Tales of the Arabian Nights | Pinball Field Guides

The whole game

Objective

Hit the Genie in the center to start a Tale. Complete the short job shown on the display. When the jewel is ready, shoot the left ramp to earn it. Repeat until all seven jewels are yours.

The two things you will hit most. In the middle of the table is a big lamp that spins when the ball hits it; spinning it enough starts extra features, earns you Wishes, and stores up points for the end of your ball. Right behind the lamp is the Genie, the target you hit to start each Tale.

Find your shots

Shots

Thematic illustration for Tales of the Arabian Nights

Genie/hidden treasure

Upper center, tucked in behind the lamp

The Genie is the heart of the game. Hit it to start a Tale, to spell G-E-N-I-E, to start Genie Multiball, to earn its jackpot, and to start the final rescue. Shoot it when the lamp has swung out of the way and the lane is open. A glancing hit off the edge, or a bounce in off something else, is safer than firing straight at it when the lamp is blocking the way.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim into the opening at Genie/hidden treasure, avoiding its rim and nearby posts. Watch where the machine kicks the ball back and regain control.

Left orbit

Lock, H-A-R-E-M, Tiger Loop, Sinbad bumper are on this side. Full shots cross to the right; weak returns can fall down the inner left lane toward center, so prepare a slap save.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Left orbit; the ball must pass the entrance switch and continue up the lane. If a weak shot rolls back down the same lane, let it return to a flipper before trying again.

Lamp

The large lamp at the center rotates as a whole when the ball strikes its support posts.

Lamp spins advance Lightning Lamp, Wishes, bonus and the Genie Multiball jackpot. Shoot when the lamp lies sideways. When it points straight at you, the return is dangerous.

How to try it: Aim for one of the lamp’s two support posts to send it spinning. Watch the rebound and recover the ball before trying another shot. This is a rebound target, not a hole that holds and ejects the ball.

Left orb/saucer

Bonus X, Cyclops, Fireball Requirements. A weak orb shot settles in the saucer.

How to try it: From the right lower flipper, aim at the exposed round target first. When the rule calls for the saucer, aim into the shallow hole beside it. The target rebounds immediately; the saucer holds the ball and then kicks it back.

Carpet ramp

Fireball, Flying Carpet, jewel earn, Super Skill. Needs a firm shot to complete the long spiral; weak shots fall to bumpers or can produce one Secret Lock per game. Normal return sends the ball to the right flipper; jewel/Fireball diverters can return left or hold the ball.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the two posts at the bottom of Carpet ramp and use a firm forehand so the ball climbs the ramp. If it starts up and rolls back, let it reach a flipper before shooting again.

Left target bank

Left-side target-bank region beside the ramp; rails obscure some target faces.

Golden Symbol, Ali Baba letters, left Shooting Star. A right-flipper tip shot; misses can rebound toward safer center action.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim at the flat rectangular faces in Left target bank, one target at a time; do not aim at the gaps or the plastic above them. Expect the ball to rebound toward the middle after contact.

Full physical Tales of the Arabian Nights playfield showing the orbits, ramps, genie, lamp, bazaar and jewel targets — The real machine, from above. Photo: pinballmag.fr
Open full-size playfield reference →

Bumpers/Harem sneak-in

Upper right

The round bumpers that bat the ball around. Every hit adds 1,000 to the Harem Multiball jackpot, and now and then the machine awards a Sneak-In. Three Sneak-Ins start Harem Multiball.

How to try it: Do not aim at the round bumpers themselves; their caps are not targets. Send the ball into the upper area beside Bumpers/Harem sneak-in through an outside lane, then let the bumpers knock it around.

Right target bank

Right-side target-bank region above the lamp; wireforms obscure the target faces.

