Welcome to Talisman Island. A humble fan site dedicated to what I think is the best Fantasy genre game ever produced: Talisman - The Magical Quest Game. Designed by Bob Harris and originally released by Games Workshop in 1983, Talisman is now having a well-deserved revival in the capable hands of Fantasy Flight Games.
Retro-mancer News! 28th January 2010
Bob Harris sent along an image that had been sent to him by none other than a certain Ian Livingstone (OBE!) from a time when colour photography was in its infancy! Well, perhaps a little after that...
It features a playtest of Necromancer, the original title given to Talisman, during his first visit with Games Workshop back in the mists of time.
Clockwise from the top we have Bob Harris (sans beard), Albie Fiore, Ian Livingstone (OBE!) and Bob McWilliams. History is about to be made...
Nexus Games News! 25th January 2010
I was given a nice little snippet of information by Nexus Games today about the next expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman that will be coming from them.
L’Avanzata dei Ghiacci is the Italian translation of FFG's The Frostmarch expansion, and will join Galakta's Królowa Lodu, Edge Entertainment's La Marche du Froid and Pegasus/Heidelberger's Die Frostmark.
My shelves are starting to look very small indeed...
Strange Eons News! 24th January 2010
Well, at long last I have finally released the latest update for the Strange Eons extension for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman. It includes a number of additional card types, including a new style Token, Information & Rules cards and ENDINGS!!
The extension is available from my SE extension page here, and you can get a copy of the latest versions of Strange Eons at its home website.
You will notice that there are also translated versions of the extension on the pages, so thanks to all of the translators, but don't forget you will need a copy of the English version installed or you will not have all of the necessary images or fonts!!
More Talisman Character News! 12th January 2010
"Grima" sent me an email today to let me know about the new edition of DM Magazine. It is an Italian fanzine which is available online and it is possible to have hard copies of it printed and posted to you!
Issue #24 contains some fan made cards which are upgrades of some 2nd Edition characters to the Revised 4th Edition format made by Gianmatteo Tonci. They are in Italian, but should easily be remade using the original English language cards.
You can download a PDF of the issue here, or you can get yourself a hard copy of it via the Lulu website.
You will have noticed that they use art from Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures and I will making a list of those soon!
Some additional news!!! I've just noticed there is even more Talisman content in previous issues of the magazine. Issue #8 has an interview with Bob Harris and a feature on Talisman, Issue #20 has 9 2nd Edition characters converted to 3rd Edition format and Issue #21 has another 8 2nd Edition to 3rd Edition characters!!
Talisman Character News! 10th January 2010
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and the festivities around New Year! Let's hope for a year full of Talisman goodness!!
So far it has not been so bad, with Mephisto, a German language publication, making 12 new Characters for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman available via their magazine! This news is somewhat late as the issues started way back in July!!!
These three issues feature 4 Characters each, separated into the three Alignments. I am sure it won't be long before some industrious soul translates them so people can experience them.
More news as it comes... so stay tuned!! ;o)
Mythgardia Expansion News! 23rd November 2009
I've finally got around to posting some pictures of the new Mythgardia Expansion Set (Troll Included) which you can read up about over at the Mythgardia web site where there is also news of a special price for the original game!
The handy plastic box with special wrapper!
The contents, including new Sea Legends and Advantage cards!
J'Cabe ate my vulture!
As you can see, early adopters of the expansion were sent a special badge, which shows just how dastardly J'Cabe can be!
I can't wait to give these new cards and characters a go. When I can manage to get a game on I will post some more pictures. Igigwe!
Talisman FAQ News! 19th November 2009
I'm a little late with this news, but if you get yourself over to the Talisman Support Page you will find that Fantasy Flight Games has finally posted a FAQ for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman!
The document covers a range of questions from Talisman, including the Reaper and Dungeon expansions. It stands at v1.0, so it should be updated with questions from the Frostmarch expansion next.
I also got my copy of the Mythgardia Expansion Set (Troll Included) in the post today, so I will post some pics of that later on.
FFG Web Content News! 4th November 2009
Great news today as FFG released the first web content for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman, in the shape of a couple of Alternative Endings to complement those supplied with The Frostmarch expansion!
You can find PDF files with the two endings, as well as a back to go with them, on the Talisman Support Page!
In other news, the posting of the web content means that I can finally bring you a little something I created a while ago, which was brought to life when I saw Ralph Horsley's fantastic depiction of the Ice Queen for the cover of The Frostmarch.
