This is a game of deduction between two opposing teams, good and bad; loyal servants of Arthur and the hooligans of Mordred. In the game, no one dies, so all have the chance of having fun. It is packed with interesting characters and missions to accomplish. So, let’s dive in and learn how to play Avalon for a more effective play.
Components
- 14 Character cards
- 10 Quest cards
- 5 Team tokens
- 20 Vote tokens
- 5 Score markers
- 1 Round marker
- 1 Vote Track marker
- 1 Leader token
- 3 Score tableaus
- 2 Loyalty cards
- 1 Lady of the Lake token
Object of the game
Two opposing sides are struggling and battling each other for supremacy. The servants of Arthur, the good guys win by completing three tasks, or quests, and the evil guys of Mordred win by either eliminating Merlin or by ruining the quest of the knights of Arthur.
The Cards and Tokens
Character cards
The character cards are used as an indicator of which side you belong to, whether a servant of Arthur or a servant of the evil Mordred. The good side character card has the sigil of Arthur on a blue background while the evil side has on a red background, the sigil of Mordred.
Afterward in the game, there is a special font used to determine a player’s loyalty.
Characters like Merlin and the Assassin have special powers. There are others as well, but if unfamiliar with the game, it’s best you stick to the two for now.
Remember, character cards and arts shall not be discussed during the game. It will remain hidden.
Leader Tokens
It shows which player will pick the quest team.
Team Tokens
Shows the position of players on the quest team.
Vote Tokens
Used to either negate or approve the leader’s suggestion of the quest team.
Quest Cards
Indicate a question’s success or failure.
Setup
Pick from the tableau the number of players that relates to the players available. Then, place the score markers, team tokens, and quest cards next to it.
Place the round markers on the first quest space of the tableau.
Then, select a leader, and hand him the leader token.
| Players | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Good | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Evil | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
After checking the above table for the appropriate number of players against the players available, start mixing up or shuffling the cards from both sides. On the Good side, there will be one Merlin card, and the rest all regarded as servants of Arthur. On the other hand, there will be one Assassin card on the evil side, with all the others as servants of Mordred.
Before play, each player will check which side he or she belongs to, A servant of Arthur, or a minion of Mordred.
Gameplay
Now that everybody knows his or her character, players will sit down forming a circle, in order to face each other. Then one player, irrespective of side, will start dishing out a series of instructions. They are as follows:
- Everyone, close your eyes and extend your hand into a fist in front of you.
- Minions of Mordred (only), open your eyes, look up, and acknowledge each other.
- Minions of Mordred, close your eyes.
- Merlin, open your eyes.
- Minions of Mordred, extend your right thumb in front so Merlin will know you.
- Minions of Mordred, lower your thumbs.
- Merlin, close your eyes.
- Now both teams open your eyes.
What this instruction does is that it allows Merlin to have the special power of knowing who the enemy is without them knowing him. This is his special ability, knowing all the secret identities of the evil agents of Mordred. The player with this character should be wary, else if the other team correctly guesses his identity, they will win the game.
Players can play for several rounds, but in two main stages; Team Building and Quest stage.
Team Building Stage
It’s at this stage of the game where leaders are required. This is the phase where you select who will go on the quest.
Merlin’s advice will be greatly needed in selecting the appropriate team. So, in this, you can discuss among yourselves who has to go. You can even put your name on the list.
Check the table on how many players will be going on which quest.
| Players | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Quest 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Quest 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Quest 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Quest 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Quest 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
As said earlier, the leader can propose to be on the team. However, it’s not mandatory.
Voting
After the team has been selected, the team has to discuss whether to let those guys be on the team. Are they good or bad guys? Can they be trusted? These are the sort of issues you will discuss. However, as you play more and more, you will have a sense of who is good or bad.
So, after discussion, there will be a vote. You can accept or deny any group of people using the “Approve” or “Reject” card.
If the majority of players approve, the selected team can move on to the quest phase.
However, if the majority denies it, then the team building will be repeated.
If there is a reject of 5 in one round, the evil team wins the game.
Merlin can also use his insight to give hints to the good side, but that can also give him away. Therefore, be vigilant, as the evil servants of Mordred are watching.
Now let’s move on to the quest phase, assuming the team was approved.
Quest Stage
Each member of the team going on the mission get two cards each, a Success and a Fail card. When you receive them, you shuffle them up to ensure no one figures out which is which. Then, they play a card into a pile face down. After, you play the rest of the cards you didn’t submit into a pile, and that one is also shuffled up.
Following this, you will reveal the first cards that were shuffled. If all three are Success cards, then, the mission is a success. Even if one of the cards is not a success card, then the mission failed. To indicate success on the quest card, place the blue score marker on it. However, place a red score marker on the quest card to indicate that the mission was unsuccessful.
If after the missions, there are three success tokens, then the good guys win. And the opposite is also true.
But, if the evil team is able to correctly guess who Merlin is, then they will steal the win.
Assassin
The assassin, during the game, can decide who they think is merlin and execute them. That’s his or her main aim.
References
- https://avalon.fun/pdfs/rules.pdf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZrInr9_BNg
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXlK3NZjLGc&t=10s
