Great news everyone!! Now only have FFG updated the status of The Highland expansion to Shipping Now, but they have also posted a PDF file of the rules to the Talisman Support Page!
Talisman: The Highland News! 6th May 2010
The Highland expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman must be close to release now (fingers crossed!) and FFG have published another preview feature, this time showing off the Valkyrie!
One thing to note from the feature is that they say that the release of the Highland is "drawing near"!!
Talisman: The Highland Bonus Sneak Peek! 1st May 2010
I thought I would just give you a nice little bonus sneak peek by showing you a low resolution image of the box back for The Highland expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman
You will be able to see the detail soon when the expansion is finally available, but I thought I might provoke a bit of discussion by revealing this!
That boat is getting closer and closer as we speak... Faster!!!
Talisman: The Highland Sneak Peek #5! 28th April 2010
Well, hopefully it won't be too long before we get some more news about when The Highland expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman is going to be available for purchase. Tabletop Gaming News reported that the word from FFG was that it would be in the first half of May!
It's good that is shouldn't be so far off, as sadly we have come to our final sneaky peek of artwork to show you. *sad face*
Cyclops by Felicia Cano
Roc by Eric Braddock
I'm really looking forward to getting hold of the expansion so I can stress test my dining table with two corner expansions on the go. Can you smell that Highland air yet...??
Talisman: The Highland News! 21st April 2010
Another week brings another preview for The Highland expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman on the Fantasy Flight Games website!
After showing us three of the new characters in recent weeks, they have now released details of Relics, which are great treasures that can be gained by defeating the Eagle King!
Next week brings the last set of spoiler images from the expansion on Talisman Island, but you never know what might be coming in the mean time!
Talisman: The Highland Sneak Peek #4! 14th April 2010
The Highland expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman has now had its status changed to "On The Boat", which means that it shouldn't be too long before we can get our sticky mitts on it!
Today we have a couple of great images from the expansion for you to see. I really like the view from the Gong of War!
Gong of War by Christopher Burdett
Treasure Hunter by Felicia Cano
Fingers crossed for calm seas, a tail wind and no pirates! Come on boat!!!
Talisman: The Highland News! 7th April 2010
Fantasy Flight Games have just put the third character preview online for The Highland expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman!
Now that we have seen 3 of the 6 characters, I hope next time we might get to see some of the perils we will have to face on our journeys through the Highlands...
There will be more images to see on Talisman Island next week, and I am sure FFG will be letting us see more of The Highland as time goes on!
Talisman: The Highland Sneak Peek #3! 31st March 2010
The countdown to the release of the The Highland expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman from FFG continues today with the posting of another two Sneaky Peek images.
If I was to say to you that two rather angry looking types were approaching you from behind, would you turn around and look, or would you run like heck?!
Stormwing by Brad Rigney
Mountain Dragon by Andrew Olson
I think I know what I would do!! More coming soon from both FFG and Talisman Island. Y'all come on back now!
Mephisto Magazine News! 29th March 2010
Some new images have been posted online of the Character cards and tokens that come with Mephisto Magazine #48!
If you have a look at the Mephisto Shop pages and then scroll down and click on Mephisto #48, there will be a red link titled "Weitere Bilder" where you can see for yourself!
Looking closer at them, there appears to be some vouchers for use against games from Heidelberger Spieleverlag at the RPC (Roleplay Convention) in Cologne next month. That's pretty cool if you can use them as it effectively pays for your copy of the magazine!!
Talisman Island: The Star News! 27th March 2010
I have a bit of silly news for you this weekend, to annouce that Talisman Island now has a star named after it!
Russ (the cuddly toy people) made a collection of plush toys that you can register and then allow you to "name" a star through the International Star Registry. Obviously this is not an official, scientifically recognised name, but you do get a certificate!
I chose a cute blue Dragon (naturally) and named him "Talisman". It seemed apt to choose a star in the constellation of Draco, and I was assigned the star at coordinates 17h 33m 28.21s 60 16' 43.70".
Talisman: Die Katakomben News! 25th March 2010
Just time for a very quick post today to say that my collection of Dungeons is now complete!
The German translation of Talisman: The Dungeon by Heidelberger Spieleverlag is just about pushing my shelves to the limit!
Talisman: The Highland News! 24th March 2010
Another Character from Talisman: The Highland expansion has been posted up on the FFG minisite this evening. The Vampiress is certainly going to be a force to be reckoned with and she has some awesome healing abilities, though her Followers might not agree!
Next week will see another preview of some card art here at Talisman Island. I've been looking through the remaining images and I have chosen a couple of rather nice ones for you!
...and the Post Office tells me that the copy of Talisman: Die Katakomben (German Dungeon!) that I bought is awaiting pick up. Hoorah!
Mephisto Magazine News! 23rd March 2010
If you cast you mind back a short while you will remember that Mephisto Magazine, a German language publication, produced a collection of 12 Characters for your favourite game.
News today on the Heidelberger Spieleverlag website mentions that in Issue #48 of the magazine, those characters will be released as "removable character cards".
If you click through the image below, you will be able to look through the Mephisto shop and see a larger version of the cover, which mentions the fact that Character Tokens will be included too. You can also preorder the issue there!!
You can also have a peek at a low resolution copy of the magazine before you decide to buy over at Scribd website. The characters are not featured in this however, as you can see on the Mephisto Shop page that they are included as "12 exclusive, pre-cut Talisman character cards, including game markers"!
Talisman: Il Dungeon News! 22nd March 2010
I think my postman must be getting a bit fed up of me, as yet another package arrived at my house today from those kindly folks at Nexus Games.
Il Dungeon is the long awaited Italian version of Talisman: The Dungeon expansion (if you hadn't worked it out!) and hopefully L'Avanzata dei Ghiacci will be along before the end of the year.
Of note is the news that after the release of the Italian translation of Talisman: The Frostmarch expansion, the Talisman line will be produced under the banner of Giochi Uniti.
Talisman: The Highland Sneak Peek #2! 17th March 2010
Another week and I think we can have another sneaky peek at a couple of images from The Highland expansion FFG's latest offering for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman.
Today we have some artwork from Jeremy McHugh, who was the artist responsible for the character artwork from the base Talisman game and Joe Wilson, whose art featured in the Frostmarch expansion.
Flight Potion by Jeremy McHugh
Thundercrest by Joe Wilson
Be sure to keep an eye on Talisman Island and the FFG website for up to date news as it happens!
Talisman: The Highland Sneak Peek #1! 11th March 2010
As mentioned yesterday, I can now start to show some images from FFG's latest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman.
FFG have once again kindly given me exclusive access to some of the artwork from Talisman: The Highland and I am very grateful to them for allowing me to share these images with you.
I will be posting images over the next few weeks, some of which I requested specially as I thought the artwork was particularly stunning!
Simulacrum by Felicia Cano
Tumbling Boulder by Christopher Burdett
Keep an eye on Talisman Island for more sneak peeks of artwork, and make sure you stop by the FFG website for the latest news about Talisman: The Highland!
Talisman: The Highland News! 10th March 2010
FFG's latest feature about Talisman: The Highland expansion was put online today with a feature about the abilities of the Alchemist character, who is described as "an inventive, dedicated master of the arcane sciences who relentlessly pursues esoteric knowledge".
The sneaky look at his character card also reveals the expansion icon used for the Highland, being the head of an eagle.
All That Glitters... Check out a character from The Highland, an upcoming Talisman expansion
More previews are promised in the future from FFG and here at Talisman Island you should soon see previews of some of the art from the Highland expansion!
FFG Event Centre News! 6th March 2010
Well, it seems that Friday night is Talisman night! I've just been checking out the schedule for the new FFG Event Centre and Talisman is listed for play every Friday at 6pm!
If you check out the schedule you will see that they have two listing each Friday titled "Talisman - Come & Play" and "Talisman - Learn to Play ongoing sessions". I wish I lived nearer to FFG as I know where I would be on a Friday night!!
I am hoping that they will make a big event for Talisman, like they have done for the LCGs and Terrinoth games! That might just tip me over the edge of making the journey to Minnesota! (Though a free plane ticket might be nice!)
Talisman: Le Donjon News! 26th February 2010
Another package came to rest at my house this morning from those very kind people at Edge Entertainment.
Le Donjon is the French version of the Dungeon expansion and is the latest of the four versions from international partners of Fantasy Flight Games to be released.
Next on the agenda from Edge Entertainment will be the translated version of the Frostmarch, La Marche du Froid!
Talisman: Magia i Miecz - Podziemia News! 19th February 2010
The postman came knocking today and handed me package sent to me from Poland by my good friend, Nemomon!