The Ice Queen acts in a similar manner to the Reaper NPC, but she reacts whenever a character encounters a card from her realm! There is no rolling to see if she might be visiting you. If you mess with her minions, she will come and find you!! I hope you like her.
She can be found, along with a rules card explaining a bit more about her, in a 5495KB zip file here!
Mythgardia News! 3rd November 2009
I have some news from Team Mythdardia, to clarify the comment made in their latest news email about the Mythgardia Expansion Set!
You can now purchase the brand new expansion - "Mythgardia Expansion Set (Troll Included)" - from the Mythgardia Shop!
There are no pics up on the MG site the moment, but that will be resolved very shortly. The information to hand is that the expansion comprises 9 new characters, 15 new Legend cards, 15 Legends of the Sea and 20 Advantage cards. It all comes in a plastic box which fits inside your Mythgardia box and holds all of the cards for the game.
With adventures now to be encountered at sea and Advantage Cards to expand your Characters and enrich your game play, the Expansion Set takes Mythgardia to a dizzying new level.
More soon!!
Loadsa News! 29th October 2009
News overload today (well, sort of...) with the latest expansion for FFG's Revised 4th Edition of Talisman - The Frostmarch - being on general release to a bit of news about Mythgardia!
You can also have a sneaky peek at the rules for The Frostmarch over at FFG's Talisman Support page.
The latest email from "Team Mythgardia" had details of a new character for use with your copy of Mythgardia. Buffo the Braggart is available for download along with some other freebies on the Extras page!
There was also a mention that the Mythgardia Expansion Set is almost here!
Talisman: The Frostmarch Sneak Peek #4! 27th October 2009
What with The Frostmarch now being shipped to stores I figured it was a pretty good time to show you the final two sneaky peeks of artwork from the expansion!
These images depict a new Enemy who dishes out a chilling penalty should you lose against him, and a Spell that gives awesome power to the one who casts it!
Cryomancer by Ryan Barger
Obliterate by Ryan Barger
The latest article from FFG was posted late last week, but I was busy helping to run Talisman at GamesFest 4, which will get a bit of coverage later in the week. This time FFG focus on the new Alternative Endings which are included with The Frostmarch.
Heroes Of All Sizes The first preview for The Frostmarch, the upcoming expansion for Talisman
The Icy Touch FFG is proud to announce Talisman: The Frostmarch!
GamesFest 4 News! 22nd October 2009
Well, I am not sure how but it seems I have been roped into helping out with running games of Talisman at GamesFest 4 this weekend in Watford!
Elliott rang me up the other day and asked if I might be interested in attending, and after having such a blast recently at Gen Con Indy, and previously at various UK conventions I thought it would be a cool idea. So, if you are attending, or thinking about it, be sure to stop by wherever Talisman is taking place and say hello! ...and bring cake!!!
For more details about GamesFest 4, check out the official website.
Talisman: The Frostmarch Sneak Peek #3! 20th October 2009
Another week passes by and another artwork update is here for you muse over whilst we wait for the release of the Frostmarch expansion!
Today's images are of two of the bad guys from the deck. If they don't send a shiver down your spine then you are a brave adventurer indeed!
Shiver Nymph by Felicia Cano
Ice Elemental by Ryan Barger
There was another featurette posted over at the FFG website last week, showing off some of the new Warlock Quest cards and a few Adventure cards, as well as the new Warlock character. This week will bring some news on the Alternate Ending cards!
Heroes Of All Sizes The first preview for The Frostmarch, the upcoming expansion for Talisman
The Icy Touch FFG is proud to announce Talisman: The Frostmarch!
Talisman: The Frostmarch Sneak Peek #2! 13th October 2009
The Revised 4th Edition of Talisman will have its third expansion before long in the shape of The Frostmarch! I have a couple more images to show off to you from Fantasy Flight Games that I think you might be happy with for the time being.
Today we have a terrifying creature that you may have seen before on the FFG site, along with my favourite piece of artwork so far from the new version of Talisman.
Chillbane by Ryan Barger
Bag Of Carrying by Raya Golden
Remember to check back next week for some more artwork from the Frostmarch, and don't forget to visit the FFG website for the latest news, straight from the horse's mouth!
Talisman: The Frostmarch News! 8th October 2009
Fantasy Flight Games have posted the first preview of the Frostmarch expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman!
