Description
After the Battle of Camlann, the Lady of the Lake carried Arthur's body into the mists, and Mordred used forbidden magic to tear the veil between worlds. Now the Knights, Druids, Fomorians and Undead are setting out for the island of Avalon. In Avalon: The Riven Veil you lead one of these factions: you explore the mists, uncover artefacts, bond with mythical beasts, search for the Holy Grail and raise an army for the decisive battles.
How to play Avalon: The Riven Veil
The game lasts two seasons, or three in the longer version. At the start of each season, new regions appear on the island, along with face-down cards hiding artefacts, mythical beasts and the Holy Grail. Then, over three rounds, everyone chooses one card at the same time to deploy units, move or found settlements, and pays for it with other cards from their hand. Turn order is set by the initiative on the chosen cards.
Each season ends in war: battles are fought one by one, from the coast to the heart of the island. When a hero is in a region, the players there choose a battle plan with a power limit and then draw cards; a player who goes over the limit fails their plan. The winner of a region takes all its victory points and an artefact, and the runner-up gets half the points. After the last season, the player with the most points wins.
Why you'll like it
- The battles are tense: the more cards you draw, the more power you can gain, but if you go over your battle plan's limit, the plan fails.
- The player with the most favour can earn Excalibur, which gives their lord extra power.
- You can tailor the game to your group: choose between a short and a long game, battles with or without luck, and identical or completely different factions.
- Settlements bring points and new soldiers every season, so it pays to gain a foothold on the island early.
Who is Avalon: The Riven Veil for?
Avalon: The Riven Veil is for two to four players aged 14 and up, and a game takes 90 to 120 minutes. It is a demanding area majority strategy game for experienced players who enjoy battles and cards with lots of options. It plays best with three or four. For your first game, the rules recommend a short game with identical factions. All card text is in English.
What you might not like
There are a lot of rules and special abilities, and the game is long, so it may not suit players who prefer shorter, simpler games.
What's in the box
- a 4-piece board frame and 18 region tiles
- a double-sided favour board
- 5 lord miniatures, 12 cardboard champion standees and 44 soldier figures, with bases
- 12 cardboard mythical beast standees and 16 bases for them
- 4 double-sided lord boards and 4 double-sided faction boards
- 160 cards in 4 decks (deploy, move, settle and battle plans)
- 12 mythical beast cards, 24 artefact cards and 12 prophecy cards
- cards and tokens for the Holy Grail, Excalibur and the Green Knight
- 15 settlement tokens, 15 power tokens, 52 cubes and 15 discs
- tokens for the mists, the leviathan, the Ancient One, the tide, the season and the round, plus victory point tokens
- 4 divider cards, 4 deck labels and 4 knight banners
