doing something right when you've been accused of being 'in with them', instead of just asserting that you're 'in with them'. It would give you a chance to go Meta on it. Steve Jackson Games would be one of the cards, now.

Anyone out there to be as amused by this as I am? (Or as upset that you can't get INWO cards without selling a kidney?)
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Old 06-02-2012, 04:15 PM   #2
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Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Actually, those prices look like algorithmic pricing at work. Notice how the three used copies are two cents apart?

If that IS what's going on, it's more accurate to call it a sign of anti-demand. True popularity would've seen the copies get snatched up earlier, before the algorithms had time to escalate so far.
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Old 06-03-2012, 03:42 AM   #3
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Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Case in point: a Limited Edition booster box sold for $120 on April 6 2012 on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Illuminati-N...-/130662969423

Likely a bump in price due to the 9/11 stories showing up here and there in recent months, and completionists trying to finish sets, but from a practical point of view, it took over a decade to sell through the stock of boosters at the company.

Price-wise, there shows some demand, but IMHO, not enough from a player's market to show any useful demand. It just looks like the usual overpricing of anything that is labelled Out of Print from people trying to make a profit, and sales seem slow enough still that the conspiracy theorists and completionists are the only real market at the moment.
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Old 06-21-2012, 08:46 AM   #4
EtherDais
 
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Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Okay, revise that thought. What they NEED to do is make a small reprint of the assassins release without telling anyone, and sloooowly leak the boxes onto EBAY through an unaffiliated account.

This auction is about to end (http://www.ebay.com/itm/320925921064...84.m1438.l2649) with the POP going for > $420....

Edit: Final price: $510.

Last edited by EtherDais; 06-26-2012 at 04:46 PM. Reason: auction ended, updated final bid
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Old 06-27-2012, 02:17 PM   #5
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Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Quote:
Originally Posted by EtherDais View Post
Okay, revise that thought. What they NEED to do is make a small reprint of the assassins release without telling anyone, and sloooowly leak the boxes onto EBAY through an unaffiliated account.

This auction is about to end (http://www.ebay.com/itm/320925921064...84.m1438.l2649) with the POP going for > $420....

Edit: Final price: $510.
I've got an unopened box of Assassins, and I'm willing to sell it for just $350! (Plus shipping.)
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Old 07-01-2012, 07:42 AM   #6
seekhimfirst
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

I know these questions have been asked a million times, so please forgive. But, I am confused about the cards for the Illuminati Game. If I am understanding right, the INWO Cards are supplements to the Game?? Also, I see that there are olders packs of cards that are OOP (Out-Of-Print); ie. basically, everything that is not currently for sale on the website. And, any packs currently for sale on the website are newer additions to the game (except for Y2K and Bavarian Fire Drill, which I believe are reprints of the older set of cards)?? My only question regarding the reprints is, are they the exact same cards.......basically, were there any cards taken out or new ones added?? It's a little confusing, (unless someone just wants an older collectible version), because why would they choose to pay hundreds of dollars for the same thing that they can purchase reprinted for $20?? I would appreciate someone clarifying this for me. I would call the store, but they are out for vacation currently. I appreciate your feedback.

Last edited by seekhimfirst; 07-01-2012 at 09:02 AM.
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:37 PM   #7
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Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Quote:
Originally Posted by seekhimfirst View Post
I know these questions have been asked a million times, so please forgive. But, I am confused about the cards for the Illuminati Game. If I am understanding right, the INWO Cards are supplements to the Game?? Also, I see that there are olders packs of cards that are OOP (Out-Of-Print); ie. basically, everything that is not currently for sale on the website. And, any packs currently for sale on the website are newer additions to the game (except for Y2K and Bavarian Fire Drill, which I believe are reprints of the older set of cards)?? My only question regarding the reprints is, are they the exact same cards.......basically, were there any cards taken out or new ones added?? It's a little confusing, (unless someone just wants an older collectible version), because why would they choose to pay hundreds of dollars for the same thing that they can purchase reprinted for $20?? I would appreciate someone clarifying this for me. I would call the store, but they are out for vacation currently. I appreciate your feedback.
INWO is different from the regular Illuminati card game.

The original Illuminati game in the 1980s used small cards (around 1"x1.5")*. All copies were the same, with the same set of cards. There were at least three supplements.


