Objective of the Game

Welcome to The Resistance, a thrilling social deduction game where trust is a luxury and deception is your best friend! You're either a brave member of the Resistance, fighting to overthrow a corrupt government, or a cunning Spy, secretly working to sabotage their efforts. Your goal? Simple, but oh-so-hard: win three Missions!

• The Resistance wins if three Missions are successfully completed.
• The Spies win if three Missions fail.
• The Spies can also snatch victory if the Resistance fails to organize a Mission Team five times in a single round (that's five rejected votes in a row!).

In this game, anything goes! You can say whatever you want, whenever you want. Discussion, deception, intuition, social interaction, and logical deductions are all vital tools in your arsenal. Choose your words wisely, or not so wisely, depending on your allegiance!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, let's get you set up for some intense undercover action!

1. First, grab the Score Tableau that matches your player count and place it in the center of your play area. Keep the Score Markers, Team Tokens, and Mission Cards nearby.
2. Place the Round Marker on the 1st Mission Space of the Score Tableau.
3. Each player gets a set of two Vote Tokens (one Approve and one Reject).
4. Randomly pick a player to be the first Leader; they get the Leader Token.
5. Now, let's figure out who's on which side. Use the chart below to determine the number of Resistance Operatives and Spies for your game:
   • 5 Players: 3 Resistance, 2 Spies
   • 6 Players: 4 Resistance, 2 Spies
   • 7 Players: 4 Resistance, 3 Spies
   • 8 Players: 5 Resistance, 3 Spies
   • 9 Players: 6 Resistance, 3 Spies
   • 10 Players: 6 Resistance, 4 Spies
6. Shuffle the corresponding number of Character Cards and deal one face down to each player. Everyone secretly peeks at their role – remember, your Character Card is your secret identity and should never be revealed or discussed!
7. Spies Reveal: Once everyone knows their role, the Leader will guide the Spies through a secret reveal:

   "Everyone close your eyes."

   "Spies open your eyes. Spies look around and make sure that you know all the other Spies."

   "Spies close your eyes. Everyone's eyes should be closed."

   "Everyone open your eyes."

   Now the Spies know each other, but the Resistance is still in the dark. Let the games begin!

The Turn of Play

A game of The Resistance unfolds over several Rounds, each consisting of two main phases: the Team Building Phase and the Mission Phase.

Build the Team

This is where the real mind games begin! The Leader proposes a Mission Team, and then everyone votes to approve or reject it.

1. Mission Team Assignment: The current Leader (the player with the Leader Token) chooses players to go on the mission. They'll take the required number of Team Tokens (check the chart below for how many players are needed for the current mission and player count) and assign one to each chosen player, including themselves if they wish. Remember, a player can only get one Team Token!
   • Mission Team Sizes:
     • 5 Players: Mission 1 (2), Mission 2 (3), Mission 3 (2), Mission 4 (3), Mission 5 (3)
     • 6 Players: Mission 1 (2), Mission 2 (3), Mission 3 (4), Mission 4 (3), Mission 5 (4)
     • 7 Players: Mission 1 (2), Mission 2 (3), Mission 3 (3), Mission 4 (4), Mission 5 (4)
     • 8 Players: Mission 1 (3), Mission 2 (3), Mission 3 (4), Mission 4 (5), Mission 5 (5)
     • 9 Players: Mission 1 (3), Mission 2 (4), Mission 3 (4), Mission 4 (5), Mission 5 (5)
     • 10 Players: Mission 1 (3), Mission 2 (4), Mission 3 (4), Mission 4 (5), Mission 5 (5)

   Once the Leader has assigned the Team Tokens, it's time for some lively discussion! Accusations, defenses, and bluffs are all part of the fun.

2. Mission Team Vote: After discussion, the Leader calls for a vote. Every player, including the Leader, secretly chooses one Vote Token (either Approve or Reject). When everyone's ready, the Leader asks for the votes to be revealed simultaneously.
   • If a majority of votes are Approve, the Mission Team is approved! We move on to the Mission Phase.
   • If a majority of votes are Reject (or if there's a tie, which also counts as a rejection), the Mission Team is rejected. The Leader Token passes clockwise to the next player, and the Team Building Phase repeats.

   Heads up! If five Mission Teams are rejected in a single round (that's five consecutive failed votes), the Spies immediately win the game!

Conduct the Mission

If a Mission Team is approved, it's time for them to prove their loyalty (or lack thereof!).

1. Each player on the Mission Team secretly decides whether to support or sabotage the mission. The Leader gives a set of Mission Cards (one Success and one Failure) to each team member.
2. Each player on the team selects one Mission Card and plays it face down in front of themselves.
3. The Leader collects all the played Mission Cards, shuffles them, and then reveals them.
4. Mission Result:
   • The Mission is successful only if all revealed cards are Mission Success cards.
   • The Mission fails if one or more Mission Fail cards are played.

   Important Note: Resistance Operatives must play a Mission Success card. Spies, however, can choose to play either a Mission Success or a Mission Fail card.

   Special Rule for 7+ Players: The 4th Mission in games with 7 or more players requires at least two Mission Fail cards to make the mission fail. If only one Mission Fail card is played, the mission still succeeds!

5. After the mission is completed, advance the Round Marker to the next Mission Space on the Tableau. Place a Blue Score Marker for a Mission Success or a Red Score Marker for a Mission Fail in the corresponding Mission Space.
6. The Leader Token then passes clockwise to the next player, and a new Round begins with the Team Building Phase.

End of Game and Scoring

The game can end in a few exciting ways:

• The game ends immediately after either three successful or three failed Missions.
  • The Resistance wins if three Missions are successful.
  • The Spies win if three Missions fail.
• The Spies also win if five Mission Teams are rejected in a single round (5 consecutive failed votes).

Tips for Winning

For the Resistance: Trust No One (But Build Trust in Yourself!)

• Get on the Team: As a Resistance operative, you want to be on those mission teams! Even a single spy can doom a mission. Fight to be included, and carefully scrutinize who else is being proposed.
• Build Trust in Yourself: Don't just point fingers! Explain your reasoning for your votes and team proposals. Spies often get tangled in their lies, so clear, consistent explanations from you can help others trust you and expose the fakes.
• Use All Information Available: Pay close attention to everything! This includes voting patterns (who's approving which teams?), mission results (who was on failed missions?), and player interactions (body language, tone of voice, arguments). Spies know each other, so sometimes you can catch them approving a vote just because another spy is on the proposed team. If you don't trust everyone on a proposed team, strongly consider rejecting it. Good Resistance players often use three or more votes per round, carefully watching who votes yes and asking them why.

For the Spies: Blend In and Adapt!

• Act Like the Resistance: Your best bet is to blend in. Vote and act like a loyal Resistance member to avoid suspicion. Everyone wants to go on missions, so you should too!
• Change Your M.O.: Don't fall into predictable patterns! If you always fail the first mission, the Resistance will catch on. Mix it up. Sometimes a successful mission (even with a spy on it!) can throw off suspicion.
• Never Give Up: Even if your identity as a spy is revealed, you still have a crucial role! Use your known status to sow confusion and discord among the Resistance, protecting your undercover comrades.