OBD Variant by John

One Big Deck INWO is a rather neat way to introduce puppets - I mean friends - to the great game of INWO. Not only can you leave out some of the trickier elements of the game (I recommend removing secret groups and immunity groups myself), but newbies can try the game without comprehending all the cards, and without designing a deck themselves.
John Meyers has sent me some rather neat variant rules for OBD play, that I am more than happy to be hosting on my site.
Enjoy

This One Big Deck variant uses a set where only the Illuminati are duplicated.
Plagarism note: Many phrases below have been lifted directly from the I.N.W.O. web site. This was not only for the sake of simplicity, but also to preserve the secret messages from Steve Jackson Games.

Setting Up
Start by dividing the cards into one stack of Plots, one stack of Groups, and one stack of Illuminati. Also, remove any cards that refer to duplicate cards, if using a One with Everything set, or a variation. There should be three of each illuminati in the illuminati deck, and one of each card in the Groups and Plots decks.

Deal to each a starting hand of 3 Illuminati, 3 Plots and 10 Groups to each player, face down. Players may look at their cards, but cannot play any of them until the game actually begins.

Each player puts his chosen Illuminati card on the table, all at once. It can happen that more than one player has the same type of Illuminati ... which means they represent different factions of the same conspiracy. See p. 13 of the INWO rulebook. The remaining Illuminati stay in each player’s plot hand until they are discarded, used as agents or used to unmask (see later)

Each player chooses one Group card from his hand, as the first puppet of his Illuminati. All players show their choices at the same time. The rest of the groups remain in each player’s hand until used in the course of normal game play.

Deal the top four Groups from the deck into the middle of the table, to start the ''uncontrolled'' area ‑‑ see below.

Each player rolls two dice. The one with the highest roll goes first.

Playing the Game
At the beginning of the game, you may not attack a player, nor interfere with a player who has not yet completed their first turn! You may not use Plot cards or special abilities on them, either.

The player who goes first does not get to draw any plots or groups on his first turn. He can utilize the cards in his hand, or any cards in the uncontrolled area. This serves to balance the obvious advantage of going first.

Once the game starts, use the regular turn sequence. Everyone draws from the same deck. When any card refers to an individual player's Groups or Plots deck, just read that as meaning ''the'' Groups or Plots deck. Thus, a card that normally lets you look at the top card of your own deck now has the same effect as a card that lets you look at the top of a rival's deck. There's just one deck.

A player who returns a card to the deck may still put it on the top, the bottom, or in the middle. But, of course, there's no guarantee that he will be the one to draw it again!

After the first player takes his turn, players get free draws at the beginning of each of their turns. Everybody draws one free plot card and two groups; except that the first group drawn goes directly to the uncontrolled area (see below). The second group drawn goes directly into the player’s hand. The growing uncontrolled area represents groups jockeying for a role in the grand scheme as rumors of the great conspiracy proliferate.

The Uncontrolled Area
When any player tries to control a card from his hand and fails, that card goes into the uncontrolled, or neutral, area. (Exception: The special power of the Adepts of Hermes means they keep a group even if they fail their attempt to control it.) And if a player drops out or is destroyed, the groups in his hand go into the neutral area.

Any player may attempt to take over or destroy a card from the uncontrolled area, and anyone else may aid or oppose those attacks, following the normal rules for attacking and for interfering with other players' attacks. However, players may not make an automatic takeover from the uncontrolled area.

Groups in the uncontrolled area benefit from a stronger sense of identity than those who must toady to master-conspirators. This makes them tougher to destroy. To destroy an uncontrolled group, the sum of the target=s power plus resistance must be overcome. Follow all other rules and apply all other modifications regarding attacks to destroy as normal.

Additional rules
Players may draw additional plot cards by discarding a plot card from their hand and spending a group action at any time.

Cards may be drawn from the top of the Illuminati deck by spending an illuminati action, on a one-action-per-card basis.

When the Illuminati symbol is rolled during an attack, draw the top card from the Groups pile and move immediately to the uncontrolled area. (For those without the dice from the factory set, simply draw a triangle around the single dot on one of the die. The dot conveniently forms an eye for the pyramid-symbol).

Masks of the Illuminati:
Any Illuminati may Unmask at any time by replacing their illuminati in play with one that is in their hand, and spending an Illuminati action. (Nobody is really sure what each illuminati is up to, except the Servants of Cthulhu . . . you can tell that they are who they say they are when they go on a rampage!).

At any time during thier turn, players may discard an Illuminati card from their hand and use an Illuminati action to search the Plots Deck for any one goal card.

Cards Powered By Deck Discards:
Simply have all discards come from the player's hand. Cards that require a Plot Deck discard instead require plots to be discarded from the player's hand. Cards that require a Group Deck discard instead require groups to be discarded from the player's hand. With cards that provide for a choice (between hand and deck discards), use the highest number and discard them from the players hand to play that card.

	O.B.D. Variant By John and Stelly Comments should be directed to John, rather than me.
Illuminati New World Order, and the graphics on this page, are copyright Steve Jackson Games.