I think it's a beautiful production. They really did a good job.

Thanks. I think this is a really good edition of Talisman. Lots to like about it.

The new art is fantastic. I like it a lot.

It's lovely. The card backs for the spells in particular really zing.

Thanks for watching. I hope you enjoy the new edition.

It's good fun. Not deep or anything, but if you approach it as a rollercoaster, you should get on fine with it.

I recommend playing a few games of the 4e version as the game can be somewhat polarising tbh.

The first thing I did when I received the game was shoot comparison photos and upload them to my Instagram because I predicted people would want to see them.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I don't normally get on Instagram. That's why I didn't see them. I did end up finding them on there, though. Thank you!

You know... I better whisper it... I think I like the Talisman dwarf more than the HeroQuest dwarf.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring shhhhhh 🤫....... me too...

Thanks for watching.

HeroQuest is such a great way to reconnect with the hobby. It's just so accessible and so much fun. Talisman would be a great one to play with a group who don't take things too seriously and aren't looking for something particularly taxing - roll, move, and laugh as disaster unfolds.

Thanks. I did mention in the review that you can move left or right, but yes, it bears repeating there is a small amount of control there, although using fate to move up to six spaces in either direction if you don't like your roll does greatly open up that decision space in the new edition.

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you have a lot of fun when it arrives.

Thanks for watching. I think Avalon Hill have done a great job with this production, and yes, their first expansion looks like something completely new for Talisman, which should be interesting.

Thank you for watching.

Talisman always throws out weird chains of events that could be fun to translate into RPGs. The more expansions you add the stranger it all gets.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring you said there were 12 heroes, are there any that Talisman has that HQ doesn't?

You get a warrior, dwarf, elf, wizard, monk, priest, sorceress, prophetess, ghoul, troll, assassin and thief.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring ...okay so assuming that the Elf, Dwarf, Wizard and Monk are the same, and the Warrior = Barbarian and the Thief = Rouge Heir of Elethorn... (Spoiler warning, I've never played any Talisman before... but if they were HeroQuest heroes, I imagine it would go something a bit like this...) Priest: Body: 6 Mind: 4 Can use any armor (including helmets and Shields) but only one handed weapons. "Word of God": As an Action choose a character within line of fire; if you choose a hero, they regain 4 body points. If you choose a monster they must skip their next turn. Recharge if a hero takes 3 or more damage from a single attack. "Smite": As an Action choose a monster within line of fire. That monster takes 1 Body point of damage, or 2 if they are Undead. "Resurrect": Use this card when another hero would be reduced to 0 or fewer body points. Return them to life at full body and minds points. Sorceress: Body: 5 Mind: 5 Same equipment restrictions as the Wizard. While moving, if the Sorceress rolls doubles she may recharge one of her expended spells. "Missiles of Magic": As an action choose up to three monsters you can see. Each one must roll a red die. They are dealt 1 body point of damage unless they can roll a 5 or 6. "Arcane Blast": As an action choose a Monster within line of fire. Zargon rolls one red die, unless he rolls 5 or 6 the chosen target takes 3 damage. "Teleport": Instead of moving choose a space within line of fire. You may place the Sorceress in that space. "Mage Armor": As an action, apply this spell to yourself. You roll two more defense dice until you suffer at least one body point of damage. Prophetess: Body: 4 Mind: 6. Same restrictions as Wizard. When making a defense roll, the Prophetess may re-roll all of the dice, but she must accept the second result, even if it's worse. "Presage": You may cast this when another player would roll combat dice. They may re-roll all of the dice, but they must accept the second result even if it's worse. This spell recharges at the end of Zargon's turn. "Didn't see that coming..?": As an Action choose a Monster within range and line of fire. Move the target two spaces and deal them 1 body point of damage. "Reverse Damage": As an Action you and each adjacent hero may heal up to two body points of damage. "Threads of Fate": As an Action choose a Monster within line of sight. That monster must spend it's turn attacking another adjacent monster. Troll: Body: 9 Mind 1. Trolls can use any weapons, but cannot use any armor, helmets or shields. They just don't fit! "Regeneration": If there are any monsters on the board at the beginning of the Troll's turn he recovers 1 body point. This effect is always on. "Heavy Swings": The Troll always rolls one extra combat dice when attacking. "Troll SMASH!": Make an attack with a weapon. Roll extra two combat dice but after the attack, the weapon is destroyed. Assassin: Body: 5 Mind: 5. The Assassin may not use Chain or Plate armor, and does not use shields. "Poison Blade": If you did not move this turn, when making a weapon attack you may add an extra combat dice. "Stealth": The Assassin ignores monsters while moving. "Mark the Target": Instead of attack you may select a target as your mark. The next time you attack that target, they must roll one less defense dice. Ghoul: Body: 7 Mind: 3. The ghoul may not use chain or Plate armor, and does not use shields. "Another Undead": (Unless they have no other target) Undead enemies will not attack the Ghoul. "Bite": As a free action you may roll an attack (using 1 combat dice) against an adjacent, non undead, enemy. If the target has already defended from you this turn they cannot defend against this. If you hit, the monster takes one damage and the Ghoul heals body point. "Frenzy": You may make two attacks with a weapon you are holding this turn. If you do roll a red dice. If you roll 1 or 2 you may recharge this skill. If you roll 4-6 you may not use this skill again for this quest.