In this package was a copy of the latest Polish language expansion for Talisman: Magia i Miecz from Galakta. For those that do not know, and the picture below still does not give you a rather large hint, Podziemia is the translated version of the Dungeon expansion.
Let's hope it not too long before it can be joined by the Polish language version of Talisman: The Frostmarch Expansion which will be known in Poland as Królowa Lodu.
Talisman: The Highland News! 12th February 2010
Well, the speculation is now at an end! Fantasy Flight Games have announced the next expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman and it is.... The Highland!
As you can see from the box art below, there are 6 new characters to play, and what looks like a rather large bird problem for you to overcome!
More news should be forthcoming in the lead up to the release of Talisman: The Highland in the Spring, so stay tuned!
Totally Trivial Talisman! 10th February 2010
Visitors to the website of Talisman creator, Bob Harris, will have seen his article on the history behind your favourite fantasy game.
At the end of Bob's description of the happenings at Games Day in 1983, he remarks -
"On this same day Games Workshop launched another game, one based on insurance whose major (perhaps only) selling point was that it was designed by millionaire composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. I can't remember what it was called, and I don't suppose you can either."
Well, to be honest it wouldn't take a lot of looking up, given the ease which Google sucks knowledge from within our heads, but I thought you might be interested to know that the game in question was called - Calamity!
I was only reminded of this today when I popped into a charity shop and found it sitting on the shelf for the princely sum of £1! I thought I would pick it up as it forms an interesting part of Talisman's history, however tenuous it might be!
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!
"All Games Considered" News! 1st September 2009
I had a bit of a random Google search today and came across something rather cool! The people from the All Games Considered podcast have made a rather nice review of Talisman with a little blurb about The Frostmarch expansion.
So, get yourself off to the site and have a listen to AGCExtra 31 - Talismania Revised Part One. It's 28 minutes of Talisman talk from people who obviously love the game! I look forward to Part Two!
Be sure to pop back to Talisman Island in the next few days as I have a few pics you might be interested in seeing.
Edge News #2! 31st August 2009
Edge Entertainment have put a couple of image files on the support pages of the Talisman site so people can print them out and put them over the Runes and Ruins that were wrongly printed in the initial release.
Once again it would should be nice and easy for people to print them out on sticker paper and then apply them to the board. The files are only at 100dpi, but they should be okay to use. Perhaps Edge might upload some higher quality images at some point in the future.
Edge News #1! 30th August 2009
I got a nice surprise in the post from Edge Entertainment earlier this week! They very generously sent me a copy of the newly available translation of The Reaper expansion, La Faucheuse.
Le Donjon should be following later in the year, presumably with The Frostmarch tagging along at some point later. It's all looking good for French language players. Whilst you are waiting though you'd better keep an eye out for this guy...
Nexus Games, the Italian distributor of the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman, has put some PDF files of three cards that had errors from the initial printing of the game.
If you print the cards out on sticker sheets you should be able to put them over the original cards and it shouldn't really be noticable, just like my method of creating home-brewed cards!
Well, I don't know about you, but I'm really tired! But I would do it all again! I have some pics to post in the coming days from GenCon, but I haven't decided how to do it as yet.
In the mean time, it would seem that John Goodenough has kindly posted some nice images of the box front and back art from The Frostmarch over at BoardGameGeek for everyone to enjoy.
Pre-Flight Checks! 17th August 2009
Just a very quick post before I spend the next 24 hours travelling in two taxis, two planes and a car!
Koplow Dice were at GenCon and they had a huge amount of dice featuring alternate 1s or 6s. I couldn't help but smile when I saw these little fellows and they will certainly be getting some use in my games when hapless characters decide to mess with the wrong witch! They should also get a bit more use when the Frostmarch shows up!
I'll be posting some more from GenCon when I finally get home and can rest! Have a nice day!
GenCon Update #4! 16th August 2009
Well, that's that. I am very sad to say that my first GenCon is now over and I have officially got the bug! It was also really cool to meet up with some of the people behind the scenes at Fantasy Flight Games and to meet some of the people that were playing a demo game and especially John and Jeremy who were ultra nice!
Everyone seemed to be really pleased with the Frostmarch announcement and that FFG is doing so much, so quickly for the game. I met up with Talisman players old and new and it was great to see so many people enjoying themselves.
I have a couple of pictures that I will be posting in the next couple of days, probably after I get home, that I think you might find them interesting. So, just to recap - Release later this year, $24.95, awesome!
GenCon Update #3! 15th August 2009
A small update today as it turned out to be a rather busy day again. I had to go an investigate reports that my children had been eaten by werewolves in a small village. As it transpired they had actually been killed by some angry villagers instead, so that was okay...
I was honoured to be asked by John Goodenough to sit in on his "Play Talisman with the Designer" Event. It was cool to meet some of the more harcore Talisman fans, and as an added bonus, we got to play with Ryan Barger (front right) who is responsible for some of the fantastic art in the latest series of expansions! I don't know who the shady character at the back right is though...
Just as an aside, I was very surprised to see my kids on an official Fantasy Flight video!! I was looking through the footage from Thursday and noticed them wandering across the shot! You can only see the top of Katie's head, but Dominic is in plain view! Gotcha!!
GenCon Update #2! 14th August 2009
Well, if you noticed my Twitter feed earlier today you will be aware that FFG announced the latest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman at the Flight Report this afternoon at GenCon!
The Frostmarch expansion will be released this Autumn, and will feature 4 new characters, 84 Adventure cards, 20 Spells, 24 (!) Warlock Quests and 3 Alternative Endings!!!
I'll post a bit more information tomorrow, but I am sure you will be able to glean a lot from the pictures I am adding below. I have reduced the size for the front page, but will add a GenCon gallery at some point soon! Enjoy!!
GenCon Update #1! 13th August 2009
Well, what an interesting day! I managed to wander about Gencon today and meet a couple of people from FFG and have bought a bit of this and that. I was quite pleased to see that Talisman had a bit of a presence in the halls, and not just the latest edition! I will be posting a slide show or gallery for all of the pics that I take at GenCon, but for now I shall post a couple of bits as I get them.
Firstly you can see the pile of goodies at the FFG booths, including both expansions. Then there is FFG's demo table for Talisman, with the fancy covering! The last two pics are from Game Base 7, who had the reprinted version of Talisman 3rd Edition, and Rogue Judges, who were fielding a couple of 4th Edition copies with Upgrade sets and the Reaper expansion for play.
In this picture you have the Talisman Guru himself, John Goodenough, showing off the latest edition of the game at the demo tables. Fingers crossed we will be able to get a game on over the weekend.
I'll be on the lookout for more Talisman related things tomorrow. I have already spotted some interesting minis from other manufacturers that might make for interesting characters.
Pre-GenCon Update! 12th August 2009
This is just a very quick update from my hotel room to recap on a few items of news that surfaced in the last couple of weeks. Firstly, a large outpouring of horror was experienced last week when the owner of a certain Talisman fan site was interviewed for the FFG website.
I am truly sorry if anyone has been emotionally scarred by the grisly visage that greeted you on that page, but I think it will be as nothing compared to the horrors that await the poor people of GenCon this week! Secondly, FFG's new line of card sleeves were put on sale and I actually managed to get hold of a set whilst we stayed in New York last week. I will be making a feature of these and Mayday's new sleeves towards the end of the month, but you can see from the picture below that these are a much better option than the mini Euro sized sleeves that were the only choice before.
I have been rather remiss and not posted my "review" of Mythgardia as yet, and it may seem a bit daft as the first printing sold out very quickly and I presume the second limited printing will be much sought after. I still think it will be worth a word or too, and I might come up with a couple of ideas for the game. In the mean time, the latest update to the Mythgardia site was a fun little Q & A session with Bob about how Mythgardia and Talisman may (or may not) be related!
The Talisman extension for Strange Eons will be getting an update soon with a couple of new features, including the ability to change the type of base used in Character cards. There may even be a little something extra for your Talisman game, but we shall have to see if I can get it finished soon enough.
That will do for tonight. Early to bed and up for a free breakfast tomorrow! If you see me at GenCon, please feel free to say hello, though if I run away screaming it probably wasn't me...
FFG News! 15th July 2009
Fantasy Flight Games have just announced that they will have a new range of plastic card sleeves in various sizes available in the Summer! The sleeves are being marketed under the banner of Fantasy Flight Supply and you can read all about them on the FFG website.
The sleeves recently produced by Mayday Games are Mini Euro size and are slightly too large for cards from the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman, but the Mini American sleeves are just the job!
Yes, I know the card is from Arkham Horror, but they are the same size as Talisman cards!
In addition to the Mini American sleeves (41x63mm), the range will include Mini European (44x68mm), Standard American (56x87mm), Standard European (59x92mm) and Standard Card Game (63.5x88mm). There will even be some limited edition standard sleeves featuring art from some of FFG's games, though sadly not for Talisman. But who knows...??
