The Resistance Complete Guide: Social Deduction Party Game

The Resistance is a social deduction party game where a small group of spies infiltrates a team of resistance fighters. Through mission voting and team selection, players must figure out who the spies are — while spies try to sabotage missions without being caught. Designed by Don Eskridge, it supports 5-10 players in 30 minutes.

Game Components

What's in the Box

• 1 mission board (showing 5 mission tracks)
• 10 character cards (resistance or spy)
• 20 vote tokens (approve/reject)
• 5 mission team markers
• 1 leader token
• 1 score marker
• Designed for 5-10 players (best with 6-8)
• Typical game duration 30 minutes

How to Play

Setup

1. Determine the number of spies based on player count:

2. Shuffle character cards and deal 1 to each player. Players secretly look — spies see each other but resistance does not know anyone.
3. The leader token goes to a random player.
4. Place the mission board in the center.

Mission Structure

The game consists of 5 missions. The resistance wins by completing 3 missions. The spies win by sabotaging 3 missions.

Mission Size

*Requires 2 fail cards to sabotage (instead of 1).

Playing a Mission

Step 1: Team Selection

The leader selects a team of players to go on the mission (size from the table above).

Step 2: Voting

All players simultaneously vote Approve or Reject:

• Majority approves: The team goes on the mission.
• Majority rejects: The leader token passes clockwise. The new leader selects a team. Repeat voting.
• If 5 consecutive teams are rejected, the mission automatically fails (spies win that mission).

Step 3: Mission Execution

Each selected team member secretly plays a success or fail card:

• Resistance MUST play success.
• Spies choose: play success (to hide their identity) or fail (to sabotage).
• For missions requiring 2 fails: if only 1 fail card is played, the mission still succeeds.

Step 4: Reveal

The mission cards are shuffled and revealed. Count fail cards:

• 0 fails: Mission succeeds (resistance wins the mission).
• 1+ fails (or 2+ for specific missions): Mission fails (spies win the mission).

Step 5: Next Mission

The leader token passes clockwise. Begin the next mission.

Strategy Tips

For the Resistance

1. Voting Patterns Reveal Spies

• Spies tend to approve teams with spies and reject teams without spies.
• Track who voted for what — a player who approves every team with Player X is suspicious.
• Players who reject strong teams may be spies trying to get the leader token.

2. Mission Success Does Not Mean Trust

• A spy can play success on an early mission to build trust.
• Never fully trust someone because they were on a successful mission.
• Look at patterns across multiple missions, not single results.

3. The Hammer Rule

• On the 5th rejected team, the mission auto-fails. Spies exploit this.
• If 4 teams have been rejected, the next leader must propose a team that will pass.
• Resistance should approve reasonable teams to avoid being hammered.

4. Statistical Deduction

• In a 6-player game (2 spies), a 3-person team has roughly a 78% chance of including at least 1 spy.
• Use probability to evaluate claims — someone who was on 3 failed missions is almost certainly a spy.

For the Spies

1. Blend In During Voting

• Vote with the resistance on obvious teams.
• Do not always protect fellow spies — sacrifice one to protect others.
• Consistent voting patterns make you look trustworthy.

2. Strategic Sabotage

• Do not sabotage every mission you are on — that reveals you immediately.
• Early missions: consider playing success to build trust.
• Critical missions (mission 3 or 5): sabotage decisively.
• On 2-fail missions, coordinate with your spy partner.

3. Create Confusion

• Accuse innocent resistance members.
• Support teams that include resistance players who look suspicious.
• If caught, try to take another player down with you.

4. Exploit the Hammer

• Reject teams until the 5th vote forces a failure.
• This works best when a spy is the 5th leader.

Game Variations

The Resistance: Avalon

• Arthurian themed version with special roles:
  • Merlin: Knows who the spies are but must not reveal it directly
  • Assassin: Tries to identify Merlin at game end
  • Percival: Knows who Merlin is (but also sees Morgana)
  • Morgana: Appears as Merlin to Percival
• Considered the best version of The Resistance by many players

The Resistance: Hidden Agenda (Expansion)

• Adds plot cards that provide secret information
• Some cards let you look at loyalty, others protect missions
• Increases strategic depth

The Resistance: Hostile Intent (Expansion)

• Adds alternate mission maps with different mission sizes
• Assassin module from Avalon ported to base game

Game History

Origins

• Designed by Don Eskridge and published by Indie Boards & Cards in 2012
• Inspired by Mafia/Werewolf but eliminated player elimination
• The voting and mission mechanics create deduction without downtime

Legacy

• Over 500,000 copies sold worldwide
• Avalon became the most popular version
• Popularized the hidden role deduction genre alongside Werewolf
• Common at gaming conventions and parties

Statistics

• Designed for 5-10 players (best with 6-8)
• 5 missions per game
• Spy count: 2-4 based on players
• Mission sizes: 2-5 players per mission
• Win condition: 3 successful missions (resistance) or 3 sabotages (spies)
• Voting: majority rules, 5 rejects = auto-fail
• Spies: can play success or fail
• Resistance: must play success
• Over 500,000 copies sold
• Typical game duration 30 minutes
• Suitable for ages 13 and up
• No player elimination
• Designed by Don Eskridge
• Published by Indie Boards & Cards

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