More about the Dutch resistence

Do you like historical games? I am usually not overly fond of games that are about an abstract simulation of war with historical accuracy, but I’ve always been interested in how people lived in different eras of history before us, be it just simple everyday life, or life during a less fortunate time, like war. And this is why I really appreciate ‘Dutch Resistance: Orange Shall Overcome’ as it allows players to get a glimpse into the life of Dutch resistance fighters during WWII. Through the story snippets, scenarios and the thematic gameplay players can really immerse themselves in that era. 👍

The theme is endorsed by the Characters 👤 you can play as. They all have backstories, and help out the team in their niche with their specific rule-bending abilities. Also very thematic is how the morale is represented: Morale tokens offer additional action points that are shared between players. They fluctuate quite a lot during the game - the higher morale, the more actions, so you better keep that morale up, and keep on fighting. ✊ You need all the perseverance you can muster.

The fundamental puzzle that the game presents you with is compelling. 🙂 Depending on the scenario, you always need to gather multiple resources that you use to pay for objectives at other locations, sometimes also e.g. escorting a person in hiding. The more resources you have the more conspicuous you are which adds to the challenge, as locations you are staying at might get raided. 😱 To get all those resources, you need to visit diverse locations, and soldiers are patrolling all the time, so the best non-confrontational roads keep changing.

💭 Our only gripe with the game is that it tends to overstay its welcome. ⏰ The box states a playtime of 90-180 minutes, and yes, scenarios can draw out. Often you know what you have to do and how to achieve it, but you have to go through the motions to finish. While the conditions and situations change around to keep you on your toes, a bit shorter playtime would do this game good. Luckily, this issue is being addressed in the current KS and I am curious to see how the tweaked scenarios will play!