Kitty Gamer

When I got Sophie, she was a pretty mellow cat. She’d been living in a household with dogs, small children and another cat and was at first anxious and jumpy. All she seemed to want to do was relax, enjoy the quiet and solitude, and cuddle :) But eventually, I thought I should give her some toys, even though she didn’t seem to be the rambunctious type. I tried all the toys my other kitten had, but she seemed uninterested (on the other hand she loves the comfy kitty beds that Jasper couldn’t sit still long enough to use). I bought some new stuff and that didn’t pique her interest either, though she likes the scratching post. Eventually she discovered…

My gaming dice :D This one I keep by my computer to use in a game I am running online. It’s a 12-sided die with pentagonal faces. She bats this thing all over the floor, and it rolls nicely even on the carpet. If I put it back up by the computer, she searches it out and plays with it some more. I’m not gonna take her only toy away from her, since that’s what she likes :)

I guess she’s just a gamer kitty at heart!!

Tales of the Arabian Nights (the game)

Since I spent all day yesterday at one of my periodic gaming gatherings, I thought I should finally put up a “gaming geek” post :) and tell you all about one of my favorite games. This is one of those old, great board games that came out in the ’80s called “Tales of the Arabian Nights,” published by West End Games (long out of print, but occasionally shows up on eBay).

This is one of the most unique games I have ever played, and if you loved the Arabian Nights, you’ll love this. The board is a mostly recognizable map of the world, stretching from the deserts of northern Africa to Stonehenge, and from Portugal to Tibet. With of course, a few surprises - Aladdin’s Cave, the Valley of Diamonds, City of Brass, Jeweled Fortress. You can choose to play Sheherazade, Aladdin, Ali Baba, Sinbad, or other male and female characters, and choose traits and abilities for them such as minor magic, courtly graces, seafaring, seduction, story-telling, quick thinking, disguise, and lots of other useful skills :)

After that, you set out into the world to complete various adventures. You travel among the cities of Persia and other far-off lands, and along with way, meet with various individuals. Each one you meet, whether it be an angry begger, a sultry princess, or a powerful djinn, must be dealt with in some way - you choose a reaction from a chart of possible responses (for example, you can beat the angry beggar, honor him, steal from him, listen to him, or ignore him).

This leads you to an extensive story-type reference book, where depending on your choices and the skills you have chosen, various things may happen to you - imprisonment, great wealth, learning new skills, being taken to a far-off land, marriage to the princess (not as great as it sounds), becoming honored or reviled, or even a sex-change. The more adventures you have, the more destiny and story-telling points you accumulate, which helps you win the game.

If you ever come over to my house to game, I may try to whisk you off to the land of Sheherazade :) Watch out for the rocs!