Fable II Pub Games (Game)

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Overview

Fable II Pub Games is a minigame collection developed by Carbonated (under supervision of Lionhead) and published by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade) on August 13, 2008. The game includes the three pub-style minigames from Fable II: Fortune's Tower (a card game), Keystone (a dice game), and Spinnerbox (a slot machine game). The game was also included as a pre-order bonus for Fable II.

Using their Xbox profile, players can tie their game's progress to Fable II, which transfers their earnings (or debts) to their Heroes. By winning tournaments, players can also win up to fifteen exclusive items for use in Fable II.

The game is known for various exploits that allowed players to rack up obscene amounts of gold quickly (which makes Fable II much easier). While the exploit was patched out, Lionhead founder Peter Molyneux stated that the exploit was intentional and players who utilized the exploit would receive negative consequences within the game (originally believed to be false, but players have reported higher Corruption points on their Heroes).

Gameplay

Fortune's Tower

Fortune's Tower is a unique playing card game in which players wager whether to continue a deal of a row of cards (in a pyramid form).

The game is played in a deck containing multiple numbered cards (8-10 sets of cards from 1-7) and four unique "Hero cards". The game begins by one card dealt face down (known as the "Gate card"). For each turn in the hand, the dealer deals a row of cards (the number equal to the row number) in pyramid form, so that each card touches the two cards above (or one card, for the edges). Players then have the option to continue another deal or bank their winnings (which is the sum of each numbered card in the latest row).

If all the cards in a row are the same number (called a "Set"), then the player receives a winnings multiplier (equivilent to the number of cards dealt for that row) for the rest of the hand. If any of the numbered cards dealt match either of the two cards directly above it, then they'll catch fire (known as "Misfortune") and the hand ends (causing all players who did not bank prior to lose their bet). The Misfortune is reversed (in which the game can continue) in one of two ways:

If the Hero card is dealt in that row, then all Misfortunes in that row are automatically negated.

If the Gate card is still in play, then the Gate card takes the place of one of the losing cards. If that card matches either of the two cards directly above it, or if there are multiple Misfortunes in that row, then the hand still ends.

The hand also ends when the dealer deals the eighth row (completing the Tower). If the Gate card is not used, then each player that did not bank prior gains winnings equal to the sum of all rows. If the Gate card was used, then those players must bank the final row's score.

The game includes three decks of cards: Emerald, Ruby, and Diamond. Emerald has 10 sets of numbered cards, Ruby has 9 sets of numbered cards, and Diamond has 8 sets of numbered cards.

Keystone

Described as a mix between Craps and Roulette, Keystone is a dice game where players wager on the results of a group of three six-sided dice (by placing chips on specific tiles on the arch-shaped board).

Players begin by placing "arch bets" in one or more stones in the outermost part of the board (from 3-18, the possible results of each dice roll). Each round has multiple turns, in which the result of the dice causes the resulting stone to be removed from the board (along with any bets on that stone). If the result stone is already removed, then the stone of the next lower result (if the result is 10 or less) or the stone of the next higher result (if the result is 11 or higher) is removed. The round ends if either both "keystones" (10 or 11) are removed or either "base stone" (3 or 18) is removed. If a base stone is removed on the first turn, the round ends with a Jackpot. When the round ends, players get payouts for each chip on each remaining stone (which increase depending on how closer the chip is to a base stone).

During each turn, players can also make "inside bets", betting on various circumstances of the next dice roll (whether the result falls into a particular range or whether two or more dice roll the same number). Players earn gold by correctly betting on inside bets, which vary depending on the odds that bet is winnable.

The game includes a variation, titled Bloodstone, in which players bet against the result of the dice rolls.

Spinnerbox

Spinnerbox is essentially a magical slot machine in which players place a bet and spin a group of slots (ranging from three to six, depending on the spinner used).

Players earn gold by "chains", in which multiple adjacent slots carry the same symbol.

Players can unlock new themed spinners, including some with bonus rules (such as special symbols that grant multipliers and free spins). For example, "Cow and Corset" is a three-slot spinner in which a bonus symbol activates a large fourth slot that rewards the player with the slot's result chained twice.