Sheriff of Nottingham: Merry Men (Arcane Wonders)

I generally don't get to play a lot of bluffing games, and I think it's primarily because of the two gaming groups I belong too. One group is my wife and another couple, none of whom are great at bluffing, and the other group I think the bluffing would get out of hand or cause hurt feelings. However, I have found one bluffing game that works reasonably well for both groups, and that is Sheriff of Nottingham. In Sheriff of Nottingham, you are a merchant trying to bring your goods (apples, bread, cheese, and chickens) into Nottingham, and maybe smuggling in some contraband as well. It's a quick, fun, and a nice blend of playing your hand and playing your opponents. With that said, there were a couple of things I felt missing from the base game.

For starters, I sometimes wished it played more than five players. Secondly, I always wondered where Robin Hood, Little John, and the other Merry Men were. Lastly, it felt like you could make it through the game without bluffing ever (my wife) and cream your opponents, so there's no incentive to bluff. I imagine I wasn't the only one with these cons, so along came Sheriff of Nottingham: Merry Men. Sheriff of Nottingham: Merry Men is a small box expansion that provides five different modules to enhance game play. This is my favorite type of expansion, because you can pick and choose what you want to add and what you don't. Allow me to tell you what I think about each module.
1. 6th Player - A sixth player is added to the game and two deputies take the place of the sheriff. Instead of one person interrogating you, you now have two to deal with. They must agree and split any loot/bribes received. This was an easy and welcome expansion. I like that you now have two people shaking down the merchants, but I don't play it where it's randomly decided who the two are, because I played it with three couples. Instead I made each couple the deputies, so that favoritism couldn't be granted to spouses. The more the merrier with this game, so I would always play with this one if the player count justified it.

2. Black Market - Players are allowed to trade in three of a kind of a contraband card for a black market card. Example, you have three peppers (6 coin value each) that if you are the first to trade them in nets you a black market card worth 30 coins. This is a module I play with all the time as it encourages and rewards bluffing and smuggling. There are no more "cheap" honest all the way through wins. You are rewarded handsomely for lying and it makes doing so a viable strategy again, as you can turn 18 points into 30 points (example above).

3. Laws - 24 cards with special rules. The first round the sheriff draws three and puts two in play. Every round after, the new sheriff draws two and keeps one, which replaces an old law. Some of these laws make common goods (chickens for example) contraband. Other laws make the person with the most of one good (cheese for example) in their stall sell one to the bank. I only played with this module once and it was a little fiddly for me and added needless complications to the game. It also messed with opponents even more in a game that already had enough of that. I probably wouldn't use this module again.

4. Special Orders - 15 cards that display a legal and illegal good on each card. To claim the card, you must bring both into Nottingham on the same round. This is another module that encourages bluffing, but more specific bluffing. With everyone going for these cards, you assume that there will be more bribes and everyone's bag will be tainted with illegal goods. However, unlike the Black Market cards, I didn't find that the rewards on these cards justified the risk. For example, if you bring one chicken (value 4) and one pepper (value 6) into Nottingham on the same turn, you claim a special order card with a value of 5. 4 + 6 + 5 = 15 with a chance of the sheriff busting you and you only getting to bring one chicken in. Conversely, you could just bring three chickens in (value 12) for no risk at all. I'd play with this module, but I wouldn't seek it out.

5. Merry Men - 18 cards of Merry Men you are trying to smuggle into Nottingham. Each merchant gets two cards and picks one to put in their hand. If they smuggle the card in, they get the coin value and a special one time use ability. If you are caught trying to smuggle them in, you discard them and must smuggle contraband in on a future turn to have the ability to draw Merry Men again. Thematically, I like this one, because this game was sorely lacking these characters. I like that you get different amounts of coins for them and that you are only trying to smuggle them in one at a time. This means you can spend a turn or two establishing your credibility and honesty and then sneak one in undetected. I also really like the minor game-bending abilities you briefly gain to try and give you an edge. I would play with this module some of the time.

So in summation, I really liked two, sort-of liked one, and didn't care for the other two. For the price point of $25, I consider that a success and an expansion worth purchasing. If you're a fan of this game, I recommend picking it up and trying out the different modules for yourself. It definitely adds replay value and new paths to victory.

