Avalon: Big Box
Avalon: Big Box Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
Base Game
- 3 Tableaus (one side for each player count)
- 10 Character Cards (5 Loyal Servants of Arthur, 3 Minions of Mordred, Merlin, Assassin)
- 10 Quest Cards (5 Success & 5 Failure)
- 5 Score Markers (double-sided blue and red)
- 20 Vote Tokens (10 Approve & 10 Reject)
- 1 Rulebook
- 5 Team Tokens
- 1 Leader Token
- 10 Player Aids
- 1 Round Marker
- 1 Vote Track Marker
Optional Contents (not required to play the base game)
- 32 Quest Cards (1 Success, 1 Failure, 6 Rogue Success, 6 Rogue Fail, 6 Magic, 6 Message Success, 6 Message Fail)
- 20 Character Cards (Mordred, Oberon, Morgana, Trickster, Lunatic, Brute, Revealer, 3 Messengers, Percival, Troublemaker, Cleric, Untrustworthy Servant, 2 Rogues, 2 Lancelots, 2 Sorcerers)
- 30 Character Tokens
- 7 Allegiance Cards (5 No Change, 2 Switch Allegiance)
- 2 Loyalty Cards (Good, Evil)
- 15 Plot Cards
- 6 Message Tokens (4 Good, 2 Evil)
- 10 Rogue Tokens (5 Success, 5 Fail)
- 1 Team Token
- 1 Excalibur Token
- 1 Lady of the Lake Token
- 1 Watch Token
The Resistance: Avalon
Base Game
This is a game of hidden loyalty. Players are either Good Loyal Servants of Arthur fighting for goodness and honor, or they are aligned with the Evil ways of Mordred. Good wins the game by successfully completing three Quests. Evil wins if three Quests end in failure. Evil can also win by assassinating Merlin at the end of a game or if a Team cannot be agreed upon.
Players may make any claims during the game, at any point in the game. Discussion, deception, accusation, and logical deduction are all equally important in order for Good to prevail or Evil to rule the day.
The Cards and Tokens
Character card - Determines if a player is Good (Arthur's sigil on a yellow icon) or Evil (Mordred's sigil on a red icon). Some characters have special powers during the game. Merlin and the Assassin are included in all games, and the remaining special character cards are optional. A player's character card may not be revealed at any point in the game, nor the character art discussed.
Leader token - Designates the player that will propose the Team.
Team token - Allocates a position on the Team.
Vote track marker - Used to track failed votes within a round.
Vote token - Used to approve or reject the Leader's proposed Team.
Score marker - Used to mark if each Quest has succeeded or failed.
Round marker - Indicates which Quest the players are on.
Quest card - Determines a Quest's success or failure.
Loyalty card - Reveals a player's loyalty to Good or to Evil without revealing a player's exact role. Some optional rules and characters in Avalon Big Box Edition require the use of Loyalty cards.
Setup
- Select the tableau corresponding to the number of players, and place it and the score markers, Team tokens, vote track marker, and Quest cards in the center of the play area.
- Place the round marker on the tableau's first Quest space.
- Give each player two vote tokens (approve and reject).
- Randomly select a Leader; the Leader receives the Leader token.
- Shuffle the appropriate number of Good and Evil character cards according to the chart on the right. One Good character card will be Merlin, and the rest will be Loyal Servant of Arthur cards. One Evil character card will be the Assassin, and the rest will be Minion of Mordred cards.
- Deal one card to each player facedown. Each player secretly looks at their assigned loyalty on their character card.
- Optional: place near the tableau the character tokens for each character in the game, as a reference for the players.
| Players | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Evil | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Special Roles
Among the Loyal Servants of Arthur and the Minions of Mordred are two characters with special abilities.
Merlin is a source of wisdom in the fight against Evil, but Merlin must not reveal himself, because if his identity is discovered, he puts Good in jeopardy. This player knows who each of the Evil players is, but if the Assassin guesses who Merlin is, Evil wins.
