Pax Illuminaten, a competitive board game about the Bavarian Order of the Illuminati disrupting the Holy Roman Empire, has officially launched a Kickstarter campaign today and is already fully funded.
From Oliver Kiley and Ion Game Design, Pax Illuminaten gameplay is driven by multi-purpose cards, which players use for strategic actions and the map itself. You’ll compete to build networks and achieve unique victory goals.
While Pax Illuminaten does not have a release date, the Kickstarter page hints that some estimated deliveries could be expected around September 2024. Ion Game Design released a new trailer for Pax on their YouTube channel. It briefly explains the premise, and then shows off components in the second half:
Pax Illuminaten is distinctly built for a niche audience, but it’s also likely to please them. The game has terrific flavor, with plenty of interesting historical figures, and an appropriately embellished art design.
However, Pax Illuminaten also intentionally hopes to pack the density of a heavier game into a small box. This would be a neat, compact experience. But the mechanics walk a fine line, as they repurpose the cards in so many ways.
It’s a clever way to conveniently make the most out of every square inch and reduce components. But it remains to be seen if that may also become a bit tricky, or even messy.
Either way, I appreciate the premise itself, since Pax Illuminaten has a fairly clever angle and setting for the Illuminati. The basic game flow promises to make players feel genuinely influential, and sells the basis for competition.
It’s also worth noting that Pax Maleficium is currently a work-in-progress Stretch Goal that will have players contend with the historical practice of witch hunting. Not only is that environment timely for the season, it sounds even more novel, and intimate in scale.
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