Hello Everyone,

I'm new to board games and Talisman. I have Battlelore and X-Wing and recently for Christmas my family and I started getting into some other games we received, Talisman being one of them. Descent was another.

My family and I encountered a few things initially that came out during our first play. I am sure there will be other questions as we go along but these are the first ones:

1. Is it normal to go around the outer region for a couple hours before moving to the middle region? This is what happened to us. Couldn't beat the Sentinel at the bridge.

2. On one turn can you go clockwise then the next time go counterclockwise?

3. How do you accumulate gold? I can't find a way that you actually accumulate gold.

4. On the adventure cards what does the Encounter Number in the bottom right corner mean and how does it work?

5. If someone is turned into a Toad and has to place their cards and gold on the space they were turned does the next person who lands on this space get the gold and cards? If there are multiple cards there from the player being turned does the next person who lands there get all the cards plus draw a new one or do the cards already there count as the ones you take?

6. When you go into a battle I have a couple questions:

A. When battling a creature from an adventure card you drew...you have to do regular combat if the card says strength, correct? Meaning you can't use your Craft values?

B. When battling another player when you land on a space occupied by one or more than one other players can you CHOOSE to battle using the Craft values or do you have to use Strength?

C. If there are multiple players on a space you land on do you battle them all or choose only one?

7. What happens when you land on a space and based on the adventure card you draw or the instructions on the space it says to pay x number of gold and you don't have any? What do you do then?

8. If you are down to the last green counter (life) and lose a battle to a creature from a card or another player the player that loses last green counter is out of the game as that character but can restart as a new character, correct.

9. How many colored counters can you amass for each category (strength, craft and life)? Is there a max?

10. A player in the game was told they turned evil...does that mean they get one of the cards with the good on one side and evil on the other side and that they have to flip it over to the evil side? I can't find a use for these?

11. On the purchase cards...how do these work? We played for hours without ever using these. I think it was because of not understanding how to collect gold. Nobody ever seemed to have more than 2 or 3 gold.

12. How many spells can a player cast on their turn? I understand they have to cast before they move though.

Sorry for so many questions. I feel sometimes like the rules to these games are over my head and I'm not sure why. I read the instructions but then start playing and find myself constantly looking in the book for answers. Sometimes I find the answers other times I don't and get more confused. I want to understand the games because my family and I do enjoy them.

Thank you to anyone who takes their time to answer any of these questions. Very much appreciated.

1. Is it normal to go around the outer region for a couple hours before moving to the middle region? This is what happened to us. Couldn't beat the Sentinel at the bridge.

It's possible without expansions, although rather uncommon.

2. On one turn can you go clockwise then the next time go counterclockwise?

Sure.

3. How do you accumulate gold? I can't find a way that you actually accumulate gold.

You get gold from various adventure cards (or by selling items at the alchemist), you put it next to your character card, bam! you accumulate gold.

4. On the adventure cards what does the Encounter Number in the bottom right corner mean and how does it work?

It's all in the rulebook, encounter number is only important when you encounter more than one card at the same time. It tells you in which order the cards are to be encountered.

5. If someone is turned into a Toad and has to place their cards and gold on the space they were turned does the next person who lands on this space get the gold and cards?

Yes.

If there are multiple cards there from the player being turned does the next person who lands there get all the cards

Yes, if they want to. They don't have to take everything.

plus draw a new one or do the cards already there count as the ones you take?

No, cards on a space count toward the limit. Doesn't matter how they got there.

6. When you go into a battle I have a couple questions:

A. When battling a creature from an adventure card you drew...you have to do regular combat if the card says strength, correct? Meaning you can't use your Craft values?

Correct. And creatures present on cards are all called Enemies.

B. When battling another player when you land on a space occupied by one or more than one other players can you CHOOSE to battle using the Craft values or do you have to use Strength?

No, you must attack using Strength vs Strength, unless you have an ability that specifically allows you to attack with your Craft.

C. If there are multiple players on a space you land on do you battle them all or choose only one?

You choose only one player to encounter, or the space itself to encounter. You could for example, attack another player in the Desert to avoid losing life in it

7. What happens when you land on a space and based on the adventure card you draw or the instructions on the space it says to pay x number of gold and you don't have any? What do you do then?

Depends on the card, usually nothing happens.

8. If you are down to the last green counter (life) and lose a battle to a creature from a card or another player the player that loses last green counter is out of the game as that character but can restart as a new character, correct.

Yes, unless someone is at the Crown of Command, then the endgame kicks in and no more restarting with new characters.

9. How many colored counters can you amass for each category (strength, craft and life)? Is there a max?

There is no maximum except if you run out of the counters (which never happened to me in over 300 games I've played).

