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Talisman

Play OverviewPlay Overview

Talisman (1983) is a classic adventure fantasy board game. Playing as heroes, wizards, villains, thieves and monsters you explore the world to gain equipment, weapons, ancient relics, and companions. It's a Dungeons and Dragons feeling adventure but played with preset rules on a board rather than purely in the imagination.

You race other players to move from the outer world to the inner labyrinth of the board. As you do you must build up equipment, weapons, and companions to improve your stats and be ready for what lies deeper. Complete a Talisman quest and you can enter the inner world and reach the Portal of Power to claim the Crown of Command. All the while other players are trying to stop you from killing all the monsters and winning.

Although there are lots of ways to progress through the world and your abilities, the gameplay is relatively simple. Each turn you roll a die for movement, then decide which path to progress. Each space on the board has different instructions and encounters. These can be creatures, companions, weapons, equipment, treasure, or relics.

You then fight creatures to gain the related items or companions. If another player is in the same space they can also get involved in the battle. If the defender loses, he loses a life and an item or companion of the attacker's choice. If the attacker loses, he loses a life.

Once you progress to the inner world the enemies are harder, like the Vampire's Tower and Werewolves. Manage to claim the Crown of Command and you can cast the Command Spell which forces other players to lose a life. It then becomes a race for the Crown as the other players try to take the player with the Crown down before he finishes them all off.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Talisman 23 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 14 months ago.
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Play StylePlay Style

This is an Adventure and Collecting game with Battle, Race, Role-Play and Traversal elements. You can play with 2 to 6 players in the same room.

 
You can play this game in the following styles:

DurationDuration

Learn to Play: This takes 40 minutes to learn. Although it's not as open as a Dungeons and Dragons game, there is a considerable amount to learn before you start. You also need to understand how things progress before you can play tactically.

There is a digital version that can be purchased. This is an easier game to learn and can also serve as an introduction to the board game.

Play Time: This game will take between 1 hour and 1 and a half hours to complete.

BenefitsBenefits

This game is good if you want to:

Age RatingsAge Ratings

Skill Level

8+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content.

Content Rating

We rate this suitable for 12+ years-olds. The game includes depictions of monsters, the use of weapons and magical spells. It also has Alcohol References, Suggestive Themes, and Violent References according to the ESRB rating for the spin-off video game.

CostsCosts

There are no additional in-game purchases, loot boxes, adverts or subscription costs.
 
You can purchase expansions and additional character packs. The expansions include:
  • Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Highland Expansion (2010)
  • Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Sacred Pool Expansion (2010)
  • Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): Crown of Command (2009)
  • Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): Danse Macabre (2009)
  • Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Dungeon Expansion (2009)
  • Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Frostmarch Expansion (2009)
  • Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Reaper Expansion (2008) 
 

DetailsGame Details

Release Date: 01/01/1983, updated in 2010

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Players: 2-6

Genres: Adventure, Collecting (Battle, Race, Role-Play and Traversal)

Accessibility: 0 features documented


Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

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