Talisman Revised Fourth Edition Board Game

Absorbing, Fun and Easy to learn.Unboxing- The first thing you will notice is a sturdy box holding a well made board game. Everything has a good feel to it and my only gripes are the miniatures are all a rather bland grey. I understand many people like to pain the miniatures (and I have began the process myself) but they could have at least made evil characters red, good blue or something similar? When you play with 4 or more players there tends to be moments of wondering who is who (as some of the figurines are very similar) The dice are orange and blend in perfectly with the entire centre of the board (the Plains of Fire are also the same colour) its a small fix buying some different dice as we did but still an annoyance.Gameplay- Very easy turn-based movement designed to make your character strong enough to make a run for whatever your winning criteria might be? Be warned everything is more of a gamble than an actual role-playing dungeon game? Your character interacts with each square they land on which usually means drawing an "adventure card" which can result in anything from objects that make you stronger, followers who also aid you, gold to purchase items, events that affect the whole board/ other players or an enemy to fight? With the extra expansions you usually get more adventure cards that make the game more interesting and diverse each time you play.Player Vs Player combat can be fun especially if another player is holding something you really want for yourself! Towards the end of the game you might find it gets quite ruthless very quickly. We actually have a house rule to draw the game out even longer (i.e. The Portal of Power does not open until 1 x character has x 15 craft or strength then its open for all)Literally anyone can learn this game within several minutes and for the more advanced gamer there is possibility to draw up as many house rules as you like? When we play a full game of Talisman we use many of the expansions AND add a "Heroquest" board onto the edge creating and entire new dungeon level! We also augment the inner region with monster/wizard figurines who have their own outcomes when you engage with them. In fact in several weeks our group will be embarking on a 6 hour+ quest to slay a Dragon with Strength 33 & Craft 33! (Please feel free to look over our game on the Milton Keynes Board Game Club on Facebook) Anyway... You get my point. This base game is fun on its own, but it also very good to adapt for experienced Talismaniacs.Expansions- If you are going to get any expansions then you might best dip a toe with any of the "small box" expansions. The best one in my opinion is the Reaper. You have a non-playable "Grim Reaper" that you can add to your game who can be moved by any player who rolls a 1. It adds a great dynamic and like all expansions you also get extra characters (with the miniature and card of course) plus spells, adventure cards and a few other bits.For the "big box" expansions each one has a great and different dynamic. Highlands is probably the easiest and least complicated. City is interesting to a point but only good if used with others. Woodland is more combative and interesting and Dungeon is quite a test! The beauty is that each one gives a different dynamic and really adds depth into your game. (See- Image I found for how big your game can get with 4 x big box expansions)Summary- Enjoy!

Talisman is a great game, it relief heavilly on luck of the dice, but you also have to make a lot of choices that can influence your chances as well. It's a cross between a boardgame and a fantasy role play. You pick a character and you have various stats and then you have to be the first to reach the centre of the board (the crown of command). There are various expansions and alternative endings you can use instead which change the game rules to varying degrees.Not everyone will enjoy a game like this but I did and it's not what I would typically play. There are a lot of rules but they make sense, it's nto overly complext, but it will take a game or two to learn.

I ordered this having spent some time with the Digital Version, which garnered the interest of six year old boy. He asked whether there was a boardgame version and so I went ahead and ordered a copy.I am very pleased with the game and consider the contents to be of a resonably high standard. The fact that everything came packaged in its own press-seal bag surprised me as I was expecting normal shrink wrapped cards and plastic packets for tokens. The cards are a little on the small side but do save on playing space so they are suitable for purpose.The game istelf is fun and can be taught to a new player in only a few rounds (easier to teach when playing and explaining the rules at the same time). Depsite the recommended age on the box my boy manages to follow the main rules, if not some of the more intricate rules and the little strategy that there is.Being a dice game there is a lot of luck involved but this helps balance out the chance of winning when playing with my children and wife and not just becuase I know all the rules and may happen to be a better player (don't let the wife hear that)Would recommend for anyone/family looking for a little light entertainment and time together that doesn't revolve around a games console or TV.

I purchased Talisman as a gift for my friend who had been looking into playing a board game such as Dungeons and Dragons. After some research I discovered that D&D wasn't a great game to start off with, especially considering there are only two of us that want to play. I later found out about Talisman and that it was a great place to start and was viable for two players without getting boring or overly complicated.Since then we have both played many fun games together, and although at first learning the rules was a case of trial and error, we now find it one of the best ways to spend time together.To the game itself, the rules are interesting and diverse without being extremely complicated. Talisman has a number of interesting characters to play which keeps the game fresh as each character requires a slightly different play-style. The board is high quality and the art work is stunning. Everything is great quality and my friend greatly enjoys looking through the illustrated and informative rule book that even supplies some alternative game rules for quicker or differing games to mix things up. There are also expansions that can be bought later to keep things interesting.Overall as new players to RPG board games, we find it a real blast and would recommend it to anyone looking into getting into the genre or simply fancy playing a different kind of board game :D