Avalon
Avalon Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Idea
The players try to win for their own side, with their knights, the territories that at first still lie in the fog, i.e. face down. These territories are of differing value and some also have a special significance. But besides the worldly power of the knights, the priestesses of the old religion also have a decisive influence on events with their magic power. With their help one can enchant enemy knights or enchantresses so that they change sides. The unusual thing about the game is that one may always play as many cards as one holds in hand. But one should husband one's strength well. For if one exhausts oneself too much on one's own turn, one can offer little resistance to the opponent's attacks. So it matters to recognize when to merely strengthen one's side for later turns and when to risk an attack.
Object of the Game
The winner is whoever, at the end of his turn, owns territories worth 15 crowns (= victory points).
Components
- 80 character cards (40 enchantresses and 40 knights, 8 each in 5 colors)
- 11 territory cards (with 1 to 3 crowns, and some with a special function)
- 9 supply tiles (5 light and 4 dark)
- 2 overview cards (with short rules)
Setup
- Before the first game, carefully punch the 9 supply tiles out of the frame.
- The 11 territory cards are shuffled and laid face down in a row between the two players.
- The 9 supply tiles are laid face up, sorted by color, next to the row of territory cards.
- The 80 character cards (enchantresses and knights) are shuffled. At each territory card, one card is placed face up on one's own side and one card on the opponent's side. Each player now has a row of 11 character cards in front of him, assigned to the territory cards. It does not matter whether these cards are enchantresses or knights. The colors of the cards are also initially irrelevant.
- Each player receives a further 5 cards from the stack of character cards, which he takes into his hand. The remaining character cards are set aside as a face-down draw pile.
- Finally each player receives an overview card.
- The player who was last in England begins. If this cannot be determined, the older player begins.
There is a "Field for discards" (the discard pile) beside the layout.
Course of Play
On his turn a player may play as many cards as he holds in hand. The cards are always laid on one's own side at the territory cards, with the aim of conquering territory cards or defending those already conquered. At the end of the turn the player takes a supply tile, which brings him new cards.
The cards can be used in different ways:
- One's own side is strengthened by knights or enchantresses.
- An enemy knight or enchantress is enchanted by an enchantress of the same color.
- A territory is attacked by a knight in order to conquer it.
Note: Sometimes it makes sense to play no card at all, in order to collect cards for an attack on the next turn.
Strengthening one's own side with a knight or enchantress
The player lays any card from his hand (whether enchantress or knight) face up on his side at a territory card. If cards already lie there, the new card is laid so that one can always see how many cards are already out.
Note: One should always strengthen when one wants to prepare an attack of one's own or make an enemy attack harder. If the opponent has a surplus of cards on his side, one must first play some cards for strengthening before one may attack.
Enchanting an enemy knight or enchantress with an enchantress
- The player lays at a territory card an enchantress that has the same color as the top enemy card on the opposite side at this territory. It does not matter whether the enemy card is an enchantress or a knight. The player says: "I enchant your enchantress/your knight!"
- If there is no counter-spell, the enchanted card is taken from the enemy's layout and laid on the own enchantress just placed. Important: The enchanted card must have been laid as the top card at the same territory card on the opponent's side and must have the same color as the enchantress.
Counter-spell: If, however, the opponent lays on his side of the territory, from his hand, an enchantress in the same color as the attacking enchantress, the enchantment is warded off. If the player wants to perform such a counter-spell, he must do so immediately after the enchantment has been announced. The attacked card and the counter-spell card remain lying on the defender's side. The attacking enchantress goes into the hand of the player who successfully performed this counter-spell.
Important: Even if an enchantment has failed, the player remains on turn and may play further cards if he still holds cards in his hand.
Note: One should enchant above all when the opponent holds only few cards in hand. Then the chance is greatest that he has no matching card for the counter-spell. Otherwise one risks losing not only one's own enchantress, but the opponent also strengthens his side in the process.
