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Kristen McCarty
United States
Pennsylvania
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Tonight we gather around for tales of adventure, daring, and fame, and a bit of hilarity. We will travel to wondrous lands and far off places, meeting Sultans and beggar's, and perhaps a few thieves. Our skills will be tested as we quest to fulfil our destiny and write the greatest tale of the Arabian Nights.
Components
The most important component of "Tales of the Arabian Nights" is the Book of Tales which reminds me of the old "Choose Your Own Adventure Books." I'll talk more about that later. It's important companion is the Reaction Matrix. Both of these are essential for the weaving of the tales.
You also receive four decks of cards (Encounter, Treasure, Status, and Quest), player reference cards, skill markers, Destiny and Story point markers, a morning, noon and night marker, and a game board. And for each player (up to six) character stand-ups and stands, a wealth marker, origin marker, destination marker, and player board. The game also comes with three dice; one Destiny Die, and two normal dice (red and blue).
The artwork is beautiful and the quality, for the most part, is good. I do have a problem with the board. As happens with a lot of my Z-Man games, the board warps and does not lay completely flat. Minor, but annoying. Especially since this is a complaint with many of Z-Man's game boards. Z-Man is a great company none the less. When I see them at conventions, they are always friendly, enthusiastic about their games, and offer great discounts to teachers (50% off at Origins)!
Object of the Game
The true object of the game is to tell a story. But, the winner in "Tales of the Arabian Nights," is the person who is able to collect their chosen goal of story and destiny points and return safely to Baghdad.
Set-Up
Players take their board, markers, and character and place their stand-ups on Baghdad. They place their Wealth, Story and Destiny markers on the correct spaces on the board, and choose a Quest Card. Quest cards are all different. They give you reasons to travel around the world. Some require that you travel to different locations, learn skills, or even return home after being sold into slavery. When you fulfil a quest you receive story and destiny points,and perhaps some wealth or skills.
Set the draw piles for the Encounter, Treasure, and Quest decks, and put the Status Cards face up to the side. We like to alphabetize our Status Cards so its easier to find a certain status. The Morning Marker is placed next to the Encounter Deck.
Players then secretly choose their victory formula by choosing the amount of Story and Destiny points that they must acquire to win. They do this by taking Victory Tokens of each type that add up to a total of 20 points. These are placed under the player's board.
Players then roll the two normal dice to see who goes first (highest wins).
Now its time to chose skills. The skills are sorted by type and each player chooses one skill until they have three total skills. You can also take random skills if players wish. The skill markers have two sides. One is the Talent level and the other side is the Master level. Everyone starts out at the Talent level.
Game Play
There are six phases during each game turn. They may sound like a lot but it is pretty simple and there are handy player reference cards in case you require it.
- Pass the Book of Tales
- Check Treasures and Statues
- Move your character
- Resolve your encounter
- Play cards and resolve Quests
- Check for Victory
1. Pass the Book of Tales: The Book of Tales is given to the player on your left, and the Reaction Matrix is given to the person on your right. In a two player game the same player takes both. The Book of Tales is the main component of the game. The reader will read a paragraph from the book about the encounter and result. The Reaction Matrix is used to direct readers to the correct paragraph in the Book of Tales.
2. Check Treasures and Statuses: Treasures and Statues have special effects and should be checked before movement. Your movement may be less or you may be able to move to a special space on the board.
3. Move your Character: Your movement varies depending on your wealth and if you are moving through water or land. You may choose to move as many spaces as your movement allows, less then your maximum, or none at all. You must move along the routes printed on the board. You may also combine your movement and move both by land and sea. In this case, you may not exceed the faster of your two movement rates and you can not move more than slowest movement rate.
On the board there are ten "Places of Power," which may not be entered by normal means. You can only enter these during some possible encounters. Sometimes you are given the "opportunity to enter." If this happens you place your Destination Marker there and can now enter the space during movement. Other times you are moved directly to a "Place of Power"
4. Resolve your Encounter: After moving (or not) draw an Encounter Card. If you are in a "Place of Power" the reader will go directly to that paragraph in the Book of Tales.
There are three types of Encounter Cards that may be drawn: character, terrain, and city. These cards determine who or what you encounter. City cards are the only ones that are kept at the end of the Encounter as they may be used on a later turn.
Character Cards: If a character card is drawn, look at the deck marker (morning, noon, night) and it will show the reader which paragraph number to read in the Book of Tales.
Terrain Cards: If a terrain card is drawn you must determine what type of space your character is on to find the correct paragraph to read. Mountains are brown, seas blue, deserts gold, forests green, and islands a sea green. Cites show a city icon based on the geographic location. One terrain type on each terrain encounter card shows the letter N. This tells the reader to go directly to Matrix N in the Reaction Matrix. The picture of that terrain applies only when you are in the correct terrain. So you won't encounter the Magnetic mountain if you are in a city.
City Encounter Cards: I love these cards because they give you an extra bonus if you manage to reach the city on the card. If you end your turn in the named city you roll one die and receive the reward printed on the card.
When you draw one of these there is a paragraph number on the bottom of the card. The reader will go directly to that paragraph in the Book of Tales. Sometimes city encounters name another encounter. If this happens follow the reading and resolve this special encounter.
Places of Power: These do not have a card, the paragraph number is written on the board and the reader find it in the Book of Tales.
Resolving Encounters: Each encounter involves four steps: discovering who or what you have encountered, choosing your reaction, determining your destiny, and resolving the encounter.