It's a lot of fun. It can feel old-fashioned compared to newer games, but I still think it can easily earn a place in a collection for a variety of reasons.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Sounds great. older fashioned and/or simpler games are usually the most popular at our house, or at least the ones I can get my wife and daughter to play with us. 😂

My daughter (13) keeps requesting Talisman and Stalagbite! at the moment. She has always loved games, but those two have really struck a chord with her. Talisman is a really great, accessible title. Even people who aren't into fantasy games will immediately understand it, and can engage with the idea of moving left or right around a board and then doing what the space says.

Talisman is more chaotic fun, but you gotta accept the good wiith the bad.

Or with my luck, I have to accept the bad with the bad.

It's got a lot of full-page artwork, a double-page spread of character biogs, a page of variant rules, a page just to highlight the differences between editions. And the rules are very clear and well-formatted with examples. You could still probably fit the actual rules on a single page of bullet points if you wanted to.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you liked the video.

It really is an attractive game, and just such simple fun. My daughter keeps asking to play!

Levelling up smooths quite nicely now. Runaway leaders tend to get slowed down enough for others to keep a better pace. I also like the new death rules. Getting a reset at the village keeps you in the game and removes that element of feeling like you have lost long before anybody wins.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring imma keep the old toad rule, missing three turns is what made it funny, but at least you can keep your items, also only one talisman means other players can’t horde them.

I don't dislike the new HeroQuest art; I know why they would go with that art direction, and I appreciate the homage they made to the original classic art. That being said, I do think this new edition of Talisman is stunning.

I'm glad the video was helpful. Thanks for watching.

I pre ordered my copy right after this review.

@@wallyguy2621 I hope you have a lot of fun with the game. It hasn't left our table much in the last few weeks.

The changes they have made definitely speed the game up considerably. Aggressive players who really push for the centre and who know the rules should be able to finish the game in a little over an hour, I think. You are still probably looking at closer to two hours for most games though, but that feels about right to me for an adventure game.

That'll be it. Thanks.

If I remember correctly, Fate allowed you to reroll; Dark Fate allows you to force another player to reroll.

Well, FFG did a really nice-looking edition as well. I wasn't a fan of the miniatures so much, but I always thought the art was good.

I will be talking more about Alliances in my next video.

I can see solo being rather awkward because a large part of the board’s text will be upside down!

I don't see how that's going to be any different to playing competitively on the board. No matter where you sit some of the board is always upside down.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring ​ @Carfilliot Solo for some games can be awkward. But having a game that just collects dust is a different awkward. This is game I've had a fondness for since I was a kid. I don't think this would be my go to solo game, but if it has good enough 2 player version then I could probably justify having room on my shelf, because I do love it with group of people and it easy as hell to teach.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring because the other player / players will read the text for you!

