
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,242
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Fire in the East
- 2–4 players
- 3000 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 1984

1998
Rules assistance for War of Resistance
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 2 players
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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
War of Resistance is a board game released in 1998 for 2 players and ages 12 and up. It was designed by John Astell and Mark Royer and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
War of Resistance is a detailed, operational level game which chronicles the second Sino-Japanese Conflict starting on July 7, 1937. Often touted as the true beginning of World War II, this 8 year war is the culmination of a decade of aggressive Japanese policy in northern and central China. The game covers the conflict through Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Chinese theatre is neither trivial nor inconsequential to the progress and outcome of World War II on a global scale. Over one million soldiers on each side perished. It is estimated that another 7.5 million Chinese civilians died. Over 40 million Chinese were left homeless. The vast majority of Japanese ground combat and support soldiers were engaged in China, preventing their use against the western Allies in the Pacific. America's material dominance may have been the decisive factor contributing to the Japanese demise, but Japan was already doomed to failure in the Chinese quagmire. This is essential to the greater understanding of the war in the Pacific. Western nations tend to ignore and forget the Chinese contribution to the war effort. It is an indication of western arrogance that World War II is considered to have started on September 1, 1939 and not July 7, 1937. The Chinese war effort was far from stellar, but it was enormous. The immensity of the conflict sapped the Japanese war machine to exhaustion. War of Resistance is a two-player game, with one player representing the military high command of the Japanese forces and their puppet allies, and the other the fractured Chinese military forces. The Japanese player must force the collapse of the Chinese national will to resist. The Chinese player must cling to survival until the entry of the western nations into the Pacific war ensures ultimate victory over the Japanese invaders. Both sides maneuver their forces and conduct combat in an attempt to achieve these goals. Game Components: One rules booklet. Two Orders of Battle booklets. One for the Japanese and one for the Chinese orders of battle. A Battle Scenarios Booklet Four "full-sized" maps (Maps G1 thru G4) and 2 "half" maps (Maps G5 and G6). Two map overlays 8 counter sheets (CS G1 - CS G7) A set of charts Two six-sided die (description from the box and BGG user)
War of Resistance supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The catalogue lists War of Resistance for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
War of Resistance has a complexity rating of 4.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
War of Resistance belongs to these categories: Wargame. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of War of Resistance are: John Astell and Mark Royer. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists War of Resistance as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.