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This is a generous and hopeful game that envisions a future in which an oppressive, fascist, colonial state is thwarted by the collective resistance of the people. I have played both solo and in a small group, and I absolutely love how that sense of collectivity and community is built into the game. You play not as a single character but as a crew of four, each of which brings unique skills to the fight. (And in a multiplayer game, your crews join forces to make an even larger collective). You encounter a series of missions that require your crew to support civilians, reclaim seized supplies, push the oppressor back, and more, ultimately ensuring there are enough resources for all. Disabled crew members and civilians are valued here and take on leadership roles. Characters care for others and fight for justice. I love the Personality Discoveries and associated advantages that give bonuses to characters during rolls - it’s not just weapons and skills that matter here, but the relationships and social goods that the characters hold dear. Getting to know the characters narratively as they move through the missions mechanically is a treat. On top of that, the game book is beautiful and a lot of work has been put into accessibility. Why We Fight represents everything I hope an anti-fascist society can be. It’s a beautiful game with a sense of purpose, rooted in an all-too-likely near future in which collective resistance is the only path to liberation. 

This is a life-giving game. Everything about it is beautiful, special, and so inhabitable. I want to play for the rest of time!

I played this game as a group of 5 at Halloween this year. It was all of our first time playing a Belonging Outside Belonging game. I think the game is beautiful and brilliant. I think it’s really really hard (maybe just because we are new / too many people?) to play as a one-shot, mainly because we spent so long enjoying the character creation process. We were only able to play two scenes in the end! I came away from it feeling like I would have liked to have 4-6 sessions to really get to know the characters and work on the memory creation/reclamation together. All in all, mega 5 stars, thank you Rae, I loved it. Hope I can find a group that wants to play a longer “campaign” because I think that’s what will make this game glow. FWIW, I also think you could use Our Haunt as the basis for a solo or two-player - it obviously wouldn’t be the same, but it would still be a gorgeous, emotional world to inhabit and imagine a found family in for a while.  

I love this brilliant game with my whole heart. The espionage, the physicality, the creepy ass “prayers”, the most perfect book choice for the assignment, the defacing of said book  … it’s inspired. Thanks for this treasure! Few games actively inspire me to design one of my own, but this does. Did I mention I love it?