Half the Talisman map is always upside to you, depending on where you sit, it's just that with this new edition, it's the half that's closest to you, instead of the half that's farthest away. I didn't even really think about it until someone pointed it out, but it has definitely bothered some people.

Thanks for watching. If you're interested to know a bit more before putting down your money, my last video is talking about the forthcoming expansion so you can see where the game is heading, and later this evening I will be rounding out my coverage with a look at all 12 characters in the core set.

I played first, second, and third, and I skipped fourth completely, but I didn't have a copy in my collection anymore so was very happy fifth edition came along.

It certainly increases the pace of the game. Those first early levels really help.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yes, and slows down the leader, putting more suspense into the game.

As I recall, for second edition the Templar was a "master class." You had to earn the right to become one during the game. The templar was a base game starting character in third edition with completely different powers. That edition came out in 1994, so I wonder if that was perhaps the one you played?

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringvery possible. That’s around when it was. I don’t remember seeing an edition on the box and it was so long ago I assumed it would’ve been the original lol

Talisman has been around a long while - it makes me feel very old! If the edition you played had plastic miniatures it would have been third edition. First and second edition came with cardboard standees and had metal miniatures you could buy separately.

The original rules for dying and for turning into a toad are included, so that's not an issue. The new rules for levelling up are easily ignored - although I think they are better as it gives an early bump to stats and keeps the game chugging along at a nice pace. And if you want to do the crown of command ending, you can easily tag that on after killing the dragon. I actually like the Talisman face now being the six. Talismans are supposed to be powerful artifacts, so to me it makes more sense for it to be the six. The first expansion is out this October, adding co-op play, new heroes, and new win conditions. So, that should be very interesting. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.

You get the best of both worlds here. They have included the original Toad rules for people who like the game to be a bit more brutal, but you also get the nerfed rules for if you are playing with younger gamers or players who don't enjoy that level of chaos.

As nice as the new miniatures are, they ain't Oldhammer miniatures. It sounds like you have more than enough superb Talisman products on your shelf already!

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yes, the Oldhammer Talisman 2nd Ed miniatures are beautiful, it took me about 3 years to collect them all at the prices I was willing to pay these days. I recall having a few of the miniatures in my youth but obviously lost them all, including my original Talisman 2nd Ed collection through my journey in life, though thankfully I have the stability the financial means to recollect everything again in my middle adult years, It's great to have a complete Talisman 2nd Ed collection including the miniatures.

I am still gradually building a collection of every miniature for Advanced Heroquest. It's not a cheap hobby, but the collection of miniatures is worth it!

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I own Advanced Heroquest, two sets actually, just so I could have more tiles. I doubt I will collect any of the Oldhammer miniatures showen on the box or the tokens, I just use classic heroquest miniatures and other fantasy 3d printed proxy miniatures instead. I have to draw the line in the sand somewhere, collecting Oldhammer miniatures is a very long and expensive pursuit and not something I will be doing again anytime soon, But goodluck with your Oldhammer collecting.

@@dejahthoris1808 I've been charting my Advanced Heroquest project on the channel. I also have two sets, I made my own Terror in the Dark, and I set myself the ridiculous goal of getting one of every miniature pictured anywhere on the game or on the associated materials. It's a very long-term project though. I may be dead before I finish it!

I honestly didn't really think about it until someone pointed it out, but I can definitely see why some people wouldn't like it.

Since second edition, each new edition of Talisman has had its own style and I think it's nice that different artists get to put their own stamp on it. I have liked all versions, but wasn't the biggest fan of the third edition in '94.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Right, the 90s edition was the third. I was thinking of that and the second, but that was already in the 80s. Hell, time flies...

As I get older time loses all meaning. Everything was yesterday, and also possibly 40 years ago.

I feel pretty much the reverse. The app version of Talisman didn't do much for me because the interactions at the table were always such a big part of my enjoyment. I actually don't know what the deal is with the app now that there's a new version...

They already announced the digital version of 5th edition. Same developer who made the 4th edition.

