Manual — Black Orchestra: Resistance

Overview
The Resistance Expansion for Black Orchestra adds 6 new Conspirator characters to play, as well as 3 new modules that can be added to the game for additional variety and new strategy. Any of the new Conspirators can be played with or without any of the expansion modules. Each module adds new rules, components, and complexity to the game, so it is recommended that you play with only one module at a time to start.

Kreisau Circle
The Kreisau Circle was a group dedicated to the opposition of Hitler and his policies. They outlined detailed plans for how Germany should proceed to function after Hitler’s removal. Your job is to recruit members into this group, paving the way for a postwar future.
In this module, you will add allies to the board that can be recruited to your cause, each with a unique one-time effect. Successful plots are more difficult in the beginning (when little recruitment has occurred), but easier if the circle of allies has been filled.

Horst Kopkow
SS Major Horst Kopkow was responsible for German counter-sabotage and counterespionage during World War II. He and his agents exhibited a special talent for hunting down foreign operatives and uncovering resistance activity.
In this module Kopkow will hound the conspirators alongside the Gestapo agents, conducting a separate investigation that threatens to undo the careful resistance effort, generally making the game more difficult.

Red Orchestra
The Red Orchestra was a wide-ranging series of often-independent resistance groups. Some had ties to the USSR, but many others simply worked to oppose Hitler any way they could. Many shared information and instructions via secret messages transmitted over teleprinters.
In this module, your goal is to complete various missions, each bringing you a step closer to ending the Nazi regime, generally making the game easier.

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Contents and Setup
Red Orchestra

Setup proceeds as normal with the following additions:

1. Add the new event cards into their decks before shuffling. Remove 1 extra card from Stages 2-7 (for a total of 2 cards removed from Stage 1 and 3 cards from all other stages). Place these back into the box without revealing them.
2. Shuffle the new conspirator cards into the conspirator deck.
3. Place the resistance board on the table with enough space around it for cards.
4. Shuffle the mission cards and place them next to the resistance board to form a draw pile.
5. Place the indicated tokens and tiles on the resistance board.

Components:
- 6 NEW EVENT CARDS (1 for each Stage 2-7)
- 4 NEW CONSPIRATOR CARDS
- RESISTANCE BOARD
- 24 MISSION CARDS
- 7 TELEPRINTER TOKENS (2 of each color and 1 permanent)
- 5 PAMPHLET & 1 HIDEOUT TOKEN
- 4 SPECIAL ITEM TILES

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3
Special Rules
New Action: Placement
You may use an action to place a teleprinter or pamphlet token in your location. Only one token may be added to each location. Only standard locations (with a square) may contain a teleprinter or pamphlet. To take this action, roll a die. If you roll #, raise your suspicion by 1 and do not place the token. Otherwise, place the token.

You may add either token to a location with Hitler or a Deputy. However, if Hitler or a Deputy enters a location with a teleprinter or pamphlet, it is immediately removed. This may affect the availability or success of missions.

Pamphlet tokens have no effect unless referred to in an active mission. You may not place the Permanent Teleprinter token this way; that token is awarded by a mission only.

Mission Cards
Placing teleprinter tokens unlocks new missions. Each mission will feature a set of requirements to complete as well as a reward for successfully completing the mission. Completed missions are then placed in the Successful Missions slot.

Teleprinters come in three colors. Placing the first teleprinter of a color onto the game board allows you to reveal a new mission card, placed in the matching slot of the mission board. Placing another teleprinter of the same color does not reveal a new mission, but protects the mission from being discarded. If all tokens of one color are removed by a deputy or Hitler, the mission is discarded. Teleprinter tokens return to the mission board and may be placed again on future turns. Up to three missions may be available at any given time, each of a different color.

Once a mission is completed, return all teleprinters of that color to the resistance board.

The permanent teleprinter token (only placed as a reward for the “Recruit Ally” mission) will prevent mission cards from being discarded by removal of another token, but it will not reveal new missions. You must place a token of that color to reveal that mission if not already in play. If you complete a mission, the permanent teleprinter token will remain on the board.

Other Tokens
The Hideout token is awarded and explained on the Hide Fugitives mission card.