Behind the lamp, on the right

Another row of standing targets: Golden Symbols, Ali Baba letters, and the right Shooting Star. You cannot see these well from the flippers, so watch the insert, the light set into the playfield next to them, to know whether you have finished the row. Do not assume.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim at the flat rectangular faces in Right target bank, one target at a time; do not aim at the gaps or the plastic above them. Expect the ball to rebound toward the middle after contact.

Lock/Harem lane

Right-side Lock and Harem region; overlapping ramps partly hide the entrance.

The narrow lane to the right of the Genie

Shoot it to lock a ball directly, or, when Harem is not lit, for a small Harem award. The orbits lock balls too, with a magnet, and they are wider and safer, so use those first.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Lock/Harem lane; the ball must pass the entrance switch and continue up the lane. If a weak shot rolls back down the same lane, let it return to a flipper before trying again.

Right orbit

Right-side lane and ramp region; the orbit entrance is partly obscured.

The long lane round the far right edge

Locks a ball when the lock light is on, and counts as a Tiger Loop. When an Extra Ball (another turn after this ball ends) is lit, meaning its light is on, this is where you earn it. A full-speed shot goes round and comes out of the left orbit.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Right orbit; the ball must pass the entrance switch and continue up the lane. If a weak shot rolls back down the same lane, let it return to a flipper before trying again.

Bazaar scoop

Bazaar inserts identify this area beside the lamp; the scoop opening is partly obscured.

Bazaar, Make a Wish, Genie-MB Rematch. Misses/ejects can go center; shoot it when the award is valuable, not as a default shot with a predictable return.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim at the dark opening of Bazaar scoop, not at its rim or the nearby posts. After the ball settles in the hole, watch where the machine kicks it back and regain control.

Right orb

Low on the right, another captive ball

A full hit raises Bonus X and counts for the Cyclops Tale.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Use a forehand and aim at the pictured scoring part of Right orb, rather than the nearby plastic or posts. Watch the first rebound, regain control, and then adjust the next shot left or right.

There are twelve places to aim at. The photo shows the whole table from above. The list goes round the table from the bottom left, and for each shot says what it is for and how to hit it without losing the ball.

