of A couple of weeks ago, the good people at Wargame Vault announced that Outlaws of Sherwood was ready for the world. Except it wasn't because one of the card decks was printed poorly. So, here we are again!
Outlaws of Sherwood lets you play the tales of the legendary outlaw and his dastardly foes, from one-on-one fights to whole campaigns with multiple forces. You can raise your own outlaw band, or become a proud knight with his retinue of men-at-arms. As Robin, you can win archery contests, disguise yourself in unlikely ways, and get knocked off a log by people you just met. As the wicked sheriff, you can oppress the peasants, chase Merry Men through the Greenwood, and do that evil laugh you always wanted to do.
The core rules are simple, designed for new wargamers of all ages to pick up and play. A card deck decides who moves next. You can play other special cards to – say – dress up as a washerwoman and have nobody say you aren't. Combat is based on PAL's card-based version of Rock-Paper-Scissors, where you can jump back or leap aside from a blow, or taunt your opponent with insults. Additional rules allow for personalizing your own band for good or evil, and developing your characters and their followings through a series of games. We include a whole set of scenarios, from simple starter encounters to full-blown multi-player battles. You can play out a full ongoing campaign where your heroes and their followers gain success and reputation – or don't. And, if you want to take the outlaw motif beyond Sherwood, the campaign system can be moved to the Scots or Welsh borders, the marshes of East Anglia, or Ireland.
There's a history of the real Robin Hood, sources for figures, and a listing of books, movies and television shows. If you want to rob from the rich and give to the poor (or simply keep it all yourself), Outlaws of Sherwood is the game for you.
The game uses a rulebook – 91 pages featuring all-of-the-above – plus two different card decks. We all know that rules aren't cheap anymore, alas, so your best bet is to buy the printed set of rules ($26 USD) which comes with the PDF at no extra cost, plus the bundled pair of card decks ($17 USD). The Duck and Bash set is a revision of the Battle-troll deck, with the tactical choices of 'duck' and 'bash' added (!).