This game was provided to me for free by Arcane Wonders in exchange for an honest review.

Spoils of War (Arcane Wonders)

Vikings are a loud and boisterous bunch with pretty simple interests. They like to sail, fight, eat, drink, and gamble! Arcane Wonders recently introduced a game that focuses on their love of betting called Spoils of War. In Spoils of War, you and your fellow Vikings are rolling dice, bluffing about the results, and betting on whose right. The smartest (or luckiest) Viking will not only have the most money at the end of the game, but have the best loot as well! Spoils of War is a game 3-5 Vikings, age 14+. It takes approximately one hour to play and retails for $40.

Setup
1. Give each Viking a dice cup, screen, and betting disk.
2. The owner of the game is giving the Viking Chief marker, making them the starting player.
3. Distribute dice to each Viking depending on player count. (3 Vikings = 10 dice, 4 = 8 dice, 5 = 6 dice)
4. Choose one Viking to be the Purser (the bank). Have the Purser give each Viking 70 gold to start with. This gold is placed behind each player's screen.
5. Set up the Treasure Piles by making nine equal-sized piles. Do this by separating the cards by the number on their back (1, 2, or 3), shuffling each deck separately, and dealing out a number of cards from each deck to form a pile. (3 Vikings = 7 cards per pile, 4 = 9 cards per pile, and 5 = 11 cards per pile). Place these piles in a line so you have nine piles or three for each stage.

Game Play - The game is played over nine rounds with seven steps each round:
1. Treasure Setup - The Viking Chief takes the next Treasure Pile and spreads them out face-up so everyone can see the contents. (Note: It makes it easier to group like treasures together)
2. Roll Dice - Every Vikings rolls their dice and keeps the results secret
3. Bidding - The Viking Chief chooses who will make the first bid. That player must then announce a quantity of dice and a value of dice. For example, three 2s. (Note: You are bidding on the number of dice you think everyone has rolled, not just your own dice.) The Viking to the left either bids higher or challenges the bid. An example of a higher bid of three 2s would be three 4s or four 1s. A challenge means you think the last person who bid is wrong.
4. Place Bets - All Vikings must now bet on who they think is right and how much they are willing to bet they are correct. This is done by placing your betting disk on declarer or challenger and putting at least five coins on it. (All this is done in secret, of course.)
5. Reveal Bets - All Vikings reveal what they bet.
6. Reveal Dice - All dice are revealed and the bet is resolved.
7. Divide the Spoils - If you lose your bet, your coins are returned to the Treasury. If you win your bet, you keep your coins. The player who bet the most is the new Viking Chief. Additionally, all winning players get to take treasures from the Treasure pile starting with the Viking Chief and going down the line according to amount bet. The Viking Chief gets to pick three cards. All other winning Vikings get to take two. The remaining treasures are placed face-down in the leftover treasures pile.

After nine rounds, the game ends. The Purser gives bonus gold to Vikings if they earned any from their Treasures. Add up all gold coins you have. Add the gold value of every Treasure card you own. Highest gold value is the winner!

Review
Spoils of War is a fun game of bluffing and betting. There have been a fair amount of Viking games lately, but this one seems a bit more thematic and could only be matched perhaps by a pirate theme. To match a great theme, the game offers top-notch components with thick cardboard coins and solid plastic cups. The art is cartoonish in nature, which is a plus for me because it adds to the fun fill. However, the drawback to the art is that items of same name but different value have the same art. I feel like a broadsword worth one coin should be somewhat rusty looking compared to a broadsword worth three coins. (That is just a petty gripe of a spoiled gamer. I understand art is expensive!)

The game play is super fast and super fun. If you are the first one to bid you can play it a few different ways. For example, if you roll four 3s, you can either bid what you have or bet what you don't. Perhaps, you will say three 2s, even if you didn't roll a single 2, just to get the ball rolling and see where people are at. Then, for your next bid (assuming you get one), you bid what the number you really have because you feel confident there have to be at least six 3s between everyone. That means with every bid, you are not only planting information but you are also listening and looking for tells with the other bids thrown out. It becomes a game of not only reading your dice and playing the odds, but also reading your opponents and seeing who is bluffing and who is telling the truth.