The Assassin knows that they will win victory for Evil if they uncover Merlin. If three Quests succeed, the Assassin may enter the Assassination stage, and has one guess to identify which player is Merlin.
The Reveal Stage
True Evil is rampant in the land. Arthur represents a promise of prosperity and honor, but hidden among his brave warriors are Mordred's unscrupulous minions. Merlin alone knows the agents of Evil, but he must speak of this only in riddles. If his true identity is discovered, all will be lost.
Evil Reveals Itself, and Merlin Looks into the Future. After all the players know their loyalty, the game enters the Reveal stage. The Leader must ensure that all the Evil players know each other and that Merlin knows all the Evil players by repeating the following script:
Note: Evil players may not signal during the Reveal stage.
"Everyone close your eyes and extend your hand into a fist in front of you"
"Minions of Mordred, open your eyes and look around so that you know all agents of Evil"
"Minions of Mordred, close your eyes"
"All players should have their eyes closed and hands in a fist in front of them"
"Minions of Mordred, extend your thumb so that Merlin will know of you"
"Merlin, open your eyes and see the agents of Evil"
"Minions of Mordred, re-form your hand into a fist"
"Merlin, close your eyes"
"All players should have their eyes closed and hands in a fist in front of them"
"Everyone open your eyes"
Gameplay
The game consists of several rounds; each round has a Team Building phase and a Quest phase. In the Team Building phase, the Leader proposes a Team to complete a Quest. Then, all of the players will either approve the proposed Team and move to the Quest phase, or reject the proposed Team, pass leadership to the next player, and repeat the process until a Team is approved. In the Quest phase, those players selected to be on the Team will determine if the Quest is successful.
Team Building Phase
It is a time for great decisions and strong leaders. Not all knights and ladies of Avalon are loyal to Arthur, and yet you must choose only those that are Good to represent him in his quests. If an open ear and eye is kept, Merlin's sage advice can be discerned as whispers of truth.
Team Assignment. After appropriate discussion, the Leader takes the required number of Team tokens (using the following chart, or the numbers on the tableau) and assigns each Team token to any player.
| Players | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quest | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2nd Quest | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 3rd Quest | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 4th Quest | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 5th Quest | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
The Leader may be on the Team, but is not required to be so. Each player may only be assigned one Team token.
Discuss, discuss, discuss. All players should participate in helping the Leader make the right choice of players to be on Team. Active and logical discussion is a great way to catch Mordred's agents in their webs of deceit.
Example: The first Quest in a game of five players requires a Team of two players. The Leader passes Team tokens to Walter (himself) and Thomas, and then calls for a vote.
Team Vote
After appropriate discussion, the Leader calls for a vote on the Team assignments.
The Leader is proposing the Team — but all players have a vote in whether they accept or reject the proposal. The Leader could be Evil, or one of the players chosen could be a mistake. Don't feel that you need to accept all the proposed Teams. If you reject the Team, a new Leader can propose a different Team, maybe one without any Evil players on it.
Each player, including the Leader, secretly selects one vote token. When all players are ready, the Leader calls for the votes to be revealed. The Team is approved if the majority accepts. If the vote is tied, or the majority rejects the Team, the Leader passes clockwise and the Team Building phase is repeated.
Example: Walter, Thomas, Laura, and Evie approve, and Justin rejects. The Team is approved and play continues in the Quest phase.
Be wary of letting Evil sow too much discord, however. Evil wins the game if five Teams are rejected in a single round (5 consecutive failed votes). Players can track the number of votes in a round using the vote track and the vote track marker on the tableau.
Strategy Tip — Trust No One If you aren't confident of everyone on the proposed Team, then you should strongly consider rejecting the proposal. Rejecting a Team is not a sign that you are Evil.
A group of skilled players will usually do the vote phase three or more times before agreeing to a Team. Watch who approves, and ask them why they approved - sometimes Evil players will approve because they know another Evil player was included. Merlin can also use his voting as a signal, but be careful - the Evil players will be watching.
Quest Phase
You have debated well and wisely chosen the brave knights and ladies with whom you place your trust. Now it is time to measure a person's true intent and loyalty to the noble cause for which Arthur fights. Be true, and goodness will prevail.
