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The Resistance: Avalon
A classic social deduction (mafia) game where King Arthur's good knights and Mordred's evil forces hide their identities while trying to make quests succeed or fail. Special roles such as Merlin and Percival are added on top of The Resistance system, which deepens the information game considerably.
Rules
Good must complete three Quests while hiding Merlin; Evil can sabotage three Quests or steal the victory by identifying Merlin after Good's third success.
The victory structure first
Every player belongs to Good or Evil. Good must complete three of up to five Quests. Evil wins by failing three Quests or by causing five consecutive Team proposals to be rejected before one Quest can begin.
Loyalty counts and setup
| Players | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Evil | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
- 1Put the tableau for your player count in the center and place the Round marker on Quest 1.
- 2Give every player an Approve and Reject card, then choose the first Leader at random.
- 3The Good deck must contain Merlin and the Evil deck must contain the Assassin. For a first game, fill the remaining seats with Loyal Servants and Minions of Mordred.
- 4Deal one Character card face down to each player, then have the Leader read the reveal script. Never reveal a Character card or discuss its artwork during the game.
Use gestures during the reveal
Everyone closes their eyes and makes a fist. Evil sees one another, then raises thumbs for Merlin to see. Use the matching script below when optional roles change who sees whom.
Propose a Team and vote openly
| Quest | 5P | 6P | 7P | 8P | 9P | 10P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2nd | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 3rd | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 4th | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 5th | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
- A strict majority of Approve votes sends the Team to the Quest. A tied vote is rejected.
- After a rejection, do not resolve the Quest. Pass the Leader token clockwise and propose another Team.
- If five Teams are rejected before the same Quest can begin, Evil wins the entire game immediately.
Play and resolve Quest Cards
Only approved Team members submit a face-down Quest Card. Good players must choose Success. Evil players may choose either Success or Fail.
- 1The Leader gives a Success and Fail Card to every Team member.
- 2Each Team member chooses one face down. The Leader collects, shuffles, and reveals the played cards.
- 3Have a player outside the Team collect and shuffle the discarded cards separately so their backs or handling do not identify a choice.
- 4Place the matching Score Marker, advance the Round marker, and pass the Leader token clockwise.
Three results and the assassination
Assassinate only after three successes
Evil does not need to identify Merlin after three failed Quests or five consecutive rejected Teams. The final assassination happens only after Good completes three Quests.
Four optional Characters
Add optional Characters one at a time after the group understands the core game. Each combination changes which side has the stronger information.
| Character | Side | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Percival | Good | Sees Merlin and Morgana, but cannot tell them apart |
| Morgana | Evil | Appears to Percival as Merlin |
| Mordred | Evil | Is not revealed to Merlin |
| Oberon | Evil | Neither knows nor is known by the other Evil players |
Percival in a five-player game
The English base rulebook says to include either Mordred or Morgana when using Percival with five players.
Edition and scope
Designed by Don Eskridge, Avalon was released in 2012 as a standalone Arthurian version of The Resistance. Korea Boardgames states that its Korean edition also includes the formerly separate Lancelot and Excalibur expansions.
This guide covers the base game
No public official Korean rulebook text was available, so this guide does not infer details for the Korean edition's bundled Lancelot and Excalibur modules. Follow the booklet in that box when using them.
Frequently confused rules
Q. Is a tied Team vote approved?
No. Approval requires a strict majority, so a tie rejects the Team.
Q. Can a Good player submit a Fail Card?
No. Good must submit Success; only Evil may choose between Success and Fail.
Q. What if one Fail appears on Quest 4 with seven or more players?
That Quest succeeds. Quest 4 in a game of seven or more requires at least two Fail Cards to fail.
Q. Do five rejected Teams merely fail one Quest?
No. Evil wins the entire game immediately.
Q. Does Good win immediately after three successful Quests?
No. Evil wins instead if the Assassin correctly identifies Merlin; Good wins only when that guess is wrong.
Sources
Indie Boards & Cards printed English rulebook scan (base game, 8 pages)Indie Boards & Cards official product pageKorea Boardgames official product page — retail edition cross-referenceKorea Boardgames official feature — terminology and bundled expansionsBoardGameGeek — players, time, weight, and original editionWiki cross-reference — Wikipedia: The ResistanceWiki cross-reference — NamuWiki search (no matching article verified)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-09-15
💡 Master tip
The good side has to pass information along without making it obvious who Merlin is, and for the evil side the key is spreading suspicion around. If Percival is in play, acting in a way that confuses Merlin with Morgana also becomes an important swing factor.
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Narrator voice guide
Plays the narration for the night phase where players close their eyes and check identities
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