In other news, I have now got my hands on a copy of Bob Harris' Mythgardia, and will be trying to get some more images and some of my thoughts online this weekend. First impressions are rather good, I must say!
I'm also planning a bit of a feature about "Towers in Talisman", but I am still a way off that.
Mythgardia News! 29th June 2009
At last Mythgardia, Bob Harris’ long awaited sequel to legendary game Talisman, is available to buy. It’s a colourful and exciting game for 2-6 players, as well as being an exclusive collector’s item.
Originally scheduled to be published by Games Workshop some years back as the official follow up to Talisman, time slipped by and the rights to the game eventually reverted to the designer.
Now Bob has taken the exciting step of launching the game himself in a lavish full colour first edition limited to only 100 copies, each numbered and signed with a certificate of authenticity. The artwork is by Debby Harris, graphic design by Kirsty Nicol, and technical support by Mark Nicol.
Mythgardia - The Game of Heroic Adventure is available exclusively from:
A few bits and pieces of news today from the site and beyond. Firstly there have been three sets of pages added to the Features section which will pass a bit of time this weekend.
Firstly, the final part of John Goodenough's 20 Questions article has been posted and even features a special bonus question!
Steve Dean managed to finish up the rest of my miniatures and I have posted a couple of gallery pages so you can see the great job he has made of them. They arrived back this morning and believe me, if you think the pictures are great, you should see the minis!
I've posted the extensions I have been working on for creating Talisman cards with Strange Eons. You can now make cards for all editions of the game with ease.
As it happens, Chris Jennings has updated Strange Eons today to 2.00.8, so you can go and grab that from his website so you are fully up to date.
In other news, eagle-eyed users of BoardGameGeek might have noticed the addition of a new game this week that should appeal to fans of Talisman. So get yourself off to BGG and find out more about Mythgardia. When I am in a position to post more, I shall...
Site News! 12th June 2009
Hopefully I will be able to update the site with a few files this weekend, but to start with I have posted the first half of the feature promised after the interview with John Goodenough.
Ten questions and answers are up for your perusal here, and hopefully the remaining questions will be done within the next few weeks.
There are some interesting little tidbits of information about the next expansion and future plans amongst the answers thus far, as well as a bit of insight into what actually goes on in the mind of a game designer!
* Update *
Some more things have been put on the site this past couple of days, namely Van Overbay's great overlays for you upgraders from BI's 4th Edition and a couple of painted minis in the gallery.
I am nearly done with version 1 of the extensions for Strange Eons, but not quite... they just need a polish though I think. In the mean time you could get yourself over to the Strange Eons website and score an up to date version of the fantastic creation tool in readiness. Make sure you get hold of the latest version (2.00.5), along with the original Talisman extension and the UI Grid Library from the plug-ins page!
In other news, Tim Street's unofficial conversion of Talisman to a PC platform has reached version 9 with the addition of 6 characters, some more monsters and a range of fixes.
I've also been working on a little expansion idea I had last week... Teaser below and more later...
Oh, and as if I could forget! I am working on making a gallery to display my own minis that are currently being painted by the very talented Steve Dean. It'll be a bit graphics heavy obviously, but it'll certainly be worth having a look!
Strange Eons News! 26th May 2009
Well, after much tweaking and a huge amount of work by Chris Jennings, the Talisman extension for use with Strange Eons (the fabulous custom component design tool for Arkham Horror) is now updated and ready for download.
The latest version of SE is 2.002 and is available on the main page (there is a patch from 2.00 or 2.00.1 if you have those already) and the latest version of the extension is 3.2 and is available from the plug-ins page.
It works really well and can produce most cards for Talisman and it is possible to adjust it to your tastes (with a bit of work) so you can add new card types and the like. You would do well to download and study the plug-in authoring kit before you rush at it like I was doing! It really makes sense to RTFM!
I plan on making a "how to" article for Talisman Island and will be posting a few alternative plugins with a few different options in time.
Using the tool is pretty straightforward, certainly more so than using expensive graphic apps, so give it a try! There are a huge range of features in the base program, including the ability to organise your individual creations into a page for printing and much more. In fact, I don't even know what half of the stuff does!
Sorry for the size of the image that follows, but I wanted to give an example of what can be made with Strange Eons. It's AWESOME!!!
Talisman Euro News! 11th May 2009
I have to say a very big thankyou to Birger Kraemer and Christian Stenner from Pegasus Spiele for very kindly sending me a copy of the German translation of the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman this week.
Pegasus Spiele along with Heidelberger Spieleverlag are responsible for the production of Talisman in Germany and the good news is that it should not be long before German speakers will be able to play along with the Reaper expansion! If everything goes to plan then Talisman: Der Schnitter should be available by the end of July with the second expansion available at Spiel 09 in Essen later this year!
In addition to Der Schnitter from Pegasus Spiele & Heidelberger Spieleverlag, this year will see the release of yet more translations of The Reaper expansion by other international partners of FFG. La Faucheuse will come from Edge Entertainment for French players, Nexus Editrice from Italy will be releasing Il Mietitore and Polish speakers will be able to purchase Żniwiarz from Galakta.
I think I'm going to need some bigger shelves...
If you want to find out more about the international versions of Talisman there are a number of forums available from the various manufacturers as well as the main forums at FFG.
Talisman: The Dungeon News! 21st April 2009
It's available!! Check out the product page over at Fantasy Flight Games to see details of how you can get hold of a copy of the latest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman!
The Dungeon features a new board and a whole lot of hurt for your characters, though it can be a shortcut to the Crown of Command and is home to new Treasures and many new dangers.
To find out more check out the previous articles published on the FFG site -
The Path Ahead The first glimpse of Talisman: The Dungeon
Digging Deeper The second preview of the upcoming Talisman: The Dungeon
What Lies Beneath... The next look at the upcoming Talisman: The Dungeon expansion
It's been a good week for Talisman with the news from FFG's Upcoming Products pages showing the expansion release date as April and the rules being posted online.
I thought would be nice to share a little bit of my happiness with you by showing you what now adorns my living room walls.
Talisman Geek Heaven... !!
Dungeon Sneak Peeks! 10th April 2009
The latest snippet from the saga of the brave dungeon explorers has been posted over at the FFG site in this run up to the release of the latest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman, where you can see new foes and meet one of the adventurers!
This weekend we have another few images to show you here at Talisman Island. The flambouyant Swashbuckler who is skilled in battle and no stranger to the goings on in the Tavern. Who will be waiting around the corner through the darkness of the Tunnel in the Cavern? If he can defeat the Gatekeeper, should he flee the Dungeon to the relative safety above the ground or should he battle on to the end?
It's not far off now! The challenges of the Dungeon will be here soon enough! I can't wait!
Dungeon Sneak Peeks! 3rd April 2009
Yet another instalment of the journal written by the brave adventurers who have risked entering the Dungeon has been posted over at the FFG minisite for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman that sees them encountering the evil Lord of Darkness!
What Lies Beneath... The next look at the upcoming Talisman: The Dungeon expansion
Here we have a few more images to show you - firstly a little teaser image of an ordinary corridor from the board, but what lies beyond that doorway? Could it be the fearsome Bronze Dragon? Could it contain something that might require the use of this little magical offering?
Freeze by Ryan Barger
As the article says, there will be more to look at next week and in the mean time there will be a couple of updates hopefully to Talisman Island, including the addition of a nice piece of fan fiction based on the lands of Talisman. Check back soon!
Competition News! 2nd April 2009
Finally! Sorry for the small delay, but I have now sorted out the entries and pages for the 10th Anniversary Competition! Better late than never!
I am pleased to announce Charlie Bright as the winner of the competition with his Knight of Day and have presented the winning entry along with the 19 runners up on the competition page for you to see and try out!
It was great to have so many entries and they were all very good but I think Charlie just edged it with his mix of abilities and the story to go with the character.
Thanks to all that entered and if I can think of a suitable subject I will try to run another competition in the not too distant future!
Talisman: The Dungeon News! 27th March 2009
Another week and another update to the FFG minisite for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman with the continuing tales of the band of adventurers who are descending into the Dungeon!
Digging Deeper The second preview of the upcoming Talisman: The Dungeon
Again, we have a few images to show you from the upcoming expansion. A space where you can discover arcane secrets or merely quench your thirst for knowledge, an Enemy card who would like to see you fail in your quest and some great artwork from an Event that can help clear away some of the nastier inhabitants of the Dungeon, but could also scare off some helpful ones!
Fire by Raymond Gaustadnes
The FFG Talisman site will have more to come and there will be more for you to see here, so come back soon!