The Evidence item tile may be used in place of any other item (except Resistance Fighter) during plots or deliveries.

The Resistance Fighter item may be taken at the indicated location without using an action. It may also be dropped at the target location without using an action.

Both item tiles do take up a slot on your player board. If discarded, used, or delivered, return the tile to the resistance board. If forced to discard a Resistance Fighter tile, discard the associated mission card and replace it if the teleprinter is still on the board.

Each completed mission lets you add a die to all future plots.

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4
Horst Kopkow
TURN SEQUENCE TILE
HORST KOPKOW TILE
Setup proceeds as normal with the following
additions:
Add the new event cards into their decks
before shuffling. Remove 2 extra cards
from Stages 2-7 (for a total of 2 cards
removed from Stage 1 and 4 cards from
all other stages). Place these back into
the box without revealing them.
Shuffle the new conspirator cards into the
conspirator deck.
Place the Horst Kopkow tile and Turn
Sequence tile on top of the Stage 2 deck.
Place the investigation board on the table
within reach.
Shuffle the encounter cards and place
them next to the investigation board to
form a draw pile.

1
2
3
4
5

12 EVENT CARDS
(2 for each Stage 2-7)
4 CONSPIRATOR
CARDS
18 ENCOUNTER
CARDS
INVESTIGATION BOARD
Contents and Setup

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5
Special Rules
The Hunt Begins
The game begins normally. Before drawing the first event card in Stage 2, place the Horst Kopkow tile on the Gestapo HQ location and the turn sequence tile on the game board under “3. Draw an event card”. From this time onward, each turn will feature a fourth step: moving Horst Kopkow (and resolving an Encounter if necessary).

Constant Effect
Horst Kopkow blocks item use in his current space. You may not reveal or collect an item tile in his location, nor may you deliver an item or perform any other action associated with that location. You may still enact a plot on his location. Unlike the deputies, this effect applies whether you start your turn on his location or not.

Event Cards
Event cards that cause Hitler’s deputies to move do not affect Kopkow. He works independently.

Move Horst Kopkow
At the end of each turn, Kopkow will move 1 space toward the conspirator with the highest suspicion (ignoring those in Prison). If there is a tie for most, Kopkow will move towards the closest of those. If still tied, players choose which one of those Kopkow moves towards. If he is already on the location with the highest suspicion conspirator, he does not move.
Reminder: All spaces in Berlin are adjacent and 1 space away from each other and all 1 space away from the Train Station.

Encounter Cards
If, after completing his movement (or staying in the same location), Kopkow occupies the same location as one or more conspirators, an encounter card is drawn and resolved by the conspirator there with the highest suspicion. If players are tied for most suspicion, choose which will resolve the card before reading it. Conspirators with Low suspicion do not draw an encounter card (but may be inadvertently affected).
Some encounter cards give you an option. You may do either as long as the one you choose is possible to complete (or even partially possible). If not, you must take the other option. If neither is possible, there is no effect.

New Action: Diversion
For an action, roll a die. On a roll of 1, 2, 3, or 4 move Kopkow one space in the direction you choose. On a roll of 5 or 6, you do not move Kopkow but instead gain 1 suspicion.

Losing the Game
If the encounter deck is empty and you must draw another, the game is immediately lost. Kopkow has successfully completed his investigation and the conspirators are arrested.
5

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6
Kreisau Circle
Contents and Setup
6 EVENT CARDS
(1 for each Stage 2-7)
ALLY BOARD
24 ADDITIONAL
ITEM TILES
15 ALLY
TILES
Setup proceeds as normal with the following
additions:
Add the new event cards into their decks before
shuffling. Remove 1 extra card from Stages 2-7
(for a total of 2 cards removed from Stage 1 and
3 cards from all other stages). Place these back
into the box without revealing them.
Shuffle the new item tiles with the base item tiles
and place 2 on every location with a black square.
Place the ally board on the table within reach of
all players.
Shuffle the ally tiles and place them at the bottom
of the ally board to form a draw pile. Reveal the first
3 as indicated along the left side of the ally board.
1
2
3
4

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7
Special Rules

~ New Action: Uncover
You may use an action to attempt to reveal both items on your location. To do this, roll a die. If you roll #, raise your suspicion by 1. Otherwise, reveal both items.

