Talisman is a four player Fantasy RPG style board game where the focal part of the game is to obtain a talisman! But before we get into that lets take a look at the basics. Today we are looking at the Digital Edition for PC which allows you to play the game with computer opponents and online with other players. It doesn't require you to own the board-game to play and is much more convenient for the more casual player.
Similar to games like monopoly and snakes and ladders a simple d6 dice roll is used for movement on each players turn, main difference is players can go both directions navigating the board. Players can also enter two other separate regions in the center of the map, the closer you go to the center the harder the challenges you face and the more dangerous the punishment for failure but also more bountiful the reward.
While the game has many many different characters for the players to try out one can easily split the two main types based on their primary attributes. A physically stronger and more warrior like character will use Strength as their primary attribute whilst Mages and other sneakies use Craft as their main attribute.
There are benefits to having either of the two options, for example monsters, animals, beasts and anything physical use Strength as their main attribute and when you fight these kind of foes you will need to roll your current strength plus any bonuses you have plus 1 six sided die. When you fight creatures such as wraiths, magicians or basically anything spiritual or mystical you will need to do a roll using your Craft instead.
Its also important to note that one requires a certain number of Craft to obtain and use spells.
As you venture through the land of Talisman you can gather objects, spells and followers to assist you on your quest. You also obtain trophies from foes you have defeated. Once you have obtained seven of these you can trade them in for an increase of your primary stat by one.
From what I've gathered so far the basic strategy of the game is to farm each region for items, followers, spells and stat increases until you feel you are ready to venture into the harder regions. Entering into the other regions themselves doesn't come without its own challenges though, to enter the second region players must either defeat a sentinel guarding the bridge way or find another way round such as building a raft and sailing over or being teleported by a mage or card effect.
Its important to note that there is a PVP component to Talisman which really enriches the experience. If you land on a board space where there is already another player present you may choose to attack them instead of encountering the effects of the board space. Battles between players are resolved the same way they are resolved with other creatures the only difference is at the end of the battle the winning player can choose to take an item from the other players inventory if an item they want is not present or if its more strategically sound at the time they can also choose to do damage to the other players life instead.
This adds an important layer to the game as valuable game winning items can be stolen from you and used against you. In the end there can only be one winner and If you are having relationship problems I do not suggest you play this with your significant other or spouse as it could result in a nasty break up or divorce :-) I jest of course.
I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone so if this so far has wet your taste buds I suggest you grab a copy it's easily available via Steam and other digital stores. At around 400megs and with very low system requirement anyone could be adventuring in minutes. I strongly recommend you get 2-3 friends to play this with over some sort of voip conference like skype, mumble, teamspeak or ventrilo as this enhances the experience sufficiently.
You should play Talisman Digital Edition if:
You already like Talisman The Board Game and want to play it all the time!
You like Fantasy RPG like board-games
Are looking for a more convenient board gaming experience
Like going on adventures and rolling dice
Pros:
Convenient board gaming experience for those on the go
Can play with friends who are far away in other countries on a standard adsl internet connection!
Game allows you to rejoin if you get disconnected!
AI players available at any time on demand.
Cons:
There's nothing like rolling real dice or picking up real cards
Games can still be very time consuming
Conclusion:
I think Talisman is a real gem, I love board games but I've never played the board game edition of Talisman however the Digital Edition is a hell lot of fun. If you are looking for a cheap, convenient and fun turn based game to play with friends Talisman is the way to go!
