Designers: Sérgio Halaban, André Zatz
In Sheriff of Nottingham, you live the high glamorous life of a customs agent, patrolling the borders of Nottingham seeking contraband that might be sold on the open market. Sure, he may say he’s a harmless chicken farmer, but those bags aren’t exactly moving and clucking all that much. But you might be convinced to not take a peek… for a fee.
Interesting Mechanic: Mutually Understood Bribery. Sheriff of Nottingham is, at it’s core, a game about lying, bribery and mutual understandings, wink wink nudge nudge. You fill a bag with goods and declare the contents of them, and pass them to the current Sheriff. The Sheriff then decides whether or not your bags merit closer inspection, and that decision might be made easier with a donation to local law enforcement, which is woefully underfunded by an underappreciative public. If he looks and you have contraband, you’re in trouble, but the penalties are staggering if his instincts are wrong. But don’t get too cocky – eventually you will take your turn as the Sheriff.
Sheriff of Nottingham is, at it’s core, a social game, and is far better in a group that is extroverted, silly and familiar with each other. It is a tad prone to lucky streaks – a player can get so lucky drawing goods that he rarely or never needs to lie – but this is a relatively quick game where the experience is generally more valuable than winning or losing anyway.
(Photo Credit: Board Game Meeple Lady)
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