Talisman (4th Edition)

[Talismanic (Mark)]

No problem, though we did wrap up an hour after you left.

After having had the chance to roll out the main board of Talisman with expansion Adventure Cards shuffled in, I have to say that there are really many good new cards. I saw many cards that allow deck mining- so choice is always great, and the "card destruction" events came out at the right intervals. 

Playing the game with 5 is really, IMO, the max, though since it was a learning game, even for myself to some degree, the game was a bit longer than necessary.

Some missed opportunities were apparent, for example the Fairy Character gained an inordinate amount of Strength rather than building up craft which was her strong suit. Also, the player who got the Gnome did not build up his Craft score to at least 10- having the gnome is almost half the battle at times- though he does eat your candy, and candles, and touches himself in public.

The Amazon got the win primarily because the other players did not pay attention to blocking her in the mid-game and end-game phase. Though again that may have been due to a little fatigue.

All in all though, it was still an epic battle with some memorable moments, especially the thief taking out the Necromancer, and all the crazy alignment changes.

To make the game faster, some adventure deck tweaking, and even spell deck tweaking, is really ideal. Also, the card Discordant Dirge is really really good for speeding up character growth in mid-game. It should be set aside and shuffled into the middle of the adventure deck every game.

[Talismanic (Mark)]

Well there was another epic battle in the world of Talisman with the Ogre Chieftain, valorous Knight, evil Magus, and Dread Knight duking it out. Suffice to say it was a lot of fun with the new cards and having a lot of PvP and spell casting!

It would be nice to see the oriental characters again, all of whom were quite powerful:

(1) The Samurai- Had a bow, and Karate!



(2) The Ninja- Had the Secret Strike and could evade any Enemy.



(3) The Martial Artist- Had the Killer Blow and Heroic Leaps

 

Pics from BGG. (Wish I had the minis)

[Talismanic (Mark)]

Got in a couple more games of Talisman, with some 2 and 3 player match-ups. Playing with the Highlands expansion can really speed up the game, definitely one of the expansions the game should be played with.

With regard to the characters-

(a) The new-improved Assassin is a real powerhouse once he starts to kill things. Since opponents he attacks don't get a dice roll in combat, he easily pwns even dragons once he levels up.

(b) The Warlock (of the Warlock's Cave!) can now adventure, perhaps leaving an assistant to dole out quests and talismans, he is quite powerful as he gains his spell complement based on craft at the start of each turn!

(c) The Vampiress is also a force to be reckoned with with 5 lives and the ability to steal and drain followers for life, as well as healing up to maximum at the graveyard, she can be quite unkillable. Also, if she changes her alignment to Neutral, she can still take advantage of her abilities and use a lot of the neat new stuff.

(d) The Dread Knight starts with a Warhorse! And if it dies, he can replace it at the graveyard ("Evil gods bring it back to Liiiife!"). Further, he gains spells upon slaying enemies. Thus, the DK is a powerful warrior-mage type that can really mix it up with any opponent.

(e)  The Cleric has only 3 life but can discard fate to save life or a follower. She also gains fate whenever she prays, and can destroy spirits and gain fate from them. With the warhorse she can definitely be a force to be reckoned with.