Attacking and conquering a territory with a knight
The player lays a knight from his hand at a territory card at which, before laying, he has as many or more cards on his side than the opponent. It does not matter whether enchantresses or knights or no cards at all already lie there. Then he says: "I attack this territory!" If there is no defense, the territory is conquered. But one must still discard cards as conquest losses (see "Conquest losses").
Important: To conquer a territory, the knight must be played from the hand. One may not attack with a knight that one previously enchanted with an enchantress and brought over to one's own side.
If a face-down territory card is conquered, it is now turned face up and turned so that the depicted one to three crowns point to the conqueror of the territory card. The terrain type of the card (plain, forest, hill) matters only for the supply (see "The card supply"). Some cards also have a special function, which however needs to be looked up only when the territory is first revealed after a conquest (see "The special territories"). Except for the three cards on which a castle is depicted, the special functions of conquered territory cards apply from now on. The special function of the "castle" cards applies only when an already revealed territory with a castle is attacked again. If a territory is conquered that previously belonged to the opponent, the conquered territory card is simply turned to the new owner.
Defense: If, however, the opponent plays from his hand, on his side of the territory, a knight in the same color as the attacking knight, the attack is warded off. Afterwards both knight cards, that of the attacker and that of the defender, remain lying as the top cards on the respective side of the territory card. If the player wants to perform such a defense, he must do so immediately after the attack has been announced. For a successful defense it is irrelevant how many cards lie on both sides; only the color of the two knights must match.
Important: Even if an attack has failed, the player remains on turn and may play further cards if he still holds cards in his hand.
During his turn a player may attack as often as he likes, until he has conquered a maximum of two territories. After each successful conquest he must accept card losses.
Conquest losses
- At the conquered territory card, all cards of the loser lying there are removed and put on a discard pile. The conqueror lays the same number of cards from his side of the conquered territory card likewise on the discard pile. He must take the top card first, then the one beneath it, etc.
- In addition, the conqueror must discard further cards, namely as many as there were cards on both sides in the battle (including the attack card). Example: A territory was conquered at a 3 : 1 ratio. First each discards one card; afterwards the conqueror must discard for this territory 3 + 1 = 4 additional cards. Another example: If a territory is to be conquered at a 1 : 0 ratio, the conqueror at first need discard none and then additionally only 0 + 1 = 1 card.
The player may take these additional cards from his hand and/or from the cards laid out on his side at one or more territories of his choice (also from the one just conquered). However, the top card must always be taken first.
Note: With every successful attack one must be clear about the card losses. If one has to give up too many cards, whether from the hand or from the laid-out ones, one is an easy target on the opponent's following turn. Therefore, on his first turn one should better not attack at all, but rather strengthen one's hand of cards (see "The card supply"). A territory is easiest to conquer when the opponent has no cards or only one card there. Then one needs only one or two cards on one's side and afterwards loses at most three additional cards. Usually it is also worthwhile to conquer two territories in one turn only in such cases.
Territories in which there is a castle are easier to defend, since the attacker needs one more card here and in case of success also loses one more card (see "The special territories").
End of a Turn: The Card Supply
The players receive new hand cards through the supply tiles. At the end of his turn the player must choose one of the supply tiles lying face up. Some tiles bring a fixed number of cards. With other tiles it depends on how many adjacent territory cards a player owns, or how many he owns of one terrain type (plain, hill or forest). The special territory cards "Avalon" and "Swamp" do not count as territories and belong to none of the three terrain types.
The light tiles bring fewer cards. Whoever decides on a light tile immediately takes the number of cards stated there from the face-down draw pile.
The dark tiles mostly bring more cards. If the player takes a dark tile, he first lays it face up in front of him. Only at the beginning of his next turn may the player draw the corresponding number of cards.
Used supply tiles are laid back face down. As soon as all nine tiles have been used, they are turned over again and the players again have free choice.
