The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Important
This is merely the accompanying booklet and not the instructions. You do not have to read this booklet before playing the game! If you are playing the game for the first time, read the enclosed starter sheet and carry out the instructions. That sheet will take you straight to your first adventure. As you play the introductory game, you will learn the rules of the game.
You are not playing against one another but as a team to beat the game.
Material Overview
- 5 Robin Hood figures
- 5 Maid Marian figures
- 5 Little John figures
- 5 Will Scarlet figures
- 3 Guy of Gisbourne figures
- 1 raven
- 1 special figure
- 1 game board (8 pieces in the slipcase)
- 1 book
- 1 cloth bag
- 12 hourglasses
- 10 wooden discs
- 1 bard figure
- 1 arrow
- 130 wooden cubes
How Do the Adventures of Robin Hood Start?
If you are playing the game for the first time:
- Take the 8 game board pieces horizontally out of the slipcase and join them together. Important: Make sure that no tiles fall out of the game board.
- Lay all the wooden parts out ready next to the game board. You don't need to sort them.
- Each player chooses one of the characters in the story and takes 5 of their figures. Important: in the following introductory game, one of you must choose Robin Hood (green) and one Little John (blue). For more than 2 players, you may also select Maid Marian (yellow) and/or Will Scarlet (turquoise).
- Lay the book and the fabric bag out ready next to the game board.
- Place the accompanying booklet back in the box. It is not needed for the moment.
Note: the violet figures are not player characters and cannot be chosen. The grey figure and the grey raven cannot be chosen either.
Moving and the Game Board
Figures
Each player has 5 figures: 2 stand figures (shown from the front) and 3 playing figures (shown from the side). There are 2 "medium" and one "long" playing figure. A player can move on the game board by lining up their figures. They do not have to use all of their figures. But their second stand figure must always be at the end.
Note: It is not a problem if figures shift slightly when lining them up, as the players are not playing against one another. Decide for yourselves exactly how you want to carry out the move.
- (a) You are allowed to place a figure down so it is slightly offset if a player would otherwise go too far. All that matters is the figures touch.
- (b) If a player only wants to move a very short distance, they do not have to use a playing figure and instead only have to place down the second stand figure on the first.
- (c) You are allowed to place your second stand figure down so that it is at a diagonal and therefore reaches further.
Obstacles
You are not allowed to travel over trees, fields, houses, the castle, the river, the waterfall, objects, carriages, animals or people.
Note: this also applies to trees or houses for which it could be argued that you could, in perspective, travel "behind". The outer edge of the treetop or the house counts as the boundary!
- Exception 1: During the game, the players may cut down a tree. You are allowed to travel over this tree trunk. This tree trunk is not an obstacle for Guy of Gisbourne either.
- Exception 2: The puddles in the forest are not obstacles either.
Clearings
Important: "clearing" also means the light regions in the castle or in the village.
Jumping (on Tree Bridges)
During the game, tree bridges come into play. The players can:
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(a) jump from one tree bridge to another, or
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(b) jump from one tree bridge onto the forest floor, or
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(c) jump from the forest floor onto a tree bridge.
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(d) A jump is valid if the playing figure just about touches something that it can walk on (forest floor and the tree bridge). The player could therefore continue on the tree bridge or the forest floor with their next figure.
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(e) A jump is not valid if the playing figure didn't touch anything that they could walk on.
Note: If a player is standing on a tree bridge, they cannot be seen either by guards or by Guy of Gisbourne.
Seals
The seals are used for several things. Their use is described in the specific adventure.
- Example (a): The hope sinks by 1. Guards 1 and 12 and noblemen 14, 18 and 20 are turned over if there isn't an hourglass on them. Note: by turning them over, guards and noblemen can appear or disappear.
- Example (b): Guards 10 and 4, noblemen 17 and 20 and carriage 22 are turned over.
Exception "no more seals in the bag": should the rare case occur in which the players are required to take a seal from the bag after all 8 have already been taken, all previously drawn seals are then thrown back in the bag except for the two displaying a carriage (octagonal symbol with the number 22 or 24). A seal is then taken from the bag and implemented.
Banner of Hope and Bad End
At the beginning of each adventure, the bard figure is placed on a specified number on the banner of hope. If the bard reaches 0, an additional hourglass is removed from point 6 of the "red" dark events.
Note: The hope can never sink below 0. If the land loses another hope, additional steps are forfeited.
If there are no hourglasses on the Bad end, the players have immediately lost the adventure and have to read how the story ends on page 213.
Important: Even if the players have lost, they have to read page 213 as it explains how to continue and where you need to start from next time.
Turns and Actions
In each round, the players take all the discs from the bag one after the other. They are stacked on the wheel (bottom-right of the game board). The colour of the discs taken indicates which player's turn it is.
- Robin Hood's turn
- Maid Marian's turn
- Little John's turn
- Will Scarlet's turn
All players have 1 turn. You can decide the order yourselves.