Hopefully I will have some news shortly of the anniversary competition, some cardbacks for use with the Revised 4th Edition and a tale from the lands of Talisman. I will get to it all, but time has not been my ally of late so apologies for any delays!
Talisman: The Dungeon News! 20th March 2009
FFG have updated the minisite pages for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman with the first glimpse into the corridors of the Dungeon Realm!
The Path Ahead The first glimpse of Talisman: The Dungeon
They have kindly supplied me with some more images from the expansion that I can present to you, showing off more artwork and a handful of the spaces you can expect to find in the darkness of The Dungeon!
First up we have the Torture Chamber, where you will end up paying one way or another for disturbing the dastardly deeds of the Torturer.
Then we have a couple of images taken from cards in the expansion, a Spell for the spell slingers to use and a new Spirit Enemy for you to run away from!
Craft by Raya Golden
Blight Haunt by Federico Piatti
Keep checking back here and at the FFG Talisman site for more news about Talisman: The Dungeon expansion in the coming weeks!
In other news, there has been a fantastic number of entries for the anniversary competition I was running and I will be announcing the winner of that in the next week. I just have to work out a way to present all of the entries without making a huge browser load, possibly in some form of gallery. There were many cool ideas for the Sun Knight and the entry I'm leaning towards introduces quite a funky mechanic which is allied to the backstory that accompanies him. More later...
Dorian Hawkins has been hard at work creating a couple of large expansions for the game that are now available for download in the Expansions Section of the site.
JC Hendee's "In The Balance" expansion design project has reached its Beta phase which is now available over at the FFG Forums and I am sure he would appreciate your feedback on what is there so far. It wouldn't do any harm to have read up on the process so far at his website in his Balancing The Talisman article.
Tim Street's Unofficial Talisman Computer Game saw another update to version 8 the other day adding more features to the game, including a Magic Carpet and Dragon-Master!
Talisman Euro News! 9th March 2009
I have been very remiss of late in not saying a special thank you to a couple of people from two of the European partners of FFG, who have produced localised language versions of the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman.
Marc Taillefer from Edge Entertainment, the French partner of FFG, was instrumental in sending me a copy of their version of the game. The Edge website is the precursor to the ones in use at FFG and if you want to see what we may be getting in the future, then they are worth a look.
French fans of the game can ask questions on the Edge forums and get news about the latest releases on the dedicated French minisite. They even have Talisman avatars to choose from over there!
The Italian version of the game came to me via the capable hands of Federico Burchianti from Nexus Games. Given enough interest in the main game it is quite possible that Nexus will be translating the expansions also, but time will tell.
The Nexus forums cater for all the needs of the Italian fans whilst the main site has details of all of the games that are produced by them and information on where to buy them.
I am hoping to get a feature together about the international editions of Talisman, but I need to decide how to do it. If any gamers who play those versions have any ideas I would be interested to hear from them!
Talisman News! 8th March 2009
John Goodenough of FFG has made a comparison image for anyone who was worried that the new Dungeon board would not be compatible with the BI 4th Edition board. As you can see there will be no problem at all, whichever board you are playing with. Now all we need is for May to hurry up and get here!
The expansion now has an entry over at BoardGameGeek and has some larger images of the box art for those of you who wanted to have a closer look at the board!
"Balancing the Talisman" by JC Hendee was given another update recently with the addition of some fearsome Enemies. There is also a bit of news about how you can help playtest the Alpha version of this expansion/project which should be very interesting.
I've also got on with the business of making pages to house things like the preview images from The Reaper and The Dungeon to try and save people the trouble of loading a huge amount of pics when they access the front page of the site. I will be moving older news items off the front page and will make the News Archive text only. Any images will be added to Features of some sort, like the page I have made for The Big Bang Theory.
There's just a week left to get your entries in for the 10th Anniversary competition! I've had quite a few nice entries, but can use more! Is the Sun Knight a protector of the vulnerable? Is he on a personal quest? What reasons does he have for joining the hunt for the Crown? Saint or sinner? You decide!
Talisman Site Watch! 28th February 2009
JC Hendee's "Balancing the Talisman" series of articles has seen another update during this last week covering Events and Places. Next for analysis are Enemies, which should be well worth reading about.
In other news I am in the process of moving the Dungeon previews featured on the site in the last couple of weeks onto a dedicated page to save visitors a bit of bandwidth when just wanting to visit the front page! I'll be doing the same for the Reaper previews too.
I've not really had the chance to make a page for the anniversary competition as yet, but it's a work in progress. Some news just in though is that Felicia Cano, the artist behind the Doppelganger and Instructor artwork, has offered to autograph the promo cards if you so wish! That would make rather a nice addition to anyone's collection I think...
There have been quite a few entries so far with a good range of characters and some interesting reasoning behind them. Please don't be put off from entering just because you may not think that you have Photoshop skills. If you like I can remake some cards, but will not be adjusting any text, merely the layout! Keep 'em coming!
Talisman Island is 10! 24th February 2009
Well, we made it! Talisman Island has now been a part of the Talisman Community for the past 10 years! Three site incarnations and a couple of url and host changes and here we are...
Way back in the mists of time I joined the Talisman Yahoo Group after getting the itch to restart my Talisman habit, and after a short discussion about ideas I had once had for expansions and the like I was encouraged to e-publish one of them. Talisman Island was my idea to bring a bit of swashbuckling to the world of Talisman and after hastily cobbling some cards together and some html to hold them I uploaded the resulting hodge-podge at 12:02am on Wednesday February the 24th 1999!
Over the following months and years I was offered a great many expansions and was only too pleased to add them so that others could easily access them. A generous Yahoo Group member called Fred Clift offered some webspace for the fast growing content and the site underwent its first change using the evil that is "frames". Years passed and the content outgrew the space kindly donated by Fred and I moved to a new host with virtually unlimited space and bandwidth and it became the blue and yellow beast you see now.... and I'm having thoughts about changing the layout again, but that won't be for a while!
Over the last ten years I have become a little more wise in the ways of html-fu and appreciate that taking a little time over an expansion can pay huge dividends. If I was to remake the expansion it would be somewhat different - a little less extreme and certainly more polished! But even though I can pull the expansion apart critically, I still have a soft spot for The Holy Pail and other gems from it.
ANYWAY... to celebrate the fact that the site has dragged its way through the last decade, I thought I would offer up a competition for visitors, based funnily enough on the first outing of the Dungeon expansion, which as it happens is my favourite expansion of all time. It's also a Bob Harris created one!
On the side of the box for The Talisman Dungeon there was a picture of a knight which was not actually featured within the game, unlike those on the Timescape and City boxes which are shown below.
I once made a pitiful attempt at making a character based on the artwork, but fell into the trap of not thinking things through and basing the abilities on the artwork, rather than on the idea behind the artwork. As you can see below some of his abilities are rather bland and a little pointless.
I wanted to throw a challenge out to all of you to come up with a character based on this artwork using the templates for FFG's Revised 4th Edition of Talisman. There will be a prize for the entry which I think is the best overall and all entries will be placed on a page dedicated to the competition.
You can let your imagination run riot, but the resulting character has to make some kind of sense. It may be worth your while making a little backstory which might help to introduce him. Or her!
I've made up a larger version of the Sun Knight image for the competition and you can get hold of the templates for making the character card in the Downloads section of the site.
All you need to do is have a think and make a character for the game and email it to me with any details you would like to add about background or reasoning behind certain aspects of the character and cross your fingers!
The prize for this endeavour will be your choice of either a set of White Knight cards for the 2nd Edition of Talisman or a set of the two promotional cards for the Revised 4th Edition.... and I don't expect to see them on some auction site shortly afterwards! The winner will also get (steady now!) a fabulous Talisman Island Competition Winner's Toad! Which, believe me, sounds a lot more grand than it is!
The competition will run until the end of Sunday 15th March to give people a chance to spend a bit of time on the cards. If you submit an entry and change your mind for some reason, just send a replacement along and I will take that one as your entry. I won't be displaying any entries as we go, but will be making a page to hold them with some other information about Talisman Island's first ten years.
It might be interesting if people could send some comments about what you like about the site and if you have any suggestions for making it even better! I promise not to get too upset! Good luck!
Talisman: The Dungeon Sneak Peek #7! 23rd February 2009
I'd like to thank FFG for generously allowing me to host these sneaky peeks for you, but sadly we have come the the last of the great pieces of artwork that feature in Talisman: The Dungeon!
I hope you will keep checking back as I have a few ideas of things to do whilst we are all waiting, but in the mean time I am sure FFG will be releasing more details on the news pages at the FFG site as and when they are able.