Every shot, what it does, and how to hit it

Shot	Location	What it does, and how to hit it
Left target bank	Low on the left, just above the inlane, the short lane beside the flipper that rolls the ball back onto it	A row of standing targets. Hitting them lights a Golden Symbol (several Tales ask you to hit lit Golden Symbols), spells letters for the Ali Baba Tale, and lights the left Shooting Star, a helper that tries to catch a ball rolling down the left outlane, the outside lane beside the flipper that leads out of play. Shoot it with the tip of the right flipper. If you miss, the ball usually bounces back toward the middle of the table, where you can play it again.
Left orbit	The long lane round the far left edge	Lock a ball here when the lock light is on: the machine keeps that ball for multiball and gives you a fresh one. This lane also spells H-A-R-E-M for Harem Multiball, counts as a Tiger Loop when that is lit, and in the Sinbad Tale it is how you send the ball to the bumpers, the round bouncers at the top right. A full-speed shot goes all the way round and comes out on the right side. A weak one can drop down the inner left lane straight toward the gap between the flippers, so be ready with a slap save: flip and give the machine a quick shove at the same time, to knock a ball headed for the gap over onto a flipper.
Left orb/saucer	Left of center. The orb is a captive ball, a ball fixed in a short lane on the table that you hit with your own ball. The saucer is a shallow dish beside it that holds the ball a moment, then kicks it out	A full-strength hit on the orb raises your Bonus X, the number your end-of-ball bonus gets multiplied by, and counts for the Cyclops Tale. Landing in the saucer counts toward Fireball, a timed feature explained further down. A weak shot at the orb usually rolls into the saucer.
Carpet ramp	Just left of the lamp	The long spiral ramp. This is where you pick up a jewel once a Tale is done, where Fireball and the Flying Carpet Tale are shot, and where the Super Skill shot goes. Hit it firmly: a soft shot does not make it round the spiral and falls into the bumpers, though once a game a weak shot can give you a Secret Lock instead. Normally the ramp brings the ball back down to the right flipper. When a jewel or Fireball is waiting, a gate on the ramp can send the ball to the left instead, or hold it for a moment.
Lamp	Dead center: the big lamp toy, with a spinner in it, a blade that turns over and over as the ball passes	Every time the ball turns the lamp, that counts as a lamp spin. Spins start Lightning Lamp, a timed feature where every spin pays; earn Wishes, which let you take a jewel without playing its Tale; add to a bonus that carries over from ball to ball; and grow the jackpot, the big prize shot, in Genie Multiball. Shoot it when the lamp sits sideways across the lane, or aim for the post behind it, the rubber peg at the back. When the lamp is pointing straight at you, leave it alone: the ball comes straight back down the middle and out.
Genie/hidden treasure	Upper center, tucked in behind the lamp	The Genie is the heart of the game. Hit it to start a Tale, to spell G-E-N-I-E, to start Genie Multiball, to earn its jackpot, and to start the final rescue. Shoot it when the lamp has swung out of the way and the lane is open. A glancing hit off the edge, or a bounce in off something else, is safer than firing straight at it when the lamp is blocking the way.
Right target bank	Behind the lamp, on the right	Another row of standing targets: Golden Symbols, Ali Baba letters, and the right Shooting Star. You cannot see these well from the flippers, so watch the insert, the light set into the playfield next to them, to know whether you have finished the row. Do not assume.
Lock/Harem lane	The narrow lane to the right of the Genie	Shoot it to lock a ball directly, or, when Harem is not lit, for a small Harem award. The orbits lock balls too, with a magnet, and they are wider and safer, so use those first.
Bazaar scoop	Right of center	A hole that swallows the ball and spits it back out. It gives Bazaar awards, lets you Make a Wish, and during Genie Multiball offers a Rematch. A miss, or the ball being kicked back out, can come straight down the middle, so shoot it when there is something worth having, not just because it looks safe.
Bumpers/Harem sneak-in	Upper right	The round bumpers that bat the ball around. Every hit adds 1,000 to the Harem Multiball jackpot, and now and then the machine awards a Sneak-In. Three Sneak-Ins start Harem Multiball.
Right orbit	The long lane round the far right edge	Locks a ball when the lock light is on, and counts as a Tiger Loop. When an Extra Ball (another turn after this ball ends) is lit, meaning its light is on, this is where you earn it. A full-speed shot goes round and comes out of the left orbit.
Right orb	Low on the right, another captive ball	A full hit raises Bonus X and counts for the Cyclops Tale.

Launch deliberately

Launch

Match the plunge to the snake’s basket. After a successful launch, shoot the Carpet ramp quickly for double value.

Launch values and timing

You can score before you ever touch a flipper. This is the skill shot. When a ball is ready to launch, the display shows a snake sitting in one of three baskets. Plunge through the hole that matches it: pull the plunger, the spring-loaded rod on the front of the machine, and let go. A gentle pull, a little at a time, reaches the bottom basket; a medium pull reaches the middle one; a strong but controlled pull reaches the top. The first one you make is worth 50,000, each one after that adds 25,000, and it stops growing at 125,000. Every time you lock a ball the machine hands you a fresh one at the plunger, so you get another skill shot.

Then there is more. Right after you make the skill shot, shoot the Carpet ramp straight away for the Super Skill shot, worth double the skill shot value on top of what you just got. The ramp brings the ball back down to the right flipper. If you took too long and the Super Skill has run out, just catch the ball on the flipper and let it settle.

Your first useful run

First game

1 · Before launching, use the left button to select a Tale if none is running. Look at the display for the snake's basket and launch to match it. The moment the ball is in play, shoot the Carpet ramp for the Super Skill shot.

2 · Shoot the Genie. The easiest are Cyclops (one hit on either captive ball or the left saucer) and Scheherazade (one hit on any Golden Symbol). Hit the Genie to start it, do what it asks, then shoot the Carpet ramp to earn the jewel.

