Sheriff
Some folks were confused earlier when I posted a picture of a board with a card called “Sheriff”, so allow me to explain!
Sheriff is a variant of multiplayer Magic for 5 or more players (most commonly 5 though). It’s typically played with Commander decks. It adds politics and speed to a game that would normally go very long, as rather than needing to beat everyone, you have specific goals.
At the beginning of a game of sheriff, everyone receives a random role card from the 5 above. These are kept hidden, except for the sheriff. If someone leaves the game, they give their role card to the sheriff, so they can see if the game ends or not.
The Sheriff starts the game with an extra 20 life and always goes first. The Sheriff wins if they find and defeat the two outlaws.
The Outlaws both win if they defeat the sheriff. Some will go all out to try and attack them straight away. Others will be sneaky and try to win their trust before stabbing them in the back. The choice is yours.
The Deputy only wins if the sheriff wins. This means you cannot win by an alternate win condition. You must help the sheriff beat the outlaws.
The Renegade is typically most difficult, as you must defeat everyone. To make this possible, if you defeat the sheriff, the game does not immediately end. When you defeat them, you take the role of sheriff and are the outlaws’ new target! You can of course, go other routes though, say dealing everyone lethal damage all at once, or making them draw their deck out.
There are some variants of Sheriff. For six players, add a second deputy or renegade. Others have come up with extra roles, with more effects. Regardless, get out there and have fun, pardner!
