What is The Resistance?

The Resistance splits a group of 5–10 into two secret teams: the Resistance, trying to complete a series of missions, and the Spies, trying to sabotage them without ever revealing who they are. The group debates, proposes a team for each mission, votes on it by secret ballot, and then watches the mission succeed or fail based on who actually went.

It works because information is never the same as trust. A Spy who says all the right things can still get voted onto a mission, and a genuine Resistance member can get shut out on a hunch — which means every vote is really a referendum on who the room believes, not who's actually correct.

It's built around real deliberation across several missions, so it needs a facilitator to keep the flow moving and a group willing to sit through the accusations — a rushed run, or a team new to open disagreement, will feel more tense than rewarding. It hasn't been adapted for video calls either, so save it for a room where the whole group can talk face to face.

The rules

Players are secretly assigned to the Resistance or the Spies before anyone sees a card.
The group discusses and proposes who should go on each mission.
Everyone votes to approve or reject the proposed team by secret ballot.
If approved, the mission team secretly submits a success or fail card — one fail sabotages the mission.
Players discuss the outcome, strategies, and suspicions before the next mission.
The Resistance wins by completing about three of five missions; the Spies win by sabotaging enough of them.

Before you start

Group size: 5–10 players, about a third playing Spies. Decide the split ahead of time and write down each person's role without revealing it to the group.
A quiet space to sit in a circle. Find a spot where everyone can see everyone else and talk face to face, free from distractions that break the focus.
Identity cards, mission cards, and ballots, prepared ahead. Have enough of each ready before players sit down, along with an envelope or jar for secret votes.
A facilitator to run the flow. Someone needs to manage the discussion, keep the group on track, and enforce the rules — pick a person comfortable directing a room.
A debrief agenda, ready before the last mission. Line up the questions you want to ask once the game ends, so the conversation about trust and leadership doesn't trail off.

How to run it

Assign roles in secret 2–3 min
Give each player a card marking them as a member of the Resistance or a Spy, without revealing it to the group.
Propose a mission team 3–5 min
The group discusses, negotiates, and proposes who should go on the mission — persuasion and assertion happen out loud here.
Vote on the proposed team 1 min
Everyone casts a secret ballot — approve or reject — by dropping a vote into the envelope or jar.
Run the mission 1 min
If the team is approved, its members privately submit a success or fail card. A single fail sabotages the whole mission.
Discuss the outcome 3–5 min
Players talk through the result, share suspicions, and reassess who they trust before the next mission.
Repeat until a side wins, then debrief 20–30 min
The Resistance wins by completing about three of five missions; the Spies win by sabotaging enough of them. Close with a discussion connecting the round to trust, leadership, and decision-making.

← nobody's eliminated. everybody's suspected.

Facilitator tips

Randomize role assignmentDraw cards from a shuffled deck instead of hand-picking who's a Spy — it keeps any one person's biases out of who gets which role.

Keep the space accessibleGive wheelchair users room to join the circle, and offer large-print or digital identity cards for anyone who needs them.

Use gender-neutral role namesSay "Resistance member," not a gendered variant — small language choices keep every role open to everyone at the table.

Step in on insensitive commentsAddress anything that crosses the line as it happens — accusing someone of being a Spy stays on-voice only if the room stays respectful.

Simplify for non-native speakersSwap in simpler vocabulary or visual aids for international groups, so the deduction stays the challenge, not the language.

Variations

Classroom or training

Assign extra character roles with their own decision-making powers to tie the game to a specific learning objective instead of running it as pure deduction.

Why it works

Suspicion compounds, mission after missionNobody's ever eliminated, so every vote and every failed mission adds to a case the group keeps building on each other in real time — the deduction gets sharper as the missions climb.

The vote is the real test of trustA mission's fate rests entirely on secret ballots, so approving a team is a genuine bet on someone's honesty, not just their argument.

One fail changes the whole storyA single sabotage card flips a mission, so every proposal doubles as an accusation — persuading the room to trust a team is the actual game.

HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"I like that nobody ever really knows who to trust — even Resistance members start doubting each other by the second mission. The debrief afterward is where it pays off: the conversation about trust and leadership dynamics goes further than the game itself."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

For teams and classrooms that want the debrief — these turn a round of missions into an actual conversation about trust.

How did you feel about the level of trust in your group?Surfaces how trust actually held up under pressure, and who might still be working through it.
What strategies did you use to figure out who might be a Spy?Gets people naming their own deduction process, not just their gut feeling.
Did any challenges come up with your teammates, and how did you handle them?Opens a conversation about conflict resolution without putting anyone on the spot by name.
How did you balance asserting your opinion with listening to others during mission planning?Names the tension between speaking up and taking in other votes — the whole game runs on that balance.
What leadership qualities showed up during the game?Highlights who stepped up to persuade the room, whatever role they were actually playing.
Did you find it hard to hold onto your role's goal while the group pushed toward its own?Fosters self-awareness about where personal and group objectives pulled against each other.
How could you apply what you learned here to a real project?Solidifies the takeaway by asking the group to name where it actually transfers.