The Leader passes a set (1 Success and 1 Fail) of Quest cards to each Team member. Each player on the Team selects a Quest card and plays it facedown in front of themselves. Good players must select a Success card. Evil players may select a Success or Fail card as they choose.
The Leader collects and shuffles the played Quest cards before revealing them. The Quest is completed successfully only if all the cards revealed are Success cards. The Quest fails if one or more Fail cards have been played.
The 4th Quest (and only the 4th Quest) in games of seven or more players requires at least two Quest Fail cards to be a failed Quest.
Note: Two different players should shuffle the played and discarded Quest cards before revealing. Designate a player not on the Team to collect all the discarded Quest cards so that it's clear which cards are played and which are discarded.
Place a blue score marker with Arthur's sigil on the tableau if the Quest succeeded and a red one with Mordred's sigil if the Quest failed. Advance the round marker to the next Quest space on the tableau and reset the vote track marker.
The Leader passes clockwise and the next round begins with the Team Building phase.
Example: Walter gives himself and Thomas a set of two Quest cards. Walter selects the Success card, and Thomas selects the Fail card. They place the cards facedown in front of themselves.
Walter takes the two Quest cards and shuffles them before revealing that the Quest failed. He places a red score marker with Mordred's sigil on the first Quest space on the tableau, advances the round marker to the second Quest space, resets the vote track marker, and passes the Leader token clockwise.
Game End
The game ends immediately after either three successful or three failed Quests, and it also ends immediately if five consecutive Teams are rejected.
Arthur and Goodness prevail if Good completes three Quests successfully without revealing Merlin's true identity.
Mordred's dark forces of Evil triumph if three Quests end in failure, if they are devious enough to force Merlin out into the open, or if they sow so much discord that five Teams in a row are rejected.
Assassinate Merlin - Evil's Last Chance
If three Quests are completed successfully, the Evil players have one final opportunity to win the game by correctly naming which of the Good players is Merlin. Without revealing any character cards, the Evil players discuss until the Assassin names a Good player as Merlin. If the Assassin guesses correctly, Evil wins the day.
Example: Walter, Justin, and Laura are Good; Evie and Thomas are Evil. Walter is Merlin, and Evie is the Assassin. The fifth Quest is successfully completed, and the game ends with three successes. Evie and Thomas have one opportunity left to win — naming Merlin. Evie and Thomas agree that Laura is Merlin. Evie, the Assassin, names Laura as Merlin. Laura is not Merlin, the assassination attempt fails, and Good wins the game.
Optional Characters and Rules
There are many different ways to play The Resistance: Avalon. Characters with special abilities and optional rules are available to mix and match. Use the characters and rules below to play fun combinations or to adjust the difficulty of the game.
Checking Loyalty
Some alternate rules and characters allow players to check if others are loyal to Good or to Evil. When checking a player's loyalty, pass that player the Loyalty cards. That player selects one based on the loyalty of their character card (blue for Good, red for Evil), and passes it facedown to the player who is checking. The player's Loyalty card may not be revealed to any other player besides the player who is checking.
Additional Characters
Below are many additional characters, each with their own special ability, that can replace the standard characters to be added to the game. Different combinations might make the game harder to win for one side or the other. It is best to add one special character into a game at a time. In most cases you will want to play with Merlin, but it is not required.
If playing with Merlin, you must include the Assassin or can designate any other Evil character to serve as the Assassin during the Assassination stage. For example, Morgana can play both herself and the Assassin. This allows the players more character options.
The Reveal stage at the start of the game will vary depending on which roles are added. See page 11 for a new script to use when including the different character cards.
Percival is on the side of Good, and his special power is knowledge of Merlin at the start of the game. Using Percival's knowledge wisely is key to protecting Merlin's identity. Adding Percival into a game will make Good more powerful.
For games of five players, add either Mordred or Morgana when playing with Percival.
Mordred is on the side of Evil, and his identity is hidden from Merlin. Adding Mordred into a game will make Evil more powerful.