- The "red" dark events are implemented.
- The "violet" dark events are implemented. Note: The second violet disc only comes into play after it has been mentioned in the book.
- Anybody can take a turn. The group of players decide together who that may be. Note: The second grey disc only comes into play after it has been mentioned in the book.
A turn always looks like this:
1. Move
Lining up your figures.
Exception: A player can also decide to skip their move and stay where they are. If a player has been captured by a guard, they are not allowed to move.
2. Save Energy
If a player decides against using their long figure during their move, they may then throw 1 white cube in the bag.
Exception: Even if a player decides to skip their move or is captured, they do not use their long figure. They then also save energy and may throw 1 white cube in the bag.
3. Carry Out One (!) of 3 Actions
Visit, defeat or pass on objects. Which of the 3 actions a player can carry out depends on where they are standing.
- They may only visit a tile with a question mark on if they touch it.
- They may only defeat an enemy if they are touching their tile.
- They may only pass on an object if they are touching a teammate's tile.
Exception 1: Even if the player is standing so that they are touching two tiles with a question mark on, they may only carry out one action in their turn, i.e. only visit one of the two tiles.
Exception 2: Even if the player is standing so that they are touching a tile with a question mark on and would be able to defeat a guard using the arrow at the same time, they may only carry out one action in their turn, i.e. either the defeat or visit action.
Action 1: Visit
If a player's stand figure touches a tile (or a recess in the game board) with a question mark on, they may visit it. There is a small number on the respective tiles: this is the page number in the book. One of their teammates reads what happens when they visit this tile on the specified page.
Important: A tile without a "?" cannot be visited! For the visit action, the players have to know which adventure they are currently playing as they are redirected to the associated page.
Action 2: Defeat
In order to defeat an opponent, the player has to touch their opponent's tile with their stand figure (except if this opponent is a guard and the player has an arrow).
The player then takes up to 3 cubes from the bag one after another. If they only take violet cubes, they have not managed to defeat the guard. Nothing else happens. Next time it is their turn, they can try again. If they take a white cube, the opponent is defeated and the player has to stop drawing immediately.
The cubes taken are NEVER (!) put back in the bag, but always in the supply with all the other wooden parts.
If the opponent has been defeated, their tile is turned over. For guards and noblemen, you can find the players' reward on the tile.
Important: If a guard or a nobleman is face down on the game board, then 1 wooden hourglass is placed on top of them – so that they don't return as quickly! The player places their figure down so it is still touching the tile.
Defeating Special Opponents
There are opponents for which a player has to take more than 1 white cube from the bag in one go if they want to defeat them.
Exception: During the defeat action, a player may stop drawing in advance if they believe they will no longer draw the required number of white cubes. The rewards for special opponents are stated in the particular adventure.
Defeating Using the Arrow
Should a player have the arrow object, they may place the wooden arrow on their stand figure (a). Should the tip of the arrow touch the tile of a guard, they can carry out the defeat action from a distance, too. This only applies to guards! The arrow can also be placed down on the stand figure so as to be offset if the player is too close to the guard (b).
Exception: If Robin has been captured and has an arrow, he can still use the arrow, and therefore his special skill, to defeat the guard.
Action 3: Passing On Objects
If a player's stand figure touches that of another player, the two players may pass on any number of objects. For this, one player takes the cube in their colour from the image of an object and the other places a cube in their colour on top of it. This is a single action, i.e. a player cannot also carry out the defeat or visit action in the same turn.
"Red" Dark Events
The "red" dark events are triggered when the red disc is taken from the bag. Here is an overview of all the dark events, together with a description of the exceptions:
1. Carriage Escaped Into the Castle?
If a carriage is revealed in the forest, the players turn over this tile and any octagonal tile in the castle courtyard – as though the carriage has travelled into the castle.
Note: Once carriages are in the castle, they can no longer be stolen.
2. The Hope in the Land Sinks…
… by 1 per player. The bard is accordingly moved to the left on the Banner of hope.
Note: The hope can never sink below 0, additional steps expire.
3. A Seal Is Taken From the Bag…
… and inserted into the next seal recess facing upwards. The seal is inserted from left to right, starting at "1".
- If the bard is pictured on the seal, the hope sinks by 1.
- The tiles of the guards (oval) and of the noblemen (hexagonal) that are indicated are turned over if they do not have an hourglass on them.
Tip: When revealing a nobleman, the players may take a look at what reward they would gain from the nobleman.
Note: There is an overview on the back page of the book showing where to find guards, noblemen and carriages.
- Exception 1: A guard that has already been revealed is turned back over if they are indicated on a seal. This also happens if a player is standing on the same clearance and would be captured at "4". He has just got lucky.
- Exception 2: A guard that is currently holding a player captive is not turned over even if they are indicated on the seal. They continue to hold the player captive.
- Exception 3: A nobleman, on whose tile a player is standing, is turned over if they are indicated on the seal. They have escaped from the player.