If I had one gripe about the game, it would be the player count. For me personally, the ability to five players is generally the most I will ever need. However, there are times when I would want to play this game with more, and in a rare circumstance, this is a game where it seems like the more the merrier. There is a solution to this and it is simply buying a second copy of the game. While this is not ideal, it is at least a solution. My suggestion for those of you who need to play more than five is to buy a copy now and wait for a good sale to buy your second copy.

I am generally not a fan of games that require bluffing, not because I'm not good at it, but because my wife (my primary gaming partner) does not like them, and if she doesn't like the game, it's not getting played! This game, however, is a different animal and gives you more than just bluffing. There's also set collection and betting as well. It makes a great party and family game, because it is just light enough that you can play it with kids, extended family, and your friends who don't own any games other than Monopoly and Yahtzee. So give it a shot, you won't be disappointed!

This game was provided to me for free by Arcane Wonders in exchange for an honest review.

Royals (Arcane Wonders)

Europe is up for grabs and you are vying for control of this continent in the 17th Century. In order to do so, you must place Nobles in key cities of four countries. Royals is a game for 2-5 players, age 10+. It takes approximately one hour to play and retails for $50.

Setup
1. Have each player pick a color and give them all the Wooden Nobles (cubes) to form their Supply.
2. Place the game board in the middle of the table and have the oldest person be the starting player.
3. Place the Markers on their appropriate spaces on the board. City Bonus Markers go next to cities. Country Bonus Markers go to the left and right of each coat of arms. Noble House Bonus Markers go on the left side of the board, using fewer of them the fewer players. Period Scoring Markers go on the bottom right of the board and are divided into three groups.
4. Assemble all the Title Scoring Markers and place them to the left of the board, arranging them in ascending order from bottom to top.
5. Prepare the Country Cards, removing as many as dictated according to the number of players. Next, shuffle these cards and make a face down pile next to the board. Then, turn over the top three.
6. Shuffle the Intrigue Cards, making a separate face-down pile.

Game Play - Player take turns in clockwise order carrying out the following three actions in order:
1. Draw Cards - This is a mandatory action. On your first turn, you will only draw one or two Country Cards. All turns after that, you must draw three Country Cards or one Country Card and one Intrigue Card. (Note: You can draw face-down or face-up cards, but the face-up cards are not refilled until the end of your turn.)
2. Play Cards - This is an optional action. You may play Country Cards to claim ownership of a Noble in a City. (Note: The number of cards is indicated by the number to the left of their portrait.) When claiming a Noble, you put a cube on their portrait and another cube on the Title Scoring Marker matching their title. You are also allowed to claim a noble that an opponent claimed previously, you just must play an Intrigue Card now in addition to the Country Cards.
3. End of Turn - This is a mandatory action. Discard any excess cards in your hand. You may have no more than twelve Country Cards and four Intrigue Cards.

Scoring
1. City Bonuses - The first player to claim a Noble in a City takes that City Bonus Marker.
2. Country Bonuses - If you have at least one Noble in every City of a Country, you take the highest Country Bonus Marker available.
3. Noble House Bonuses - If you have at least one Noble on every Title Scoring Marker, you take the highest available Noble House Bonus Marker available.
4. Period Scoring - The period ends when the face-down Country Card pile is exhausted. At the end of each of the three periods, Period Scoring Markers are given to the two most influential players in each of the four countries.
5. Title Scoring - Beginning with the lowest-ranking Title, the players compare the number of Wooden Nobles on each Title Scoring Marker. The player with the most Nobles on each Title, claims the title. If exactly two players are tied, the Title is divided like a puzzle-piece so that each player gets half the points. If more than two players are tied, no one claims the Title.
6. Highest score at the end of the game is the winner.

Review
At its heart, Royals is an area control game with elements of hand management. The core mechanic of the game involves drawing cards from two separate decks of cards. Some of the cards will be visible to you providing you more information on what is available, but if they aren't of use to you, you are left drawing blind. This is very much like the popular Ticket to Ride game. Unlike, Ticket to Ride, where you have specific, secret goals that may overlap with others, you all have the same goals in Royals. You also want to accomplish them first, as the points quickly decrease and disappear. Another interesting decision you will have to make is what country do you want to focus on. Sure, you might be forced towards one country, if you keep drawing their cards, but you'll have to decide whether you want to pursue a country that provides the most points each period for first place but the fewest each period for second place, or let others fight over that country and you focus on different countries that are slightly less valuable.

