THE CARD
Name: Kitab Al-Azif
Type: Tome
Value: 4
Language: Arabic
Icons: Cthulhu, Death, Eye, Yellow Sign
San: -4
Unique: Yes
Special Effect Box: While this card is in play, you may choose to play Monster cards face-up as Allies, or Allies face-down as Monsters, becoming part of your Threat.
CLARIFICATIONS
The Kitab Al-Azif does not change how you bring Allies and Monsters into play. It only lets you choose where to put them after they have been brought into play by the normal methods.
After bringing a Monster into play, by using a gate (or some other more esoteric method), you may choose to put it into your Ally area. This uses the gate, since playing a Monster normally requires one.
After bringing an Ally into play (through the correct subregion, a train, a surprise meeting, etc), you may choose to put it into your Threat. This does not require a gate, since playing an Ally does not regularly.
QUESTIONS
Q: Can I bring Joined Monsters into play as Allies?
A: Yes. Monsters are played just as they normally would be. As you bring them into play, you simply decide to place them into your Ally area rather than your Threat.
Q: Can Monsters in play as Allies be moved back to the Threat?
A: Only by means through which Allies could normally join a Threat (ie, an Enchanted Weapon, The Innsmouth Look, certain Spells, etc).
Q: Do Monsters in play as Allies count as Monsters for an Adventure?
A: No. Any Monster in the Ally area loses the Monster Type and gains the Ally Type instead. (In general, a card changes Type whenever it moves from one in-play area to another.) Note that it still posesses its Subtype. Thus, Father Dagon will still count as a Greater Servitor (if an adventure calls for that specific subtype), but not as a Monster (for Knee Deep in Doom). The Monster regains its normal Type when it rejoins the Threat, or when it is buried (all cards revert to their natural state when buried).
Q: Can a Monster use its Special Effects as an Ally? How about Attributes?
A: This has been clarified in the most recent rules: "Monster abilities provided in the special effects box are not available to Monsters played as Allies. Attributes in the title bar remain, but some (such as Invisible) will have no effect when the Monster is an Ally." The converse is also true (Allies don't get their special effect boxes when acting as Monsters).
Q: Are Monsters played as Allies Corrupt or Steadfast?
A: This is clarified in the most recent rules: "Monsters played as Allies are always considered to be corrupt".
Q: Can GOOs be played as Allies with the Kitab Al-Azif?
A: Yes. However doing so is usually an exercise in futility since they have no values. The most recent rules offer the following clarification: "Allies that are reduced to a zero Card Value (via Spells or Events), or that have no listed value, are buried in your Story Deck immediately." Thus, unless you've managed to somehow give your GOO a value, it's going to be buried the second it hits the table.
STRATEGIES
The Kitab Al-Azif, Knee Deep in Doom and Enchanted Weapons: This one takes a few different elements, but it's well worth the work (for Sheer Fun Value at the least). The premise is this: some of the best decks I've seen stack up all the requirements for several adventures, and then allow you to play multiple adventues in very short order. So, what you do is play out your first several adventures, the whole time using the Kitab to play Monsters as Allies, and handing them Enchanted Weapons as you are able. (Yes, your opponents will begin to sweat.) Play through your Adventures until you reach 15 points. Hopefully, you should have 20 points of Monsters laid out as Allies by then, all equipped with Enchanted Weapons. After playing that Adventure that brought you up to 15, immediately Pass, Pass. Commit all your Enchanted Weapon Monsters to your Threat during the "Allies Defend" phase. Assuming you don't win outright by killing your opponents, you should be able to play Knee Deep in Doom at the start of the next round.
Using the Kitab Al-Azif for Defense: Bashing people with Monsters can be quite fun, but it's not always the best way to actually win a game. The Kitab gives you an alternative. You can bring your big Monsters out, but use them solely for defense. If no one else is attacking, they'll hang around, and you'll always be ahead for defense in following rounds.
The Kitab Al-Azif and the Brotherhood of the Black Pharoah: A simple enough combo. One card and you're halfway to the Sanity requirements for this Adventure. And, it's darned easy to bring out an Arabic Tome in the Middle East.
The Kitab Al-Azif and Adventures Requiring Corrupt Allies: Certain Adventures require Corrupt Allies (eg, Secrets of the Silver Twilight, Seeking Everlasting Life I). By using the Kitab Al-Azif, you can temporarily choose to turn your Monsters (a requirement in nearly any deck) into Corrupt Allies if you are missing that Adventure requirement.
The Kitab Al-Azif and Adventures Requiring Allies that Cost Sanity: Many Monsters cost Sanity to play. Thus, you can use the Kitab to turn them into Allies that Cost Sanity (a requirement in some Adventures).
The Kitab Al-Azif and Call Power of Nyambe: "I bring this Joined set of Father Dagon, Mother Hydra and a Shoggoth into play as Allies using the Kitab Al-Azif" (cost: -4 San). "I cast Call Power of Nyambe on Father Dagon, Mother Hydra and the Shoggoth" (cost: -2 San; Total Cost: -6 San; Total gain: +13 San, for +7 San sum). Not bad for two turns of work. You can get not quite as impressive, but still nice results from summoning smaller critters. Note that Call Power of Nyambe can also be used to replace Enchanted Weapons in the first Strategy above (involving Kneep Deep in Doom). It's probably even more effective, since it doesn't freak opponents out and is a little faster. It's just not as fun.
The GOO Factor: Although GOOs usually get buried the second they come into play as Allies, this may occasionally be a good thing. If, for example, you wish to play an Adventure card right after playing the GOO, and still get the Sanity from it. Or, alternatively, if you're afraid your opponent might make better use of a GOO's special ability than you. Thus, the Kitab Al-Azif is a good addition to decks that require GOOs for Adventures, just in case.
Holding Spells: The Kitab Al-Azif can also be used to hold spells of a variety of types.
COUNTER STRATEGIES
Although Kitab Al-Azif has the cool effect of turning Monsters into Allies, it also has the unfortunate detriment of turning Monsters into Allies. They now fall prey to all the Spells and other items which specifically hurt Ally cards. Two Spells in particular stand out for use against Kitabbed Monsters.
All Monsters turned into Allies automatically are Corrupt. Thus, they are vulnerable to the Yellow Sign Spell, Devolution. Turning a Color Out of Space Ally into a Deep One is usually worth the price. Turning one into a Giant Albino Penguin is even better, since the Penguin has 0 value, and is immediately buried.
The Yellow Sign Spell, Steal Life, can offer an even bigger win. Players tend to use the Kitab to play big Monsters as Allies. Typically, Greater Servitors and Independents. That means you might be able to Steal Life from 4, 5 or 6 point Allies, which is amazingly high. If an opponent plays his Color Out of Space, you can use Steal Life to get +4 Sanity ever turn, the equivalent of a Sanitarium.