DinoCow

This game really pops when you have a large group of people playing. I think the sweet spot is 10 (the maximum number of players.) When you have 9 other people to scrutinize and try to mentally deconstruct, all the while trying to convince them that you’re not an Evil character, it can really bring about some self-realizations. Like… I’m not good at lying.

Avalon is is a bit complicated to understand at first, but once a game gets rolling, you’ll pick up on it quickly. The basics of it is, you are a character in the King Arthur mythos. There are two sides: Good and Evil, and either side has to get three quests to succeed (Good) or fail (Evil) to win the game.

You are dealt a character card at the beginning of the game which will either be a Good character (one of Arthur’s loyal friends or servants) or an Evil character (an enemy of Arthur in disguise.) There are 5 quests to complete and a specific number of players to participate on each quest. Taking turns as the quest party selector, one player will handpick people from around the table to go on a quest. That selected party will now be up for an approval vote by everyone at the table. This is where it gets tricky. Did the selector choose all Good characters for a successful quest or is there an Evil character mixed into the party who will fail it? Since there is always a majority of Good characters, flaunting that you’re Evil will guarantee that you’re never approved for a quest party, which means you won’t have a chance to fail a quest; secrecy and deception is key. Once the quest party is approved, each party member hands in a secret Success of Fail card. If there is even one Fail card in the quest pile, the quest fails. This is bad for Good characters and they will have to weed out the Evil party member ASAP. Remember, it’s either 3 Successes or 3 Fails to end the game.

That’s a long short-explanation, but it’s the basic gist of it. There are more subtle nuances to the game that you’ll pick up as you play, like the Lady of the Lake card which reveals the true affiliation of a certain player to another player, Evil players who know each other, and the role of Merlin, who knows of certain Evil characters at the table.

Avalon really is a fast, fun, (maybe a slight bit confrontational,) and complex psychological party game, and there’s a great deal of replay value. Sorta like a beefed up game of Clue. Well worth the money!

This can be a very tough game if you haven’t used the creative side of your brain in a while, but it’ll slowly come back to you. It’s amazing how many different interpretations of one image there can be in a small group of friends. Trying to get a few people (but not everybody) to see what you’re seeing is much more difficult than it sounds. There is a certain amount of creative finesse that you have to apply in this game. It’s a very simple concept for a game and that makes it very appealing to new/young players. The points system can take a little time to completely understand, but it’s not a big deal.

Dixit is definitely a great party/family game and has a ton of replay value, limited only to the imagination of the players. The art on all the cards are amazing in their detail, creativity, and bright vivid colors. Really a treat to play.

The cards, pieces, and board are high quality, so you don’t have to worry too much about short term wear and tear, unless you’re play this game with infants who like to put everything in their mouth (bad idea on many levels.) It also comes in an organized box, which makes set up and clean up all the more simpler.

All in all, a nice, easy going game with lots of laughs and smiles involved.