I'm usually not one for area control games as I primarily play games with my wife, and two-player area control games don't have the conflict and tension you need, unless you're both very cutthroat. However, I found myself enjoying this one quite a lot. In addition to fun game play, it was also very simple to teach, because the mechanics were familiar. I felt the theme of nobles and royalty was perfect for an area control game, and I enjoyed the artwork and the components were of good quality. I really thought the puzzle piece Title markers were ingenious and hope more games that have a lot of ties in them find a way to incorporate the concept. This is the third game from Arcane Wonders Dice Tower Essentials Line, and I think they picked a winner as I would definitely agree that its a game you should have in your collection.

This game was provided to me for free by Arcane Wonders in exchange for an honest review.

Onitama (Arcane Wonders)

Onitama is the second Dice Tower Essentials game released by Arcane Wonders. It is a two-player abstract strategy game with perfect information. The recommended age is 14+, but younger than that can pick up this game. The total playing time per game is 10 to 15 minutes, but it can vary depending on how long you or your opponent agonize over what moves to make. It retails for approximately $30. In this game, you are a martial arts master with four students traveling to the Shrine of Onitama. You will battle a rival master and his pupils in an attempt to defeat them. However, this tournament is like others. Within the Shrine of Onitama, you and your pupils will be imbued with animal spirits and gain their movement/abilities. Let's get to the setup.

Setup
1. Roll out the Game Mat and position it so that one player is on the red side and the other on the blue side.
2. Take the five pawns (one Master and four Students) that correspond with your color and place them on the row closest to you with the Master positioned in the middle (on the Temple Arch Square) flanked by two Students on each side.
3. Shuffle the sixteen Move Cards and deal two face up to each player.
4. Deal one more Move Card and examine the color of the icon in the bottom right corner. That color is the first player. Place this card on the right side of the board in relation to who the first player is.
5. Return the additional Move Cards to the box and set up is complete.

Game Play
1. Pick one of your two Move Cards and move one of your pawns according to the movement shown on the card. (Note: The black square on the card represents where your pawn is on the board, and the colored squares represent places on the board where your pawn can move.) Your movements are not blocked by other pawns, cannot land you off the board, and if you land on a square occupied by your opponent, you capture that piece.
2. Take the Move Card you just used and place it on the left side of the board. You then claim the Move Card located on the right of the board.
3. Play continues back and forth between players until you either capture your opponent's Master (aka The Way of the Stone) or you land on your Master lands on your opponent's Temple Arch Square (aka The Way of the Stream).

Review
The first things I noticed about this game was the packaging presentation and components. Unlike a typical rectangular or square game box, this box unfolds and opens like a scroll. The game mat is not made of cardboard, but instead neoprene, like a mouse pad and the pawns show nice detail as well. The next thing I noticed was the theme of the game. Martial arts with different animal moves is a perfect fit and just makes sense.

After taking in all the aesthetics, I focused on the way the game plays. For obvious reasons, Onitama will draw heavy comparisons to Chess. Like Chess, this game requires both short term and long term thinking. You have to figure out your move and plan for how your opponent can counter that move. Unlike, Chess, the pieces move based on a player's two Move Cards. You can see their cards, so nothing is hidden, but these cards are constantly rotating, so you have to be constantly vigilant that the card you use and then give to your opponent will not come back to haunt you. Other aspects of the game play that I liked were the quick set up, easy explanation of the rules, and the replay value. By choosing five of sixteen cards, each game, there are thousands of different combinations you can experience, and each one will provide a slightly different game than the last. Though, I would recommend you stick with the same five cards your first couple of games while you get used to the game.

The game is billed as taking ten minutes to play, but a lifetime to master and I find it hard to disagree with that statement. You can get lost in thought on this game, but if you approach it with equal parts strategy and having fun, it won't overstay its welcome. I find this game to be a nice date night game or one you can play while waiting for the rest of your game group to show up. When I put this game up next to The Duke, another abstract strategy game I recently reviewed, my wife will pick this game every time, because it's easy to pick back up if you haven't played it recently, and it feels like you have a bit more control over your moves as opposed to luck of the draw. I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

This game was provided to me for free by Arcane Wonders in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!