It contains groups named similarly to real world organizations, such as the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Semiconscious Liberation Army.
It was designed as a 'tongue-in-cheek rather than serious' take on conspiracy theories. The game has ominous secret societies competing with each other to control the world through sinister means, including legal, illegal, and even mystical. Illuminati is a standalone card game made by Steve Jackson Games (SJG), inspired by the 1975 book, The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea.