Was thinking of picking this game up, but had a couple questions about how it plays, specifically in comparison to RuneBound.

First, how's the downtime between turns? RuneBound's biggest flaw, in the opinion of my group, is the lack of interaction. While one person is taking their turn, everyone else is sitting there watching. The big concern her is how long everyone is stuck sitting around watching. Do player turns go fairly quick in this game, or is there something to keep the other players engaged?

Does combat within the game, and the game overall, play pretty quickly? I'd be picking this up specifically as a quick game, I have enough games that we only get one or two plays of in an evening, I need something FAST.

I know I'm on the fast end of the game-speed scale, but honestly, if a turn in Talisman takes more than 10 seconds, you're slow-playing. Once you get to know the board, you don't need to count where the die result will land you, instead you know the options with a glance and can move. Since encounters don't offer a choice that often in general, that cuts down on AP (analysis paralysis) as well, as you just do what the card says. If you get into combat(s), turn might stretch a tad, but still not much as it's just a die roll for you, die roll for the creature(s). And one of your opponents will roll the die for the creature, so they have a part to play even when it's not their turn. And then there is PvP of course ...

If you keep your eye on the prize, Talisman 3-player shouldn't take 90 minutes. By eye on the prize I mean remember the object is to get to the Crown of Command, not troll around for 2+ hours boosting stats then starting to think about going for the win.

Though I'm not as fast (and furious) as Dam in my games, I also managed to get 3 player games under 2 hours and 4 player games to about 2 1/2 hours. Talisman is very dice/draw-dependant and if you push your luck to win early on, it's not a bad try. Turns are fast and there are not many reasons why a player should spend time pondering his choices. He does not have many, even if he has Spells (just try not to be too fast and forget Spells/Abilities).

Since I also play Runebound I feel the same as you. I like the game but it stretches too long and has not the fast dynamics of a Talisman game, and there's not too much PvP. Moreover, PvP in Runebound can be really harsh, because it forces you to lose a lot of time rebuilding what has been lost, while in Talisman it's never too bad if you die in the mid-game. There are some Characters that allow you to win even if the others had a lot of time to gather Objects and Stats, but you always need to be blessed by lady Luck, which is not a major requirement in Runebound.

Just to make a comparison, I won 2 games of Talisman out of 26 in the last 12 months, while I won 4 out of 7 games of Runebound. Talisman is more luck, interaction and focus, while Runebound is more planning, avoiding others and choosing tactics. Talisman can come shortly to an end or go on indefinitely, depending on everybody's style of play; if you linger it will last long and the same will happen if some stall situation occurs (rare but possible). Runebound will always last 1 hour per player, no matter what you try to speed up things.

To throw in the counterpoint, if you are into the adventure just as much as the win, you may not like Talisman at first. And when it is played fast, it is utterly mechanical. Over the varied editions, it has pushed slightly toward faster play, but my group likes to play it on nights when we're more social. We play a tougher game of Talisman than most, but we take our time at it, so that we enjoy good company and are entertained in both playing and watching the game.

Runebound is for when we want to get down to something a little more challenging and requiring attention. We don't shy away from Character vs Character (not the same as Player vs Player). And yes, the outcome can be semi-daunting, but it is not as devastating (by the rules) as stated previously. Not if you know how to play the odds and the strategy involved. Talisman is much more PvP in its simple and loose use of Fate and Spells. If you are into PvP, you'll enjoy that part; if you are into CvC, not so much, for Talisman characters are also very simple with abilities that are almost all automatic with no way for an opponent to challenge them in turn.

There really is little comparison between Talisman and Runebound; they target entirely different needs in entertainment. Think of it that way... different fantasy games for different moods and/or different mixes of friends and family. It's good to have variety!

I played yesterday my first runebound game: I liked the movement, even if need some practice in the beginning, using skills and the event cards.

Compared with talisman I don't like the absence of spells (maybe some expansion set?) and it's true, it needs time waiting from player A to player E (in a 5 players game).

When I bought talisman I've read many runebound reviews to choise the best one for me...I'm glad I've Bought Talisman. IMO runebound is a good game, with good mechanic and nice movement&combat, but playing talisman is more funny. Yesterday a player found 3-4 powerful artifact after 1+1/2 hour playing:no one was able to stop him, and it was clear he would be the winner. In talisman you can't be sure of your victory until your last command spell.

talisman is a very fast game, for its type. also try the silver line game CITADELS as a fast and extremely fun game for 2 to 7 players.