3 · Shoot the lamp and keep shooting it. When it has spun 15 times, Lightning Lamp starts and you have earned a Wish.

4 · Before you spend the Wish, earn any jewel that is already waiting on the ramp. Then use the Wish: it gives you one jewel, or two if Ruby is lit. Never spend a Wish on a jewel that is already sitting on the ramp; the ramp is the easier shot.

5 · Hit the Genie five times to spell G-E-N-I-E, then lock two balls in the orbits. Hit the Genie again and you are in Genie Multiball with three balls. Catch one ball and hold it still on a raised flipper (a trap). With the other, spin the lamp to advance the jackpot, hit the Genie to earn it, then shoot whichever orbit is lit to light the Genie again.

6 · On your later balls, hit the captive balls hard to raise Bonus X. It pays, because every 15 lamp spins you finished stay with you from ball to ball.

The captive princess

The Genie has trapped the princess inside a bottle. The seven jewels complete the Magic Scimitar—the weapon you need to challenge him and begin her rescue.

The worried princess trapped inside the Genie’s bottle

The seven Tales

Tales

Before launching a ball with no Tale running, select a Tale with the left flipper. Slingshot hits can change the selection during play. Hit the Genie. Tale progress survives a drain. Finish its job, then shoot the lit Carpet ramp—the jewel is not earned until that final shot.

Sinbad and the Rocs: shoot the left orbit so the ball rolls into the bumpers. One bumper hit is enough to light the jewel; every extra Roc you hit adds points.
Ali Baba: hit either row of targets to spell S-E-S-A-M-E, one letter per hit. That is a lot of hits, so this is a good Tale to skip with a Wish.
Flying Horse: hit the lit Golden Symbols until you find the hidden prize. It is often the last of the five. Another good one to skip with a Wish.
Scheherazade: hit any one Golden Symbol and the jewel lights. More symbols score points, but you do not need them.
Great Camel Race: make about four or five lit Golden Symbol shots. If you play this Tale again later, it only takes one.
Flying Carpet / Forty Thieves: shoot the lit Carpet ramp once to finish the job, then shoot it again to earn the jewel.
Cyclops: hit either captive ball, or land in the left saucer, once. More hits on the captive balls add points.

Genie Multiball

Three chrome balls circle the lamp beneath the Genie during multiball. — **Genie Multiball**Spin the lamp to advance the jackpot, hit the Genie to earn it, then use the lit orbit to relight the Genie.

Prepare. That means earn the right to play it: hit the Genie five times to spell G-E-N-I-E.
Lock two balls. Both orbits and the narrow lock lane light up. Shoot one and the machine keeps that ball and gives you a fresh one at the plunger. Do it twice; after the first lock the lights normally stay on for the second. If you are playing against friends, another player starting their multiball can take the balls you locked.
Start it. With two balls locked, hit the lit Genie. A magnet grabs your ball and lowers it away, and three balls come out.
Score. Every spin of the lamp makes the jackpot bigger. Hit the Genie to earn it. Then shoot the one orbit that is lit to light the Genie again. Spin, Genie, orbit, repeat.
No ball saver, but a second chance. Nothing protects you if a ball drains right at the start. But if you drop to one ball before earning a single jackpot, the Bazaar scoop lights briefly for a Rematch. Shoot it and the machine gives you another ball and the multiball starts again.
It ends when you are down to one ball and did not take the Rematch.
Shooting Stars. They may still fire to catch a ball, but if a ball does drain (fall out the bottom) during multiball, there is no make-up ball the way there is in single-ball play.

The princess escapes

The final battle ends with the princess’s escape: defeat the Genie’s forces, then break the bottle that holds her.