I've seen 40K Talisman, Kingdom Hearts Talisman, Bat Man Talisman, Harry Potter Talisman, and Star Wars Talisman, plus the spin-offs like Legendary Tales and the RPG, but I'm really only interested in the original version of the game.

If you had all of fourth edition in a physical copy it would probably be an easy pass. If you only have a digital copy it may be worth considering if you think it would see table time. It is a great game for a light, fun evening with friends. Also, Avalon Hill are taking it in some new directions with the first expansion being co-op so there will be some new things to explore.

They are approx 87mm x 56mm. I don't sleeve my cards, so I can't help on recommendations.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks what about the bigger cards?

@@westonboy8823 All the playing cards are the same size. I don’t think you would be able to find anything to fit the character cards.

I doubt you are alone, and you probably aren't missing anything, it's just not a game system that connects with you. It really is a game where you are along for the ride - what story will happen around you while you play? It is not totally devoid of decisions. For example, do you play aggressively, trying to steal as much from other players as possible? Are you gong to push your luck by moving to the central region early? Do you focus on exploration, or do you instead go to "fixed event" spaces as often as possible, relying on others to find the things you can then take off them? The new edition also adds extra decision points by making it easier to level up your low stats, and allowing you to spend Fate to mitigate a bad movement roll. Ultimately, it is a chaotic game with lots of randomness, which is instantly accessible to anyone, and which provides the opportunity for lots of backstabbing, uneasy alliances, screwing over your mates, and laughing at everyone's misfortune (including your own). I would say most fantasy games that tell a story of adventure are far more complex, so Talisman scratches a particular itch. And as it leans a lot on traditional gameplay elements, it's as much about what happens around the table as it is about what happens on it. Those moments where two players make a truce and start hunting down other players, or where one person will cast a healing spell on an enemy on the understanding there will be some kind of payment in return later on.

No plans for a playthrough for Talisman, I'm afraid.

worth a shot jeje CHEERS FRIEND!! ;D

Originally the idea was to get to the centre, beat the challenges, and then use the Crown of Command to defeat all the other players. In second edition, the expansion Talisman: The Adventure introduced a deck of cards that would randomise the win condition. Later editions would also have alternative endings included with expansions. For fifth edition, the win condition at the moment is just to defeat the dragon, but the win condition is likely to be different in the Fate Beckons expansion, and more alternative endings will probably be introduced as the game grows.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I see. I liked the randomness of the ending and the crown ending. Then we need to wait the expansion for it then

@@xToni981xthe absolute best was the “Horrible Black Void”!😆 first person to reach the Crown of Command space… instead of winning, gets sucked into a black hole and killed instantly. Thanks for playing!! 🤣🤣😆 God I loved classic, brutal Talisman!!

I'm still uncertain about the toad change. I like the new Fate rules for movement, the new way of levelling stats, and how character death doesn't mean starting from scratch with a new character. All the changes speed the game up a bit, which I think is a good thing.

A common complaint of Talisman is that it can drag so they have made changes to reduce that. I’m no millennial, and DungeonQuest is my favourite game of all time, and I like a lot of the changes. Stockpiling fate is now a valid strategy too so I don’t see a problem there. You don’t need to houserule toads or death though. The original rules are included in the book for those people who want the longer, more punishing game.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringmy literal favorite and most remembered game session of Dungeonquest (OG GW version) involved two players, myself and my girlfriend. We got the game down off the shelf, cleared the table, set up everything, selected characters, got all the appropriate bits together for the chosen characters, got our drinks and snacks together, and sat down to play. First turn; I fell into a bottomless pit and died. 🤣 Reset and started a second game; I think it was about 3 turns in and a rotating room trapped me against the castle wall with no escape. 😆🤣😂 we played a third round where I lucked into a treasure item in the first room… on my second turn I left the dungeon and said “beat that”. 😂 GF stayed in because she wanted to try to win but some awful fate befell her and she died in there. In all I think we might have spent as much time setting up the game as we did playing it. God I loved Dungeonquest!😆

Complete with all expansions? That's a lot of adventure! Unless you are keeping it for an investment you should crack it open and give it a go. It is a lot of fun if you don't expect it to be more than what it is.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yeah, all the expansions too. I bought about 30 miniature board games over a few years. I love painting miniatures. Been slowly opening and playing them. On Heroquest atm. Was gonna play The Lord of the Rings or Masters of the Universe next but may do Talisman instead.