If the draw pile is used up, the discard pile is shuffled and becomes the new draw pile.
Important: At the end of his turn, that is, after he has drawn cards, a player may not hold more than 5 cards in hand. Surplus cards he must discard. During his turn, however, one may have any number of cards.
Note: One should take the dark tiles when one still holds at least three cards in hand. Then one can meet an enemy attack and receives "fresh" cards for one's own turn. However, if the opponent conquers territories on his turn, he can see to it that one receives fewer cards than planned. One should take the light tiles when one holds no cards at all or at most two cards in hand. Otherwise one must get through the opponent's turn with only few cards and can hardly react to enchantments and attacks. However, one should take care that at the end of his turn one may keep no more than 5 cards. If one has not played too many cards on his first turn, it is best to take a dark tile that brings "4 cards".
End of the Game
As soon as a player, at the end of his turn (that is, after paying his conquest losses), owns territories with a total value of 15 or more crowns, the game is over and this player has won.
The Supply Tiles in Detail
Light supply tiles
- Take 2 cards. The player immediately takes 2 cards from the draw pile.
- Take 1 card for each territory of the terrain type of which you have the most territories. The player immediately takes 1 new card from the draw pile for each territory of the terrain type of which he owns the most. Example: Whoever owns the territories 2 x forest, 1 x plain, 1 x hill immediately receives 2 cards for "forest". Avalon and the swamp belong to none of these three terrain types.
- Take 1 card for each territory in your largest connected landscape area. By connected landscape area is meant adjacent territories that one must all own. The terrain type is irrelevant here. Avalon and the swamp do not count toward the connected area, but also do not interrupt it. Example: Whoever owns 4 adjacent territories with Avalon between them receives 3 new cards.
Dark supply tiles
- Take 4 cards. The player takes 4 cards from the draw pile at the beginning of his next turn.
- Take 2 cards for each territory of the terrain type of which you have the most territories. The player takes at the beginning of his next turn 2 new cards from the draw pile for each territory of the terrain type of which he owns the most. Example: Whoever owns the territories 2 x forest, 1 x plain, 1 x hill receives 4 cards for "forest". Avalon and the swamp belong to none of these three terrain types.
- Take 1 card for each of your territories. The player takes at the beginning of his next turn 1 new card from the draw pile for each territory he owns. For Avalon and the swamp one receives no cards.
The Special Territories
Some territory cards have special functions for the player who owns them. These need not be looked up immediately, but only when they are first revealed after a conquest.
Landscapes with castles
There are 3 territory cards with castles. Each castle has a defense bonus of "+1", i.e. for the defender it counts like an additional laid-out character card. If one wants to attack a landscape with a castle, one must have at least 1 card more than the owner of the "castle card" before laying a knight for the attack. In addition, when one has conquered an enemy castle, one must give up 1 additional card in the losses.
Example: Before an attack on a castle card at which its owner has only 1 card lying, a player must himself already have at least 2 cards lying before he attacks with a knight. After the conquest, 1 card from each side is discarded at this territory. Afterwards, however, the conqueror must discard 3 (own side) + 1 (enemy side) + 1 (castle) = 5 additional cards.
Avalon
Whoever owns this card needs, once in his turn after a conquest, to discard 1 card fewer than demanded. Example: Whoever after a conquest would have to give up an additional 3 cards loses only 2 cards.
Important: With a second conquest in the same turn Avalon does not take effect. The player may, however, decide himself whether to use the function on his first or second conquest.
Although it has only 1 victory point, this is a very strong territory card. However, it brings no supply.
Magic stone circle in the forest
Whoever owns this territory may attack all territory cards with his enchantresses as if the enchantresses were knights. As defense the opponent must still play a knight card of the same color. If an enchantress attacks a territory in order to conquer it, she cannot at the same time be used to enchant an enemy card.
Swamp
This is the weakest territory card, since it has only 1 victory point and brings no supply.