The revolution is underway. Are you with us, or against us?
What is The Resistance?
The Resistance is a cooperative/traitor game from Indie Boards & Cards, in the same vein as Mafia/ Werewolf, but I prefer to think of it as " BSGdistilled". With anywhere from 5 to 10 players, you can get a balanced, tense and quick game with impassioned arguments and an almost inappropriate amount of finger pointing. It plays out like I would imagine an ideal game of Mafia would - the only difference is that The Resistance gives your arguments structure and some validity. As the game plays out, more information is revealed, and since everyone has a different perspective, no one can completely trust anyone else. Sure, you say you're a rebel - but that's just what a spy would do.
The Resistance can usually be taught in about 5 minutes, and run for about 30. Game length can depend on how much ambiguity the spies can inject into the game, or how long players decide to argue their case to the others. All in all it's a pretty quick, easy game to teach and play, not to mention tons of fun.
The Tools of the Resistance
What's in the box? Cards, mostly. There is a small game board to demonstrate which missions have passed or failed (via included wooden chits), and 61 cards of various types - roles, pass/fail mission cards, mission plans (team designation cards), yes/no vote cards, and plot cards (special actions). Everything in the box is of high quality, the cards of good stock with a nice linen finish. Personally I love the art. For example, two of the role cards (resistance and spy):
Unfortunately, these cards are face down for most of the game, so you can only really appreciate them when they're flipped over triumphantly at the end of the game. You can always sneak quick glances at your own role card during the game though, no one will stop you, although you may get some accusations of "spy" slung your way for your trouble. The game board also has some nice art of a futuristic skyline, and contains the information you need for game setup in a clear and concise manner.
How to Depose an Empire in 10 Easy Steps
Well, maybe it's more than 10. Depending on the number of players, you pull the appropriate number of Resistance and Spy role cards, hand one out to everyone along with a pair of yes/no vote cards, and you're pretty much set. 237
The Leader role can be determined by mixing in the Leader card with the roles, and giving whoever gets it the leftover role card. Once everyone knows their role, the group follows this script (usually dictated by the Leader):
"Everyone close their eyes"
"Spies, open your eyes and identify each other"
[Pause for dramatic effect - and so that spies can find one another]
"Everyone close their eyes"
"Everyone open their eyes"
One point over Mafia - no need for a moderator, so everyone gets to play. The spies know who they are, and the resistance members are in the dark (and hopefully appropriately paranoid). At the beginning of each new mission, if using the "The Plot Thickens" expansion, the Leader draws some plot cards and distributes them accordingly to the other players. They can either afford actions to players for later use, or have immediate effects. Regardless of the expansion, the Leader then determines who will attempt the current mission by distributing the mission plan cards to the appropriate number of players (determined by the group size and mission number), possibly including himself. The group then votes on the mission members, and if a consensus is reached the mission is a go. If not, Leader passes to the next player (but no new plot cards come up), and the process repeats. Five consecutive hung votes, and the spies win, so you can't be too picky. If the majority is okay with the group, then those on the mission get a pair of pass/fail mission cards, submitting one of their choice. Much like a crisis card in BSG, each player submits their choice face down into a pile which is then mixed up and revealed. Resistance members may ONLY submit pass, but spies can put in pass or fail. Any fails trump the passes, and the mission will fail. The mission is marked accordingly, and the process repeats until either 3 missions have passed or 3 have failed, at which point the one side can rub their victory in the others' faces. Pretty simple, right? The fun part is that even as a revealed spy, you're not eliminated from the game - you can still sway the game using your vote, or when your turn as Leader comes up. You can still crush the rebellion, so stick with it! 597