The freed princess stepping forward through magical smoke

Harem, side-feature, finale, and scoring reference

Harem Multiball

One way in: spell H-A-R-E-M. Shoot the left orbit whenever Harem is the award showing there. Other features share the left orbit and take turns; when one of those is up, Harem comes back after it times out. Catch the ball on a flipper and wait it out if you have to.
The other way in: Sneak-Ins. A lucky bounce from the bumpers can enter the small Sneak-In trough at the back of the playfield. The ball then returns through the Bazaar scoop. Three of them start Harem Multiball.
Advance the jackpot. Every bumper hit before the multiball adds 1,000 to the jackpot. It starts at 10,000 or 25,000, depending on how the machine is set.
Play. Two balls. Nearly every switch on the table (every sensor the ball can trip) and nearly every shot pays the Harem jackpot. Just keep hitting things.
It ends when you are down to one ball. No extra ball gets added and there is no restart.
A known bug. This machine's software has a flaw: with the right setup around the last Tale or a Wish, Harem's pay-on-every-hit jackpot can carry into the final Genie Battle. It is a bug, not a designed feature, and none of the routes in this guide use it.

The lamp and its Wishes

Lamp and wishes

Spin the lamp to earn Wishes. The Bazaar supplies helpers; the ruby adds high-value lamp shots.

Lamp, Wish, Bazaar and ruby rules

A spinning brass lamp sends golden magic toward the Bazaar and a glowing ruby. — **Lamp, Wishes and the Bazaar**Complete sets of lamp spins to earn Wishes; use the Bazaar scoop to spend one, and light Ruby when you want the two-jewel choice.

One lamp spin is about half a turn. Fourteen spins light fourteen blue lamps; the 15th spin starts Lightning Lamp, lights Make a Wish, and earns you a Wish. You can hold at most three Wishes at a time.
Spin counts you complete, at 15, 30 and 60, stay with you from ball to ball. An unfinished stretch (say, 9 of the next 15) is lost when the ball drains. The bonus keeps counting spins up to 119.
Lightning Lamp is on a timer. Each spin scores and restarts the timer. Spins during Lightning Lamp pay right away but do not add to your carried-over spin count. Each Lightning Lamp after the first pays more per spin.
Bazaar letters come from the scoop and the small standing targets next to it. The Bazaar can give: an extra ball, or light one; +3 to Bonus X; 15 spins; points; Hold Bonus X, which keeps your multiplier for the next ball instead of starting it over; ball locks; starting multiball if you already have two locks; a Wish; and Shooting Stars. Read the display to see what you actually got; it depends on how the machine is set up.
Make a Wish: when it is lit, shoot the Bazaar scoop. The left flipper button takes a jewel; the right takes whatever award the machine is offering at that moment. If Ruby is lit, the jewel choice becomes two jewels. If you already have all seven jewels, the jewel side starts the Genie Battle.
To light Ruby: have Make a Wish lit, then light both Shooting Stars. Ruby goes away when you use it or when the ball drains.

Fireball, Tiger Loops and extra balls

Side features

Use side features for extra balls, ball save and points after the main jewel route is under control.

Side-feature rules

Fireball. Landing in the left saucer a set number of times makes Fireball ready; the number goes up each time you play it. Then shoot the lit Carpet ramp to start a countdown, and hit the Genie before it runs out. Shooting the ramp again during the countdown adds 200,000 back, but never above where it started. A Wish can offer you Fireball at triple value.
Tiger Loops. Rolling through an inlane lights the orbit on the opposite side as a Tiger Loop. Keep looping while it is lit and it keeps scoring. Around six loops (the exact number is a setting) lights an Extra Ball; 20 loops can light another.
Extra balls. Earning a certain number of jewels, usually four, lights an Extra Ball too, and the Bazaar or a Wish can light one or hand you one outright. A lit Extra Ball is not yours yet: you earn it by shooting the right orbit.
Shooting Stars. Hit either row of targets to light the Shooting Star on that side. It tries to catch a ball headed for the outlane on that side, and in single-ball play, if it fails, the machine usually gives you the ball back anyway. Its timer cannot be restarted until it has run out, so relight it whenever you can.

