A Gest of Robin Hood (GMT) - Unboxing

Cracked this open without much (if any) prep time -- here is the official GMT write-up:

"A Gest of Robin Hood is the second game in the Irregular Conflicts Series, further adapting the COIN system to depict peasant revolts, feudal tax collection, and outlaw activities in late 12th century medieval England. Transposing one of GMT’s most popular systems into a simpler format and a more approachable setting makes A Gest of Robin Hood perfect for newcomers to wargaming. At the same time, it also offers a tight challenge for more experienced wargamers who can enjoy a tense asymmetric duel in under an hour.

Highlights:
An ideal entry point to the COIN system and the ICS series: a two player, relatively low complexity game with a family friendly theme that plays in one hour and introduces all of the key concepts found in the COIN series.
A new hidden movement mechanic: The Sheriff will chase Robin Hood across Nottinghamshire to prevent him from organizing peasant revolts, but Robin can sneak away and hide amongst his Merry Men.
A second new hidden movement mechanic: Carriages serve as a simple twist on Lines of Communication, transferring wealth back to Nottingham while providing a target for robbery by the Merry Men—but some of them might be a trap, containing concealed Henchmen!
Random encounters with rich travelers: Robin Hood draws from the Travelers Deck when conducting a Rob action, then decides whether to play it safe or demand a larger ‘donation’ with potentially negative consequences.
A streamlined sequence of play: Further developing the two-player sequence of play first found in Colonial Twilight, this new sequence of play is easy to understand while still presenting difficult tactical decisions."

My complete brain wipe missed that Volume I in the Irregular Conflicts Series is Vijayanagara: The Deccan Empires of Medieval India, 1290-1398, which I unboxed earlier (see below).

[valentusdolor]

The components regarding this are stunning, whether it be the artwork, counters and especially that map - thanks for presenting

[stuartashley]

I do not have the first game and am not a huge Robin Hood fan. I P500 the game when I saw Fred Serval was the designer and that Joe Dewhurst was the developer. That is a dream team. Mine is out for delivery today.

[StackingLimit]

Vijayanagara is the first in the series. Great video looking forward to this one hitting my table.

[williamarends]

The space under the insert can be used to store game components, That is what I did with the insert for Nevsky. When you think about it, Nevsky is a type of Russian Robin Hood with the Tuetonic Knights playing a similar role in that historical epic that the Sherrif of Nottingham did in the legend of Robin Hood.

[AlecFlackie]

Great review. Don't be shy; say it in one breath with a quiet S. not-ing-umh-shuh

[andrewwalsh]

Very rarely would I throw away an insert & only if I get an expansion or 2 and want to fit it all in a single box. I have this game coming, I have been wanting to check it out ever since I heard it was COIN like, just a bit more accessible.

[georgedeppner]

Nice look see, l like most things Robin Hood

[michaelmelen]

This is an interesting game in that it seems to be treating the legend of Robin Hood as a historical series of events. The medieval style of artwork on the cards enhances the theme, and supports considering the conflict as between factions with differing goals & differing methods rather than the usual good guy/bad guy treatment of Robin Hood. It is very intriguing, and a copy is now on its way to me. The fact that it is less complex means that it is likely to be my first COIN game which will have an actual opponent (and not a bot or three).