Sheriff of Nottingham – Please let me pass

What do you do when your sweet little daughter looks you in the face and declares that she’s just trying to take 4 baskets of apple to market?

You open and inspect her bag of course!

Especially when you believe she may be trying to sneak some illegal silk or other contraband past you.

Of course, after you inspect her bag and find 4 baskets of apples, you’ll have to pay her 8 coins as a penalty and you’ll think twice about inspecting her bag next time. Because you can rest assured that there will be a next time.

That’s what players are faced with every round in a game of Sheriff of Nottingham. It’s a game that we’ve got a kick out of (at least some of us have).

And Brooke is a big fan.

She’s a girl that loves soccer, dancing, signing, and acting.

And she also LOVES bluffing and social deduction games. The Resistance: Avalon, Cash & Guns, and Coup are among her favorite games.

Well now she has another game to add to her top games list: Sheriff of Nottingham.

And you can see why she loves it so much in her video review.

Can the whole family enjoy Sheriff of Nottingham?

Considering that not everyone in our family enjoys playing Sheriff of Nottingham, we’ll have to say “No. It’s likely that not everyone in your family will enjoy Sheriff of Nottingham.”

In our family, mom is the one that opts out of playing. She’s not a fan of bluffing games. She knows what types of games she likes and bluffing games don’t fall into that realm. Even knowing that about her, I thought Sheriff of Nottingham would be different. Turns out I was wrong.

Note to self: Quit trying to find a bluffing game she likes. Just stick with the wide variety of other types of games she does enjoy playing.

And you may have people in your family with those same feelings. They don’t like games where figuring out if people are telling the truth is a big part of the game. If it creates unwelcome stress for them, then accept it and move on.

On the other hand, if you’ve got family members that love bluffing and social deduction games, then it’s highly likely that they’ll absolutely love Sheriff of Nottingham.

 

Is Lying Ok?

We regard honesty as a very strong character trait. It’s something we value in others and try to teach our kids to live likewise.

So why then are we praising a game that is about being deceptive, offering bribes, and not telling the truth?

Because it’s just that – a game.

We try not to take our games too seriously. Sure we’re competitive. And yes, we’ve had plenty of emotional moments in games that create some angst amongst family members (we’re looking at you Risk Legacy). But we try to make sure we remember the purpose of game time is to have fun.

We enjoy Sheriff of Nottingham because it’s entertaining to deduce the possibilities presented. It’s like the poison cup challenge in The Princess Bride movie. “I can clearly not choose the one in front of you.”

As Brooke demonstrates in her video review, having two face-up discard piles from which you can draw cards means other players can know at least some of the cards you have in your hand. So, they can guess what you might declare in your bag and plan accordingly. And as such, the game comes down to reading what others might do and knowing when to call them out on it.

And we find that intriguing and entertaining.

In bluffing games, the rules are set up to allow for deception. And in Sheriff of Nottingham there are very clear rules on what is allowed and what’s not when declaring goods. It’s not like it’s a free-for-all of lying. We never break those rules or try to cheat the system. That would completely spoil the challenge and the fun. We’re working within the parameters set forth for the interchange.

That all being said, we wouldn’t suggest playing Sheriff of Nottingham with your kids until they can understand the distinction between bluffing in a game and lying in day-to-day activities. The current age of our kids is a key element in our being able to have fun with such a game.

And that’s where our bluffing stays – in the game.

 

Get the Companion App

You may have noticed the heckling audio clips throughout Brooke’s video review of Sheriff of Nottingham. Those all come from the Arcane Wonders companion app that you’ll definitely want to download for free.

Sure the app makes totaling up scores and calculating the King and Queen bonuses at the end of the game a breeze. But it’s not just an app to help with simple math. It’s part of the fun!

While the sheriff is deciding whether to let bags through or not, it’s a hoot to hear bystanders heckling away.

The funniest time was when I had declared 4 chickens and just as the sheriff was about to hand it back to me without inspecting, the heckler chimed in “that bag does not look like it’s full of chickens”. It’s couldn’t have been more timely – for the sheriff that is. Because he took the advice of this random app voice and opened the bag to find a load of contraband I was trying to sneak past. I don’t recall exactly how much I had to pay in penalty. But I totally did it laughing.

The app is a must.

 

How does Sheriff of Nottingham score on our “Let’s Play Again” game meter?

Sheriff of Nottingham scores high on our “let’s play again” game meter.

One of the beauties of the game is that it gets better with more plays with the same group. Having everyone get 2 turns being the sheriff is great because decisions they make during their second time will be based on the results of the first time. If someone snuck contraband past them the first time, it’s very they’ll inspect that player’s bag the next time around.

And that type of reasoning even carries over from game to game. It’s a sort of meta-game characteristic where actions in one game will impact play in a subsequent game. And it brings all the second-guessing that goes with it along for the ride.

Which means it will definitely get many repeat plays.

Thanks Arcane Wonders for this fun bluffing and social deduction game.

The Board Game Family Game Ratings
	Caleb
	Brooke
	Jaden
	Trevor
	Mom
	Dad
	Average