Game Trade Magazine - GTM #210 - Sheriff of Nottingham: Merry Men Expansion

GTM #210 - Sheriff of Nottingham: Merry Men Expansion

by Arcane Wonders

The rumors about smugglers are all over Nottingham’s alleys. In the last year, the Sheriff has confiscated a lot of illegal goods, but surely, he needs help! A Black Market has formed in the alleys, full of special demands from those inside. This has caused a rise in the number of smugglers, including many experienced thieves. Two Deputies were hired by the Sheriff in response. Prepare your illegal goods, follow the new laws, and fulfill the people’s demands! Merry Men join your group in order to profit even more!

Merry Men is a collection of expansions for Arcane Wonders’ Sheriff of Nottingham. Included in this expansion pack are:

The 6th Player expansion, where the honorable Sheriff has hired two Deputies to assist in the confiscation of illegal goods.
The Black Market, where demand for contraband is high, and so are the rewards for those Merchants willing to take a risk! As well as Special Order that Merchants can fulfill for added profits.
Laws — passed down from Prince John, this expansion brings about changes to the game, adding variance to the goods that can be brought into Nottingham.
The Merry Men, outlaws of notoriety that wreak havoc if smuggled into Nottingham, for great reward (and risk) to Merchants choosing to provide them assistance!

Arcane Wonders (AW): So, Sergio, how did the Merry Men expansion for Sheriff of Nottingham come about?

Sergio Halaban (SH): In the end of 2015, Bryan Pope and Tom Vasel shared their desire of doing an expansion for Sheriff of Nottingham. They sent a list of ideas they already had, and highlighted some challenges and issues an expansion could, or should, address. This was the starting point for what I think is a great addition to this wonderful game.

I promptly jumped in and tested their suggestions. This lead me to new ideas that I shared with Bryan and Tom, and we decided together which modules would best fit in the expansion. Then, after lots of play-testing, changes, adjustment, more changes, and, of course, fine tuning, the Merry Men expansion came to fruition! J

I love the five modules in this expansion. They breathe new life to the game and bring new challenges for players. Today, I personally prefer to play Sheriff of Nottingham with an expansion rather than only the base game.

AW: As the designer, what part of the Merry Men expansion makes you the proudest?

SH: From the five modules, one that I’m especially proud of is the “6th Player” addition. When we developed the core game, Bryan wanted to include a sixth player, which I agreed would boost sales. The main problem we faced with introducing a sixth player was the length of the game — it just took too long with additional players. The solution was two deputies working together each round. Not only did this solve the length issue, but also enhanced negotiation and added an interesting new way to play the game.

AW: Do you have a preferred module that you like to play with?

SH: I can’t say I have a preferred module, but I do have one aspect that I especially like in each one:

Black Market and Secret Orders – smuggling is more profitable.
Laws – “forces” players to play differently from their habits.
Merry Men – fun and thematic.
Sixth Player – the more the merrier.

Each of the modules has something I like, and they’re all great additions to the base game.

AW: Thank you for the interview Sergio. Do you have any final thoughts?

SH: Yes, I had a great time developing this expansion! The opportunity to collaborate with Tom and Bryan was a wonderful experience.

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Sergio Halaban is a Mechanical Engineer and has been designing games for nearly 20 years. With over 40 games published in Brazil and the US, his published games include: Sheriff of Nottingham in collaboration with André Zatz, Formula E in collaboration with Bruno Faidutti, Quartz, Sultan, and Matryoshka.