Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights is a murder mystery game for 18 to 24  guests and one or two hosts. It is set in the magical world of Arabian legend. Download the free introductory pdf file.

Arabian Nights is an enchanted evening of thievery, investigation, betrayal, and magic! Your guests will be in the middle of the action, and it will be up to them to wheel and deal to get what they want. Will they achieve their goals, keep their secrets hidden, and survive Arabian Nights?

"We played Arabian Nights last Saturday to a huge success! It was amazing! I instantly had requests to start planning another. You guys are great!!!"
Kent Nyland, Arizona, United States

See stories and pictures from Arabian Nights.

Read the Marketplace Messageboard.

Welcome to Ardalan, a small kingdom ruled by a benevolent Sultan. Ardalan has its share of troubles: the city is plagued by thieves and smugglers, including a group known as the Band of Forty Thieves. Try as they might, the Sultan's guards have never succeeded in capturing the Band's leader.

However, not everything in Ardalan is corrupt. The Sultan has a beautiful daughter, Princess Almeera, who has just turned eighteen. Earlier this evening, the Sultan chose a husband for her. Dozens of princes attended the feast, but the Sultan noticed one man who was handsomer, cleverer, and richer than any of the others in attendance. So, the Sultan announced his daughter's engagement to the Prince Ala' ad-Din.

Tragically, the young prince's dead body was discovered in the marketplace only an hour later. The Sultan's guards are surrounding the marketplace, and the Grand Vizier is on his way to oversee the investigations. No-one is leaving the marketplace until the murderer is found.

Arabian Nights lasts for about four hours and is suited to an evening. It is often played over a meal – a finger buffet if possible, to allow guests to circulate and talk in private.

"I directed Arabian Nights last Friday and what a blast! It's really a fantastic game, probably one of your best 🙂 Thanks for giving it to us, you guys are awesome :)"
Sigrún Geirsdottir, Iceland

 

Includes rules for the use of poison.

Includes rules for combat.

The free introductory pdf file contains an introduction to the game, a cast list of all the characters, and a copy of the Marketplace Messageboard.

Cast of characters

Officials and Dignitaries

• Abdul-Malik: the Sultan’s Grand Vizier
• Hayat: Captain of the Sultan’s Guard
• Numair: a member of the Sultan’s Guard
• Adi: a member of the Sultan’s Guard
• Prince Amir Barad: a suitor of the Princess
• Prince Jabbar Sharifi: a suitor of the Princess
• Jinan: a doctor

Travelers

• Hassan: the caravan leader
• Jamal: Hassan’s son
• Kasuni: a caravan guard
• Inas: a trader
• Deniz: a trader traveling with Inas

Stall Holders

• Kalila: a merchant
• Omar: a jeweler
• Nadia: Omar’s apprentice

Entertainers

• Cantara: a fortune teller
• Rasha: the snake charmer
• Nihad: an entertainer with a performing monkey
• Malak: a firewalker

Shoppers and Others in the Marketplace

• Joharra: the tailor’s apprentice
• Ara: a young woman shopping in the marketplace
• Zahrah: a young woman shopping in the marketplace
• Zane: a messenger
• Ismat: the crazy beggar

Arabian Nights is for 18 to 24 guests:

• 18 guests (6 male, 6 female, 6 any)
• 19 guests (6 male, 7 female, 6 any)
• 20 guests (7 male, 6 female, 7 any)
• 21 guests (7 male, 7 female, 7 any)
• 22 guests (7 male, 8 female, 7 any)
• 23 guests (8 male, 7 female, 8 any)
• 24 guests (8 male, 8 female, 8 any)

You also need one or two hosts, to organize the party and ensure everything runs smoothly. (We recommend two hosts, particularly if this is your first Freeform Games murder mystery party.)

How Freeform Games murder mystery games work

Arabian Nights is unlike other murder mystery games. Although the game starts with a murder, each character has several goals they must try to accomplish. While they may want to solve the murder, Arabian Nights contains plenty of other plots and secrets to keep everyone busy. Arabian Nights isn't scripted, and lets the players decide how to achieve their goals and thwart their enemies.

"I loved the theme of Arabian Nights! Really unique."
A Customer, United States

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Genie, and welcomed to Ardalan's marketplace.

They then receive their detailed backgrounds – including dark secrets, objectives, and money. The fun then begins as they form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items and maybe even try to murder one another! Along the way they may uncover some of the mysteries of Arabian Nights. Who is the leader of the Band of Forty Thieves? Who stole the magic lamp? Who secretly loves Princess Almeera? And, of course, who murdered Prince Ala' ad-Din?

Finally, the game concludes and everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.

Recommended for ages 12+

We recommend Arabian Nights for those aged 12+, as it is family-friendly and contains no adult themes.

Extra characters

Sometimes you have too many guests and need more characters. So most games have free extra characters (written by us or previous hosts) included in the download when you purchase the game.

• Shaki – a marketplace urchin (Any)
  (by Freeform Games)
• Sinbad – a famous sailor (M)
  (by Freeform Games)

Please note that we haven't always tested these – and they may not tie in exactly with our games.

"Thank you for a great site, fantastic games, good service and very quick reply. Keep up the good work." Ole Martin Brodwall, Norway

Cast Iron Guarantee

We offer a Cast Iron Guarantee on all our murder mystery games. If you're not completely satisfied with Arabian Nights then please let us know within 30 days and we will refund you. See our full terms and conditions, and our refund policy.

Trouble downloading? If you have trouble downloading the game files, please first check your spam folder. If you still can't find the download email, contact us with the name of the game and the email address you used to purchase it, and we'll resend it.