Lone Dwarf by Felicia Cano
Goblin Marauders by Ryan Barger
In other news, tomorrow (well, just after midnight actually) sees a milestone in the history of Talisman Island. It will be a full 10 years since I uploaded my hastily put together expansion with some poorly designed cover pages and since then things have got a little out of hand and we have ended up with Talisman Island as you see it today!
To mark the anniversary I have decided to run a competition based on a piece of artwork found in the original Talisman Dungeon expansion for the 2nd Edition game! The basic idea is that you must design a character based on the artwork which may net you a prize! So I hope you will come on back tomorrow and try your hand!
Talisman: The Dungeon Sneak Peek #6! 22nd February 2009
Our penultimate sneaky peeks from Talisman: The Dungeon might be of interest to those of you that like to chuck a bit of magic around the place!
Weakness by Ryan Barger
Finger of Death by Ryan Barger
The last instalment of sneaky peeks will be uploaded tomorrow and will feature an old friend and some art with something a little less friendly! There may also be a some news regarding a minor anniversary for Talisman Island!
Talisman: The Dungeon Sneak Peek #5! 21st February 2009
The weekend brings another two images to whet your appetite for Talisman: The Dungeon. May seems rather a long time off, but I am sure it will be here before you know it!
Trap Door by Ryan Barger
Crawling Slime by Raya Golden
I think maybe tomorrow we'll have a bit of something for those spell slingers amongst you!
Talisman: The Dungeon Sneak Peek #4! 20th February 2009
FFG's latest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman is shaping up to be a fabulous portfolio of great artwork! Today's sneaky peeks show a couple of people who you may wish to steer clear of!
Dungeon Keeper by Felicia Cano
Vampire Prince by Ryan Barger
I've also got an image of the back of the box for the Dungeon expansion. It should be a little clearer for those of you that like to play at being supersleuths! I might even get to post a higher resolution version at some point in the future, but for now it will have to do!
I hope that you are enjoying these previews and will like what I have in store for you tomorrow!
Talisman: The Dungeon Sneak Peek #3! 19th February 2009
Today sees another couple of sneaky peeks at some great art from Talisman: The Dungeon! I think it's going to be worth buying the expansion just to gawp at the artwork!
Umbra Spider by Ryan Barger
Psychic Crystal by John Moriarty
There's also a small bonus today in the form of a mysterious mini that turned up in Rich Moore's Reaper expansion box. I've heard a few tales of duplicate minis being included in the base set and expansion, but never a figure from a FUTURE expansion! The lucky pup!
Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see two more examples of art from Talisman: The Dungeon.
Talisman: The Dungeon Sneak Peek #2! 18th February 2009
Here is the latest instalment of sneaky peeks at the artwork used in Talisman: The Dungeon from FFG.
Soul Drinker by McLean Kendree
Goblin King by Ryan Barger
As a bit of a bonus today I am able to show you a larger version of Ralph Horsley's superb artwork for the expansion, which was featured yesterday over at the FFG website. Are you brave enough to tackle the Lord of Darkness?!?!?
Don't forget that there will be a couple more images for your delight and delectation tomorrow!
Talisman: The Dungeon Sneak Peek #1! 17th February 2009
As the news has finally broken about the newest expansion for the Revised 4th Edition of Talisman from FFG, I am at last able to bring you a sneaky peek at some of the fantastic artwork used in Talisman: The Dungeon!
Dark Denizens by Ryan Barger
Spirit of Vengeance by Ryan Barger
Over the next week I shall be posting a couple of images each day so don't forget to check back often!
Talisman: The Dungeon News! 16th February 2009
Well, it's about time too! Fantasy Flight Games have posted news about the latest expansion for FFG's Revised 4th Edition - Talisman: The Dungeon!
Details are scant currently but, as well as a whole new Region to explore, the expansion increases the complement of playable characters by adding a Gladiator, Amazon, Swashbuckler, Gypsy and Philosopher.
Here's something interesting and a little sneaky. Go to the news post at FFG and click on the Dungeon image you find there and "View Image". It will open up in a browser window with an address. Change the "sm" of the picture to "lg" and see if it shows anything!
Hopefully some more news will be along soon. Drums fingers...
...and some more news just in! Tric Trac have posted a gallery of pictures taken at the Nuremberg Games Fair including some really nice shots of the boxart for the new expansion!
Yesterday saw the posting of yet another instalment in JC Hendee's rather interesting series of articles called Balancing the Talisman. JC is taking a look at how people might go about creating their own expansions for the game and focuses on areas that require an awful lot more thought than you might initially believe.
The series is currently covering Adventure cards, and is producing some very cool ideas. You must note that anything displayed thus far is a work in progress and subject to many changes!
Click the link below and exercise those brain cells!
Dork Tower News 6th February 2009
Well, if you are somewhat of a collector of Talisman items (as I am) then today's edition of the online comic, Dork Tower, should strike a chord with you. It certainly made me laugh out loud!
Thanks very much to John Goodenough for alerting me to this and special thanks to John Kovalic who has kindly allowed me to post the issue here!
You should give John's site a good look over as it features comic archives and links to other projects that John is involved with, such as Munchkin and My Little Cthulhu!
Thanks to ilgoga over at the FFG Talisman Forum for alerting me to the fact that once again Talisman has been featured on The Big Bang Theory!
"The Financial Permeability" is the third episode to showcase the Black Industries Edition of the game. I think it's about time someone at FFG sent over a copy of the Revised 4th Edition to CBS!!
As usual there are some mistakes with the playing of the game, but hey, it's Talisman on the telly!!
Talisman News! 22nd January 2009
Tim Street has let me know that he has uploaded a new version of his version of Talisman, playable on your very own computer!
There are a few updates, including fire-breathing Dragons and some new quests from the Warlock.
Visit his dedicated pages to find out the full list of changes and to download the updated files!
There is news on the website of publisher Edge Entertainment about how they are dealing with the promo cards for the French release of the Revised 4th Edition.
It seems that you can either ask at the game shop where you purchased your copy or if you just write to them directly, enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelope, they will sort you out with the translated versions of Doppelganger and Instructor.
My guess is that you should check it out as soon as you can, as I am sure supplies are limited!
There are only a few days left to join in with the "20 Questions" feature that John Goodenough agreed to do after taking part in the interview feature for Talisman Island last month.
Have a look at the announcement thread over at the FFG forums and post or email a question and it might get picked to be one of the twenty sent to John for inclusion in a feature to be posted here in the future.
I have an appeal to anyone who has managed to paint the miniatures for the Revised 4th Edition from FFG.
You will notice that the Miniatures section is missing a few examples for the new edition and The Reaper expansion which I am hoping to fill with contributions from visitors to Talisman Island.
My ultimate aim is to have each miniature represented by a different artist/contributor so there is plenty of room for all! I'll even be adding all four variations of Toad to help spread the love!
If you'd be interested in contributing, then email a good quality picture of your minis, with a plain background, taken without flash but with good lighting and I will be able to crop the image out and present it like the rest with your name added to the image as a credit. Help put a bit of colour back into the Priest's cheeks!
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and that you haven't overdone the merry making!
To help you through the hours until you have to get back to reality I have posted a small interview, kindly granted by John Goodenough of FFG, to keep you occupied.
I think you will find it very interesting as it covers some of the thought processes behind the revision of Talisman and its expansion.
Reaper Expansion News 18th December 2008
Just a quick update to say that there has been an update of the FFG website with a feature by John Goodenough about the old Grim Reaper himself.
Don't Fear A preview of the grim visage of the Reaper
I didn't make much of a fuss previously, but you should also check out the feature he wrote on the new Warlock Quest cards that come with the expansion. I'll try to post some examples when I can get my comparison shots taken for a little (completely subjective!) review I will be putting together.
You can actually now order the Reaper expansion from the FFG website and your FLGS. Copies are already available and people have started posting about the contents on BGG and the FFG forums.
I'm not sure how all the preorder malarky was working, but there is still a day left to do so on the FFG website it seems, even though it is available to order. If you want to try and swing a promo card or two, it'd be worth giving them an email anyway I suppose, but hurry as you only have a few hours left!
This is just a small update to recap on some of the goings on in the land of Talisman this last few weeks.
First off the new FFG website has been getting better and better with some very interesting features about the revised edition of the game, which you can now order from the website! These include:
Finally, some belated news of a very interesting series of articles by JC Hendee entitled "Balancing The Talisman". These chart the road to making a home-made expansion for the game and goes into great depth discussing what may, or may not, be a good way to go about it.
For anyone that doesn't know, JC is an author who, along with his wife Barb, has created the Noble Dead Saga. This is a series of books set in a high fantasy world, where vampires stalk the land. Go check them out!
FFG have updated their main website and forums and, as part of the new look site, they've included a cool looking Talisman minisite!
