Tales of the Arabian Nights Board Game Review

Enter the mysterious world of sultans, Vizi, ERDF and princesses as you become a legendary entirely in Tales of the Arabian Nights. Assume the role of characters such as Aladdin, Ali Baba, Sinbad and Scheherazade. Adventure through Arabia and the rest of the world, and recreate your own legends and myths. Relive One Thousand and One Nights, as you travel over, sideways and under on a magic carpet!

Tales of the Arabian Nights is an interesting board game that it does not really have a strong strategy or "thinking" component to it. It may instead be regarded as a tool to experience the entertaining stories as your characters grow from their humble beginnings to become heroes, sultans and powerful magicians. As such, a requirement for playing the game is the ability to use your imagination to create wonderful meetings and the ability to laugh at the misfortunes that are bound to come your way (a few drinks and a comfortable play area can help too )!

The game starts with each player's character begins as a poor nobody in the bustling capital of Baghdad. You can select some of the most popular Arab heroes who your character: from Aladdin and Ali Baba and Sindbad of Scheherazade. You also get to choose what skills your character possesses. These can vary from the standard RPG skill as luck, weapons use and magic, to more exotic skills such as seduction, the piety and storytelling (So you do Aladdin a seductive, happy and pious man, if you really wanted to). These skills will help you overcome obstacles and alter the course of events during your adventures.

You must also choose how you want to win the game. Each player must secretly choose a combination of Story and Destiny total points 20 to be his goal. Your choice will depend on what kind of stories you prefer to have. Non-violent adventure usually Story points, while swashbuckling and magic-slinging adventure usually gives you Destiny Points. Each player will also have a chance Quest that gives you a specific task to complete. These quests are usually epic in scope and may require you to visit exotic places in the Far East or bring a treasured object back to Baghdad. Completing the quests will give you the pros and win points, and maybe a treasure or two as well!

During their trip, each player moves their character to a new location, either on their way to a particular destination, or simply in search of adventure. The distance they can travel (both land and sea) will depend on how rich they are. After all, a wealthy prince afford a bigger, faster boat than a beggar. When they moved, they will have to drag a meeting card. This is where the unexpected experiences will unfold, change the characters' travels, and sometimes change characters themselves as well.

You may encounter an interesting character, for example, a vizier. What happens during the meeting will depend on the time of day (ie how far into the game you are). Things become more dangerous (and perhaps more romantic) during the night. The meeting map will direct you to a specific clause in the great Book of Tales. This book Tales containing each story and adventure game. Each section of the book contains a different story and outcome depend on what choices you make and what skills you have (think the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, but on a much Grander Scale). So your meeting with the vizier can lead you to a romantic encounter with him, or get you locked up in prison for trying to retrieve his bags!

You may also encounter more random things, such as freak storms, whirlpools and even magical oases. The meeting card direct you to a meeting matrix. A roll (modified by things like your story and Destiny points) will determine exactly what you will encounter. You'll also get a set of 8 answers you can make that will determine which sections of the book Tales that will affect you. For example, encountering the freak storm will allow you to ask, hide, cry, wait or drink. As you may guess, would picking certain reactions produce more entertaining and funny stories than others! Players take turns to move and get these meetings, the first player to reach their predetermined victory point combination will win the game.

There is virtually no strategy involved in the game, apart from initial decision to decide where to complete your quests. You have not much control over what happens in meetings. For example, drinking during the freak storm does not sound like a smart decision, but it can make you pass out and wake up in a magical kingdom beneath the sea! Similarly, the phrase "weapon use" skill makes you think that helping a merchant ward off bandits are a good idea, but it may end up stealing the merchant you while you are busy fighting.

The game is primarily a narrative and adventure games, and you will enjoy it immensely if you throw caution to the wind and immerse yourself in the world of the Thousand and One Nights. The game may take some time to complete itself, especially if you play with five or six players. But if you put your funny accents and over-the-top acting, and are ready to laugh at your own misadventures, you will really enjoy Tales of the Arabian Nights!