INWO came out in the 1990s sometime and is a collectable card game (CCG) like Magic: The Gathering. You get a different random set of cards in each game or booster pack. Some cards are rarer than others, so if you want all the really cool cards you have to spend a lot of $. Assassins was an expansion set for INWO. There is also an INWO set which has one of every card, but with different face colors so you aren't as cool if you use them in a constructed deck.

The 100s of $ is for Unopened boxes of INWO cards.

INWO cards are the size of standard playing cards, maybe 1.5"x2.5".


Sometime in the 90s SJGames came out with a new version of the original game with bigger cards in color and generally better physical quality. The cards were maybe 2"x3". Bigger than standard playing cards anyway. Bavarian Fire Drill and Y2K are expansions of this version. The base game and expansions are all the same, with the same cards as all other copies.

INWO is a different game from the other two and the cards are not compatible with the other two. (Someone has probably written a way to do it, though.)

You might be able to combine the 1st and 3rd games, I dunno.

The INWO name only applies to the CCG.

* All measurements, dates, etc are inexact from memory.
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Old 07-03-2012, 03:37 AM   #8
seekhimfirst
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

cptbutton,

Thank you SO MUCH!! I believe I am getting this. I did see an INWO "One With Everything" factory set on Ebay. Is that the one you are referring to, when you mentioned the INWO set that has "one of every card with different face colors"? I really appreciate your explaining it. It's confusing!! So, if I wanted to purchase a complete set of the INWO collectible cards, (other than purchasing the "One With Everything" - if I was correct on that), I would have to buy the card packs until I collect them all. But like baseball card packs, they would be random, so I would spend a lot and getting duplicates in the process? I see where they are selling collections of 3,000 cards on Ebay, so I figured there had to be duplicate cards in that large of a number of cards. If I am understanding this also, there are a total of 597 cards, not including the add on cards? Do you know exactly how many cards there are all total, including the add on cards? Also, if I purchase the "One With Everything" do all of the cards, including the add ons, come in it? Sorry for so many questions. One last question :) it appears that if I want the "One With Everything," that I will have to purchase it on Ebay (as sjgames no longer sells it)? Again, thank you for anwering my million questions!! I would like to purchase all the cards that come with the INWO game. I believe I am slowly figuring out that the only way to do that is via Ebay??? Thanks a million for being so helpful. EDIT: I found a "One With Everything" on Ebay, and it says there are 450 cards in this set. FYI :)

Last edited by seekhimfirst; 07-03-2012 at 04:07 AM.
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Old 08-19-2012, 10:04 AM   #9
East Timor Green Lite
 
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Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Quote:
Originally Posted by RevBob View Post
Actually, those prices look like algorithmic pricing at work. Notice how the three used copies are two cents apart?

If that IS what's going on, it's more accurate to call it a sign of anti-demand. True popularity would've seen the copies get snatched up earlier, before the algorithms had time to escalate so far.

from the link:
"My preferred explanation for bordeebook’s pricing is that they do not actually possess the book."

I didn't deal with the algorithm, but I did deal with a company not having the product I ordered. I ordered a POP of Assassins from some online store at a decently listed price.
They, after quite some time, came back to me and said they didn't have it....

This is the short version, but they listed it and did NOT put up "out of stock" on their sight. I wound up having to use credit at their sight since I ordered via money order. Then they couldn't even get me all the books I wanted that they had listed. phhhh.

Like I said, this is the short version of this story. email me if you want the long version or the name of the online store I will never shop from again.


My guess is that either a worker swiped their last copy out of the warehouse long ago,
or they never had it and upon scrambling to fill the order could only find full cost POPs they weren't willing to lose over 30$ on.
end of story
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Old 08-25-2012, 11:21 AM   #10
spotlight
 
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Default Re: INWO: a remark, a rant, a request

Dear Seekhimfirst:
Yeah, You pretty much have your facts correct about the 'Factory Set'. I purchased one myself many years ago. However, it does not contain the Assasin expansion set. I have yet to this day even seen the Assasin Illuminati Card.
I am not about to spend my slight gaming budget looking for one either. I did spend $45 a few months ago to purchase an unopened box of booster packs I found at a fave game store. He had had them for YEARS and was glad to get rid of them.
Keep your eyes open, and as my dear old Dad says; sometimes you just get lucky.

As for Illuminati, Y2K , and BFD. YES, they are more like the original set. I have one, including the expansions and the money chits. I use monopoly money now, even though it is bigger than the cards. I even still have the Brainwash board, which is why my grown kids still like to play it when they visit now and then.
For some reason they don't quite grasp the new sets ... or maybe they just aren't cleared for that yet!
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