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About The Resistance: Avalon
Avalon is The Resistance retold with Arthurian roles. Each round a leader picks a team for a quest, the whole table votes on it, and the chosen knights secretly decide whether the quest succeeds or fails. Merlin knows who the evil players are but must hint carefully, because the Assassin gets one shot at naming him at the end. With seven or more people the table becomes a running argument about votes, glances and who suddenly changed their mind.
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Is The Resistance: Avalon Right for You?
Best for
Avalon is our pick for a group of seven to ten who enjoy arguing, reading people and replaying every vote in their heads. It is quick to teach, a game lasts about half an hour, and nobody is eliminated, so everyone stays in it to the end. At five or six it still works, but the larger counts give evil more cover and the debates more twists.
Maybe skip it if…
Players who dislike lying to friends, or who feel picked on when the table gangs up on them, will have a rough evening. It also leans on confident talkers, and quieter players can fade into the background.
How to Play The Resistance: Avalon
Setup
Deal a role card to each player using the table for your player count. Evil players open their eyes to see each other, then Merlin sees the evil players (except Mordred, if in use).
On Your Turn
- The leader proposes a team of the size shown on the board for this quest.
- Everyone votes openly to approve or reject the team. Five rejected teams in a row is a win for evil.
- Each player on an approved team secretly plays Success or Fail. A single Fail sinks the quest, except the fourth quest at seven or more players, which needs two.
- The leader role passes clockwise.
How to Win
The first side to three quests wins, but if good completes three, the Assassin may name Merlin. Naming him correctly steals the win for evil.
💡 Strategy Tips
As good, track every vote, not just quest results. Evil players often give themselves away by approving teams they are on.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Merlin playing too obviously. If you steer every vote correctly, the Assassin will find you in seconds.
- Ignoring the team votes. Who approved or rejected a team is often more revealing than the quest results themselves.
- Evil players always failing quests. Sometimes letting an early quest pass buys you trust for the one that matters.
- Adding every special role at once with new players. Start with Merlin and the Assassin, then add Percival and Morgana once the table knows the flow.
Advanced Strategy
- As Percival, you know two people are Merlin and Morgana but not which is which. Watch who argues for the right teams over several rounds.
- As a loyal servant, act a little better informed than you are. A good player who seems to know too much can draw the Assassin away from the real Merlin.
- Good players should sometimes act on hunches out loud. If every good player is cautious, Merlin's hints stand out.
- Write nothing down, but do remember the first proposed team. Evil players often reveal themselves in that very first pick.
Variants & House Rules
Optional roles
The base box includes Percival, Morgana, Mordred and Oberon, which change what Merlin and the evil team know. Adding Percival and Morgana is the usual first step.
Lady of the Lake
An optional token in the base game that lets its holder secretly check one player's loyalty, then passes to that player. It works best at seven or more.
Avalon Big Box
Indie Boards and Cards' Big Box edition collects the base game and the later expansion roles and modules, with new artwork.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Avalon is the version of The Resistance we recommend to most groups. Merlin and the Assassin give good players a reason to talk and evil players a way to win even after losing the quests. It is quick, has no player elimination, and holds up across hundreds of plays at seven or more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Avalon and The Resistance?
The core rules are the same. Avalon adds Merlin and the Assassin, so good players have hidden information to protect and evil has a last-chance win.
How many players is it best with?
Seven to ten is the sweet spot. Five and six work, but with only two evil players the deduction is a little easier.
Can you play Avalon with fewer than five?
No. The game needs at least five players to have enough people on each side.