Interview with John Goodenough at Talisman Island

By talismanisland, in Talisman

talismanisland said:

Received via email:

"Hi. I would like to know, why international Talisman expansions must be released half year later than in Great Britain? Would be possible to make one release date for all of countries, so if Reaper was released before Christmas, even Pole or Russian will be able to play it in Christmas as well?"

I am voting in favour of this question!

talismanisland said:

"Hi. I would like to know, why international Talisman expansions must be released half year later than in Great Britain?

I suck at geography but doesn't all of Great Britain speak English? If the expansions are being printed in America why can't they just send a shipment to all English speaking countries when the expansion is hot off the press? Now my curiosity has been piqued!!!

ameritrasher said:

talismanisland said:

"Hi. I would like to know, why international Talisman expansions must be released half year later than in Great Britain?

I suck at geography but doesn't all of Great Britain speak English? If the expansions are being printed in America why can't they just send a shipment to all English speaking countries when the expansion is hot off the press? Now my curiosity has been piqued!!!

In my case the problem is the date of print for international partners. The foreign-language versions of the game are delayed. 6 months - it is disaster! The shipment does not matter here.

Q: Is there a reason why the 4 toads have different base shapes?

akuma508 said:

Q: Is there a reason why the 4 toads have different base shapes?

I can answer you ;-) When on the board is more then one Toad, you have to differ them somehow.

8janek8 said:

akuma508 said:

Q: Is there a reason why the 4 toads have different base shapes?

I can answer you ;-) When on the board is more then one Toad, you have to differ them somehow.

Thank you for that.

I still don't know why we get 4. I never had more then 1 player be toaded at one time.

Don't forget guys (and gals!) that this will be wrapped up this coming Sunday!

If you have been holding back with a question, I'd say now is the time to post it.

There have been some really good ones so far, but I think it'd be good to really test the guy who now holds the reins of our beloved game.

Hi,

Here are my questions -

1. What do you think of the following parts of the old expansions and are you considering using them in the new version?

a) Extra boards

b) Alternative endings

c) Master level characters.

2. Talisman is at heart quite a simple game, do you intend to add further game mechanics or are you happy with its identity as it stands?

3. The Reaper set contains a lot of cards from old expansions, is this the model for future expansions or could you just not resist in adding some old favourites?

4. Compared to the the 2nd edition, the Reaper doesn't add many new characters. Is this directly related to the fact that miniatures are provided with the new sets?

5. Will we see a "Characters" set with just figures and character cards for those people who like to have a wide range of characters in their games?

6. Which were your favourite 2nd and 3rd ed expansions and why?

7. Is there anything from 2nd and 3rd ed that we will definitely not see again?

8. I like the idea of Weapon and Armour keywords but find it odd that the object Armour is still called Armour leaving it hard to refer clearly to the keyword Armour without confusing it with the object Armour. Is this something you considered?

9. Will their be a FAQ?

Cheers

Geoff

Will the promo cards be included in the next expansion, for those like me who did not get them and would love too add them to our game.

Q: Is there any chance to improve some weak rules which are often reported by gamers? You could print this improved rulebook (additionally with a well thought-out FAQ) and enclose it with one of the future expansion. It will be token of your professionalism.

Another question!

I've noticed that the game is/will be available in many different languages. Will any other company have the rights to make their own promo cards or expasions sets as with the Polish Cave expansion for 2nd edition.

Cheers

Geoff

I understand why some of the rules were changed in the updated edition but why did the rules wording also change? Combat and starting craft was used in the first editions why change it now?

Greetings!

My questions evolve around fan-based expansions/add-ons/utilities.

1. What is the FFG policy on non-profit fan-based material? Cease and desist, neutral or encouraging? Will we be told to shut down websites with might tread on copyrights, trademarks and graphics, or will we get pointed out as good complement material.

2. If encouraging is the way, will there be any support available? High-res graphic templates? Open Game Content? Living rulebook?

