Come up with a idea for a home brew around character generation and character special abilities the idea goes like this:

Every expansion that includes character cards has a small ability card deck, in each deck is one card for each character with another special ability written on them - some are good for the character some are bad - strong characters have a bad special ability, weak characters have a good special ability.

You shuffle all these cards together (biased on what sets you use) and draw them out to all players in game before they draw character cards. All these cards are dealt in turn order (which is generated before hand) and they are dealt face up until all cards in deck are dealt (thus the first few players might get more cards than the other players).

Then all players are free to see what ability cards other players get - then the character cards are drawn in normal ways either 1 - 6 which ever way you want as normal. whatever character card the player chooses (or is dealt if you play with a single character card draw- but this in not suggested because its better with the ability cards to allow player choice) that is the same as a ability card they have they must add to their character for the game.

So if they draw a strong character and get its ability card they might decide not to play that character but if they get a weak character they might decide to go with it. There are characters that are neither strong or weak they normally have a flavor special ability as a ability card. Something useful but hardly game breaking.

The object of this homebrew is to increase character choice and increase the players choices when it comes to choosing characters at the start of the game.

Now I've done the Base set and the Frostmarch expansions and working through the rest.. And here they are... links

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kyngzk6nkgoczc1/Base%20set%20characters.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6d3pxdn9belbeff/Base%20set%20characters%20back.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8lm1rvfg3r6n0gt/Frostmarch%20characters.png?dl=0

Its early days at mo no playtest at mo so these are just food for thought. And comments extra ideas thoughts?

Don't be shy...

I actually like this idea in general

I actually like this idea in general

Any ideas or things to add? Do you think the current ability cards are good etc etc.

Bloodmoon-City-Dragons-Dungeons-Reaper up

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dht73kl19t9mgpu/Bloodmoon%20Characters.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pl0yjgigbxh59wb/City%20Characters.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kgohntlevi42sch/Dragons%20Characters.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/679156unafgagtc/Dungeon%20Characters.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z27pywcqemmlyk0/Reaper%20Characters.png?dl=0

On another note I'm now thinking because there is going to be SO many cards at the end of is current homebrew and the last thing anyone whats is to sort through a whopping 11 cards (22 if 3 player) at start of the game. Plus the fact that most characters do not need a boost or cutback. I'm going with the idea now of just having 6 ability cards for the base set and only 2 ability cards for the rest and drawing 4 for the base set + 2 for each set thereafter and putting all these ability cards out, so that any player that decides to play one of the characters listed must take the extra ability card as another special ability. So if you have all the sets you will end up with around 24 cards and drawing around 16 of them at the start of game, leaving 8 undrawn. That looks better.

What do you think about that?

OK now I've done the first version 24 ability cards so many are drawn before players draw character cards to choose in a Talisman game. Add all the cards from each set you are going to play with or including the characters from. To see how may you draw it matters on what sets you are playing with or including the characters from as follows:

Base set 5

Frostmarch 3

Reaper 2

Sacred Pool 4

Bloodmoon 0

Harbinger 0

Firelands 0

Dungeon 1

Highlands 1

Woodlands 1

City 1

Cataclysm coming soon

So thats if your playing with Everything 18 out of 24 so 6 will not be drawn.

Then whatever character a player chooses if the corresponding characters ability card is out they must add it to their characters special abilities.

Heres the 24 ability cards at the moment:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n1n81ucd705w47n/Ability%20Cards.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5gr3997epchzml5/Ability%20Cards%202.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fmsvopxh084xou2/Ability%20Cards%203.png?dl=0

Sorry for double post. Right'o' like normal comments ideas welcome.

I don't like it. The idea that the same character sometimes will be penalized and sometimes not rubs me the wrong way. If you believe a character is too good (and you make those decisions yourself, as seen on the cards), why is that character sometimes still available for play at its original level?

What you will get is less of choice than before, because now players will not choose characters that have corresponding negative card.

I like the idea of character-specific cards however. They remind me of flares from Cosmic Encounter, which is my second favorite game after the Talisman

Yeah I didn't really understand the whole doling cards out thing, I like the idea of adding an extra ability or penalty to balance characters though.

Yeah I didn't really understand the whole doling cards out thing, I like the idea of adding an extra ability or penalty to balance characters though.

This could make an interesting catch-up mechanic.

Imagine there's a card for each character, with one disability and one ability. Whoever has most advances in Strength+Craft, must apply his disablity. Who has least, applies his ability.

Interesting ideas guys, ok im seeing your point - why not then just have a disablity for each character. Hmmm its very interesting gives me a lot to ponder.

Thanks guys.

EDIT..

Ok had a thinky how about players keep their ability cards secret and then after all players have chosen their characters they may add the right ability card to the same named character. Thus strong characters now risk a disability and poor characters have a chance of getting a boost. Mind you the ability deck needs more boosts to disability so the deck would need amendment.

Interesting ideas guys, ok im seeing your point - why not then just have a disablity for each character. Hmmm its very interesting gives me a lot to ponder.

Then you're just making the game harder for...what reason?

Also you will annoy your players that they have to apply negative effects but gain nothing in return.

Interesting ideas guys, ok im seeing your point - why not then just have a disablity for each character. Hmmm its very interesting gives me a lot to ponder.

Then you're just making the game harder for...what reason?

Also you will annoy your players that they have to apply negative effects but gain nothing in return.

Making the game harder? no just balancing out some of the hardly used characters (because when someone gets a choice no one takes the weak ones unless that's the only choice they have thus it will in effect give more choice not less) and weakening the already powerful ones, end of the day it does not make the game harder just more interesting. I suppose I could just have boosts and no negative effects thus give some weaker characters more chance to get picked. Think about it that does sound a lot better in the long run.

As for annoying players well players are already annoyed when someone picks a powerful character but because everyone is in the same boat its not that bad I find it will add more options to game character choices. But hey right now its just a idea.

Ok fellow Talismaner's I'm expanding these rules to include the Inherited Items optional rule "When a character is killed, the player’s new character may
“inherit” the items that his killed character loses" from the Core set. But instead only some cards will be included "in a new inherit card deck" instead of taking the cards from the purchase or shop decks. Because of this no adventure cards will be included in this deck so only cards from the purchase or shop decks can be "Inherited" between characters at this stage of the sets design.

This too will allow me to make a deck that players draw at start of game, that will in effect give some characters a free inherit card from the inherit deck thus improving some characters with a object follower at start of game bringing them up in draw choices for players to play with.

I just need help with what some of the extra purchase cards from the Cataclysm do? Like Haversack, Whietstone, and Healers Kit if indeed I have even spelt those cards right . I will be getting the Cataclysm soon in a week or two but Im keen to get this set going.