The Resistance: Avalon

2012

Dive into a thrilling game of strategy and intrigue with The Resistance: Avalon. Discover who among Arthur's warriors serves evil and ensure the prosperity of Britain.

30
minutes

5 - 10
player(s)

13+

Medium Light

About the game

The Resistance: Avalon is a captivating board game designed for those who love intrigue, mystery, and strategy. Set in the mythical realm of King Arthur, the game immerses players in a world of knights, nobles, and treacherous betrayals. As a social deduction game, it challenges players to rely on their intuition, persuasion skills, and ability to read others.

The game’s world is beautifully crafted, taking players back to the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Each player takes on a role within this world, becoming a loyal knight fighting for King Arthur or a deceptive minion of Mordred. The game’s theme and setting make the experience incredibly immersive, transporting players to a different time and place.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The Resistance: Avalon is a popular board game that involves a lot of strategy, deception, and social deduction. The game’s components are critical to its play, each serving a unique purpose. Here is a description of each component and its role in the game:

1. Character Cards: These are a crucial part of the game, as they determine the role each player will take. There are two types of character cards – Loyal Servants of Arthur and the Minions of Mordred. The Loyal Servants of Arthur are the ‘good guys’, while the Minions of Mordred are the ‘bad guys’. The character cards are distributed at random at the beginning of the game, and players are not permitted to reveal their cards until the end of the game.

2. Team Tokens: These are used during the team selection phase of the game. The current leader proposes a team for a quest, and players vote on whether they approve or disapprove of the team. Each player has one approve (thumbs up) and one disapprove (thumbs down) token to use during these votes.

3. Quest Cards: Quest cards are used when a team is sent on a quest. Each team member is given a set of two quest cards – one for success and one for failure. The Loyal Servants of Arthur must always play success cards, while the Minions of Mordred have the choice to play either success or failure cards.

4. Score Markers: These are used to track the success or failure of quests. A blue marker is placed on the score track if a quest is successful, while a red marker is used if the quest fails.

5. Leader Tokens: The player with the leader token is responsible for proposing teams for the quests. The leader token is passed clockwise to the next player at the end of each round.

6. Round Table Board: This is the main game board. It is used to track the success or failure of quests, as well as the number of players in the game and the number of team members required for each quest.

7. The Lady of the Lake Card: This is a special card that is used in games with more than 5 players. The player with the Lady of the Lake has the power to look at another player’s character card, thus gaining valuable information about which side that player is on. After being used, the Lady of the Lake card is passed to the player who was checked.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

The Resistance: Avalon is a social deduction game that can accommodate between 5 to 10 players. This game involves intrigue and deception, where players are either loyal servants of Arthur trying to complete quests, or minions of Mordred trying to sabotage those quests. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: Player Roles Assignment

Count the number of players. Refer to the rules to determine how many are servants of Arthur and how many are minions of Mordred. For instance, in a 5-player game, there should be 3 servants of Arthur and 2 minions of Mordred.
Shuffle the character cards corresponding to the number and roles of players. Deal one to each player. Players look at their cards secretly to know their role.

Step 2: Board Placement

Place the game board in the center of the play area.
Place the score markers on the score track on the board. The score track has five spaces, each representing a quest.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Deal to each player 1 Approve (check mark) and 1 Reject (X mark) voting card.
Place the team tokens, quest success and fail cards within reach of all players.

Step 4: Random Elements

Randomly choose a player to be the first King. Give that player the King’s token.
The King proposes a team for the first quest by giving the team tokens to the chosen players. The number of players required for the quest is indicated on the board.

With these steps, you are now ready to start playing ‘The Resistance: Avalon’. Remember, the servants of Arthur win if three quests are completed successfully, while the minions of Mordred win if three quests fail. Good luck!

Game flow Round and round we go

The Resistance: Avalon is a social deduction game where players are part of King Arthur’s court and need to complete a series of quests. The game is divided into rounds, each comprising several phases.

1. Team Selection: The current team leader, who rotates each round, selects a team to go on the quest. The size of the team depends on the number of players and the current round.

2-3 Players: 2 members for Quests 1-2, 3 members for Quests 3-5
4-5 Players: 2 members for Quest 1, 3 members for Quests 2-3, 4 members for Quests 4-5
6+ Players: 2 members for Quest 1, 3 members for Quest 2, 4 members for Quest 3, 5 members for Quests 4-5

2. Discussion and Voting: After the team is selected, players may discuss the team composition before voting on whether to approve or reject it. Each player secretly casts their vote and then all votes are revealed simultaneously.