Oberon is on the side of Evil, but he does not reveal himself to the other Evil players, and he does not know them. Oberon does not open his eyes during the Reveal stage at the start of the game. Adding Oberon into a game will make Good more powerful.
Morgana is on the side of Evil, and she disguises herself as Merlin. When Percival opens his eyes during the Reveal stage at the start of the game, Morgana extends her thumb at the same time as Merlin. Adding Morgana into a game will make Evil more powerful. She must be played in combination with Percival.
Lancelot is a complex character with many underlying motivations. He has two character cards that are dealt to two different players: a Good card and an Evil card. These two Lancelots know each other, and each other's true allegiance. Recommended for games of seven or more players. See page 12 for Variant Rules for Lancelot.
The Lunatic is on the side of Evil, and they must Fail every Quest that they are on. This character is recommended for games of seven or more players. Adding the Lunatic into a game will make Good more powerful.
The Brute is on the side of Evil. They may Fail only the first three Quests, but they may play Success on any Quest. This character is recommended for games of seven or more players. Adding the Brute into a game will make Good more powerful.
The Revealer is on the side of Evil. They must reveal their identity after the second failed Quest. This character is recommended for games of seven or more players. Adding the Revealer into a game will make Good more powerful.
The Cleric is on the side of Good. During the Reveal stage, they learn if the Leader is on the side of Good or on the side of Evil. This character is recommended for games of seven or more players. Adding the Cleric into a game will make Good more powerful.
The Trickster is on the side of Evil. They may lie when their loyalty is checked by the Cleric or by any rule or ability that checks loyalty. This character is recommended only for games that include a character or optional module that checks loyalty. Adding the Trickster into a game will make Evil more powerful.
The Troublemaker is on the side of Good. They must lie when their loyalty is checked by the Cleric or by any rule or ability that checks loyalty. This character is recommended only for games that include a character or optional module that checks loyalty. Adding the Troublemaker into a game will make Evil more powerful.
Reveal Stage Script
Use this script when including additional character cards.
"Everyone close your eyes and extend your hand into a fist in front of you"
"Leader, extend your thumb if you are Evil"
"Cleric, open your eyes"
"Cleric, close your eyes"
"Leader, re-form your hand into a fist"
"Minions of Mordred - not Oberon - open your eyes and look around so that you know all agents of Evil"
"Minions of Mordred, close your eyes"
"All players should have their eyes closed and hands in a fist in front of them"
"Minions of Mordred - not Mordred himself - extend your thumb so that Merlin will know of you"
"Merlin, open your eyes and see the agents of Evil"
"Minions of Mordred, re-form your hand into a fist"
"Merlin, close your eyes"
"All players should have their eyes closed and hands in a fist in front of them"
"Merlin & Morgana, extend your thumb so that Percival may know of you"
"Percival, open your eyes so you may know Merlin & Morgana"
"Merlin & Morgana, re-form your hand into a fist"
"Percival, close your eyes"
"Lancelot, open your eyes to reveal your counterpart"
"Lancelot, close your eyes"
"All players should have their eyes closed and hands in a fist in front of them"
"Everyone open your eyes"
Modules and Variants
Below are additional modules and variants that add new characters and rules to the game.
These modules were designed to be played without Merlin but may be combined with Merlin, other optional modules, characters, and rules. It is recommended that you play each module separately before combining them.
Variant Rules for Lancelot
There are two variants when playing with Lancelot in your game. For both variants, use both Lancelot character cards in place of one Good and one Evil character card.
In these variants, the two Lancelot characters do not know each other. Remove that step during the Reveal stage.
Also during the Reveal stage, Evil Lancelot does not open his eyes, but instead extends his thumb so that he is known to the other agents of Evil, but does not know them. Make this change to the script in the Reveal stage:
"Evil Lancelot, extend your thumb so that the other agents of Evil may know you"
"Minions of Mordred - not Evil Lancelot - open your eyes and look around so that you know all agents of Evil"
"Evil Lancelot, re-form your hand into a fist"
Variant 1
Lancelot switches allegiance during the game.