I didn't know they'd covered the new edition in White Dwarf magazine. Is that in issue 501?

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Did GW sell the rights to AH?

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Referring to the original version.

Talisman has been produced under licence since fourth edition. Fantasy Flight Games lost the rights quite a few years back when they parted ways with Games Workshop putting the game in limbo, but Avalon Hill now have the rights. Hopeful we might eventually see new editions of games like Fury of Dracula and DungeonQuest from them as well.

Ah that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that.

nooooooo! Dang, and Dragon was SO HARD to get a copy of.

That is a capital offense. Straight to the chair for that scumbag thief!!

Besides the graphical and component differences the changes from fourth edition are the ones I listed in the video.

Spells aren't a problem in my experience. On your turn you can only cast as many spells as you started the turn with, so even if you use your final spell and draw a new one, you can't cast it that turn. On any other player's turn you can cast a maximum of one spell, so again, you can't spam the spell draw. Furthermore, 11 of the 24 cards in the core set can only be played at the start of your turn; only 9 spells can be cast at "any time" and they are usually things like the heal spell, preservation, and invisibility, when you will still generally use them only under specific circumstances. Of course, that changes with expansions.

It's definitely a game where you have to be okay with confrontation, random chaos, and sometimes everything going against you.

It's a board game going to general retail, which is already available to preorder, not a limited run or collectible. I can't see scalpers being an issue here.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring well they are. It was impossible to get Hero Quest when it came out. People buy all the copies and raise the prices. This has gone on with lots of products for over 20 years. You can't get edition 4 for a decent price so of course they'll try to snatch all these to mark up.

Are you in the UK? Fourth edition Talisman isn't a live product at this point so I'm not surprised it's hard to find at a good price. Fifth edition is currently available for preorder. You can order it from Hasbro, Amazon, and Zatu, probably other places, and I expect it to appear in more stockists soon. I would be surprised if it becomes really hard to find.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I'm in USA . Thanks

There is a flow chart on the back of the book that condenses most rules into one page but the new rules are very comprehensive. Lots of artwork, including full page illustrations, lots of examples, double page spread of character biographies, full page just to show the initial board set up, stuff like that you don’t really need. It could have been smaller but it’s well done. I can see toad minis turning up at some point, for sure.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I'm not sure how many examples you really need for" Do what the card or space says" but that's modern gaming for you. Maybe they will go the GW 2nd ed route of having character specific toad minis.

I've played plenty of games with the new version and it hasn't been a problem. The cards fit on the spaces fine.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring we will see if you say so when you play with 10 expansions. dont understand me wrong i really have hope im wrong and you right. Over the years I have played the fourth edition many times with 4 people (with all the expansions) and there was often a fight for free space on the table. Of course we didn't complain, it was great, but when I see these big cards I have concerns. I honestly hoped for years that if there ever will be a fifth edition, the cards would be smaller 🤣. I hope im wrong! we will see soon.

It's certainly not a concern at the moment. Down the line a table could get cramped, but the corner boards are probably more of an issue there than the cards players accumulate for their characters. I'm lucky - I play my games on a 6ft by 4ft gaming table, and compared to games that are stupid space hogs like Shadows of Brimstone I don't have any concerns about Talisman.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring you're right and I agree with you about the corner boards, but they won't be reduced much and I hope they will be included in future expansions. I just want to add that there can even be a 10m by 10m table, but at some point it will be pointless. I don't want to seem like a hater, I love this game and I really like the new edition! time will tell if I was wrong 🙏 and I hope I was wrong! (but if im right this should be a concern from this point). thanks for answering! regards!

The board is big so the art still has plenty of room to breathe - the lovely city art fits in a 6.25 by 2.25 inch area. The text is clear and easy to read, and it's still presented on burnt parchment like the 4th edition. I like the more zoomed out style because you get more of a sense of scale. In (for example) 3rd edition, the tavern space was just a tavern sign, but now we get to see the whole tavern, the livestock in the pen outside, the boat bobbing by the pier. It's beautifully detailed. It's different, but it works for me.

