Robin Hood is wanted by the Sheriff. No matter if you’re hiding out in the forest with nothing but your shirt, or you’re the greatest outlaw in the land, the Sheriff will not rest until you have it out. Why, then, did we work the Bounty statistic into the game? After all, it’s not something you can use to your benefit, you can’t trade it for anything, and it tends to rise regardless of what you do.

You may be wanted by the Sheriff, but bounty is the measure by which you’re wanted by everyone else. Think of it as the Sheriff’s annual budget; the higher your bounty, the more money he has to work with in trying to capture you (any leftover he has to spend on paperclips). In that sense, bounty becomes a benchmark against which you can measure your own progress. If you have 1000 gold, and your bounty is for 1000 gold, then you and the Sheriff are probably on fairly equal footing. Furthermore, the size of your bounty might have an adverse affect on people. Promised enough money, and the Sheriff might not be the only one who comes hunting through Sherwood for your head.

On the flip side, actions that raises your bounty are often those that also come with great benefits – to your renown, your recruitment, or your pocketbook. So go out and insult the Sheriff’s cousin, graffiti the castle walls, and keep those taxes from reaching their destination. Your bounty might rise – it’s inevitable – you might as well have fun while you’re at it.

The Continuing Adventures of Development Robin

Your choices will decide Robin's fate each week.

Results from the previous adventure:

Part 9 - Unable to make up your mind, and with last minute tickets to France being too expensive (to say nothing of the security lines to board the boat), you hold a pony masquerade! It cannot fail to catch both the Sheriff and Marian at once!

How do you spring your trap, or something...

1. I let my minions, I mean friends, handle all the details. Mwaha, mwahaha.
2. Rube-Goldberg has nothing on me. At the tipping of this single domino...
3. I invite Prince John to attend. All my enemies conveniently gathered in one place.
4. The ponies need tutus.

The Adventures of Development Robin are complete. Follow the story in subsequent blogs, or read the most recent blog to take part in our new adventure, Marian and the Sheriff, beginning July 26th!

This is the Nocked! True Tales of Robin Hood development blog. Every week I’ll discuss some aspect of the game’s development, show off some art, and give you the opportunity to create an entirely new Robin Hood story. And be sure to check out the butler's take on the Sheriff of Nottingham, every weekday @ManOfNottingham.