~ New Action: Recruit
If a revealed ally item tile is in your location, you may try to recruit them using an action. Roll a die. If you roll @ or #, nothing happens. If you roll a 1, 2, or 3, you are successful. Remove the ally item tile from the game. Choose one of the available ally tiles in the recruitment pool and add it to the Circle, starting at the top of the board and proceeding down. If all spots are full, discard one previously recruited ally of your choice. Reveal another ally tile from the stack and place it in the available recruitment pool.

Ally Item Tiles
If Hitler or a deputy visits a location with a revealed ally, the ally item tile is removed from the game. Revealing an ally in a location with an enemy already present does not immediately remove it.

Other New Items
The “Any Item” tile follows all normal rules for item tiles, except it may be used in place of any item required for a plot or black square delivery.

The “+1 Motivation or -1 Hitler Support” is resolved immediately when taken and then removed from the game.

The “Gestapo Raid” tile is resolved immediately when revealed. Any conspirators at Extreme suspicion are immediately sent to Prison and they discard any illegal cards. Any conspirator not arrested must raise their suspicion by 1 for each illegal card they want to keep in their dossier. Clear the dissent track. The tile is then removed from the game.

Recruited Ally Tiles
Each ally recruited into the Circle gives you a one-use ability that can be used by any conspirator, at any time, in any order (this does not count as an action). Flip the ally over when used.

Each ally (flipped or not) in the Circle contributes to the group status. When attempting a Plot, only apply the effect of the lowest occupied space on the board, they are not cumulative. Plots will be more difficult until you recruit at least 4 allies, though their one-time abilities can still be quite useful.

For example, if you have 2 recruited allies, subtract one @ and add one # to the result of your roll.

New Event (Ally Arrested)
When this event is drawn, you may either flip a recruited ally tile with an unused action to the used side, or you may remove any recruited ally tile on the used side from the Circle. You must do one or the other. Shift tiles up to fill any gap that is created.

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Credits
Original Game Design: Philip duBarry
Expansion Design: Philip duBarry (Kreisau Circle), Katharina Schrempf (Horst Kopkow, Red Orchestra)
Expansion Development: Philip duBarry (Horst Kopkow, Red Orchestra), Katharina Schrempf (Kreisau Circle), Rich Heimlich (Red Orchestra)
Editor: Tim Schuetz
Illustration: Rob van Zyl, Jac Hamman
Graphic Design: Tristan Collins, Rob van Zyl, Yvonne Simmermacher
3D Sculpting: Corwin Waldron
Production: Dawson Ellis
Producer: Tim Schuetz
Executive Producer & Publisher: Dan Yarrington
Copyright 2025 by Tabletop Tycoon, Inc.
This is the first edition of Black Orchestra: Resistance Expansion.
For more about our games, please visit TabletopTycoon.com

Conspirators
This expansion includes 6 new Conspirators that may be played with or without any expansion modules. Specific clarifications are listed here:

Helmuth James von Moltke: You may use his conspirator ability to subtract 1 # before considering any other effects, on any roll your conspirator makes. However, on any single die roll that requires a different result for success, you do not get a successful result, you only avoid the penalty that would normally be applied for rolling a #.

Libertas Schulze-Boysen: She starts the game at Skeptical motivation, and cannot be reduced to Timid nor raised to Committed or Reckless, thus she can never attempt plots herself (though she can count as an additional conspirator in the space for another player).

Mildred Fish-Harnack: She may not go to Reckless motivation. She may only choose to ignore the effects of event cards drawn on her turn. She may read the card, but must decide before rolling (if applicable). She may not ignore Gestapo Raid cards. If she ignores the effect of a Key Event, the Key Event is still put on the key event space, and counts as "in play" for other event cards.

The Resistance
Also included is a plot card, “Resistance Broadcast”, previously released as a promotional card. You may include it with the base game alone or with any expansion module, it is not required. Only one copy of this card should be used in the Conspirator deck at a time.

Know your Enemy
Enemy markers have been included to more easily visualize and move the locations of Hitler and his agents. They do not alter any mechanics of the game.
Insert and remove the punchboard tokens carefully, or leave them in place when you pack up the game.

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