Build an Allegiance deck of six cards: four No Change (blank) cards and two Switch Allegiance cards. Shuffle and place the Allegiance deck adjacent to the tableau.
At the beginning of the first Quest, and at the beginning of each subsequent Quest, someone draws a card from the Allegiance deck and places it in a facedown discard pile. If a No Change card is drawn there is no change of allegiance and play continues as normal. This card is not secret.
If a Switch Allegiance card is drawn, Lancelot has had a change of heart. The two Lancelot players secretly switch their allegiances. This switch applies to all aspects of gameplay including victory conditions and rules regarding playing Quest cards. They do not swap or show their character cards.
It is possible that Lancelot will switch allegiance once, twice, or not at all during a game.
Variant 2
Lancelot knows in advance if his allegiance will switch, and Evil Lancelot must Fail every Quest that he is on.
Build an Allegiance deck of seven cards: five No Change (blank) cards and two Switch Allegiance cards. Shuffle and deal five Allegiance cards faceup above the tableau: one for each Quest. Return the rest to the box.
During each Quest, Good Lancelot must play a Success card as always. Evil Lancelot may only play a Fail card.
If a Switch Allegiance card has been dealt above a Quest, the two Lancelot players secretly switch their allegiances at the very beginning of the Quest. This switch applies to all aspects of gameplay including victory conditions. They do not swap or show their character cards.
Example: Christina is dealt the Good Lancelot character card and Jenny is dealt the Evil Lancelot character card. No Change cards are drawn for the first, second, fourth, and fifth Quests. Switch Allegiance is drawn for the third Quest.
Jenny must play Fail if she is on the first or second Quest, even though she knows she will end the game on the side of Good. At the beginning of the third Quest, Christina immediately becomes Evil and Jenny becomes Good. For the third, fourth, and fifth Quests, Christina must Fail any Quest that she is on.
Jenny and Christina change allegiances but they do not swap character cards.
Rogue Module
One Rogue is on the side of Good, and one is on the side of Evil, but both would rather win on their own terms. A game can include both Rogues or just one.
Place the Rogue Quest cards, the Watch token, and the Rogue tokens adjacent to the tableau. During the Reveal stage, the Evil Rogue does not open their eyes or extend their thumb so that they are not known to the other agents of Evil nor to Merlin. Make these changes to the script in the Reveal stage:
"Minions of Mordred - not the Evil Rogue - open your eyes and look around so that you know all agents of Evil"
"Minions of Mordred - not the Evil Rogue - extend your thumb so that Merlin will know of you"
After a Team is approved, the Leader passes a set of four Quest cards (Success, Fail, Rogue Success, Rogue Fail) to each Team member. The Good Rogue is the only player that may play the Rogue Success card, and the Evil Rogue is the only player that may play the Rogue Fail card. A Rogue Success card acts as a regular Success card, and a Rogue Fail acts as a regular Fail card.
The Leader must then give the Watch token to one player on the Team. In games of five or six players, a Watch token is not used on the first two Quests. If the Watch token was given to a Rogue, that Rogue may not play the Rogue Success or Rogue Fail card.
When a Rogue Fail or a Rogue Success is played, place a Rogue Fail token or a Rogue Success token above the Quest space to mark if the cards have been played.
A Good Rogue wins immediately after the third successful Quest if they played the Rogue Success card on the third successful Quest and at least one more Rogue Success card on a prior Quest.
An Evil Rogue wins immediately after the third failed Quest if they have played a Rogue Fail card on the third failed Quest and at least one more Rogue Fail card on a prior Quest.
Either Rogue gets a partial victory if their Team wins after the fifth Quest but they were not able to meet their individual victory conditions.
The Assassination stage is skipped if a Rogue has won.
Sorcerer Module
One Sorcerer is Good, and one is Evil. They both have the ability to reverse the results of a Quest. Play with both Sorcerers.
Place the Magic Quest cards adjacent to the tableau.