FFG have updated their main website and forums and as part of the new look site they've included a Talisman minisite! The site will feature articles and news about the revised edition and expansions. With a bit of luck I suppose we might even see some exclusive content, like with some other FFG releases.
Interesting to note is the news that the promo cards, Doppelganger and Instructor, featured in Essen for the prerelease of the German edition will be available for preorders of The Reaper expansion. There will be a form made available to fill out and take to your FLGS and you will be able to snag them.
TALISMAN ON TOUR! 20th November 2008
I was really excited today when John Goodenough from FFG kindly sent some examples of cards and boxart from the various editions of the new FFG revised edition of Talisman.
I've set them up on the World Tour pages and I hope you like them as much as I do. The cardback art designed by WiL Springer is worth the price of admission alone!
Thanks to Valdi for letting me know about the Polish language translation of the revised edition of Talisman.
Details of price and release date can be found at the forum posting below as there is no news featured on the main Galakta website. You will note that the game is still keeping its "subtitle" of Magia I Miecz which is how it was known when originally released in Poland.
Just a quick note for those of you that were, like me, somewhat disappointed by the cancellation of the PC version of Talisman from Capcom. Tim Street, who made a fan version of the game for PC earlier this year, which was linked to over at the oTalisman forums, has now updated the program (fixing a crash problem when you died) and has made a site for downloading the game.
It should keep you all occupied until the release of the FFG revised edition later this year!
HALLOWKNIGHT WATCH 11th November 2008
In other news, HallowKnight from the FFG forums made yet another fantastic Halloween Jack O'Lantern this year and I've updated his "how to" page with a couple of pics - click here to see it in all it's Toadish Glory!
TALISMAN WATCH 27th October 2008
Lucky FFG forum member "Gon" got hold of the German version of the Revised 4th Edition at Spiel 08 in Essen and posted about it here.
As you can see, the character cards appear to be much bigger than the 4th Edition counterparts with the artwork shown much larger and the addition of the "Fate" box on the right hand side.
The miniatures appear to be around 28mm scale when compared with this Heroscape mini and a Warhammer 40K Terminator. The minis look pretty sharp if you ask me...
The two promo cards from Essen which are the Doppelganger, which featured in the original Talisman Expansion Set and the Instructor, which is from Talisman: The Adventure.
The German translation is just one of the versions that will be available. There is a French translation on the way. We can only hope for more Talisman goodness around the World! Now I'm definitely going to need a bigger cupboard!!
To celebrate the fact that the revised edition of Talisman has now had its status changed to "at the printer", I thought it might be nice to post some more pictures from the upcoming Reaper expansion for your delectation.
I'm not sure about you, but I think the end of this year is going to turn out to be a great time for Talisman fans!
I still have a few files of interest to upload which hopefully I can get sorted for fairly soon, so keep visiting!
TALISMAN SCOOP 9th September 2008
Long time no update, eh? I just thought I'd let you have a look at some nice images from the new expansion for the revised edition of Talisman from Fantasy Flight Games - The Reaper.
So, without further ado, here are those pictures -
I have a couple of things I need to upload soon which should be interesting including some music files from the now defunct Talisman PC game , so stay tuned!
TALISMAN GEEKINESS II 20th May 2008
I had some more news from Kazz tonight to check out the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory called "The Tangerine Factor" on the CBS website.
Again, you have to be in the US to see the episode online, so I've taken some more screenshots. If you are able to view it, the Talisman action starts at the 7:30 mark!
As with the last episode there are a couple of nerdy problems with the game. Four players this time, but playing with 8 characters and 3 Toads... using the wrong counters next to the character cards... lots of counters and face down cards strewn over the board... rolling two dice for movement... a new twist on the City space - "Enslaved by Warlocks, stay here until you roll 2, 4 or 6"... and now there are drinks AND food on the table!! Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!!
TALISMAN NEWS 19th May 2008
It's amazing what you can uncover when you have a bit of time on your hands and carry out searches on Google now and again to see what new things have been posted about our favourite boardgame.
I found out some very old news over at the Gaming Report that I must have missed late last year about the computer version of Talisman, which was being developed by Big Rooster for Capcom.
It seems that composer David Allen Young had been asked to create the music for the game and ended up making the main theme and victory music for the game.
Unfortunately it is unsure at present whether we will ever get to hear this music any time soon, or even at all...
TALISMAN NEWS 15th May 2008
It is said that a picture can be worth a thousand words, and I think that's all I need to say about the new box art for the revised 4th Edition of Talisman from FFG.
Stunning x 1000.
In other news, it has now been confirmed that the small box expansion for Talisman to be released later this year will now be known as "The Reaper", rather than "Death and Glory"!
TALISMAN GEEKINESS 14th May 2008
Some news came to my attention this evening from Kazz to have a look at an episode of The Big Bang Theory entitled "The Peanut Reaction" over at the CBS website.
Unfortunately, it seems that it is only viewable by users in the US, so I've taken a couple of screenshots of what all the fuss was about! For those of you that can view it, check out around the 3:59 mark...
That's right... Talisman on TV!! Well, sort of... there are only 3 players, but they have 6 characters on the board and 2 toads... his strength and craft tokens are on the wrong side of his card... and there is a drink on the table!! Nooooooooooooooooo......!!!
TALISMAN NEWS 4th May 2008
I thought I had better belatedly add this news snippet regarding the plans for the revised 4th Edition which was highlighted by Vogless over at the FFG forums. I'm really pleased that the news about FFG's plans for the game are finally out there, but it would have been nice to have been told that it was okay to write about this stuff...
If you click through the picture below of the blue-haired Jeremy Stomberg from FFG clutching the new box design you can have a look at what he had to say to the team from Obsessed With Gaming at the GAMA Trade Show. The Talisman scoop starts at about 3:32 through to 6:02 and if I were you I would grab the high quality download because it's... ummm... high quality!
Here is the lowdown from the video - plastic miniatures for the characters and toads - redone cards - stackable cones as per 3rd Edition - rules tweaks from John Goodenough (Runebound, Tide of Iron and World of Warcraft Boardgame) - out in October - first expansion called "Death and Glory" out for Christmas.
More news over at IVC2.com gives details of an upgrade pack that will enable existing 4th Edition owners to bring their copies up to date. It also states that the expansion, Death and Glory, is expected to retail at $19.95.
SITE NEWS 30th March 2008
News has been a bit scarce this past few weeks, but I had to do an update today to tell you of a new set of cards from Paul Humphreys to add to his fantastic Small Magic series of cards. Click through the picture below to go to his dedicated page.
Over on the Expansions page there are some new cards for 4th Edition from Dorian Hawkins and his gaming group. They include some interesting new types of card too!
You might also be interested to know that Fantasy Flight Games have recently made a forum for Talisman which is starting to create some interesting discussions. Hopefully it won't be long until we get some news of the plans they have in mind for the game. You can visit the FFG forums here.
MORE TALISMAN NEWS 28th February 2008
FFG have put a FAQ up on the site to answer a few initial questions about the various IPs that they have licensed from GW. Notably this little nugget -
Q: When will the Talisman reprint be on store shelves?
A: Stock at US distributors is at an acceptable level right now. We are currently working with multiple international partners to release the new FFG printing in multiple languages simultaneously. We plan to have this new printing on store shelves by late Summer 2008.
It's just been announced that Fantasy Flight Games will exclusively publish Board Games, Card Games, and
Roleplaying Games based on Games Workshop properties.
More importantly for visitors to this site, this means that "FFG will take over the production of Talisman, and plan to produce a new printing and expansions for the 4th edition of this ever-popular classic board game", which is fabulous news!
Today there are quite a few new expansions for you to have a look at. There are some more tokens and some nasty Spirits for 4th Edition, a Hobbit-ish expansion from Thomas Erix, a couple of little expansions from Duane Haut and an expansion from Scott Davenport that is compatible with both 2nd AND 4th Editions!
They can all be found over on the Expansions page. Who knows, there may be even more 4th Edition goodness for you soon!
NEWSBITS 8th February 2008
There are two small updates for you today. Firstly there is a new "Talisman-ised" version of the Magical Sword board over at the Magical Sword page.
Then, just in case you keep forgetting about your Quest from the Warlock, I've made up some tokens to keep by your Character card to remind you. Those are over on the Expansions page. I'll be cobbling together some more tokens as reminders for missed turns soon.
Well, after a shock like yesterday's little announcement from Black Industries I was all for canning the expansion I had ready for 4th Edition, but I figured that the people at BI worked bloody hard on Talisman over the last 12 months, so fans of the game should be rallying around at this time.
It's not clear at this point what will happen with Talisman now. It could be shelved, it could be licensed out.. who knows? But as soon as anything is mentioned I'll stick it on the site.