The feature concentrates on two of the characters from the expansion that have been hinted at before. If you cast your mind back to the 20 Questions Interview with Talisman Guru, John Goodenough, you may recall he mentioned that -
"One interesting thing to note about the miniatures is that it will feature the largest and smallest character in the game."
The next feature will be a preview of the Warlock Quests from the expansion, as well as a few of the new Adventure cards.
Heroes Of All Sizes The first preview for The Frostmarch, the upcoming expansion for Talisman
The Icy Touch FFG is proud to announce Talisman: The Frostmarch!
You might also want to stop by Talisman Island next week for some more sneak peeks of artwork from the Frostmarch expansion!
AGC Podcast News! 7th October 2009
Chris Heim and Logan Masterson from the All Games Considered podcast have sneaked out another instalment in the "Talismania Revised" series, this time concentrating on the Reaper expansion.
The feature is in the second half of the 25 minute podcast, AGCExtra 33 which is available at the AGC site.
Part Three of Talismania Revised (-ised -ised -ised -ised!), featuring talk and opinion about the Dungeon expansion will be out next!
Talisman: The Frostmarch Sneak Peek #1! 6th October 2009
Well, the time has come another sneaky look at some of the artwork that features in the newest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman.
FFG have been kind enough to supply me with some images taken from the Adventure and Spell cards from The Frostmarch expansion, which I will be showing over the next couple of weeks.
Astrolabe by Frank Walls
Marked For Glory by Ryan Barger
There will be some more artwork to see next week, and hopefully some more fan expansions for you to add to your game! Come back soon!
Mythgardia News! 17th September 2009
I have a couple of images and snippets of news that fans of the latest offering from the Bob Harris stable, Mythgardia, might be interested in.
Firstly, Mythgardia is now available for a lower cost of £37.95 plus shipping. It seems that the game will now be printed in batches of 50 games, so if you've been deliberating over getting hold of a copy of the game, head on over to the Mythgardia website and take the plunge!
Some new extras have been added to the site to help with your gaming experience, including some printable score sheets and some new optional rules from the man himself!
The picture above is an interesting shot of the prototype version of Mythgardia which was made using images taken from various sources just for play purposes. I wonder if people can see any differences with the final version?
Bob presided over demonstration games of Mythgardia last weekend up at Asylum Books and Games in Aberdeen. It looks like it went down rather well! If only it hadn't have been a bit of a trek I might have made it up there... Maybe next time.
Bob has also sent me images of the above sketches to muse over. What do you think it all means?
Frostmarch News! 3rd September 2009
FFG have just posted some news about the latest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman - The Frostmarch - on the news page. The article includes a peek at the Chillbane, which looks to be a formidable foe! There is also another shot of the box with Ralph Horsley's awesome artwork on the cover.
I thought I would add to the excitement a little by posting a couple of pictures that I took at Gen Con of some cards that have somewhat of a theme. That theme being Warlocks!!
The expansion includes a rather impressive stack of small cards, with 84 Adventure cards, 20 Spells and 24 new Warlock Quests!
One of the four characters included with The Frostmarch is the Warlock himself! Perhaps he fancied stretching his legs after all those years in his cave? I suspect he must have an assistant who hands out the Talismans whilst he is adventuring through the lands of Talisman!
There are 3 Alternative Endings, which replace the standard Crown of Command goal with a number of varied challenges, included in the expansion. The Warlock is the subject of one of these cards and offers a new way to win the game by being the first player to complete at least 4 Warlock Quests and then hightailing it to the centre of the board!
Hopefully there will be some more news posted by FFG about the expansion before too long! I'm really looking forward to the release of The Frostmarch!
I've been working on clearing the decks of things I need to upload and articles I need to sort and I am getting there, but very slowly.
Keep on visiting and there should be some new content when you come back!
Remember, Talisman Island is what YOU make it. If you have anything that you would like to be presented in any of the sections, just fire off an email to me and we'll try to get your creations to the masses!
Have a look around the place, let me know what you like, what you don't like and what else you'd like to see!
LEGAL GUBBINS!!
This web site is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. Talisman and all associated marks, names, characters, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Talisman world are either Registered, Trade Mark and/or Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 1983-2009, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.
It goes without saying that everything presented on this site is copyright of its respective creator and is presented free on this site for the greater good of the Talisman Community. So please don't steal anything and try to sell or auction it off as your own work.
Please also note that it is bad form to hotlink to any images here on Talisman Island and to take images for use on other sites without at least asking permission. I do not wish to start using "watermarks" on any imagery presented here, but will consider it if this becomes a problem.