[Quiet Man Cometh]

I'm not sure if I've played The Hobbit or not. I have the Lord of the Rings which I quite like since it's a cooperative board game though most of the important moves happen in the last three turns or so.

Tales of the Arabian Nights is great fun. It's like the choose your own adventure books but it's a board game. Each move you are given an encounter that you must choose your raction to, which can be affected by skills you have and such. It's great fun because the apprently "safe" choices arent't always safe. For example, you see a rich man and can either snub him, praise him, ignore him, ask for money, give money, etc. If you snub him you may insult him or make him curious, and if you praise him he may like you or think you are just a groveler.

In a couple more rediculous encounters, my brother went exploring and found a gem. A creature came out of said gem and attacked him and he wound up in a cave somwhow. Bandits came into the case and attacked him. Then he called for help and a passing monster heard him and beat him up some more. That was the result of him being curious about a gem.

In my case another player controlled my choice for that turn or I was feeling silly, not sure which, and I punched the beggar I met. The story went that the beggar was a barber who gave me a bad hair cut and wouldn't stop talking to me until I hit him. He kept talking to me, I ran out of the store, he followed me, we got to talking and turns out he was smart and had a rich friend. Impressed with my skills be invited me over to meet said influental friend and I was showered with riches. Yeah. For punching a beggar or man of modest means. Can't really remember.

The story telling book is the size of a small text with charts that randomize the stories so they'res lost of replay value. Even if we've hit a passage we've heard before they have often had different endings. Great fun, but be prepared to spend 3 or 4 hours playing. It's a long game.