During the Quest phase, the Leader passes a set of three Quest cards (Success, Fail, Magic) to each Team member. Only the Sorcerers may play a Magic Quest card. The Evil Sorcerer may only play Success or Magic. They may not play Fail.
An odd number of Magic cards reverses the outcome of a Quest, makes a failed Quest succeed, or a successful Quest fail. If a Quest has a Fail card and one Magic card, the Quest succeeds. If a Quest has a Fail card and two Magic cards, the Quest is reversed twice, and thus still fails.
Example: A four member Quest reveals Success, Success, Fail, Magic. The Quest succeeds.
The next Quest has three members. The cards revealed are Success, Success, Magic. The Quest fails.
The fifth Quest has four members. The cards revealed Success, Success, Magic, Magic. The first Magic card reverses the Quest into a failure, but the second Magic card reverses it back into a success. The Quest succeeds.
Optional Rule The Evil Sorcerer does not reveal themself in the Reveal stage.
Messengers
Two Messengers are Good, and the other is Evil. Messengers can call for backup and save the day for their own Team. Play with all three Messengers. Recommended for games of seven or more players.
Place 4 Good Message Tokens and 2 Evil Message tokens next to the tableau. Place 5 Good Message Quest cards and 5 Evil Message Quest cards next to the tableau.
When passing out Quest cards to Team members, pass out 1 Success card, 1 Fail card, 1 Good Message card, and 1 Evil Message card. Good Messengers may play either a Success card or a Good Message card. Evil Messengers may play a Success card, a Fail card, or an Evil Message card. The Evil Message card acts as a Fail card and the Good Message card acts as a Success card.
Each Good Messenger may only play a Good Message Quest card up to twice over the course of the game.
For each Message card played on a Quest, place a corresponding Message token above that Quest on the tableau (Good Message token for Good Message Quest card, and Evil Message token for Evil Message Quest card).
After revealing the played Quest cards on the fifth Quest and placing any final Message tokens on the tableau, count the tokens to see if either side receives backup.
If there are 3 or more Good Messages, Good may remove one Fail card from the final Quest. If there are 2 or more Evil Messages, Evil may add one Fail card to the final Quest. If both occur, the effects cancel out and nothing happens.
After resolving the backup effects, determine whether or not the Quest was successful.
If Good wins, the Assassination stage occurs. The Assassin may target either Merlin or the Messengers, but they must announce which before assassinating. If the Assassin chooses the latter, they must correctly identify both Good Messengers for Evil to win.
Optional Rule Of the two Good Messengers, the Senior Messenger knows who the Junior Messenger is, but the Junior Messenger does not know their teammate. Make this change to the script in the Reveal stage:
"Junior Messenger, extend your thumb so that the Senior Messenger may know you"
"Senior Messenger, open your eyes"
"Senior Messenger, close your eyes"
"Junior Messenger, re-form your hand into a fist"
Untrustworthy Servant
The Untrustworthy Servant is on the side of Good. They know who the Assassin is, but Merlin thinks they are on the side of Evil, and the Assassin wants to recruit them as well.
During the Reveal stage, the Assassin is revealed to the Untrustworthy Servant. Make these changes to the script in the Reveal stage:
"Minions of Mordred and Untrustworthy Servant, extend your thumb so that Merlin will know of you"
"Minions of Mordred and Untrustworthy Servant, re-form your hand into a fist"
...
"Assassin, extend your thumb so that the Untrustworthy Servant may know you"
"Untrustworthy Servant, open your eyes"
"Untrustworthy Servant, close your eyes"
"Assassin, re-form your hand into a fist"
As a reminder, the Untrustworthy Servant cannot play a Quest Fail card!
If three Quests succeed, enter the Recruitment stage before entering the Assassination stage. The Assassin has one chance to guess which player is the Untrustworthy Servant. If the Assassin guesses correctly, the Untrustworthy Servant confirms the Assassin's guess and is now an Evil player. The now Evil Untrustworthy Servant performs the Assassination stage instead of the Assassin. They win alongside Evil if they correctly identify Merlin, and lose if they do not.
