Talisman - how many versions? :o

[Billiam Babble]

Talisman keeps coming back over the years.
 
A shocking list of a versions from a simple search on Board Game Geek
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=Talisman&B1=Go

I never did think the Crown of Command was very powerful, players would just catch each other up and kill them at this mighty zenith - but I never got around to buying that expansion with the alternative challenges at the end of the game.  

My set just about survives but it suffered a serious attack of mold in a cellar whilst I was between houses. :(
My copy had the Achilleos cover ( http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/2352 ) but I think the previous Gary Chalk (or was it Dever?) cover was the one that made me want to buy the game ( http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/30974 ).  All card with some plastic stands.

I used to like being the Troll or the Thief I think.  Being the Thief or Prophetess (who gets to rifle for ages through most of the deck of cards) seemed to really upset friends.

I particularly liked some of the events cards like Plague (Pestilence?) and Taxation which would effect all the players in that board section - made you feel like the world was less static with mighty events happening beyond your control.
(Oh god, did just say I like Taxation as an event ... oh god, hardly high fantasy ... almost as exciting as the prologue scroll to Star Wars: Episode One, but I digress...)
*Remembers something about a very Robin Hood-like bandit...*

Build that raft!

[MortiS-the-Lost]

How many versions?

Not counting all the world wide translations (Talisman has been even been translated into Hebrew apparently) there are 4 editions of Talisman... well 4 and a half


 ^ The goblins guard my hoard of gaming treasures

1 st edition Talisman came out in 1983 (the same year as Warhammer 1st edition and myself!) followed by the re-art-work'd 2nd edition in 85 and then fans had a long wait until 1994 for 3rd. 3rd was then released in the US and Canada in around 2001 (I got hold of my copy of 3 rd at this time with the help of my brother who lives in Canada!). 2007 saw the long awaited 4th edition published by GW's off-shoot company Black Industries and then when BI disappeared during GW's recent foot-shooting in 2008 Fantasy Flight Games took over the Talisman licence (along with WFRP and Dark Heresy) and released Revised 4th edition with slight rule changes and some nice plastic miniatures of the characters and even 4 Toads. Fantasy Flight also rather kindly released an upgrade pack to update regular 4 th edition with the revised cards, fate point rules and the miniatures. I've just about managed to cram the contents of the upgrade pack into the 4 th edition box which is why it doesn't quite close.

Fantasy Flight's Revised 4th edition Talisman is still in production and hopefully will be for some time to come so no need to crawl around eBay just yet ...

I like playing the Troll mostly and the Inquizitor in 2 nd edition. The Champion of Chaos event making you a Chaos Warrior is also great fun.
The All Character events makes Talisman feel like it's taking place in a real living fantasy world - Taxation may not be high fantasy, but it is gritty and medieval and I feel it fits in the game nicely.
 

[Billiam Babble]

Even photos of the boxes make me really want to own them!  (Green box!!)

*grins*

Again, an impressive collection!  (Goblin guard is essential. lol)  The Canada link does explain a little as to why I seemed to have missed that reincarnation.

It is strange and shocking how Games Workshop seem to just walk away from so many decent projects.    Have they no sense of their own heritage ...!?  (Stay calm, Billiam)

I wonder what this 4th edition will be like ...?

[MortiS-the-Lost]

Yea GW have changed, you can see in their product lines, you can feel in their stores and your can hear it in the ignorance of their younger staff members. Much of what once was is now forgotten and there a few now who remember the golden age.

For me it started with the release of  40k 3rd edition and things just went down hill from their. Their where tons of great games in the 90’s Dungeon Quest, GorkaMorkA, HeroQuest, Necromunda, Talisman, SpaceHulk and many, many more, infact too many to even begin listing here. At the time many of us thought GW would keep supporting all these games and releasing more like them, but we where all deceived. GW cut down their ranges to the ‘core games’ we have today and despite attempts to carry on supporting a few of the old classics under Fanatic/Specialist games, the games we loved disappeared into legend.

But now after years of silence a lot of the games from the golden age have been taken over by most unlikely of companies ‘Fantasy Flight Games’ a board game company from America.

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=92&enmi=Chaos%20Marauders

I only just noticed today that they’ve released a new edition the forgotten GW classic Chaos Marauders! I’d say FF are definitely worth keeping eye on, who knows what they might re-publish next …

Looks like FF are slowly becoming what GW used to be, all they really need to do now is publish a monthly magazine where they talk about games and novels and show us lots of pictures of miniatures …