In Talisman, your character will race to be the first to attain the Crown of Command. To do this is no easy task. First players will be challenged to get from the outer region to the middle region. Once there, they will build Strength and Craft until they can pass through the Portal of Power. The inner region will offer them a choice of Strength or Craft. Each path is fraught with danger, but once the path has been completed, the player will be able to wear the crown!
Players
Characters include the ascetic Monk, who uses his inner faith to fuel his strength. The Ghoul makes a habit of attacking other players to leech their life force. The Minstrel who is safe from animals and dragons, and may woo the Maiden from right under your nose. Perhaps you will choose the Sorceress, who can cast powerful spells and may beguile fellow characters. The mighty Troll has Strength to spare, but is a bit lacking in the Craft. The Elf finds sanctuary in the woods, and has a fair balance of Strength and Craft. The Warrior may wield weapons in both hands and is a master of battles.
Adventure Cards
These represent the various encounters you will face as you travel the fields and forests. You may battle Lions, Ogres, Goblins, Witches, and many other foul creatures. You may encounter a Unicorn, who grants a bonus to both Strength and Craft while your follower, or even the Prince, who heals you when at the Castle and can be traded for a princely sum of gold. Beware the Witch's spells, for if you are unlucky she will turn you into a slimy little toad!
Also hidden in this deck are mighty objects to aid you on your quest. Runeswords, water bottles, bags of gold, armor, and shields are all mixed in with the creatures and encounters to be found in the Adventure Cards!
Turn Sequence
Every turn your hero will advance towards their goal. Roll a die to find out how far they will advance. You may go left or right, but you must go the full die roll. Once you end your movement, follow the instructions on the location. You may have to draw Adventure Cards or possibly heal, sustain damage, or even Dice with Death. Each turn sees you get closer to the vicious pitfiends, who stand in your way to power.
Alignment
Each character is aligned to good, neutral, or evil. Encounters will play upon this and grant benefits or hindrances depending. The Angel grants good players an additional Life point, while evil players lose on Life. Mephistopheles grants evil players one Life, while good and neutral players become evil. They then take the alignment card and flip it to the evil side to show their shifting allegiance.
Spells
Spells grant those versed in Craft powers not of this world! Destruction allows you to remove any upturned encounter card from the board. Healing restores up to 4 life to either yourself or another player. Random is just that, the target of the spell rolls a die. They may lose stats, gain gold, or even turn into a toad! Teleport takes you to any space in your region, allowing you to bypass harmful location with ease. Mesmerism calls to a follower of one of your enemies and convinces them to join you instead. Temporal Warp supercharges your character, allowing you three turns in a row!
Winning The Game
Once you have defeated the Sentinel of the outer region, passed through the Portal of Power of the middle region, and survived the Valley of Fire in the inner region, you have attained the Crown of Command! With this mighty circlet, you may cast the command spell to smite your opponents. Wash them away from the board and claim total domination!