Avalon is an exciting game of deception and secret identities. A spin-off from The Resistance, it can accommodate up to 10 players and has the goal of winning three quests on either a good or evil path.
Success at Avalon lies in keeping your identity concealed; voting correctly while dispelling suspicion that you might be Merlin is key.
Gameplay
Avalon is a game for 5-10 players in which forces of good and evil clash. Based on social deduction, each player takes on an allegiance role based on social deduction. The goal of Avalon is to complete three quests led by either Good or Evil forces successfully; otherwise they attempt to disrupt them and deceive Good players into abandoning them! To win this epic contest of wills between Good and Evil players.
Beginning a game of Arthurian Quest involves handing each player a card that specifies their role; you may choose between being Loyal Servant of Arthur or Minion of Mordred; keep this identity unknown to one another! Once all roles have been assigned, quests begin. In each quest phase, a Success or Fail card may be played to progress or end it immediately – with Success cards progressing further while Fail cards end the quest immediately.
In the initial phase, each player attempts to identify who is on each team – good players attempt to locate Merlin while evil ones seek out who may be joining their side. If an assassin can accurately identify Merlin as part of his side’s lineup, all knights lose and the game comes to an end.
Avalon’s gameplay combines social deduction and hidden traitor games for an intense experience. An assassin must keep their identity hidden too quickly while good players should avoid communicating too much information; using multiple theories as bait to increase their odds of victory.
Rules
Avalon is an engaging social deduction game in which players take on one of two sides – either good knights or bad ones – with the aim of winning three out of five rounds. Players must abide by complex rules that require trust, but can easily provide hours of entertainment!
At the outset of each game, each player receives an anonymous card which indicates which team they belong to; cards bearing Mordred or Arthur labels, respectively. Once given this information, players must try to determine who belongs on which side while also passing missions while hoping not to catch anyone as villains.
Avalon marks an evolution in this series by adding six unique roles that alter gameplay. One is Merlin, who knows about some or all other good players but must keep their identities hidden from an evil Assassin. Also new are Percival and Morgana who secretly discover identity of other good players without telling Merlin or the Assassin about them.
When playing Avalon, the key to successful strategy lies in communicating information in moderation. Too much communication will increase the odds that evil side figures out you are Merlin; conversely, not enough communication may prevent good side from realizing you’re not Merlin.
Variations
While the game has a balance that keeps things fair, variations that add variety can help make the experience more engaging. These include adding new characters or facing off against observant opponents – they have an uncanny knack of reading other people’s actions to determine team status quickly – these types of opponents can often prove tough to beat!
At the start of a game, cards are shuffled and distributed evenly among all participants, before splitting into teams of good and evil players. Initially, those on the good team don’t know about who their fellow evil team members are while those on the evil team do know – with Merlin as the exception who knows all their identities!
Goal of this game is to complete a series of quests successfully, with three successful completions being enough for victory for either team. In order for bad players to achieve victory they must sabotage quests and deceive good players by deception; to add even more excitement add an Assassin to add exploitive strategies against players who cannot correctly identify Merlin.
Materials
The game comes packaged in a small box that contains a deck of player identity cards, boards and cardboard chits for players to use; there is also an included deck of quest voting cards designed to look alike to keep material requirements for playing down.
It also offers several small materials chests and three of each basic material to give players an initial advantage when collecting materials for scrolls faster. Furthermore, purchasing material on the marketplace may also help players acquire materials faster.
Cost
Avalon is a social deduction game in which players assume secret roles unknown to anyone else, forcing them to act, bluff, and read their fellow players with great skill to win. It makes an excellent complement for people with poker backgrounds as it requires situational awareness as well as person reading abilities which come in handy during this type of competition.
The game is played using a deck of cards which contain information about one another; some is hidden and only known to one side, while other details may be public knowledge. Mordred can coordinate his minions to defeat Arthur and his knights through strategic cooperation among themselves.
Avalon stands out for being the first text-based multi-user role-playing game with a fully developed profession and skill system, along with offering hourly charges, monthly subscription fees and purchasable lessons to speed character advancement.
