The Empire must fall. Our mission must succeed. By destroying their key bases, we will shatter Imperial strength and liberate our people. Yet spies have infiltrated our ranks, ready for sabotage. We must unmask them. In five nights we reshape destiny or die trying. We are the Resistance! The Resistance is a party game of social deduction. It is designed for five to ten players, lasts about 30 minutes, and has no player elimination. The Resistance is inspired by Mafia/Werewolf, yet it is unique in its core mechanics, which increase the resources for informed decisions, intensify player interaction, and eliminate player elimination. Players are either Resistance Operatives or Imperial Spies. For three to five rounds, they must depend on each other to carry out missions against the Empire. At the same time, they must try to deduce the other players’ identities and gain their trust. Each round begins with discussion. When ready, the Leader entrusts sets of Plans to a certain number of players (possibly including himself/herself). Everyone votes on whether or not to approve the assignment. Once an assignment passes, the chosen players secretly decide to Support or Sabotage the mission. Based on the results, the mission succeeds (Resistance win) or fails (Empire win). When a team wins three missions, they have won the game. Contents 10 Character Cards 10 Mission Cards (5 Success & 5 Failure Cards) 1 Inquisitor Token (used in the "Inquisitor" expansion) 5 Team Tokens 20 Vote Tokens (10 Approve & 10 Reject Tokens) 5 Score Markers (Blue & Red Markers) 1 Round Marker 1 Vote Track Marker 1 Leader Token 3 Score Tableaus 5-10 players Ages 12+ 40 mins 20 Standard cards (63.5 x 89mm) Observations - Counterfeit copies of the game come in boxes with Chinese words and instructions and misprinted thin cards - Fixed structure to gameplay means this is the best game to introduce people to the social deduction game mechanism - Lots of pointing and screaming, especially when 2 players on opposite teams go on a failed mission - Best experience when all players are vocal as quiet players tend to end up being unfairly accused - Too much discussion on every single action can slow the game to boredom - Structured gameplay allows players to make decisions if they choose not to be vocal Alternatives - Secret Hitler, plays like The Resistance with more emphasis on luck and player performance - One Night Ultimate Werewolf, a less structured and shorter 5-10 minutes experience - Two Rooms & a Boom, a social deduction experience for 2 teams of 3-15 people - Dark Moon, a structured 60-80 minute catch the lairs experience - Cockroach Poker, a short 15 minute game where all players conspire to make 1 player lose the game, telling the truth or lying depending on how they view their own performance