Stone and Stuff is a small collection of cards, with some old and new content, that help expand ranged combat and there are even a couple of new ideas in there too.
The Wooden Weapons download has been altered as it did not need to be at such a high resolution, and if you wait for a couple of days there will even be some more weapon types for you to use. The Woodsman has been very busy!
I've also updated the Optional Characters that BI have up for download, giving them the 4th Edition treatment as far as wording goes etc.
You should make your way to the Expansions page if you want to see what it's all about!
SITE NEWS 20th January 2008
A very quick update tonight to show what I actually uploaded a week or so ago! If you have checked out the World Tour section of the site you may have seen the Polish "clone" of Talisman called Magiczny Miecz or Magical Sword.
I finally got around to making up the board for the game for people to use as a possible alternate realm of Talisman. I've also made up some of the cards, specific to Magiczny Miecz, that are mentioned on the board. I will add some more over time, but the progress may be slow.
SITE WATCH 17th December 2007
A couple of recent updates to let people know about on other Talisman sites. Firstly, the website showcasing the creations of Talisman's own Bob Harris is getting slowly updated. They've added a small QnA section and will be putting more there as time goes on. We all know that Talisman was originally called Necromancer, but did you know that a Talisman was previously a Charm?
Secondly, Peter's Random Dice site has been updated with a new expansion for an expansion! The Sewers now has more dirty pipework to explore thanks to Tomas Eriksson!
NEWSBITS 16th December 2007
I've just realised that I forgot to mention a little featurette in the latest copy of White Dwarf regarding the PC port of our favourite board game.
It doesn't actual tell us any more than we already knew, but the image seems to show part of the interface used. It's anyone's guess how old the screenshot is, but it does look quite similar to the landscape shown in the first video released in October.
NEWSBITS 15th December 2007
At last!! A 4th Edition expansion (of sorts!) introducing Wooden Weapons to the world of Talisman.
It's not the biggest expansion ever, but it's a start! Go and take a look!
NEWSBITS 12th December 2007
Finally... an RSS Feed for news!
NEWSBITS 5th December 2007
There are some more goodies on the Black Industries site in the form of 3 "new" optional characters to download and use in your games.
All are old friends from the first three expansions for Talisman 2nd Edition but two have been renamed to suit the artwork used. It's nice to see some support from BI over at the main site, hopefully more will follow soon!
As always I have much more stuff to add to the site and am trying to get them sorted for the site (soon!). I have some new French translations of some 3rd Edition cards and even a printer-friendly version of the optional characters for 4th Ed with backs! Hopefully I'll be able to dedicate some more time to getting these things uploaded and on pages for you all soon!
NEWSBITS 14th November 2007
A small update today just to give you news that Black Industries have put a template online so you can make up your own characters for the game -
...and here's a quick example of a card that I created -
NEWSBITS 19th October 2007
Thanks to Mollarom for alerting me to the news of a new Talisman PC game trailer tonight. I've just been sent the trailer by Brian Dunn at CapCom (THANKS!) and have embedded it here for you to see. It's just over 5 megs so it may take a little while to get moving.
**EDIT** I've now "Youtubed" the video as it was causing some problems to visitors with a slower connection. Saves me some bandwidth too!!
You can also see a collection of 3D renders of characters for the game on the CapCom flickr site.
I really hope these are early representations of the characters as they look a bit blocky at the moment. Note the Druid's sickle and the Troll's spindly forearms.
Anyway, I am sure it will all come together in the end. I can't wait!!
NEWSBITS 15th October 2007
A small news update this time, firstly to say that Talisman 4th Edition has now been out for a fortnight! If you've not got a copy yet, why not?!?!?!?
I have a little news of two upcoming competitions on Talisman Island. One of which will be similar to the Dragon Masters competition, where I asked people to create some new cards for the game with some artwork. This time it will feature artwork by master craftsman, Carsten Both! More on that later...
There will be another competition where you can show off your painting skills as Talisman Island tries to emulate GW's Golden Demon awards! This will be a showcase for your Talisman miniatures, from any edition of the game, which will be called....
Prizes for the two competitions are yet to be decided, but will be something worthwhile, plus the usual "Talisman Island Competition Winner's Toads" for winners of the heats!
There are a couple of new pages online now that I have yet to link properly, but you might as well have a peek in the mean time here -
I'll try to add more about the competitions and sort out the links to these new pages soon!
Oh yes... and I've finally got my backside into gear and Photoshopped the Magiczny Miecz (Magical Sword) board for use with Talisman. Gural spent a lot of time helping me with the translations, so I thought it was only right that I did something with it after all this time! So that's yet another item that is "Coming Soon (ish)".
NEWSBITS 28th September 2007
Not long to go until the general release date for Talisman 4th Edition on Monday!
In the mean time, you could always have a look at the BI website and put an order in for one of these lovely little Talisman badges -
Just to let you know that I am hoping to get another edition of the Talisman Herald out this week, with some ideas for trial rules for Talisman, 3rd Edition characters and a feature on some fabulous new cards from Paul Humphreys for your 2nd Edition game in the style of Gary Chalk's artwork!
NEWSBITS 20th September 2007
Here's a quick reminder that Talisman is going to be demonstrated at Games Workshop's Games Day at the NEC in Birmingham this Sunday.
You will also be able to get hold of a copy the game there a week before its release AND you will get the bonus Adventure card, Arena, to boot!
In other news, BI have just put an announcement on their site about a new Talisman T-Shirt which is now available to purchase via the site. Click the image to get your order in!
Lastly, a small bit of site news. Just to let you know that I will be adding some trial rules for use with Talisman to the site in the next few weeks. They won't be official rules, but they may add a little something to your game and I'm hoping for a little audience participation too, so get ready to try them out soon!
NEWSBITS 9th September 2007
Well, I've come across a couple of things of note that I think are worthy to make the news this weekend.
Firstly, Black Industries have announced that the bonus Arena card will be available to EVERYONE that preorders the game, whether from conventions or through the BI website!
Secondly, Capcom have been tinkering with their new pages for Talisman, but they are not live as yet... though if you are sneaky you can take a peek at a couple of characters from the PC version of Talisman.
NEWSBITS 5th September 2007
Just a quick update to say that Elliott and I had a great time last week at GenCon UK in Reading helping demo the game to new people.
I would say that everyone that managed to get a game had a good time. There was a good mix of current players, players of old and people totally new to the game and a lot of preorders were made to people keen to get hold of the game a little earlier than most.
Unfortunately my camera broke on the first day, so there is no gallery to see, but if anyone manages to send some pictures my way I will put them online.
Thanks to all who played, especially Kevin, Simon, Julie, Nigel, Aaron, Brian, Troy and many others whose names escape me (sorry!) who helped the weekend go along with a laugh or two and I'm looking forward to Games Day in Birmingham on the 23rd September where we shall be demoing the game again!!
NEWSBITS 20th August 2007
A couple of newsworthy items have appeared on the Black Industries Website today.
Firstly, for those of you unable to attend one of the prelaunch events can now preorder the game!
In addition, for those of you who just HAVE to have miniatures in your game they have some suggestions for you to use from the current GW range of miniatures.
NEWSBITS 8th August 2007
A auction on eBay caught my eye today and if you are interested in getting hold of a copy of Talisman early AND getting a slap up meal into the bargain then you should check it out.
The organisers of the ENnie Awards at GenCon Indy are auctioning off a numbers of seats at various tables, but I think this one has to be the best one.
The winner of the auction will not only win a seat at the Black Industries table for the awards, but they will also walk off with a copy of the new edition PLUS the two bonus Adventure cards - Rod of Ruin and Arena!
Click on the image above to have a look at the auction and if you win, I'd be interested in a blow by blow account of the whole experience... and save me an after dinner mint!
...and before you ask, I have no connection with the auction. If only it included air tickets I might be interested in bidding myself!!
NEWSBITS 6th August 2007
Black Industries have posted another interesting interview on their website today.
This time it's a chat with Ralph Horsley about his new artwork for the board for the new edition.
NEWSBITS 1st August 2007
Details about the availability of Talisman at GenCon Indy have appeared on the Black Industries website.
Numbers have been limited to 50 per day, so you had better get to Booth 1229 early to score a copy along with the bonus Adventure card - Arena.
You can also find out more information about Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Dark Heresy with a free demo adventure!
NEWSBITS 20th July 2007
An interesting tidbit of information has reached my ears about a second bonus card to be made available for the release of Talisman.
It seems that in addition to "Arena", which will be available at the prerelease events at Gen Con Indy and Games Day, there will be another card sent to various retailers globally for distribution as they see fit.
The card will be "Rod of Ruin", which is another card that featured in the original Talisman Expansion Set.
