Hi all, long time lurker in the WFRP forum.

So I was looking into getting a board game for my group of roleplayers for us to play on occasion. I'm already planning on pick up Descent, but the price tag is a little steep for me at this time. But I was looking into Talisman and Runebound. Both seem to have simular qualities and almost the same play mechanics. I was wondering what one would be a good fit for a roleplaying group to play? Weighing pros and cons, update and expandable content. ya know, that sort of thing.

Thanks in advance.

The mechanics of these games are actually quite different, although the theme is similar. Talisman plays more like a "traditional" board game; rolling d6s for movement, board spaces arranged in circles around the playing area, etc. It is more directly adversarial, so if your friends like fighting on another, this would be a good one. (of course you don't HAVE to fight each other, but this game provides more opportunities for such than RB.)

Runebound is more freeform. The map is broken into hexes and allows the player to go in more or less whatever direction he wants. Players are rarely forced together unless they choose to engage one another, so although pvp rules do exist, they generally don't come into play unless people are trying to do so. Runebound also plays best with 4 or less, by most people's estimation, whereas Talisman can support pretty much any number of players (officially I think the cap is 6 or 8 but we've had massive games with upwards of 12 players and relatively little breakdown in the mechanics.) Depending on the number of people you expect, that might be a consideration.

You say that you and your friends are generally role-players, so I'll put forward that Runebound is probably more up your alley (Talisman always struck me as very "hack-n-slash-y.") Take that with a grain of salt though, because I'm not saying role-players won't like Talisman, just that of the two RB would probably be a better fit. As far as expandability goes, both games are getting FFG's full expansion treatment it would seem. There's plenty to choose from for each. RB seems to be winding down now, most of it's content is out already. There are still whispers of new expansions, but nothing confirmed as yet. Talisman, by contrast, is just getting started. There's a decent chunk of stuff out there now and more is sure to come.

Descent can also be a bane on role-players as there are many, many rules that make little sense logically. Great game, but don't try to role-play with it, I'm just sayin' is all.

Well thanks so much for the info. I've been leaning towards Talisman. For me the lite rules and more board game vibe is a drawing point. But at the same time, it's got me a little sceptical. So from what you're saying Runebound sounds more up our ally. Another draw for me to Talisman, was the shoter play time. So Im now leaning more towards Runebound...but I want to get both. anyhoo thanks for the input and any more thought, please jot down

Thanks.

I agree with Steve-O. Only thing I want to mention is that Talisman as RPG could be a bit challenging. People playing Talisman often complain about the "Draw Luck Factor". As you play Talisman each round you move with a movement dice and then you generally encounter an "Adventure Card". This Adventure Card can be a item, an event, or a monster.

It is here the draw luck factor comes into play. While some characters one turn after the other draws items and other fancy stuff, another character can face monsters that is hard to defeat and will lose alot lifes and even get defeated. This will often on random make some characters get a really better start than others.

My thought is that if you guys really are into RPG it could become trickier when so much on the development of the game for each player comes down to simple luck drawing Adventure Cards.

SC

Child of Ulric said:

Getting both isn't necessarily a bad idea. I own both and the two are sufficiently different that I don't feel like money was wasted on two of the same thing. If you cano nly afford one for the time being, though, go with your gut. In terms of play time, Talisman might be the shorter but depending on how things unfold it could also be pretty close.

I suggest Runebound for a group that wants role-playing because it offers more freedom of movement. The players have more choice and control over their characters. Talisman is largely random (as StormCaller points out.) This is not to say RB lacks any random factors, but Talisman just has more, and the restricted options for moving/fighting might leave hardened role-players wanting more. Both are great games, though. In fact, if your group is looking for something to revitalize interest, then going for a more board-gamey game might be better as it offers an even more different perspective.

At the end of the day I can't really speak for you and your friends, I can only tell you the pros and cons of each game as I see them and hopefully help you make a choice that suits you best. I would equate Runebound more with role-playing and Talisman more with "roll" playing. Perhaps bring the points raised here to your friends and see if they have any questions or opinions on which to get.

Hey thanks guys so much for the information, pros and cons. I really appreciate it. So last night I went out to my local game shop and picked up Runebound. I think what was kinda holding me back was the artwork and yellow box, LOL. Don't ask, I have odd hangups on occasion. But I bought it, ran home and read the rules in about a hour. Now IM trying to get everyone together so we can give it a go.

Any tips or wonky rules or better fixes you guys have come up with?

Thanks again SO much

I have both and I don't really think they overlap that much.

Talisman is pvp and is a blast to play with people because you encounter each other alot and is very adversarial.

Runebound is much more like a RPG and fun to play solo. (you can expand it with boards for sea, desert, ice) and cards.

Talisman is actually more complex in my opinion because it has rules on the board and rules on cards which can conflict or cause questions. Runebound has no rules on the board...just the cards so its interpretations are much cleaner.

They look the same...but I think they are actually quite different.

Runebound would take longer, but if you are playing with just a few buddies it is less adversarial and more an RPG.

Talisman is pretty fast with 2-4 people (1 hour per person). It's very fun multiplayer if the gamers can handle the fact that is very pvp!

If time is a factor for your group you would be better off with Talisman. Runebound can get pretty bogged down with more than 3 players unless you have a person not playing that can dictate a strict turn order and keep the pace moving along. Talisman however plays real smooth no matter how many people are playing and goes by much faster. I see you also are looking to pickup descent at some point. Keep in mind Descent will take even more time to play than Runebound until you are very familiar with all the rules or play a RTL campaign.

I have Descent, Talisman & Runebound (and plethora other games...), and of those three RB hits the table the least often. While RB has more modern game mechanics than Talisman, for some reason it just lacks the fun factor - perhaps it's the lower level of PvP action. Talisman has a lot of luck -dependency, but the expansions have made the player more in control of what's happening. With fate and Dungeon, the game has just become so much better. It's hard to tell where it exactly comes from, but Talisman games are exciting and fun, and for that reason we just like to play it, and do play it a lot. We just like it when the loot starts to pile up on everybody, and the stats increase, and the race to victory is heating up.

Descent is then THE board game. OK, it has it's flaws as well, overlong play times, a bit complex and problematic rules, but it's still the most captivating board game I've seen so far.