First off, this series is being done as a bit of a lark as wargaming has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas so if anyone is offended, please just stop reading now.

On the 6th day of Christmas War Gaming, my true love gave to me…

6 Merry Men Assembling in the Forest

As you know, I love the COIN Series and anything associated with it. This new Irregular Conflicts Series is considered COIN adjacent and shares some of the same elements. The 2nd volume called A Gest of Robin Hood is a 2-player game that is set in the world of literature but based on actual events of the time as it covers the bandit known as Robin Hood as he patrolled the Sherwood Forest around Nottingham and attempted to relieve the evil Prince John of the money that he stole from the peasants and give it back to them. The game is very much asymmetric as each of the sides has different goals and objectives but also have different actions, called Plots & Deeds, that can be used to great effect to change the landscape of Nottinghamshire and plant the seeds of insurrection or pacify the locals and keep them paying those juicy taxes. We have played the game a few times now and have really enjoyed what is it that we are seeing and experiencing. The game is a great entry point into the world of asymmetric gaming and also teaches some of the basic principles of the COIN Series mainly focusing on the Sequence of Play, card assisted framework and diverging player sides with vastly different focus. The game is very approachable but also has a lot of meat to it and is really an interesting experience.

The Recruit Plot allows Robin Hood to place Merry Men on the board and to set up Camps. This process also has a scoring benefit as when the Robin Hood player places out a new Camp, they will gain a +1 shift toward Justice on the Royal Favour Track. The process is pretty simple as the player will select up to 3 spaces that are currently not Submissive and then will pay 1 Shilling per space they are Recruiting in to either place out a single Merry Man, or to replace one existing Merry Man (but not Robin Hood) with an Available Camp. and shift Royal Favour one step towards Justice. If there is already a Camp in a selected space, then instead either place up to two Merry Men in that space or flip all Merry Men there to Hidden.

This Plot is very useful to bring out new forces onto the board but also to hide those that have been busy in inciting open rebellion in the Parishes so that they don’t get arrested. Recruiting and protecting the Merry Men is important as you cannot do much if you have no men on the board. Also always keep in mind that the Robin Hood player will always have a bit tougher time getting funds to perform actions. Yes they can rob but that is not always successful. Remember that during the Royal Inspection Phase of the game, Robin Hood will gain 1 Shilling for each Camp they have on the board located in a Forest space or the Ollerton Hill space. I always recommend getting 2 Camps out in the Forest spaces.

In the picture above, there are a total of 6 Merry Men that have amassed in the Camps located in the Shire Wood and Southwell Forest through the means of some timely Recruit Plots. Having these Merry Men here will be a good means of intercepting and then robbing the tax laden Carriages of the Sheriff as they bring gold from the people in the Shires to the coffers of the King. The roads from the Northern spaces come through Southwell Forest while the road from the east comes through the Shire Wood. All roads lead through these forests and the Merry Men are prepared to rob from the rich to give to the poor.

If you want to know more, you can check out our video review at the following link: