Fable II Pub Games was released on the Xbox Live Arcade on August 13, 2008. The idea is simple - let players try their luck at a few of Albion's most popular table games in order to score gold and loot that can brought over to the full game when it becomes available. You can also unlock some nifty concept art, should that interest you more. To begin your quest to become a wealthy hero, you must first choose between six different Pub Games characters:

Daphne

Lynch

Maya

Mongo

Poe

Rewster

Each of these characters starts out with 500 Gold and a one-star rating. To increase their wealth, you're going to need a solid strategy and a lot of luck. To reach the maximum five-star rating, you'll have to score a lot of points (every coin gambled is worth a point, regardless of whether or not it turns out to be a loss). Once you have a full copy of Fable II, you can merge your favorite Pub Games character with your Fable II hero and instantly inherit any items or gold they've earned.

Sounds easy, right? It isn't. Remember that these are games of chance and, for the most part, the odds are against you. To begin your valiant attempt at earning points, gold, items, and artwork, you'll be choosing one of these four options:

As a gambling man, I'm betting that Fortune's Tower will be your favorite of all the Pub Games. As each row of cards is dealt to you, you can either take the payout offer (determined by the total value of the cards) or press your luck to the next row. Unless you're extremely lucky, this game is going to be your best bet for consistently earning more gold than you lose. It's also quite fun once you have a good strategy down.

Keystone is essentially a Roulette/Craps crossbreed. Three dice determine your wins and losses as you place your bets on a semi-circle of possible numbers, colors, shapes, and patterns. There are some crazy high payouts in this game, but, as with real life, you'll have to bet big when it counts.

Welcome to Albion's version of the slot machine, minus most of the noise. The Spinnerbox is capable of making you quite rich, but your fate is entirely decided by chance. There are no decisions to make in this game - simply let the spinners fly and stop where they will. The more matching images you end up with, the more you win.

If you're interested in earning your Fable II hero some new trinkets, then you'll have to participate in the game's many tournaments. A handful of tournaments are accessible immediately, with more becoming available as you earn points playing the games. There are minimum buy-ins at each table and you have to place in the top five to earn any gold or items.