Resistenza!

In September 1943, by virtue of the the Armistice of Cassibile, the Kingdom of Italy officially surrenders to the Allies. Nazi Germany swiftly responds by occupying the northern part of its former ally, by disarming its army (Operation Achse), and by freeing and reinstating Mussolini as the leader of the fascist Italian Social Republic puppet state. Several elements of the dissolved Regio Esercito refuse to comply, flee to the Alpine and Apennine foothills, and take up arms against the nazifascist occupation. Like in most other German-occupied European countries, they will soon be joined by anti-fascists and rebels, giving rise to the first formations of the Italian partisan resistance warfare, which will quickly reorganise themselves as "brigades" and oppose the fascist regime until the liberation of April 1945.

In the summer of 1944, after the breaching of the Gustav Line and the liberation of Rome, a new frontline is established along the northern ranges of the Apennines, from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian sea. The so called "Gothic Line" will stand until the end of the war. During these dramatic months, the areas around the Gothic line will witness some of the most ferocious reprisals of the European war, often involving directly the civilian population.

Resistenza! is a cooperative boardgame that relates the partisan struggles in and around the small valley of Lunigiana, tucked in between the Apennines and Alpi Apuane in the western-most portion of the Gothic line, from the standpoint of the partisan brigades.

The game is tactical in nature, reflecting the fluidity of guerilla warfare, although several game decisions have broader, strategic consequences. The brigades must ambush convoys along the valley's main communication lines, thwart nazifascist reprisals against civilians and participate in the final liberation battles. Attacks are resolved by committing combat cards against enemy tiles of unknown value (unless scouted by previous reconnaissance). Materiel airdrops are also represented, through the drop of a die on the game map. The design focus is on evocation over simulation, implying a certain degree of abstraction. A semi-cooperative and a simplified version of the game are also included, as well as a booklet of historical and design notes.

The proceeds from the game will support the activities of Archivi della Resistenza and the running of the Audiovisual Museum of the Resistance (Fosdinovo, MS, Italy) .

—description from the designer