3. Quest Phase: If the majority approves the team, the selected team members secretly decide to either succeed or sabotage the quest. Success is the only option for loyal knights, but minions of Mordred can choose to either succeed or fail the quest. The results are then revealed. If there is at least one fail card, the quest fails (except for Quest 4 in a game of 7+ players, where it requires two fail cards to fail the quest).

4. Resolution: After the quest’s outcome has been decided, the round ends. The team leader position rotates to the left and a new round begins. The game continues until either three quests have been successfully completed (victory for the loyal knights) or three quests have failed (victory for the minions of Mordred).

5. Special Characters: In addition, certain characters have special abilities that affect gameplay.

Merlin: Knows who the minions of Mordred are but must remain hidden.
Percival: Knows who Merlin is and must protect him.
Morgana: Appears as Merlin to Percival, providing a layer of deception.
Mordred: Unknown to Merlin, adding an element of uncertainty.
Oberon: Unknown to other minions and Merlin, adding an element of chaos.

These special roles are optional and can be added or removed to change the complexity and difficulty of the game.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In The Resistance: Avalon, players take on the roles of loyal servants of Arthur or minions of Mordred. Every player’s turn consists of specific actions. Let’s break down each step in detail:

1. Team Selection:

The current leader, denoted by a token, will choose a group of players to go on a mission. The size of the team varies depending on the number of players and which mission is currently being undertaken.

Strategic Consideration: The leader should use the information they’ve gathered so far to pick a team they believe consists of only loyal servants of Arthur. Minions of Mordred, on the other hand, may try to sow doubt and confusion to get themselves or other minions onto the team.

2. Team Voting:

Once a team has been selected, all players will vote on whether or not they trust the team to carry out the mission. Each player, in secret, chooses to approve (thumbs up) or reject (thumbs down) the team.

Strategic Consideration: Players should consider the proposed team’s makeup and the game’s current state. A ‘no’ vote may be used to express suspicion about one or more team members or to gain more information about other players based on their votes.

3. Mission Phase:

If the majority approves the team, the mission proceeds. Otherwise, the leadership passes to the next player and the team selection process starts over. During the mission, chosen team members secretly decide to support (success) or sabotage (fail) the mission. Servants of Arthur must choose success, but minions of Mordred can choose either.

Strategic Consideration: Minions may decide to sabotage to push their agenda, but they also risk exposing their identity. Sometimes, they might play a success to stay under the radar.

4. Mission Outcome:

The mission cards are shuffled and then revealed. If there is even one ‘fail’ card, the mission is a failure, which is a point for the minions of Mordred. If all cards are ‘success’, the mission is a success, scoring for Arthur’s loyal servants.

Strategic Consideration: Outcome can provide valuable information about the team members. Players should keep track of who has gone on which missions and the results.

5. Next Round:

After the mission outcome, leadership passes to the next player, and a new round begins with another team selection. The game continues until one side wins by either successfully completing three missions or sabotaging three missions.

Strategic Consideration: Players must use their deduction skills and the information gathered from previous rounds to guide their decisions in the following rounds.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The Resistance: Avalon is a game of deception and deduction where players are either Loyal Servants of Arthur or Minions of Mordred. The game ends when either of the following victory conditions are met:

Three Successful Quests: If the Loyal Servants of Arthur are able to successfully complete three quests, they win the game. A quest is considered successful when a majority of the participating players are Loyal Servants of Arthur and decide to vote for the success of the quest. If a Minion of Mordred is on the quest and chooses to fail it, the quest is failed unless certain character abilities prevent it.
Three Failed Quests: If three quests end in failure, the Minions of Mordred win the game. A quest fails if even one Minion of Mordred on the quest chooses to vote for the quest to fail.
Assassination of Merlin: If the Minions of Mordred do not win by the above means, they have one final chance to win by assassinating Merlin at the end of the game. The player with the Assassin character card must correctly identify the player with the Merlin card. If they do so, the Minions of Mordred win; if they fail, the Loyal Servants of Arthur win.

Before final scoring, players must complete the following actions:

Reveal Character: All players must reveal their character cards to prove their allegiance and role in the game.
Assassination Attempt: If the game has not yet been won by three successful or failed quests, the player with the Assassin card must make their assassination attempt by naming the player they believe to be Merlin.

Once these actions have been completed, the game ends and the victory conditions are checked to determine the winning team.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

The Resistance: Avalon is a team-based, deduction game where players are either Loyal Servants of Arthur or Minions of Mordred. The game consists of a series of five quests, and the team that completes three successful quests wins the game. The scoring system is simple, but the game’s intrigue lies in its hidden roles and deception.

