The original game of Midnight Resistance was based in Warwick, a small town in Australia, after a nuclear war. Most of the other nations on the planet had been destroyed, and much of Australia had also been nuked. Only small towns in regional areas managed to survive the fallout. Many of these towns were controlled by barons and makeshift militia. Mutants and roaming gangs are common, violence is an everyday part of life. The characters in the game are part of a resistance group trying to overthrow the current despots of Warwick.
Midnight Resistance was designed by Stephen Gander and Phillip Agnew while in year 10 at Warwick High School. The rights to Midnight Resistance were then purchased by Steven Darnell in 1992 for $5, who expanded and redesigned the game. Steven then on-sold the game to David Marsh in 1995 for two 4th edition Magic: The Gathering boosters.
Unfortunately since so much time has passed much of the original material was lost.
Was the name “inspired” by the 1989 computer game Midnight Resistance? It’s certainly a possibility, but I’ll never know for sure.
Update 2023: After many years sitting forgotten in a cupboard, the original game will be returned to Stephen.
The game has been scanned and is mirrored below. An old faded character sheet is also available, which shows basic layout and stats of a typical character.