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Free perspective-taking game guide · TABLE Method™
The Resistance: Avalon
Suspicion, accusation, and staying in relationship afterward · Stage 5
What the Game Is
A hidden-role game. Most players are loyal servants of Arthur; a few are secretly minions of Mordred. Teams go on quests, and evil players try to sabotage them without being found out.
Why It Works at a Table
Avalon asks people to deceive, suspect, accuse, be accused, and then remain in relationship when the game ends. That makes it powerful for established groups practicing rupture and repair, and risky for anyone else. The book places it at Stage 5 and limits it to coach or therapist scope.
Try One Variation
Accuse the play, not the person (BGT house rule, not an official rule). Accusations must name a vote or a play (“I am suspicious of your vote on the second team”), never a trait (“you are dishonest”). If someone slips, pause briefly and invite them to restate it as an observable game action. Repeated slips trigger a check-in or an end to play.
- Targets: Perspective-taking and safer conflict
- Suits: Any group playing hidden-role games
- Watch for: Slips in the heat of the game. Restate them calmly.
- Debrief prompt: “How did the language rule change the arguments?”
The TABLE Method™, Applied
A short excerpt from the full guide's TABLE plan. Anyone can pass, pause, or stop at any time.
Target
Notice how the group handles suspicion and accusation, and how it repairs and steps out of role afterward.
Assess
Check the player count, the time, and whether the game serves today's goal.
- Has this group had roughly eight or more sessions together? The book advises against Avalon for newer groups.
Build
- Hold the specific consent conversation for deception before dealing roles.
- Play an open-role practice round first.
Lead
- Facilitate rather than play, so you can watch the room.
- Redirect accusations toward votes and plays, not character.
Extract and Extend
Debrief in order: Board, Self, Us, Life or Work, Extension. Ask what participants make of the game. Do not tell them.
Game not included; play by the rulebook in your box. In the BGT book: Chapter 13 (When the Game Stops Being a Game), Appendix B (Stage 5 example), Appendix C (Stage 5; coach or therapist only; specific consent required), and Appendix F (twelve-week week 11, only if appropriate). Independent companion. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Indie Boards and Cards. The Resistance: Avalon may be a trademark of its owner and is named only to identify the game. Board Game Therapy is not inherently psychotherapy. Copyright 2026 Solid State Strategies, LLC.