NEWSBITS 18th July 2007
Well, at long last I have put a "review" of sorts up for anyone who is interested in seeing what the latest incarnation of Talisman is all about.
Click through the image below to see it and let me know what you think!
NEWSBITS 15th July 2007
It's always nice to have some "mood" music playing whilst you are engaged in a game of Talisman.
I've been toying with the idea of having a music player on the site for a while now and decided to give one a shot.
So if you have a computer anywhere near your games table, you will now be able to listen to some music during your quest!
I'd be interested in any comments about this idea as I may add a dedicated page in the future.
NEWSBITS 13th July 2007
Nothing much to report today it seems, but I will just say that in the Resources/Expansions section I've put up a LOT of cards kindly sent to me by Carsten Both.
I've also noticed that Capcom have recently updated the banner on their Digital Blog site to include an image of "Dice with Death" from Talisman -
I'm not sure how long that image has been there, but here's hoping that some news will be forthcoming soon regarding the project!
With a bit of luck I will be able to get organised with my review/comparison of Talisman 4th Edition for you all over the weekend, so stay tuned!
NEWSBITS 10th July 2007
Black Industries have just posted an interesting Question and Answer session with Marc Gascoigne and Zoe Wedderburn about the new edition of Talisman.
You can read this article, which also clears up one of the most contentious issues in Talisman, by clicking the image below -
NEWSBITS 6th July 2007
Just a quick note to mention that I returned home today to find a nice surprise waiting for me -
Stay tuned as I will be making a full report on the contents next week.
NEWSBITS 28th June 2007
Black Industries have now confirmed that you will be able to make an advance order for Talisman through their website from the 20th August.
They also confirm a few events where you will be able to purchase a copy of the game a month or so earlier than its scheduled release date.
In addition, there is an interesting snippet of information that anyone buying a copy of Talisman at one of these events will also receive a limited edition Adventure card - Arena.
Black Industries have posted yet another interview to their website. This time it is the turn of Max Bertolini, the man behind the stunning Adventure card artwork.
You can read the latest interview, and the previous interviews with Jeremy McHugh and Ralph Horsley, by clicking through the images below.
NEWSBITS 21st June 2007
Today Black Industries put the trailer for Talisman up on YouTube for all to see and rather than embed it on this page I thought I'd let you see it the old fashioned way here.
They also mentioned that more news will be coming soon to the Black Industries website.
The latest edition of the Talisman Herald has just been uploaded to the site, with news, articles and content for your favourite boardgame.
I've also put up a gallery of pictures sent to me by Riccardo Rognoni of his Talisman set and miniatures, which can be seen by clicking the image below.
NEWSBITS 12th June 2007
An interesting statement was released by Capcom today with regard to its games Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition, Onimusha 3, Lost Planet and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix -
Capcom Co. Ltd. is pleased to announce that it will commence distribution of many of its popular game titles to the PC market via Valve Corporation's Steam digital distribution service, making it the first major Japanese software publisher to sign on with Steam.
If you cast your mind back to April when Black Industries first reported that Capcom had licensed Talisman, they stated that -
Black Industries are pleased to announce that Capcom Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, have been given a license to produce a digitally downloadable version of Talisman.
So it seems that, as the game will be digitally downloadable, it is a fair assumption that Talisman will be coming out via the Steam network, for the moment at least.
I have used Steam for a number of years now to play games like Half Life and Counterstrike and have always found it a very useful tool indeed. There is now a list of 139 games playable over Steam, the majority of which are from companies other than Valve.
It is possible that I am making 1+1=3, but I'll worry about that when it happens!! For more news on Steam and its range of games can be found here.
The only downside I can see is that I won't have a box for the game!
NEWSBITS 11th June 2007
Fancy getting your hands on a copy of the new version of Talisman BEFORE the official release date of the 1st of October?
Marc Gascoigne, the head honcho at Black Industries, has named a few venues where you will be able to score a copy as early as August!
Maybe I need to look into getting a few more countdown applets?
NEWSBITS 8th June 2007
Not much to report today apart from the next edition of the Talisman Herald is nearly finished. It will be uploaded some time next week once I get a few more pages done.
In other news, it seems that GW's legal department has asked oldschoolgamr to cease production of Talisman GBA, which is a great shame.
He had already penned an article about how the project came to be, which will still be published in the next Talisman Herald as a testament to all of his hard work.
NEWSBITS 4th June 2007& 5th June 2007
Just some news to say that Elliott the Roolz Troll and I have now returned safely from an exhausting weekend of messing about with demonstrating the new edition of Talisman at the UK Games Expo 2007 in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
It was great to finally get our grubby mitts on a copy of the game and to try it out with some willing volunteers.
Richard Massey becomes the first player to be Toaded!!!
Elliott baffles the table with a Ray Charles impression!
Thanks to everyone that stopped by and asked questions and a great many thanks to those who were lucky enough to get a game over the weekend, namely -
Paul H, Iain, Fil, Paul G, Will, Gordon, Matt, Big Bad John, Fiona, Richard & Daniel, Mark, Kelvin, Paul C, Ellen, Keary, Paul F & Edgar, Dave Allen, Emma, Jerry, Ben the Plucky, Joel, Ben the Other Ben, Mica, David, Joey, Joe, Dave D and Ben P!
Click the image below to see a hastily cobbled together gallery from the weekend. **UPDATED**
NEWSBITS 31st May 2007
It seems that oldschoolgamr likes to give us something to talk about on a wet and dreary Thursday (other climates are available).
Today he announced a project that he's been working on for the last couple of years!
Click the picture above to visit his site and see what he has been up to for all this time. It's been well worth the effort!
MORE NEWSBITS 31st May 2007
In other news, Black Industries has just updated their site with a potted history of Talisman.
It's an interesting read and you can access it by clicking on the picture above of Bob Harris, who is showing off Talisman at Games Day in 1983! Nice glasses!
NEWSBITS 22nd May 2007
In a surprise move, the competiton page gets an update with details of the winning entry!!
There have also been a few changes to the Talisman Boardgame Discussion Group at Yahoo Games.
I've added a welcome message for new members and cleared up the front page a little. There's a new picture too which should leave people in no doubt that it is a group for the discussion of ALL things Talisman.
So, if you are not a member already, what are you waiting for?
NEWSBITS 3rd May 2007
...and yet more news about the World of Talisman from Black Industries!!
The latest newsletter from Black Industries has a link to a new trailer which has been made to show some aspects of the new edition.
Click the link above to see the trailer which features art from the game, details about how it is played and an original soundtrack.
Sign up for the newsletter whilst you are at the Black Industries site!!
NEWSBITS 1st May 2007
It seems that Black Industries just can't stop with the good news regarding the future of Talisman!
During the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas last week, Black Industries confirmed that at least one expansion for Talisman was already in development.
A release date has not been set but this first expansion is expected around April or May 2008. The expansion is to include more characters, adventure cards, equipment
and spells, and even "a few surprises".
NEWSBITS 14th April 2007
Thanks to oldschoolgamr for the heads up on this particular little item of news... Talisman is coming to the PC, PS Network and XBLA!
Details are a bit scarce at the moment so this is what's being said over at the IGN website -
US, April 13, 2007 - This winter, Capcom will bring the Games Workshop board game Talisman to the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and PC platforms. Originally created in 1983 by the highly-successful table game company, Talisman (which is currently out of print) was a combination card and board game that had loose ties to the company's Warhammer Fantasy universe.
The videogame version of Talisman sounds like it will be a close digital representation of the classic game, utilizing a virtual board with 3D characters and environments. Up to four players can play online and off and take advantage of the game's 25 characters from the franchise. Voice chat options will allow players to talk while the game progresses, and downloadable game expansions, including character updates, adventure card updates, alternate endings and more, are expected to give legs to the title over time.
Other details on the game are scarce, other than the fact that it is in production at Big Rooster studios and will be available this winter.
Just a quick note to mention that I managed to make it to London's Toy Fair at ExCeL on Saturday 27th of January and whilst I was there I managed to take a picture of the box art.
Isn't she a beauty? Click the link below for the latest news about the new edition of Talisman and visit the Talisman Herald Section for my ramblings...
In the mean time, while we are waiting for more news about the game you can visit the Boardgame News website to see pictures of the mock up from the London, Toronto and New York Toy Fairs by clicking the images below...
You could even make some plans to visit the UK Games Expo in Birmingham later this year where it seems Black Industries will be spending a couple of days showcasing the new version...
MORE NEWSBITS 5th March 2007
It seems that whilst I was on holiday Black Industries decided to make a couple of updates to their website!
Not only do you get yet another wallpaper to download...
...but there is a new feature from Jeremy McHugh, the artist behind the character art for the new edition...
...not forgetting the original article about Ralph Horsley's stunning box art!