If the chosen player is not the Untrustworthy Servant, the Untrustworthy Servant remains Good and does not reveal themself. The Assassin proceeds with the Assassination stage as normal.
Optional Rules
Below are some variant rules that can be added to the game in any combination.
Trapper Module
The Teams get bigger, and the Leader has to keep a closer eye. Recommended for eight or more players.
Place an extra set of Quest cards and an extra Team token next to the tableau. If playing with other modules that use special Quest cards, place an extra of each of those cards into the play area as well.
During the Team Building phase, the Leader takes one more Team token than normal and assigns an extra member to the Team.
During the Quest phase, each player on the Quest selects a Quest card and plays it facedown in front of themselves. The Leader selects one of the played Quest cards, looks at it, and sets it aside. That Quest card does not affect the results. The Leader then collects and shuffles the remaining played Quest cards before revealing them.
The Leader may discuss, but cannot reveal the played Quest card they discarded.
Lady of the Lake
The Lady of the Lake token passes from player to player throughout the game. It gives the player who possesses it the ability to check the loyalty of another player. It is open information which player possesses this token. Recommended for seven or more players. Adding the Lady of the Lake will make the side of Good more powerful.
At the beginning of the game, give the Lady of the Lake token to the player on the Leader's right.
Immediately after the second, third, and fourth Quest is resolved, the player with the Lady of the Lake token will choose one player and examine their loyalty using the Loyalty cards. The player being examined receives the Lady of the Lake token. A player that used the Lady of the Lake ability cannot have the ability used on them. The Lady of the Lake will only be used three times in the game.
Example: Don (an Evil player) starts the game to the Leader's right and receives the Lady of the Lake token. The first Quest ends in success, the second Quest in failure. Don, as the Lady of the Lake, chooses Margaret (a Good player) to examine. Margaret takes the two Loyalty cards, and passes the Good card to Don. Don looks at the Good card and proclaims "Margaret is an Evil Minion of Mordred" - an outright lie! Margaret is outraged and quickly rebuts, "I never trusted you Don, and now I know you are a liar." Don passes the Lady of the Lake to Margaret.
Margaret will be able to examine another player's loyalty after the third Quest is resolved. Margaret cannot use the Lady of the Lake on Don.
Excalibur
The one who controls Excalibur has tremendous power, for Good or Evil. Choose wisely, and use cautiously lest the forces of Evil be strengthened.
Excalibur gives a member of the Team the ability to alter the outcome of the Quest by switching another player's played Quest card.
During the Team Building phase, Excalibur is assigned by the Leader to one of the players on the Team by giving that player both a Team token and the Excalibur token. The Leader cannot assign Excalibur to themself.
During the Quest phase, Team members select their Quest card and play it facedown in front of themselves so that it is clear which player played what card. Before collecting the played Quest cards, the player with Excalibur may tell any one other player to switch their Quest cards (the unplayed card becomes the played card).
After switching the cards, the player with Excalibur looks at the switched card (the card that was originally played). They thus know which card that player chose, and if their switch was beneficial or harmful to the Quest. The Leader then collects and shuffles the played Quest cards before revealing as normal.
Example: Ron, the Leader, entrusts Sarah to both be on the Team and wield Excalibur. He also chooses himself and Pat to be on the Team. After the Team is approved, Ron, Pat, and Sarah play their Quest cards in front of themselves. Sarah elects to use Excalibur and switches the Quest card that Pat had played. Sarah then looks at the Quest card that Pat originally played (Quest Success), and she knows that her switch has doomed the Quest to fail. The Leader collects and shuffles the Quest cards before revealing two Success cards and one Fail.
When using Plot cards, Excalibur's ability comes into play before a player may use "Ambush." Also, Excalibur may not switch a set of cards if they've been played faceup due to "We Found You!"
Plot Cards
These cards provide additional opportunity for character affiliations to be identified or concealed.
The Plot cards are marked to indicate if they can be used with five or more players (5+) or only with seven or more players (7+). Games of five or six players use seven Plot cards; games with seven or more players use all fifteen Plot cards.
