Unrest

No one remembers when the Empire’s regime was established. People say it will never end, that resistance is futile... But no one is as prepared as the Rebellion. They’ve been secretly planning, gathering intelligence, and sowing discontent across the districts. Now, the Empire, with its overwhelming power, stands ready to crush them.

Unrest, designed by Brendan Hansen and illustrated by Jor Ros, is an intense, asymmetrical game for two players aged 10 and up, lasting around 15 minutes. The game pits players head-to-head in a tactical struggle for control over five city districts.

While easy to learn, Unrest challenges players to make strategic decisions at every turn. The Rebel player must choose which adjacent districts to target and play three cards—two face-down and one face-up—to influence them according to mission objectives revealed during setup. Meanwhile, the Imperial player uses their limited Power tokens to counter the Rebellion by revealing hidden cards, destroying them, blocking districts, or shifting influence.

The Rebel deck features cards valued 2 to 6 across four suits (Intelligence, Riot, Unrest, and Supplies) as well as four Distractor cards. Missions require the Rebels to stack specific cards to meet value targets and free districts. Distractor cards, however, only serve to mislead the Empire.

Victory hinges on control: if the Rebels complete missions in three or more districts, the Empire falls. If the Empire holds three or more districts until the end, their rule prevails.

Will the Rebellion fulfill its missions and overthrow the regime, or will the Empire’s dominance endure? The revolution starts now.