Every Avalon game starts with the same two questions: how many people are evil, and how many go on each quest? Get either wrong and the whole game is broken — usually in evil’s favour, and usually nobody notices until quest three.
This is the setup reference for all six player counts, taken straight from the official rulebook. Bookmark it, or screenshot the tables.
New to the game? Start with how to play Avalon, then come back here for the exact numbers. For what each character actually does, see Avalon characters and roles explained.
Good vs Evil by Player Count
This is the part people get wrong most often. The split is not “half and half” — good always outnumbers evil.
| Players | Good | Evil |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | 3 |
| 10 | 6 | 4 |
Two things worth noticing. Evil only gains a member at 7 and again at 10 — so 6 players is the best ratio good ever gets (4 vs 2), and 7 players is the sharpest jump in evil’s favour. If your group finds good winning too easily at six, adding a seventh person changes the game more than you’d expect.
Merlin is always one of the good players. The Assassin is always one of the evil players. Everyone else fills in from there.
Quest Team Sizes
The number of players you send on each quest, in order. The Leader token passes clockwise, and whoever holds it proposes the team.
| Players | Quest 1 | Quest 2 | Quest 3 | Quest 4 | Quest 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4* | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5* | 5 |
| 9 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5* | 5 |
| 10 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5* | 5 |
* The fourth quest requires two fail cards to fail — in games of 7 or more players only. One saboteur on that team isn’t enough; evil needs two people on it willing to fail. At 5 and 6 players there’s no such protection, and a single fail card sinks any quest.
Two rows surprise people:
- At 5 players, quest 3 shrinks back to 2. After a three-person second quest, the third drops to two. That’s correct, not a typo — it’s the tightest quest in the game and often the most informative.
- At 6 players, quest 3 jumps to 4 and then quest 4 drops back to 3. Also correct. The sizes don’t climb steadily.
If your group has been playing 8-player games with a 4-person fourth quest, you’ve been playing a meaningfully easier game for evil.
Which Roles to Use at Each Count
The base setup is Merlin, the Assassin, Loyal Servants of Arthur, and Minions of Mordred. The four optional characters — Percival, Morgana, Mordred and Oberon — are yours to add. Here’s what actually works.
5 Players (3 good, 2 evil)
Merlin + 2 Loyal Servants vs the Assassin + 1 Minion.
At this count Merlin knows both evil players outright, which makes him extremely powerful and extremely obvious. Add Percival and Morgana to fix it — Percival sees two possible Merlins and has to work out which is real, and Morgana gives evil a way to muddy it. With five players that means only one Loyal Servant remains, which is a tight, tense game.
Skip Mordred at five. Hiding an evil player from Merlin when Merlin only has two to find makes good’s job close to impossible.
6 Players (4 good, 2 evil)
Merlin + 3 Loyal Servants vs the Assassin + 1 Minion.
The friendliest count for good, and the best place to teach the game. Run it plain the first time — Merlin, Assassin, everyone else vanilla. Once the group understands the vote-and-quest rhythm, add Percival and Morgana.
7 Players (4 good, 3 evil)
Merlin + 3 Loyal Servants vs the Assassin + 2 Minions.
Evil picks up a third body and the fourth quest gains its two-fail protection. This is the count where the optional roles really start earning their place. Percival, Morgana and Oberon is a strong combination — Oberon doesn’t know his fellow evil players and they don’t know him, which creates genuine confusion on evil’s side and makes their coordination messier.
8 Players (5 good, 3 evil)
Merlin + 4 Loyal Servants vs the Assassin + 2 Minions.
Percival, Morgana and Mordred works well here. Mordred stays hidden from Merlin, so Merlin’s information is incomplete for the first time — he’s confidently pointing at two evils while a third operates freely. Table talk gets much harder to read.
9 Players (6 good, 3 evil)
Merlin + 5 Loyal Servants vs the Assassin + 2 Minions.
Six good players is a lot of cover for Merlin, which is good, because at nine the discussions get long. Percival, Morgana and Mordred again. Adding Oberon on top is possible but starts to strip evil of the coordination they need at this size.
10 Players (6 good, 4 evil)
Merlin + 5 Loyal Servants vs the Assassin + 3 Minions.
The full house. Use all four optional roles — Percival, Morgana, Mordred and Oberon. Evil has enough bodies to absorb Oberon’s isolation, and good has enough players that Merlin can hide in the crowd. This is the most chaotic and, for a lot of groups, the most fun configuration.
Ten players also means long stretches between your turns. Keep the discussion timer tight or games run past an hour.
The Rules That Change With Player Count
Five rejected teams in a row means evil wins the quest. This is per-quest — the counter resets when a team is finally approved. It matters more at higher counts, where getting a majority to agree takes longer and the vote track fills up fast.
The Leader doesn’t have to be on the team. Common misread. The Leader proposes who goes, and may or may not include themselves.
Everyone votes on every team, including players not going on the quest. Only the players actually on the quest submit success or fail cards.
Only evil players may play a fail card. Good players must play success. This trips up new players constantly — a good player cannot sabotage even if they want to.
Good needs three successful quests. Evil needs three failed ones. If good gets to three, the Assassin gets one shot at naming Merlin. Correct guess and evil steals the win outright, regardless of the quest track.
The Official Rulebook
Indie Boards & Cards publishes the rules for The Resistance: Avalon, and the setup tables above match the printed rulebook that ships in the box. Every retail copy includes the same summary card, and the round tokens on the board itself are printed with the team sizes for reference during play — if you’re ever unsure mid-game, the board has the answer.
If you’ve lost your copy, the setup and quest tables are also reproduced on the game board and the player aid cards included in the second printing.
Quick Reference
The whole setup in one block, if you just need the numbers at the table:
| Players | Good / Evil | Quests |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 / 2 | 2, 3, 2, 3, 3 |
| 6 | 4 / 2 | 2, 3, 4, 3, 4 |
| 7 | 4 / 3 | 2, 3, 3, 4*, 4 |
| 8 | 5 / 3 | 3, 4, 4, 5*, 5 |
| 9 | 6 / 3 | 3, 4, 4, 5*, 5 |
| 10 | 6 / 4 | 3, 4, 4, 5*, 5 |
* Requires two fail cards.
FAQ
How many players do you need for Avalon? Five minimum, ten maximum. Five works but is tight; six or more is where the game opens up.
Can you play Avalon with 4 players? Not with the official rules. There isn’t enough room for hidden information to matter — with two evil players in a group of four, deduction collapses. Play Coup or another small-group game instead.
Can you play with more than 10? Not with a single base set. The Resistance base game and its expansions extend the count, but Avalon’s role list and quest tables stop at ten.
What’s the best player count for Avalon? Seven to eight for most groups. Evil has enough numbers to be genuinely threatening, the fourth quest gets its two-fail rule, and there are enough players for the optional roles to do their jobs without discussions dragging.
Do you have to use Percival, Morgana, Mordred and Oberon? No, they’re all optional. The game works with just Merlin and the Assassin. Add them as your group gets comfortable — Percival and Morgana first, since they pair together.
Does Merlin know who the Assassin is? Merlin sees all evil players except Mordred, but he doesn’t know which of them holds the Assassin card. That distinction rarely matters during play, since any evil player could be the one to make the final guess.
Once your table has the setup down, the interesting part is the roles themselves — who sees whom, and how to play each one. That’s all covered in Avalon characters and roles explained. And if you’re still deciding whether the game is for your group, here’s our full review.
Thumbnail image artificially generated for illustrative purposes.
