Most of it is entirely legal, however, Prince John is looking to make sure no contraband gets sold. The bustling market in Nottingham is filled with goods from all over the kingdom. The components certainly add to the enjoyment of the game, with the definitive sound of the bag being opened carrying lots of significance.Will the Merchants get their goods past the Sheriff? But for those who want to direct their actions towards a goal – this will be a serious drawback. Many people are still able to have a great time with the game because the process is indeed exceedingly entertaining. There is a ton of very exciting stuff taking place but it is best not to do that if you want to do well. The lying and the bribery and the smuggling are all so entertaining and engaging that you want to do these a lot, but the risks you run far outweigh the potential benefits. There are exceptions, of course, but the predominant general experience I had is that slow and steady wins this race. The game’s scoring appears to reward the safe playing style both through Sheriff penalties for opening an “honest” bag and for significant bonus points for King/Queen title at the end.
It is most often the merchant who played safest, not exposing themselves to the risks of smuggling. The worst part comes at a point when you realize that the person who won is not the one who was pulling out crazy deals or smuggling in awesomely illegal sexy silks. Player area for a lady who’s been diversifying her strategy. The player who collected the most total points is the winner. Those who collect the most (or second most) of a certain legal good are crowned as King or Queen (King of Cheese has a ring to it, don’t you think so?) and receive a hefty bonus to their score. Illegal goods are worth significantly more points. The opening of the snap-on bag has a satisfying finality to it – once it’s open, the negotiations die down immediately.Īt the end of the game each player receives points for the money they have and the goods they have collected. Merchants can even goad the Sheriff into opening someone else’s bag if the desire. The game encourages negotiation, including bribing the Sheriff with money, goods or future favours. However, if there were undeclared, or even worse – illegal goods in the bag – Sheriff gets to collect penalties and all undeclared goods are discarded. There is some risk to the Sheriff – if the contents of the bag match the description exactly, the Sheriff looks foolish and has to pay up. The Sheriff then has a choice – he either lets the goods through (and these are added to the merchant’s stall) or inspects the bag. The Sheriff knows when you’re not telling the truth!Įach turn a player puts a certain number of cards from their hand into a small felt bag and declares what type of a legal good is in there. Only thing is that if you are caught with these – you certainly do not get these to your stall and have to pay hefty fines for even trying. So it can be tempting to try and pad your sacks with some highly illegal goods. The thing is – while bringing in chickens or cheese is a perfectly legitimate business – the crossbows or mead just cost way more. The Sheriff is in charge of examining the goods before they get to the stalls. In their way stands the Sheriff – a role that rotates between the players. Three to five players act as merchants trying to get goods to their market stalls in a city. Sheriff of Nottingham aims to capture this scene and succeeds marvellously, only to forget to reward the players for the most adventurous and fun way to play. A nervous glance to the side and the charade is up – bags are emptied and fines (or worse) apply. What is it that you are bringing in? Apples you say? These don’t look like apples… Tense negotiations ensue with threats, bribes and flattery all used generously. A merchant is at the entrance to medieval city with a wagon of wares. You have seen the situation a countless times in movies and books.
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