The Resistance

Winter seems to be boardgame season around here and we've had no lack of playing over the past two weeks.  

This morning I want to share a game with you that works great when you have six or more people that want to play.  

The Resistance.  

It's a quick game that keeps everyone involved the entire time so you aren't sitting around waiting for a turn.  We've had our kids play this and they now frequently request to play it when we have a group together.

Each player is dealt a character card.  You are either on the blue team or the red team (spies).  Depending on how many players the number of spies will be adjusted.  We played with 8 and there were three spies.

Your character card is secret - only you know which team you are on at first.   Once the cards are dealt everyone at the table closes their eyes, and then the spies open their eyes to know who each other are, then all eyes are closed again.  Finally, all eyes open and ready to play.

The game plays in five rounds - missions.   With one person starting as a leader, the leader will choose who goes on a mission.  Everyone at the table gets to vote on that team.  Once the majority approve a team (the number of players on the mission changes each round from 3-5) each member of the team will play a mission card.

Each person on the team can play a success or a fail card.  The blue team can only choose success (that's how they get the point) but the Spy can play a fail card to earn a point for the spies.  These cards are submitted face down and shuffled to help conceal who played what card.   It usually only takes one fail card to fail the mission and give a point to the spies which immediately puts all players on that mission as suspect.

Of the five missions, whichever team scores three victories for their side will win the game.  

This game has a lot of fun discussion throughout the game.  Can you convince your friends that it was someone else that played the fail card?  If you are on the blue team can you pick out which of your friends are spies?

You spend a lot of time defending your decisions about other players, accusing others of being a spy, and a lot of time telling everyone you aren't a spy.

The game is so much fun for all ages and doesn't cost that much to pick up.  If you don't buy it you are probably a spy.   Or is that something a spy would say?