3. Will everything be made in-house, or would it be possible to create items/expansions/etc. that FFG would consider aquiring? If anything in the community reaches enough high popularity, would it be possible for FFG to approach the creator and start negotiating? Or could FFG just use it, no questions asked? Will FFG even consider items created by externals like GW once did for Talisman?

Crossing fingers for positive answers.

/Peter (SpinDisc)

www.randomdice.com/games/talisman/

Was there any thought of redesigning the inner region, as far as making the Pit Fiends space harder to pass? Strength of 4 doesn't seem right to me.

Received via email:

" Being as Talisman and fantasy gaming in general seems to cater for a male audience i was wondering if the game will get characters and creatures orientated towards female players. "

talismanisland said:

Received via email:

" Being as Talisman and fantasy gaming in general seems to cater for a male audience i was wondering if the game will get characters and creatures orientated towards female players. "

In this same venue, though not really new characters, have you considered producing any characters in both genders on separate cards? It is something I've considered for fan-made characters.

Additional:

Will there ever be a method by which individuals may submit card creation ideas for FFG to consider using? Or would the legal and business considerations be too cumbersome in dealing with too many "creators" and compensations?

8janek8 said:

talismanisland said:

Received via email:

"Hi. I would like to know, why international Talisman expansions must be released half year later than in Great Britain? Would be possible to make one release date for all of countries, so if Reaper was released before Christmas, even Pole or Russian will be able to play it in Christmas as well?"

I am voting in favour of this question!

I vote too, for this idea !

Some Campaing mode, be good for This game :)

Or some new card, like "Quest card", in posiotion like plot card in "Game of Thrones" LCG.

Received via email:

"Why were larger cards chosen? It's obvious that you can fit more on them, but it seems that all that was added was the fate box on the character cards..."

and

"How do you go about selecting the art for the cards in the game? What is the process that you have to go through before a final piece is chosen? What sources do you look to for artwork are they internal or external/freelance artists?"

There is a tremendous amount of user-generated content for Talisman, some of it expertly made. How would you recommend that someone interested in sharing their ideas with you professionally go about getting started? Obviously "game designer" isn't one of the major fields of study at most universities, but what are the paths towards working on games like Talisman?

Would you recommend the Strength path or the Craft path?

Dear John,

How long do you play-test for and how do you select people to partake?

As there is such a keen fan-base that love to design their own cards, would you supply plain stock for people to print their own resources with?

Will there be an on-line version of Talisman? There seemed to be a hint of it.

What is going on with the Raiders?

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow ? (European or African)

Posted by ImpendingFoil:

Is there a loose release schedule for the next few expansions?

How many expansions are currently in development?

Will any of the future expansions add more boards or expand places already existing on the board?

Posted by helios:

do they intend on releasing anymore characters from previous versions?

will the next expansion contain a board?

what do they have planned for the fate attribute?

Received via email:

"Each of the characters seems to revolve around the archetypal historical version of a profession or race (Prophetess, Elf, Dwarf, Warrior, etc). Does FFG plan or have thought about a race/class system? So you have an Elf Warrior or a Dwarf Wizard? (This could also go hand-in-hand with the campaign mode and user-creatable/modifiable characters)"

The idea of expansion boards is one of the most popular elements from previous editions, steadily requested for the new edition. However, I can't be the only one who felt that the gain from new options and play areas was offset to a great degree by the tendency for new boards to turn the unified base-game experience into a series of multiple solo games, where one player is in the city, one in the dungeon, one off in timescape etc, and players as a result no longer interacting with one another. Is this a concern of yours as well, and if so can you let us in on how you're planning on avoiding the problem?

As an aside, I thought the Reaper was an excellent idea that added a new element to the game without removing people from it: kudos.

Posted by Bonesaw:

Within future expansions, how much attention is given to the notion that add-on boards could detract from the actual purpose of the game?

Has anyone thought of including a horse/cart miniature within future expansions?