Back in the day… the day being 1986, my first year at high school… I was introduced to a little boardgame called Talisman. It was D&D as a boardgame! Cool! We played a lot of it back then, and I mean a lot of it. I have the distinction of being the person who started the Talisman Craze at my school, which saw a lot of it being played at lunchtimes.

So, after quite some time out of print (and some time where I wished it was out of print: the 3rd edition), it’s returning in a 4th edition.

I’ve been browsing the boards for tidbits. It’s basically 2nd edition with a few tweaks… here’s one of them: the alternative endings:

Pandora’s Box – Disaster

A large ornate Box has replaced the Crown of Command. Your curiosity overwhelms you and you release the Lid. Unfortunately, multitudes of Enemy Spirits are released across the land. From this point on, all Characters must roll two dice at the start of their turn with the following results:
2) a Demon siphons two Lives,
3) a Vampire siphons a Life,
4) a Ghast saps one point of Strength (but not below your starting quota),
5) a Shadow saps one point of Craft (but not below your starting quota),
6) a Wraith devours a Follower at random, apart from the Apparition, Cursed by Hag, Jester, Poltergeist, or Vultures (discard),
7) a Ghost steals an Object at random (discard),
8) a Lich steals a Spell at random (discard),
9) a Banshee steals a Bag of Gold (discard),
10) a Spectre forces you to miss your turn,
11) a Shade forces you to move one space for this turn, or
12) the Spirit of hope heals a Life.
If you cannot lose a particular item, then you have escaped punishment that turn. These Enemy Spirits cannot be evaded by any means. The best chance of survival for Characters in the Inner Region is to flee to the main board. The last Character remaining alive wins the game.

Paladin – Stranger

An invincible Paladin is guarding the Crown of Command. He immediately declares that you are unworthy and Teleports you back to your starting space. The only way that he will let you or anyone else pass, is if you present him with one of the legendary Elf Stones. The Body Stone is with the Barbarian in the Crags (Red), the Heart Stone is with the Boatman in the Tavern (Green), and the Mind Stone is with the Ranger in the Forest (Blue). To obtain one of the Elf Stones, you simply need to roll a 6 on the relevant space on the Adventure board and you will receive the Elf Stone, instead of your normal reward (place a one counter of the appropriate colour on your Character card to remind you of this). Once discovered, an Elf Stone cannot be taken from a Character by any means, unless the Character possessing it is killed, in which case the Elf Stone automatically returns to the space from where it came. A Character may only possess one Elf Stone at any time. The first Character to present the Paladin with one of the Elf Stones, wins the game.

Gorgon – Enemy Monster (Craft 12/Lives 4)

A monstrous Gorgon is guarding the Crown of Command. It automatically senses your approach and it lures you into the Wizard’s Chamber. You must roll one die with the following results:
1) you look directly into the eyes of the Gorgon and you are temporarily turned to Stone – lose a Life,
2) you stumble blindly into the path of the Gorgon – you must fight a Psychic Combat against it (Craft 12),
3) one of the Gorgons minions reveals your position – lose one point of Craft (but not below your starting quota),
4) you take a drink from a potion that you discover – heal a Life,
5) you use the reflection of a discarded Shield to discover the exact whereabouts of the Gorgon – gain one point of Craft, or
6) you manage to sneak up behind the Gorgon and kill one of its four Snakes – the Gorgon loses a Life.
Once you have completed the result, you must re-roll the die and so on, until either you or the Gorgon is dead. If you kill the Gorgon, you win the game; if the Gorgon kills you, it regenerates its Lives, and it awaits the next Character to encounter it.

So, that’s three of the possible endings. How many are there? I don’t know.

Are they too luck-based? Do they make the game better?

Pandora’s Box is definitely my favourite of the three – it turns the game into PvP, with additional effects making it harder. The Paladin is interesting – it basically means you have to visit one of three spaces and then roll a 6, then return to the centre of the board. I think it’s quite a nice variant. The Gorgon is more problematic, being very random (though in a balanced way – a high Craft will allow you to win the game), but  it does end the game then and there (for you if not for everyone).

I really want this new edition. 🙂

Cheers,
Merric