The Legend of Robin Hood (board game)

The Legend of Robin Hood is a board game published by Operational Studies Group (OSG) in 1979, and later republished by Avalon Hill that is based on the legendary outlaw Robin Hood and his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Original OSG edition, cover art by Larry Catalona, 1979

Description

The Legend of Robin Hood is a 2-player microgame set in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding area. One player controls Robin Hood, who attempts to recruit a band of loyal men to help him rob from the rich and give to the poor. The other player controls the Sheriff of Nottingham, who uses soldiers to attempt to guard travellers and capture Robin's men.[1]

Components

The ziplock bag with cover art sheet contains:

  • 6-page rulebook
  • paper map of Sherwood Forest and environs, divided into various areas
  • 117 die-cut counters (39 playing pieces, 7 markers, money)
  • six-sided die

The Avalon Hill edition added a game box.

Gameplay

At the start of the game, Robin Hood and unrecruited outlaws are scattered across the board, while the soldiers are gathered in three castles. Robin must recruit others to his band, who then rob travllers in the forest to generate income. Will Scarlet, Alan-a-Dale and Maid Marion appear at random times and locations. If non-leaders are captured and hanged by the Sheriff, replacements can be recruited. However, if named leaders are hanged, they cannot be replaced. When Will and Alan appear, they are unrecruited and face no danger from the soldiers until they join the Merry Men. However Maid Marion is automatically part of the Merry Men, and can be captured by the soldiers the turn she appears unless Merry Men reach her first. If the Sheriff captures and hangs Robin, the game is over. King Richard I appears near the end of the game, giving Robin Hood a chance to gain a pardon, one of his victory conditions.[2]

Victory conditions

Robin Hood must achieve 3 out of 4 victory conditions:

  1. Own more than 20 marks of gold
  2. Deplete the Sheriff's treasury to less than 5 marks
  3. Marry Maid Marion: If Alan-a-Dale, Robin Hood and Maid Marion are in the same square at the end of a turn, Robin and Marion are married.
  4. Receive a pardon from King Richard: If Richard and Robin are in the same square at the end of a turn, Robin is pardoned, and the game immediately ends.

The Sheriff wins by either preventing Robin from achieving three victory conditions, by hanging Robin (ending the game immediately), or by holding Robin captive at the end of the game.

Publication history

Several games published by OSG in the 1970s such as Arcola and Devil's Den were bought and republished by Avalon Hill. Such was the case with The Legend of Robin Hood, a game designed by Joe Bislo with artwork by Larry Catalona, and published as a ziplock bag microgame by OSG in 1979. Avalon Hill subsequently bought the game and republished it in 1983 as a small boxed set.

Reception

Richard A. Edwards reviewed the original edition in The Space Gamer No. 34. Edwards commented that "For a fun, fast, and thoroughly delightful game, the price is certainly a steal. I recommend The Legend of Robin Hood to all."[1]

Mike Dean reviewed the Avalon Hill edition for Imagine magazine, and stated that "The Robin Hood stories could be resolved into a good game - I would not say this was it. but if you like two player games, this one is not bad."[3]

Awards
  • At the 1982 Origins Awards, the Avalon Hill edition of The Legend of Robin Hood was a finalist for the Charles S. Roberts Award for "Best Fantasy Board Game of 1981".

Other reviews and commentary

References
  1. Edwards, Richard A. (December 1980). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (34): 31.
  2. Martin, Rex A. "The Denizen's of Robin's Wood". The General. Vol. 20, no. 2.
  3. Dean, Mike (September 1983). "Game Reviews". Imagine (review). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. (6): 43.
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