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Nottingham
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A second way to collect money is by completing an assignment. There are four different assignments, and two of each. Completion of an assignment requires various combinations of cards: five of a kind, seven different cards, or three or four sets of two of a kind. Whenever a player exchanges cards for money, the Sheriff moves one field on the miniature game board. When the Sheriff returns from his trip and reaches Nottingham, the game is over. Another way to end the game is when the last assignment has been completed. The amount of money our deputies have gathered in the game is added up; remaining hand cards are worthless. The richest deputy becomes Chief Assistant and wins the game!
Although Nottingham is a card game, the element of luck is minimised because the rob, hold-up, trade and purchase actions allow you to get the cards you need, even if you have an unlucky draw yourself. Quite annoying, however, if other players follow the same tactics and steal the cards right back from you. That’s a frustration factor in the game. The two ways to make money, exchanging three of a kind or completing an assignment, both have their pros and cons. While exchanging three of a kind, you can walk into an ambush set by your esteemed colleagues, but it is relatively easy to obtain three of a kind. The assignments usually require more effort, but they also yield more money. Three identical cards are worth between 7 and 13 points, while an assignment usually scores 25 points. And there is no risk for an ambush.
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Because you’re actually stealing cards from your opponents and setting ambushes all the time, this aspect of the theme is clearly present in the game. Additionally, the illustrations on the cards are very nice; they depict the action that can be performed with the card. For example, the steal/candlestick card shows a gentleman who is secretly ‘relocating’ a silver candlestick from the bag of an innocent passer-by to his own pockets. Because a player’s turn is relatively short, Nottingham is a quick game that doesn’t become too lengthy even with seven players: within an hour, a new Chief Assistant Sheriff can be congratulated on his victory.
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So, no deep tactics or mindbenders in this game, but a nice quick card game with a fun, well implemented theme that will give the 3 to 7 players a good time.
© 2006 Barbara van Vugt

Nottingham, Uwe Rosenberg, Abacusspiele, 2006 - 3 to 7 players, 10 years and up, 30 minutes
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