by TalisMatt originally published 05 October 2025
Avalon Hill is going full-steam ahead, growing the Talisman game far beyond the standard dice-roller it has been for decades.
In Call of the Hunt, Avalon Hill’s newest 5th Edition Talisman expansion, players have the option of playing cooperatively, with one player acting as the “Nemesis”, who controls the action of the game. It’s an unintentional shout-out to games like Descent: Journeys Into the Dark, where one player effectively serves as the “Dungeon Master” for the other players on the board.
Alternatively, players can engage in a standard game of 5th Edition Talisman if they wish, using the card of “The Huntress” as another starting character for the game. Avalon Hill has included a handy list of the things from this expansion people can use in a more traditional Talisman game, including companion cards, boon cards, adventure cards, and spell cards should playing cooperatively not be everyone’s cup of tea. They also provide a nice list of what cards to remove from the main game when playing cooperatively and what cards to pull to restore the expansion for new players once the game is over. A nice addition, to be sure.
I’ll be frank. I was NOT a fan of the 2nd 5th Edition expansion, Fate Beckons. The miniatures were boring (except for the Minotoad) and the characters uninspiring. I wasn’t particularly wowed by the trials either, which were more difficult than they needed to be. This is purely my opinion, and clearly some may disagree. I’d make an educated guess that it’s not particularly popular, as I’ve seen the Fate Beckons expansion on Amazon sell for less than $12.95 in brand-new condition quite often. But then again, every game has its less popular experiences when expansions start to arrive (can anyone say 4th Edition Talisman: The Firelands?)
But Call of the Hunt is a different story. The Boar Warlord, which has been featured in many of the previews from Avalon Hill, makes up the first trial. The next two trials are excellent – and daunting – and add some of the largest miniatures to Talisman that the game has ever seen. I absolutely despise Avalon Hill’s “Mystery Figure” gimmick for Talisman, so fair warning, I will reveal all of these at the end of the article. No worries though, for those of you who don’t want the game spoiled. I’ll provide several “SPOILER ALERT” images so you don’t scroll down too far! Given the addition of these larger-than-life encounters and their accompanying minis, I’d say that Avalon Hill is doing an untentional (or perhaps intentional?) appeal to HeroQuest players and trying to develop a cross-over market from one game to the other.
A New Inner Region Board
This expansion offers a new inner region board, which can be flipped over to represent a new inner region for the standard (non-cooperative) edition of the game. The co-op inner region includes the Lair of the Beast, which is surrounded by Woodlands. The standard 5th edition side introduces players to the Fey Realm, where the final encounter is with a Fey Dragon, with a strength of 10 and craft of 10. The board is well-designed, nice to look at, and laminated nicely for long-term use. Expect to encounter fey locations here including the Pixie Ring, Siren’s Grotto, Basilisk’s Hollow and Valley of Thistle here. It’s a great look, and I’m excited to play my first game using it.
A Very Promising First Look
This co-op expansion looks to be a blast, and I’m eager to head to the FLGS to play a game. I’d highly recommend checking this out, whether you’re a true fan of co-op play or just looking to collect more monsters for your D&D game or HeroQuest adventures. Again, this expansion looks far more fun than Fate Beckons turned out to be, and I’m willing to give co-op play a second shot just because Call of the Hunt looks so enticing. Enjoy!
/TalisMatt
SPOILERS FOLLOW – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO “SPOIL” THE SURPRISE MYSTERY MINIATURES?
ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO “SPOIL” THE SURPRISE MYSTERY MINIATURES?
Bigger Miniatures for the Trial Encounters
All of the miniatures representing the three trials in the game look they came straight out of HeroQuest. They’re bigger than the Minotaur from the Fate Beckons expansion, and they’re all fairly unique. The miniatures in this set include the Huntress (character), the Boar Warlord, the Scaled King, and the final boss, the Lady of the Hunt. Wow… take a look at these guys.
The Boar Warlord (Trial 1) and the Huntress (character)
The Scaled King (Trial 2)
The Lady of the Hunt (Trial 3, Endgame)
SURPRISE! The Unitoad (Another Talisman toad to collect!)