10. A player in the game was told they turned evil...does that mean they get one of the cards with the good on one side and evil on the other side and that they have to flip it over to the evil side? I can't find a use for these?

Yes, those are used when a character changes alignment to good or evil.

11. On the purchase cards...how do these work? We played for hours without ever using these. I think it was because of not understanding how to collect gold. Nobody ever seemed to have more than 2 or 3 gold.

You have to find a space or card that allows you to get purchase cards. Once you have them, they work like normal objects from the adventure deck.

12. How many spells can a player cast on their turn? I understand they have to cast before they move though.

As many as he started his turn with, but minimum 1. It's a weird rule, I know.

If you want to cross the river without fighting the Sentinel:

- use Immobility spell

- use Invisibility spell

- get an Axe (build a Raft when you are in the Woods or the Forest and use that to cross over on your next turn)

[how to get: Blacksmith in the Village / Adventure cards]

- get a Raft (and use that to cross over on your next turn)

[how to get: Adventure cards]

- roll for Magic Portal and get lucky (Adventure card)

- roll a 6 at the Tavern (and go to the Temple as your next move.)

If you feel that it takes too long to power up, you can reduce the amount of trophies required for a turn-in.
Try going with 5 instead of 7, for example. (Rule Variant also mentioned in the Rulebook)

Concerning Gold:

- When you draw a card like "Bag of Gold", you are supposed to take the gold

from the "reserve" and discard the "Bag of Gold"-Card.

- Did you hand out the starting gold of 1 to everyone?

Concerning your Character's Alignment:

First, there are spaces that give you different options based on it,
like the Chapel or the Graveyard.

There are also adventure cards that are handled in different ways
depending on your Alignment, like the Angel or Mephistopheles.

If you want to cross the river without fighting the Sentinel:

- use Immobility spell

- use Invisibility spell

- get an Axe (build a Raft when you are in the Woods or the Forest and use that to cross over on your next turn)

[how to get: Blacksmith in the Village / Adventure cards]

- get a Raft (and use that to cross over on your next turn)

[how to get: Adventure cards]

- roll for Magic Portal and get lucky (Adventure card)

- roll a 6 at the Tavern (and go to the Temple as your next move.)

If you feel that it takes too long to power up, you can reduce the amount of trophies required for a turn-in.

Try going with 5 instead of 7, for example. (Rule Variant also mentioned in the Rulebook)

Concerning Gold:

- When you draw a card like "Bag of Gold", you are supposed to take the gold

from the "reserve" and discard the "Bag of Gold"-Card.

- Did you hand out the starting gold of 1 to everyone?

Concerning your Character's Alignment:

First, there are spaces that give you different options based on it,

like the Chapel or the Graveyard.

There are also adventure cards that are handled in different ways

depending on your Alignment, like the Angel or Mephistopheles.

So in regards to the trophies. You have to save them up before turning them in? Maybe I missed that in the rule book. I thought you could trade EACH enemy card you defeated in for a counter. So it isn't 1 for 1?

I did hand out1 gold piece to everyone at the start of the game. Still seems hard to get enough gold to do anything. I think I'm doing a few things wrong.

So in regards to the trophies. You have to save them up before turning them in? Maybe I missed that in the rule book. I thought you could trade EACH enemy card you defeated in for a counter. So it isn't 1 for 1?

So wait, you played that after you defeat, lets say, a bull with strength 3, you discard the bull but gain +3 to strength permanently?

And you couldn't defeat the sentinel for a few hours?

I think they played it like: 1) defeat enemy, get trophy ; 2) discard trophy and get 1 strength/craft (depending on the enemy).

["Normal" Rules: Page 14: "Gaining Strength/Craft": A character gains one strength/craft or every seven points of strength/craft marked on the trophies he turns in.

Enemies thus exchanged are placed on the Adventure Card Discard Pile ...

Though like I said - and especially with the base game - this can take quite a while, which is why you can reduce the required number for a turn-in.

We played a lot of games with 5 points as a requirement, but recently my group enjoys always needing 1 more point than you currently have in strength or craft.]

Though I still wonder how it took so long for you to get going... must have been really unlucky with the card draws.

Did you look at the distribution of the adventure cards before you shuffled them?

I'm asking because the types are usually stacked on top of each other out of the box.

In my experience, just shuffling them a few times is not enough to get the cards types more away from each other and thus have a more healthy gameplay experience.

I think they played it like: 1) defeat enemy, get trophy ; 2) discard trophy and get 1 strength/craft (depending on the enemy).

