undergo The Treatment, a mysterious and dreaded procedure that makes them virtually unkillable and thus immune to their own recklessness. In addition, there are resurrection facilities on campus for student use. Academic rivalries at IOU tend to result in extreme violence, property damage, and mayhem. There are rules to such conflicts (Faculty Bloodfeuds), one of which is that "freshthings" in their first semester are off-limits and harm done to them will attract the unfavorable attention of the Archdean. Any student asking what the "O" in "IOU" stands for will be told he or she isn't cleared for that information. Publication history GURPS Illuminati University was published as a 128-page softbound sourcebook by Steve Jackson Games. The authors are Elizabeth McCoy and Walter Milliken; the illustrations are by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio. The setting began life as an online campaign run on the Steve Jackson Games BBS Illuminati Online. It was codified into a book for the Third Edition of GURPS. There have been no announced plans to officially update the setting for 2004's Fourth Edition ruleset. Reception Rick Swan reviewed GURPS IOU: Illuminati University for Dragon magazine #228 (April 1996). Noting SJG's success with the Illuminati: New World Order card game, he commented that "despite its title, GURPS IOU has nothing to do with cards. Nor, for that matter, does it have much to do with the GURPS Illuminati supplement of a few years back. IOU looks like a setting for the GURPS role-playing game – and indeed, it has its share of game stats and adventure hooks – but the anything-goes, logic-down-the-dumper approach makes it virtually unplayable, at least by anyone who takes their games even semi-seriously. So what is it? Basically, IOU is a glorified joke book, a drop of Monty Python mixed with a bucket of Three Stooges." Swan concluded his review by saying: "Maybe you consider yourself too sophisticated for silly stuff like this. But you've gotta admit – Democrats for Cthulhu, that’s pretty good." References External links GURPS Illuminati University at Steve Jackson Games Independent review at RPGnet Masonic references in games (Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon) Campaign settings Comedy role-playing games Fictional universities and colleges Illuminati University Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1995