End of ball

What the bonus pays

Lamp spins, Genie hits and jewels increase bonus. Raise Bonus X late in the game when those totals are large.

Bonus formula

When a ball drains, the machine adds up a bonus: 10,000 for every lamp spin you have carried over, 10,000 for every Genie hit, and 50,000 for every jewel. Then it multiplies the lot by your Bonus X. You raise Bonus X by hitting a lit captive ball hard enough to push it all the way in; which orb is lit, or whether the award is on at all, can depend on the machine's settings and on which mode is running. Bonus X starts over on each new ball unless the Bazaar gives you Hold Bonus X. Because your lamp spins carry over, on your last ball raising the multiplier is often worth more than chasing a small, risky feature.

The final battle

Genie Battle

Multiple chrome balls charge through skeletons toward the Genie and the imprisoned Princess. — **The Genie Battle**Clear the skeletons first, then keep the balls moving through the five major shots until the Princess is rescued.

Part one: fight the skeletons

Once you have all seven jewels, hit the Genie while it is lit. Now every Golden Symbol you hit, and every captive ball, kills a skeleton. If you lose the ball, your kills are kept. After about six to eight kills (the number is a setting), the shot that finishes them locks your ball and the machine gives you another at the plunger.

Part two: the tug-of-war

Launch that ball straight away: while it sits in the shooter lane, the channel where the ball waits before you launch it, the Genie pulls harder. From here on, up to four balls keep coming back after they drain. Shoot the five major shots to pull the bottle toward you; hits on the Genie help too. The Shooting Stars are off. It ends only when one side reaches the Princess. If you win, you get 20 million. Win or lose, the flippers go dead, the balls drain, you are back to normal one-ball play, and the seven-jewel quest starts over. After the battle, Specials (a free-game award) can be lit.

What plays at the same time

playing two features at the same time

Only one Tale runs. Its required shots usually take priority over smaller awards.
During the Cyclops Tale, hits on the captive balls count for Cyclops and do not also raise Bonus X.
At the Bazaar scoop, Make a Wish wins over a Bazaar award if both are lit.
At the left orbit, Harem can shoot it ahead of Tiger Loop.
Lightning Lamp blocks a new Tale. A running Tale can finish; using a Wish ends Lightning Lamp.
Use Genie Multiball to spin the lamp and advance jackpots, not to advance Tales.
For the Princess, repeat Genie → Tale job → Carpet ramp. Save Wishes for difficult Tales or a two-jewel Ruby award.

Score higher

Scoring

Bonus. Reach 15, 30 and 60 lamp spins. Raise Bonus X on later balls; unfinished 15-spin steps are lost at the drain.
Princess. Pick easy Tales. Use Wishes on hard ones, earn each waiting jewel, and spend a Wish with Ruby lit for two jewels.
Genie Multiball. Hold one ball, spin the lamp, shoot the Genie, then shoot the lit orbit to relight it.
The bug route. Carrying the Harem jackpot into the final battle, playing two features at the same time the two features, can make enormous scores, but it depends on a bug in the machine's software. If you are playing in a competition, or the house rules ban it, leave it alone.

From the video

Video tips

The remake overview link is available below. The original gameplay upload is still missing; use the Genie Battle section above for the playable route.

Video observations

Saved, unverified notes from the missing gameplay upload place its finale at 8:41–10:55. Those chapter links remain unavailable until the original upload is identified.
Flip N Out’s Arabian Nights remake overview shows the 2026 machine and its playfield. Use it for orientation; this guide follows the original Williams rules. The old chapter timestamps have not been verified against this upload.

Unverified finale timestamps

The original gameplay upload has not been identified. These saved timestamps are unverified and are not working video links.

8:41 — this is what the start of the Genie Battle looks like.
8:50 — the display asks for Golden Symbol shots; each one kills a skeleton.
10:55 — a finished rescue of the Princess.