Plot cards are not secret. Flip over Plot cards as soon as they are drawn and keep them exposed as long as they remain in play.
Distributing Plot Cards
At the beginning of each Quest the Leader draws Plot cards (one for 5-6 players, two for 7-8 players, and three for 9-10 players) and chooses the player(s) to receive the card(s). The Leader may not keep the Plot card for themself. The Leader chooses the order in which Plot cards are distributed. Any immediate cards are resolved as soon as they are passed.
Playing Plot Cards
There are three types of Plot cards. Cards with the Leader icon (a crown) on them are used immediately, and then discarded. Those with a fleur-de-lis icon are held until used. The card with the flower icon remains in play for the entire game.
If a situation arises in which multiple Plot cards could be used, precedence and order is determined by proximity to the Leader (starting with the Leader in a clockwise manner). Each player gets one chance to play any applicable cards. A player may not pass and then subsequently elect to play cards later in response to the same opportunity. Information gained by the use of a Plot card can be discussed, but a player's Loyalty card or Quest card may never be shown to the other players.
Example: The Leader draws "Are You the One?" and "Lead to Victory." The Leader passes "Are You the One?" to Deniz, who immediately uses it to check the loyalty of Paula, who is seated to his left. Deniz may make any (true or false) statement regarding Paula's affiliation, but may not show anyone else the Loyalty card that she passed him. The Leader passes "Lead to Victory" to Charles. Charles may not play the card immediately. He holds the card to play in the future.
Detailed Card Descriptions
Below are the Plot cards and their effects.
Are You the One? (Leader icon) - The player who receives this card may check the loyalty of one adjacent player using Loyalty cards.
Charge! (flower icon) - The player who receives this card must select and reveal their vote token before any other players have selected their vote tokens. This card remains in effect until the end of the game. If two "Charge!" cards are in play, those players must reveal their votes simultaneously.
Show Your Strength (Leader icon) - The Leader must pass a Loyalty card to any other player for examination.
Show Your True Nature (Leader icon) - The player who receives this card must pass a Loyalty card to any other player (including the Leader) for examination.
The King Returns (flower icon) - The player who receives this card may use this card to reject an approved Team (successful vote). Using this card counts as a failed vote for the round and can trigger the five consecutive failed votes rule.
Ambush (flower icon) - The player who receives this card may use this card to examine a played Quest card. The player does not need to announce that they will use this card before Quest cards are played. This card does not affect the Quest card checked. Multiple Quest cards may be checked in a single round, but no more than one player may check a single player's Quest card on a Quest.
Lead to Victory (flower icon) - The player who receives this card may use this card to become the Leader. The card must be declared before the current Leader takes any actions, such as drawing Plot cards or distributing Team tokens. When "Lead to Victory" is played, another "Lead to Victory" may not be played until a vote has taken place.
We Found You! (flower icon) - The player who receives this card may use this card to force a player to play their Quest card faceup. The player playing this card must declare its use and the target player prior to any player on the Team selecting their Quest card.
Restore Your Honor (flower icon) - The player who receives this card must take one Plot card from any other player.
Credits
Many thanks to give! To the true originals of the Summer Leadership Campers; to Tom, Jess, and the OK friends; the BGG community: Aaron, Clyde, the late-night players; the Seoul crew: Ken, Hellena, Narae, Kwang-hee, Roger, Mel & Amos, Yujin, Judson, Brad, Greg & Kevin, KJ; the Chicago crowd: Cody & Jason, Gamer Jason, Randy, Joe, Simon, Shaila, Krista, Nicholas, Rita, Alex & Gin, Dan, Andrew & Jeff; Dani, and the Dresdeners; to my parents Walter and Evie, fav sis-in-law Gen, JD, and especially my sibs - Laura and Justin - who keep me sane and loved.
And lastly, to anyone who has ever kicked the ceiling over a game of Resistance - you're the reason for it all!
Design - Don Eskridge
Project Management - Anna Russell
Development - Travis Worthington
Graphic Design / Illustrations - Weberson Santiago, Luis Francisco, Justine Nortjé