Quest Scoring:

At the end of each quest, the team that proposed the quest reveals whether it was a success or failure. If the majority of the players have chosen ‘success’, the quest is a success and a point is awarded to the Loyal Servants of Arthur. However, if any of the players chose ‘failure’, the quest fails and the Minions of Mordred receive a point. The only exception to this rule is when there are four or more players on a team. In this case, at least two ‘failure’ votes are required for the quest to fail.

Game Scoring:

The first team to win three quests wins the game. However, if the Minions of Mordred have not yet lost, they have one final chance to win. If they can correctly identify Merlin, then they assassinate him and win the game. If they incorrectly identify Merlin, the Loyal Servants of Arthur win.

Tie-Breaking Rules:

In the unlikely event of a tie, the game does not have a specific rule for breaking it. As such, the game continues with an additional quest. If this results in another tie, the game proceeds with another quest, and so on, until there is a clear winner.

Quest Tie: If a quest vote results in a tie, the leader token passes to the next player, who then proposes a new team.
Game Tie: If the game ends in a tie, it continues with additional quests until one team achieves three successful quests.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

‘The Resistance: Avalon’ is a complex and strategic board game that can often require a deep understanding of its rules and mechanisms for enjoyable play. There are certain special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that players should be aware of:

1. Lady of the Lake

This is a special card that can be added to games with more than 5 players. The holder of this card can, after the third round, reveal the loyalty of another player. But remember:

It can’t be used on the same player twice in succession.
Once used, it must be passed to the player whose loyalty was just revealed.
The Lady of the Lake is out of the game after being used twice.

2. Special Character Rules

When using characters that have special abilities, ensure that their abilities are used correctly:

Mordred: Mordred’s identity remains hidden from Merlin. Only evil players know who Mordred is.
Oberon: Oberon is an evil character but does not reveal himself to the other evil characters nor does he gain knowledge of them.
Percival: Percival knows who Merlin is and must do his best to protect Merlin’s identity.

3. Proposal Rejection Rule

If five consecutive mission proposals are rejected in a single round, the game immediately ends and the victory goes to the evil players.

4. Team Voting Rule

When proposing a team for a mission, all players, including the one proposing the team, must vote to approve or reject the team. The votes are then revealed simultaneously.

5. Clarification on Mission Failures

Only evil players may choose to fail a mission. However, they may also choose to have the mission succeed, which can be a strategy to mislead the good players.

6. End Game Conditions

The game ends when three missions have been successful, resulting in a victory for the good players. Alternatively, the game ends when three missions have failed, or if five consecutive mission proposals are rejected, resulting in a victory for the evil players. Note that Merlin’s assassination can also affect the outcome of the game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

The Resistance: Avalon is a game of hidden loyalties, deception, and deduction. The players are divided into two teams – the loyal servants of Arthur and the minions of Mordred. The loyal servants are trying to successfully complete missions, while the minions are trying to sabotage them. The challenge for the loyal team is to figure out who can be trusted. The challenge for the minions is to deceive the loyal team into mistrusting each other. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

As a minion, try to spread suspicion among the loyal members. This can be done by voting against missions that are likely to succeed or by pointing out ‘suspicious’ voting patterns.
As a loyal servant, pay close attention to the voting. It can reveal a lot about the loyalties of the players. For example, if a player consistently votes against successful missions, they might be a minion.
Use the Lady of the Lake card wisely. It can be a powerful tool to confirm the loyalty of another player. But be careful, if a minion gets their hands on it, they can use it to spread disinformation.

Beginner Tips:

Try to remember the voting patterns. It can help you deduce the loyalties of the players.
Communicate with the other players. Share your suspicions and listen to theirs. But remember, not everyone can be trusted.
Don’t be afraid to lie if you are a minion. Deception is a key part of the game.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Don’t reveal your loyalty too early. If the minions know who the loyal servants are, they can easily sabotage the missions.
Avoid jumping to conclusions. Just because a mission failed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone who was on it is a minion.
Don’t forget about the special characters. Merlin knows who the minions are, but if he reveals this information too openly, the minions can identify him and win the game. Percival knows who Merlin is, but not the minions, so he should try to protect Merlin without revealing his identity.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

As a loyal servant, try to build a team that you trust for the missions. It’s better to delay a mission than to risk a sabotage.
As a minion, try to blend in with the loyal servants. Vote for successful missions, express your ‘disappointment’ when a mission fails, and try to sow doubt subtly.
Use all the information available to you – the votes, the results of the missions, the behavior of the other players, etc. The game is all about deduction.