• Game Title: The Resistance
• Release Date: 2009
• Number of Players: 5-10
• Average Game Time: 20-30 minutes
• Game Publisher: Indie Boards and Cards
• Website:  http://www.indieboardsandcards.com/resistance.php
• Game Designer: Don Eskridge
• Expansions/Alternates: Yes
• Available in Stores: Yes

The concept of a dystopia has always peaked my interest, no matter the genre. Whether it is a book, a movie, or even a video game, I’ve always enjoyed engrossing myself in a world that takes the idea of perfection and warps it into something twisted and wrong. Books like The Anthem, Animal Farm, and The Hunger Games, as well as games like Bioshock and Injustice: Gods Among Us, always make it into the upper echelon of my favorites. That’s why when my girlfriend got me The Resistance (The Dystopian Universe) for my birthday, I was immediately drawn to it. While the same level of story detail isn’t the same as in books, movies, or games, the theme adds a lot of character to a cool collaborative card-b
ased game. A similar style to Werewolf or Mafia, The Resistance is based on a group of people trying to overthrow a government by completing missions. If the resistance completes at least three of the five missions, they win the game. However, there are also spies that have infiltrated the resistance, and if they are able to sabotage three of the missions then they claim victory instead.

The game starts with all the players randomly choosing a card to find out if they are a Spy or part of the Resistance- the amount of spies depends on the number of players. Once that is decided, everyone closes his/her eyes and the spies reveal themselves to each other. This means that the spies know each other, but nobody from the resistance knows who is a spy and who’s not. The leader of the round then chooses a team of people from the whole group to go on the first mission (they can interrogate them beforehand) and the entire group votes on if they approve the choices. Once a team has been chosen or approved, they secretly play either a Success or Fail card. If anyone chooses a fail option, the mission fails and the spies get closer to victory. However, if nobody sabotages the mission, then it is a success and the Resistance moves closer to winning. A new leader is chosen, and the following rounds follow the same pattern until one team has three victories.

The gameplay in Resistance is a lot of fun, especially when you’re a spy. You have to think a lot about how you’re going to keep your identity a secret. If you choose to fail every time, you will be found out easier, but if you choose to succeed to throw people off your scent then the resistance gets closer to winning. Playing as the resistance is also fun because you are constantly trying to assess who might be a spy and making sure they don’t go on missions. The game is engaging, but also doesn’t drag too much since there are only five missions. The number of potential players is pretty high (up to 10) so it’s great for larger gatherings of friends. Finally, as I mentioned before, the theme is a lot of fun and you can expand on the dystopian world when you interact with the other players if you have a theatrical mindset.

The one potential downside I saw about the game is that it feels like the spies have a huge advantage. I played the game twice, and both times the spies won without even going to the fifth round. Because the spies know each other, they can try and signal each other to choose if they are going to pass or fail for a mission, as well as supporting the other spies when they are chosen for a mission. You have to be much more attentive when you are not a spy because if you miss something you will most lik
ely make the wrong choice and wind up losing the game. Overall, the ability to misdirect as a spy makes their position much better than a resistance member. This leads to an accurate portrayal of the situation, but also could be slightly annoying to those players who are not chosen to be spies. Still, after playing both as a spy and a resistance member, I had a great time with both and really hope to work on a strategy to catch the spies next time I play!

Jack’s Rating: 4/5 stars