First you discover who or what you have encountered. The reader turns to the Encounter Chart, in the Book of Tales which shows twelve numbered entries. (I recommend downloading this chart from Board Game Geek, so you don't always have to flip back and forth in the book to find it.) The player roles the die to determine what is encountered. Add the value of the die, the number printed inside the gem or city icon the character is on, and +1 or +2 depending on Destiny Points If the number adds up more than 12, it is resolved as a 12. The reader finds the number on the chart and reads the description. For example, you may encounter a lost merchant, beautiful princess, or terrible storm.
Encounter Reference Card
Now the player must choose how they will react. The Encounter Chart will direct the Matrix Reader to a Reaction Matrix of which there are 15 (A to O). Now the Matrix Reader must find the correct adjective from the Encounter Chart. Here a number of possible reactions are listed. The player chooses how to react. This reaction directs the reader to the correct paragraph in the Book of Tales. For example you may choose to converse with the beautiful princess.
Now players must determine their destiny. Each Reaction Matrix has three possible Result Paragraphs. Once the reaction is chosen the player rolls the destiny die. If they roll the minus symbol one is subtracted from the paragraph number. If the die is blank the paragraph listed is read. If the plus is rolled, one is added to paragraph number.
The result paragraph is then read to the players. The reader can play it up if they wish, it only adds to the fun.
At the end of the paragraph is a code like such: [D1/S2/W+1(Max: Respectable)/ Wisdom / Respected]. The D means Destiny and the player will receive that many Destiny points. The S means story and the number is the amount of story points received. W is wealth gained and in italics the maximum. Skills and statues may also be listed.
Players receive the skill listed. If they already have the listed skill they flip it over to the Master level. You also gain any status cards listed. You must obey the effects of the Status card, good or bad. So you may become insane, which means another player chooses your reactions. Status may also be lost according to the directions on the card. Be sure to read a Status's effects before proceeding Players may also gain treasures, either random or specific, or have a special affect.
The Result Paragraphs are divided into several sections. One is labelled: No Skill. The others are labelled with skill, status, and or treasure names. The reader should only read the first part of the paragraph and then the list of skills (but not the text after). If the player doesn't have the skills listed they choose the No Skill section and gain the rewards or penalties listed. If they have one or more of the listed skills they may chose to use the skill and receive the reward or penalties. Players are only required to use the skills when they are noted as mandatory.
If a player has a skill at the Master level they may control their fate to a greater extent. They don't roll the destiny die immediately. Instead the reader checks to see if the master skill/s are listed. If it is, the player may choose to go to that paragraph directly. If not, the encounter is resolved normally. If the skill is mandatory the reader does not say this since it may have a negative result.
Sometimes you may lose a skill. If it is a talent level skill put it back in the skill bank. If it is a master level skill, flip it to the talent side.
Sometimes a character may die during an encounter. The good thing is that it isn't the end of the game for the player! The characters brother or sister takes over the quests for the player. The character is moved back to Baghdad, wealth is reduced to poor, any markers on the board removed, and all statuses and treasures are lost. You do keep your story and destiny points.
Game End
When a player has collected at least enough Story and Destiny points to meet their secret goal and are in Baghdad (after surviving an encounter) they announce that they are going to win. But don't fret there is still hope! All other players have one more turn to reach their goal and return to Baghdad as well. Any player in Baghdad with enough Story and Destiny points can win. If there is a tie the player with most statuses wins, if there is still a tie the player with the most skills win, and after this players rejoice in their shared victory.
My Thoughts
Tales of the Arabian Nights was one of the first hobby games I fell in love with. I remember when I first played it, and I always wanted to play again, and again.
As I have played other games I have drifted from my love, but whenever I pull it out again I quickly remember the lure it first held for me. This is certainly not a thinking game, most of what happens during the game is out of your control. And, if you become insane, its totally out of your control! People who seek control and strategy may get annoyed by this aspect of the game.
The core of the game is the story the interaction between the characters and the players. I enjoy the tales and the fun memories that come when I think about the game. I don't always recall who won the game, I just recall the laughter, the smiles, and the head shakes as players once again find themselves imprisoned for yet another turn (that was me for about six turns once.)
Last time we played we decided to play the variant that lets you have only one status at a time and I think it made the game much smoother. It was sometimes frustrating trying to remember the five different statues you have, what you can and can not do, and then try to remember the goal you want to accomplish.
We also decided that we would try to play more as our Character might play. So Sinbad would more likely attack then steal and Scheherazade would be more of a story teller and talker than swords-woman. It was actually pretty easy to pull off during the game and helped us get into our characters.
The game works well with two players and can be an enjoyable way to spend an evening with my husband. It's a game that even non-gamers can get into and enjoy. I never have played with more than four and I think that is the limit of this game even if it can play up to six. So venture forth my friend and enjoy those warm Arabian Nights.
Quick Stats:
Designers: Anthony J. Gallela, Eric Goldberg, Kevin Maroney, Zev Shlasinger
Artists eter Gifford, Dan Harding
Publisher: Z-Mann Games
Number of Players: 1-6
Game Length: 120 minutes
Photo Credits:
Universal Head, Joshua Gardner (bullseyetm), Ender Wiggins (EndersGame), Lucian Pleianu (Chuckila), Beto _(betume), Scott Everts (ScottE), Rob Corn (Haggis)
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