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Do you have the full measurement of the new board? I would really like to know how it compares to the 4th edition board? I hope the new one is a bit smaller, because 4th edition could be really hard to fit on a table with all expansions.

It's approx 30.25 inches x 20.25 inches.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thanks a lot. The new board is just a little bit smaller then. I think the 4th edition board is around 33 x 22 inches. It will be interesting to see if Avalon Hill will also release corner board expansions? I guess they will? Hopefully they will then be a bit smaller than 4th edition corner boards as well.

While fifth may lack the character of first/second edition, and the much more cartoonish third, I don't personally see it as being any more generic than fourth edition, and in general I do prefer the art. I think all five editions have had their own qualities, and I feel Avalon Hill have produced another excellent edition to add to the history of the game.

Well, I said it might be a divisive choice.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring And you are right. Some people doesnt mind, but for me too, this looks terrible. I cannot really say why, it kind of have a vertigo effect on me.

Not all art styles can appeal to everyone. I think this is a really beautiful edition, but I still prefer the second edition artwork, and I still think the third edition artwork is the worst.

That's fair enough. They are using a slightly modified version of the alternative dragon ending from the old Dragon expansion, and I think they have picked that as it's a quicker way to wrap up the game. If you don't like that, it's easy enough to add the Crown of Command battle. After defeating the dragon, just leave that player on the space and each turn zap another player for one life point, until everybody is dead. We can also be pretty sure the winning conditions in the Fate Beckons expansion will be different, and I would be surprised if we don't see other alternative endings in subsequent expansions.

That’s a good way of putting it. It’s such a lot of fun but it’s not exactly sophisticated or deep! I feel that way about Dungeon! too.

It should be the text book definition of a beer and pretzel game. Sometimes that is what you want though. Love Gary Chalks art he was all over my childhood; Talisman, Heroquest and Lone Wolf.

Well, lots of people seem to.

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringthis is disgusting compared to 4'th Ed :/. Like AI made the graphics. No soul there :/ Main board is smaller and cards are bigger (where art covers 90% of card and Text is so thin...) so they will not fit on space... Mechanics are blend. 2 heroes are missing and druid was my favorite. There are 2 good parts about this: one: characters figures are bigger and are more detailed. Second: I hope it will impact over cover prices of 4th edition. I need woodlands and few expansions :/ those are very expensive in Poland :/

Everybody accuses everything of being made by AI at the moment, regardless of style. I think it's a dangerous accusation to continue making, and potentially undermines the real work of real artists, which is not what any of us want to do. I largely disagree on your assessment of the new edition (but I too would have liked to see the druid and minstrel included from the start), but it sounds like you are most of the way to a complete fourth edition anyway! Good luck getting the rest of the collection, and thanks for watching.

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Good that you do. I also disagree about your opinion from video. Still we can respect each other.

For sure. It would be a boring world if everybody agreed on everything!

It’s built off 4th but has the rules changes I listed, bigger cards, and different art (I don’t think it’s any more generic than 4th). I think the character art, art design in general and miniatures are better, and the first announced expansion which I have covered on the channel is doing something completely new. Some people will decide it’s worth getting the new edition while others won’t. For people who missed previous editions it’s great to see a new, beautiful edition at retail.

Every game needs lots of reviews, and I encourage people to go out and find them. I am generally considered to be a harsh critic, I think, and I call things how I see them. I much prefer the illustrations in this edition; the art in fourth is generally of a high standard - it was an FFG product after all - but they fluffed most of the character art, in my opinion. Avalon Hill have taken the chance to do some new things with the game. They have revised some of the main gameplay elements - I even broke down the differences between 4th and 5th for those 4th edition players out there. Also, they have a new expansion coming out introducing co-op play and mystery boxes, which is something completely new for Talisman.

Thanks for watching.

It's a new edition from a different company, so art, card sizes, and formatting are all different.