["Normal" Rules: Page 14: "Gaining Strength/Craft": A character gains one strength/craft or every seven points of strength/craft marked on the trophies he turns in.

Enemies thus exchanged are placed on the Adventure Card Discard Pile ...

Though like I said - and especially with the base game - this can take quite a while, which is why you can reduce the required number for a turn-in.

We played a lot of games with 5 points as a requirement, but recently my group enjoys always needing 1 more point than you currently have in strength or craft.]

Though I still wonder how it took so long for you to get going... must have been really unlucky with the card draws.

Did you look at the distribution of the adventure cards before you shuffled them?

I'm asking because the types are usually stacked on top of each other out of the box.

In my experience, just shuffling them a few times is not enough to get the cards types more away from each other and thus have a more healthy gameplay experience.

Hello. I believe for one thing we did not shuffle the cards too well. We were literally exchanging each trophy for 1 counter. Sometimes the players held on to the trophies for a little while but when we did cash them in was 3 cards for 3 counters as an example. As for why else it took so long to get going I chalk it up to my family and I not being seasoned board gamers yet. We do have a few other games (Xwing, Battlelore and Descent), but have several questions with those as well. Sometimes the rules seem so dense and there are always exceptions to rules and exceptions to exceptions. If we are having a bit of hard time with Talisman I'm afraid Descent may be well over our head. Haven't opened that one yet. I want to learn these games though because my kids really seem to enjoy them and I would much rather play board games together than sitting divided playing video games. Plus, I think board games are more educational.

I think it would be a good idea for you to try play games with experienced gamers. Various games preferably. No better way to learn how to play board games in general.

My kids and I started a new game of Talisman. This one moved a little faster. We are probably around 4-5 hours and it is still going. 2 players are in the inner regiin and 2 in the middle region. We seem to have adventure cards left all over various spots on the board. For instance, on the Hidden Valley we have 2 cards (healer and magic portal). Space says to draw 3 cards so we drew 1 card and encountered in number order. If a card like magic portal says "you may pass through if you wish" then i assume this card is not mandatory to do anything, correct? I noticed this on other spaces or cards so thats how weve been playing it.

Ive also noticed some players getting really strong, like 20 strength. I guess due to how long we've been playing.

Why do you not put out red and blue counters to start the game the way you do green?

Might have a few more questions along the way. Fun game.

Why do you not put out red and blue counters to start the game the way you do green?

Because unlike Life your Strength and Craft cannot go below your starting value (that is the one written on the character card, it is called Strength or Craft value, when a card refers to your Strength/Craft value it means only the value written on the character card). When the game forces you to lose 1 strength/craft, you discard one token of the respective stat. If the game forces you to lose your Strength (Strength = your Str value + number of the Str counters), that is what the Random spell does, you lose all the counters, meaning your strength falls down to your base value.

Why do you not put out red and blue counters to start the game the way you do green?

Because unlike Life your Strength and Craft cannot go below your starting value (that is the one written on the character card, it is called Strength or Craft value, when a card refers to your Strength/Craft value it means only the value written on the character card). When the game forces you to lose 1 strength/craft, you discard one token of the respective stat. If the game forces you to lose your Strength (Strength = your Str value + number of the Str counters), that is what the Random spell does, you lose all the counters, meaning your strength falls down to your base value.

That makes sense now. Thanks Cruan.

How about this one: One player received the old Hag which directs the player to discard their followers and I believe they can't get any new followers until the old Hag is gone. What about in a future turn the same player receives the Potergeist card. Now, do you take this follower or no because you still have the old Hag? Wasn't 100% sure either way.

2 players are in the inner region and 2 in the middle region. We seem to have adventure cards left all over various spots on the board. For instance, on the Hidden Valley we have 2 cards (healer and magic portal). Space says to draw 3 cards so we drew 1 card and encountered in number order.

If a card like magic portal says "you may pass through if you wish" then i assume this card is not mandatory to do anything, correct? I noticed this on other spaces or cards so that's how we've been playing it.

Both are correct.

How about this one: One player received the old Hag which directs the player to discard their followers and I believe they can't get any new followers until the old Hag is gone. What about in a future turn the same player receives the Poltergeist card. Now, do you take this follower or no because you still have the old Hag? Wasn't 100% sure either way.

The "horrible" Hag trumps all other followers, even if they are "negative" ones like the Poltergeist which you usually have to take.

No haunting here.

If you want to add more gold to the game I highly suggest the Highland expansion. It's also a great place to go for low levels. Many cards offer gems you turn in for gold. Many such give you 3 gold.

After playing Highlands you will wanna ask, "What can I do with so much gold?" Then my response will be, get the City expansion where you can buy tons of stuff.