- Exception 4: A guard on which the raven is currently situated is turned over if they are indicated on the seal. The raven is then placed back in the secret camp.
- A carriage (octagonal tile) is also pictured on 2 seals. This tile is then also turned over so that the carriage is visible.
Carriage Rules
A player can steal a carriage and use it to travel into the castle. For this, they have to defeat the driver. They have to draw 2 white cubes from the bag in one go to do this.
Reward: The player turns over the tile of the carriage and any octagonal tile in the castle courtyard. They may place their stand figure on the carriage roof. From here, they can jump onto the castle wall or onto the floor.
Exception: If, when the driver is defeated, the two players touch the tile of the carriage, they may both move their stand figures onto the carriage in the castle courtyard.
4. The Guards Attack
A player is then only safe from the guards when their figure is standing completely in the shade. If a player (if the red disc has been drawn) is standing on the same "clearing" as a guard facing upwards, they are captured and their figure is placed on the guard. The land immediately loses 2 hope.
Important: This does not mean that a guard automatically captures a player when they step on their clearing – only after the red disc has been drawn.
Note 1: If several players are standing on their clearing, a guard can only ever capture one of them – and specifically the one standing closest to them.
Note 2: If a player has already been captured, the land does not lose another hope if the red disc has been drawn again.
Next time it is the captured player's turn, they can try and free themselves by defeating the guard.
Exception: The guard holding a player captive can also be defeated by a different player so that the first player is freed and his figure can immediately be placed down.
5. Time Is Running Out
The top hourglass is removed from the Bad end and from the guards and noblemen, if applicable.
6. If the Hope Is Now at 0…
… another hourglass is removed from the Bad end. If the last hourglass has been removed from the Bad end, the players have lost and have to read how the adventure ends on page 213.
"Violet" Dark Events
The "violet" dark events are triggered if a violet disc is taken from the bag.
1. The Threat Is Growing
1 violet cube is thrown in the bag for each player.
Exception: If the rare case occurs in which there are not enough violet cubes left in the store, only those still available are thrown in the bag. The rest expire.
2. Sir Guy of Gisbourne…
… is moving (along the shortest path) towards the player currently closest to him. Important: the player is not safe from him in the shade. Gisbourne moves like the players. His figure on horseback is placed on his stand figure and his second stand figure has to be placed at the end. He is not allowed to travel over trees, fields, houses, the castle, the river, the waterfall, objects, carriages, animals or people either. When working out which player is closest to him, do not count the route "as the crow flies" but the path that he is able to take (around houses, for example). You are not allowed to let Gisbourne take any "detours" or to turn his figure so that it only just doesn't touch a player. If Gisbourne touches a player's figure, this player loses one of their 3 playing figures for the rest of the adventure.
Exception: If, in rare cases, a player loses all 3 of their playing figures, they leave the game and the land loses 5 hope.
Note 1: The players are not seen by Gisbourne and are therefore ignored on a tree bridge, in the secret camp, in the straw wagon or in the castle.
Note 2: If none of the players are visible to Gisbourne (because they are all standing on tree bridges, for example), Gisbourne stays where he is.
Note 3: If a player has been captured by a guard, Gisbourne still moves in their direction if this player is standing (or lying) closest to him.
Coat of Arms
If you are playing an adventure for the first time, the coat of arms on the game board has to display the "I". If you are playing the adventure again, the coat of arms has to display the "II". When the players explore the game board, they have to make sure that they read the relevant text labelled I or II accordingly. If they don't successfully complete the adventure second time around either, the coat of arms remains on "II". If the players then try again, they already have a large knowledge advantage, which makes it easier for them to win the adventure.
Tips
- By defeating noblemen and guards, the players can give the land new hope. They have to make sure that the hope does not sink to 0. Otherwise, if the red disc is drawn, an additional hourglass is removed from the Bad end. This makes it harder to win.
- It is very useful to defeat noblemen that have a sack of gold. Players that perhaps haven't fulfilled the main task yet can therefore help the others and allow them to have extra turns.
- If the white disc is taken, the players take turns in any order. Nevertheless, it may be significant who goes first. If, for example, a player has to win a battle, the other players could have their turn first and save energy so that there are more white cubes in the bag.
- The game can be played just as well with any number of players, despite the fact it is played in a different way depending on the number of players. For two players, the players have more time (hourglasses on the Bad end) and lose less hope during the dark events. Therefore, 2 players must also defeat fewer noblemen. Although 4 players have fewer hourglasses on the Bad end and lose a greater amount of hope during the dark events, they have more goes and can defeat more noblemen. In addition, 4 players also have more opportunities to fulfil the guardian's task or to find valuable objects.
Credits
Author and Illustrator: Michael Menzel. Edited by Wolfgang Lüdtke. © 2021 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG. Distributed in the United Kingdom by Thames & Kosmos UK LP.