I walked into games night a few minutes late one night, and a few people had already started playing this micro-game while waiting for me. I sat down and watched the end of one game and all of the next one. Instantly I knew I needed to try it.

I was hooked right from the start!

I learned most of the rules simply by watching, but they gave me a quick run down as I jumped in. It was very easy to learn, and quickly my brain was whirling away with all the potential strategies I could use.

This was my first trip into The Resistance Universe, and one of the things I noticed right away was that a couple of the characters seem to be more powerful than others. For instance, I really liked ‘having’ the Duke as it is the quickest way to get to 7 coins or being able to Coup someone (if you don’t understand why I am using ‘quotations’, see our HOW TO PLAY COUP guide). You would think this would make everyone bluff and say they have a certain card… creating a bit of a stale mate. However, this is where the fun, laughter, and finger pointing starts. Like the one time we played when all six of us claimed to have a Duke! Calling someone out is stressful (if you are wrong you lose an influence), yet so satisfying if you are right (they lose an influence). The nice thing is that the games are so short you have time to recover or maybe get revenge next round!

This game comes in a small box with very few components, allowing you to take it anywhere… We even took it to Mexico with us. The fact that it is fairly cheap means you don’t have to stress about it getting ruined as much.

One of these components is a cheat sheet or crib sheet that explains all of the actions/counter actions you can take on your turn and which character does what. Each character card also has their action on it. This allows new players to reference it so they don’t have to reveal their hand when asking questions. Plus it makes the learning curve easier.

When we first started playing this game we got addicted. We played it at the start of every games night. We played it with everyone we were getting together with from a 12-year-old to grandparents. This versatility/play-ability is definitely one of it’s strengths.

I find it fun to try and decipher when my friends are lying and promptly call them out on it. It is equally as fun to lie, get away with it, and then win! The beauty of this game is that it is short, so you can change your strategy every game if you want. If you go out in the first minute of the game, oh well, you know there is another game coming in 10 minutes or so. It’s not like if you are feeling adventurous in a longer board game and a bad strategy can lead to 90 painful minutes of regret.

I don’t find a lot of flaws to this game, and it is one of my favourites, but if there was one thing that bothers me, it is there are too many cards or influencers that can block stealing. With 6/15 of the cards being able to do so, it really lowers the Captain’s power.

Another downside we have experienced playing this game, is when you play with people who are too conservative. People that don’t lie or call bluffs can take a lot of the excitement out the game. Don’t get me wrong, the mechanics still work but there is less excitement and sometimes it allows you to see exactly how the hand will play out and who will win. A good solution to this is to call people out early to get the ball rolling… suck them into your trap, but don’t get caught lying!!