The Resistance Card Game - Social Deduction, Strategy, Bluffing, Negotiation, and Deception for Teens and Adults - Party Game for 5-10 Players Ages 13+ in 30 Minute Rounds by Indie Boards & Cards

I originally bought this because it can handle from 5 to 10 players, perfect for when we have big gaming nights. After having played it, I wish all of our nights were big gaming nights! The game is incredibly simple to learn: everybody gets a card at the beginning deciding if they are a Resistance ember (good guy) or a spy (bad buy). Next the group goes on a mission, where a player at the table chooses a portion of the players to go on the mission, not knowing if they are loyals or spies. All the players vote yes/no on if the team can go and if so, the people on the team can either complete or sabotage the mission. That's pretty much it - there are 5 missions and it's a best 3 of 5 to see which side wins.What makes the game interesting is the high level of deduction, accusations, and paranoia that comes along with it. The first time a mission fails (or maybe sooner) the table will break out in conversation - "You're a spy!" "No, I'm not! I swear I'm loyal, take me on the next mission and I'll prove it!" etc. Since no one knows which person(s) voted to complete or sabotage the mission, all you have to go on are clues and process of elimination from previous missions (there are only 5, so I don't think you can logically deuce with certainty each player's role) along with how much you trust the other players.If you've played Are You the Werewolf?, it's similar, but the big difference to me is that no one gets eliminated in Resistance. I found Werewolf very boring if I was the fist person eliminated. There's also no need for a moderator or whatever - everyone gets to play. It's an incredibly social game because it relies on player interaction. Also, because it's not bogged down in rules, it's very approachable for non-gamers. It's also inexpensive and light on components, so don't be worried about taking it on vacation or to a bar for game night where spillage is a possibility. You could probably even replace the components with something else (playing cards, colored stones, etc.) and the game works just as well. The only negative thing I could say is that if you're looking for a deep, complex game to play over several hours - this isn't it.Bottom line, if you regularly play games with a group of 5+ and looking for a fun, quick game, try this out. Just be ready for a friend to ask - "Can I borrow that when I go visit my family next month?"

This game was my introduction into the addicting world of social deception games, and whenever my friends have get togethers, we ensure there's at least one copy of the game present (there's at least three floating around our friend group). I like to describe it to people who have never played as "Mafia or Werewolf on steroids." It's so easy to get passionate about convincing everyone that you're right while playing, and for us, there's one infamous round that went down in history as the one that almost ended friendships two years ago. I must have played this game hundreds of times, and just a few things that have happened while playing: we've been yelled at to quiet down by RAs, I now always take Advil pre-emptively because I always end up with a headache from screaming at other players to convince them of one thing or another, and can you really say that you've played until at least one person is standing on top of a chair, pointing fingers, and proclaiming their innocence?So the game works with cards being randomly and secretly distributed to every player that assign them to either the Resistance (Good) or the Spies (Bad). There are up to five missions, and whichever team claims the majority of the misisons is the winner. If only it were that easy. For each mission, the Leader (a role that shifts each mission) selects a certain number of players, the whole group votes to approve or reject the Leader's choice, and if it's approved, each player on the mission gets a Success and a Fail card. If you're Good, you submit a Success card face-down to a pile in the middle. If you're Bad, you have the option of submitting either a Success or a Fail card. When everyone on the mission has submitted their cards, they're shuffled and revealed. The mission passes if there's all Successes and fails when there's a Fail. But if there's a Fail ... who on the mission was the Spy who put it in? Let the lying and interrogating begin ...I think in our group we've played with every configuration from 5 to 10 players, and it's definitely a lot more fun with more players, but you just have to make sure that everyone's paying attention as the group gets bigger. It's no fun if someone's on their phone while everyone else is arguing and theorizing, it almost feels like you're lacking information. I'd say 7+ players is the most fun. You also have to stress for players not to cheat if they're Good by putting a Fail card in the middle just to be funny ... it really confuses the game and makes it less satisfying for everyone else. Have patience while explaining the game the first time around; sometimes it's even worth it to do a practice round because some of the nuances don't quite make sense until the game is happening. It's very easy to pick up, though, and the games can go by in about 15 minutes depending on how much arguing between rounds is done.I've seen a lot of comparisons favoring either The Resistance or Avalon, but I do love both in their own ways. I enjoy that The Resistance has plot cards that get distributed at the beginning of rounds, which can sometimes get players feeling more involved. The characters in Avalon are a blast, but sometimes if you're stuck without a special role, it's not as fun. With The Resistance, at least, you can convince the Leader to give you plot cards so you can have some sort of "special ability". It's true that the expansion packs adds the character features of Avalon to The Resistance, but really, you can't go wrong with either and especially not with both.Pro tip: I'd recommend getting card sleeves for this game. The ones with one clear side and one opaque side are great for the character cards because you can face the character toward the opaque side so that if they accidentally fall off the table, no one's at risk of seeing your character. It also keeps everything in great shape so you don't have any character cards identifiable by folds or scratches.Buy this game. It never gets old, and I honestly don't think I've met anyone who's played and not enjoyed it. Very worth the money and, trust me, it'll become a staple of your get togethers quite quickly, too.