The Resistance (party game)
Encyclopedia
The Resistance is a party game
modeling a battle between an informed minority and an uninformed
majority. Players are secretly assigned roles; they are either aligned with the "Empire", who know each other; or the "Resistance", who know only the number of Resistance members amongst them. Each team attempts to blow up the opposing teams bases and deduce the identities of their opponents before their own bases are eliminated. The game is similar to the party game Mafia, but uses different play mechanics to avoid player elimination and increase available information for player decisions. The game is playable with an ordinary deck of cards, and the complete rules have been made freely available online.
Each player who has been given a set of Plans plays either the Resistance or Empire card face down and discards the unused card. Only Imperial players may opt to sabotage the Plans, but they don't have to. Upon reveal, if all the cards are Resistance, the plans worked perfectly and an Empire base explodes. But if even one card is Empire, one of the losing team’s bases is eliminated. If a team’s last base was destroyed, the game is over and the opposition wins. Otherwise, a new round begins.
Party game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...
modeling a battle between an informed minority and an uninformed
Information asymmetry
In economics and contract theory, information asymmetry deals with the study of decisions in transactions where one party has more or better information than the other. This creates an imbalance of power in transactions which can sometimes cause the transactions to go awry, a kind of market failure...
majority. Players are secretly assigned roles; they are either aligned with the "Empire", who know each other; or the "Resistance", who know only the number of Resistance members amongst them. Each team attempts to blow up the opposing teams bases and deduce the identities of their opponents before their own bases are eliminated. The game is similar to the party game Mafia, but uses different play mechanics to avoid player elimination and increase available information for player decisions. The game is playable with an ordinary deck of cards, and the complete rules have been made freely available online.
Basic gameplay
At the beginning of a round, the current Leader must decide who to trust. Discussion revolves around the current state of affairs, with players trying to determine who could be the Imperial Spies. When ready, the Leader decides whom to assign the Plans by giving a set to each chosen player. The Leader calls for a vote on the allocation of Plans. To pass, a majority of players must agree by holding their thumbs up. The Leader also votes. If the vote fails, the Leader card is passed to the left for the next player to try. This continues until a majority agreement is reached.Each player who has been given a set of Plans plays either the Resistance or Empire card face down and discards the unused card. Only Imperial players may opt to sabotage the Plans, but they don't have to. Upon reveal, if all the cards are Resistance, the plans worked perfectly and an Empire base explodes. But if even one card is Empire, one of the losing team’s bases is eliminated. If a team’s last base was destroyed, the game is over and the opposition wins. Otherwise, a new round begins.
External links
- Review by Greg CostikyanGreg CostikyanGreg Costikyan, sometimes known under the pseudonym "Designer X" , is an American game designer and science fiction writer.Costikyan's career spans nearly all extant genres of gaming, including hex-based wargames, role-playing games, boardgames, card games, computer games, online games and mobile...
of Manifesto GamesManifesto GamesManifesto Games was an ecommerce retailer of downloadable computer games, specializing in independently developed games aimed at hardcore gamers.It was founded in October 2005 by Greg Costikyan and Dr. Johnny L...