Official The Resistance: Avalon Rules

Last Updated on April 19, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

The Resistance: Avalon is a social deduction card game set in the world of Arthurian legend. Players take on secret roles as either loyal servants of King Arthur or minions of the evil Mordred, engaging in deception and deduction to complete or sabotage quests. With hidden identities, strategic voting, and intense discussions, Avalon offers an engaging challenge for groups who enjoy bluffing and teamwork.

If you enjoy The Resistance: Avalon, make sure you check out the original game The Resistance!

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How to Play The Resistance: Avalon

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Setup

1. Gather Players:
   • The Resistance: Avalon supports 5–10 players.
   • The more players in the game, the more Minions of Mordred will be in play.
2. Assign Roles:
   • Each player receives a hidden role card, which determines if they are a Loyal Servant of Arthur or a Minion of Mordred.
   • Special roles like Merlin, Assassin, Percival, Morgana, Mordred, and Oberon may be included depending on the number of players and agreed-upon variants.
   • Players look at their role cards secretly.
3. Night Phase (for Games with Special Roles):
   • The game begins with a scripted “night phase” where certain roles gain information:
     • Merlin sees all evil players (except Mordred).
     • Minions of Mordred recognize each other.
     • Percival, if included, sees both Merlin and Morgana but doesn’t know which one is which.
   • The night phase is handled by the Leader or a Moderator using scripted instructions.
4. Select a Leader:
   • Choose a player to start as the first Leader (this rotates each round).
   • Give the Leader token to this player.

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Gameplay

1. Selecting a Team

Each round, the Leader selects a certain number of players to go on a quest. The number of players required is based on the total number of players in the game:

Players	1st Quest	2nd Quest	3rd Quest	4th Quest	5th Quest
5	2	3	2	3	3 (Fail: 1)
6	2	3	4	3	4 (Fail: 1)
7	2	3	3	4	4 (Fail: 2)
8	3	4	4	5	5 (Fail: 2)
9	3	4	4	5	5 (Fail: 2)
10	3	4	4	5	5 (Fail: 2)

• The Leader proposes a team, announcing the selected players aloud.
• Everyone (including non-selected players) votes on whether to approve or reject the team.
• If the vote passes, the selected players proceed to the quest phase.
• If the vote fails, leadership rotates, and a new Leader proposes a new team.
• If five consecutive teams are rejected, the Minions of Mordred automatically win.

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2. Quest Phase

Once a team is approved:

• Each selected player receives two quest cards: Success and Fail.
• Loyal Servants of Arthur must play a Success card.
• Minions of Mordred can choose to play either Success or Fail (to deceive).
• Players secretly choose a card and shuffle them before revealing the results.

Quest Results:

• If all cards are Success, the quest succeeds.
• If one or more cards are Fail (except in certain rounds), the quest fails.

In 7+ player games, Quest 4 and 5 require at least two Fail cards for the quest to fail.

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3. End of Round

• The Leader token rotates to the next player.
• If the Loyal Servants of Arthur complete three successful quests, the game is not over yet—the Assassin gets a chance to identify Merlin.
• If the Minions of Mordred cause three failed quests, they immediately win.

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Winning the Game

Arthur’s Victory

If the Loyal Servants of Arthur complete three successful quests, the Assassin (if in play) gets one final opportunity:

• The Assassin chooses one player they believe is Merlin.
• If they correctly identify Merlin, the Minions of Mordred steal victory and win.
• If they guess incorrectly, Arthur’s side wins.

Mordred’s Victory

The Minions of Mordred win if:

1. Three quests fail before Arthur’s side wins.
2. The Assassin correctly identifies Merlin after Arthur’s team completes three quests.
3. Five consecutive team selection votes are rejected.

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Additional Special Roles

These roles can be added for variety:

Oberon: A Minion of Mordred who does not know the other evil players and vice versa.

Merlin: Knows all evil players (except Mordred) but must stay hidden.

Assassin: Has the final chance to win for Mordred by guessing Merlin.

Percival: Knows who Merlin is but also sees Morgana.

Morgana: Appears as Merlin to Percival, adding deception.

Mordred: An evil player that Merlin cannot see during the night phase.