Overall, the Conspire with rivals. Enlighten the World. A big game in a small box. 

1776. Bavaria. You are an Areopagus, a disciple and founding member of the Bavarian Order of the Illuminati. Your charge: spread forbidden Enlightenment thinking into the highest reaches of the Holy Roman Empire, undermine its authority, and set the stage for revolution.

Pax Illuminati is a crunchy board game that packs a lot of punch in a small box. A few key highlights of the design:

Players will explore a map of Luminary cards (18th-century figures) and build co-occupied connected networks as they try to accomplish game-winning plots.

The victory conditions change every game, with a high degree of interaction as players strive to outmaneuver their opponents to achieve the victory conditions first.

Multi-purpose and multi-suited cards create deep decisions and tough calls. Cards are used for building the map and accomplishing goals, resource generation, actions, and resolving battles between players.

Core mechanics include area control, territory/network building, and hand management. Mix in a dose of negotiation and double-think/bluffing, and you have Pax Illuminati.

Overall, the game provides a unique, historical look at the theme combined with rich gameplay and relatively quick playtime, all in a compact package.