Was sitting at work on my lunch break listening to students fighting in the corridor and I was pondering the most hated cards in all of the games of Talisman I have played. Now I am going to apologise if this is already posted up somewhere (I am sure it has) but I am going to go ahead anyway.

In every game with have played the most hated card has to be the runegates. Whenever they are drawn there is an audible groan and the card is thrown, not placed, on the space which usually means it slides off the table and on to the floor. Nobody has ever used a runegate and every so often there is talk of removing them from the decks and burning them in a sacrifice to the Talisman Gods...but alas, that would mean the game would forever be incomplete. So we grin and bear the runegates for the moment, and cheer every time one of them is destroyed and shuffled off to the discard pile.

And my friend hates the witch, because every time he encounters her he inevitably rolls a one. And I mean...every single time.

So what's your most hated card?

Raiders, but not because of what it does, how it got nerfed. Old Raiders (whose text we still use) were the great equalizer, especially now that you can Evade them anymore unless using optional rules.

To be honest I hate ALL cards, because they pop up to favour my opponents and discourage my efforts. The most hated are Spell Cards, because I'm the one who gets Transferenced, Shattered, Toadified, Randomized, Hydra-Spellized, Misfortuned, Vindicated, sent on a different Path of Destiny when I'm about to seize victory. Not the other way around.

As for cards that I considerannoying, perhaps I put the "negative Followers" on the top of the list, barring the Poltergeist which often helps the Character who finds it. Cursed by a Hag, Jester, Vagabond, Deathstalker and False Prophet (the latter being a real pain for many Characters in the last games) are among the cards you get to hate.

I don't mind the so called "lame" cards. Anything is better than a Bag of Gold, that's out of question, but there's no reason to hate a card that does do too little good. I dislike the Ancient Artifact because it's so crappy, but it's fun when someone tries to use it.

The Rune Gates have always been used in my games, perhaps many turns after they've been drawn, and are one of the best ways to reach Middle Region or to escape remote zones of the corner regions (Dungeon and Highland). They're necessary, IMO.

haha fun thread, The basilisk must be the card that have given my game group the most chills when drawn, I can't even remember how many chars it have killed over the time I played talisman. Deathstalker is also up there at number 2.

The negative followers are the ones that you don't want to draw, but we need it to add more difficulty to the game.

The hag is very irritating, but the vagabond can also be a pain in the ass if you have no gold. yeah, you draw that card on the wrong moment in the game

I think i like all the cards. Every expansion should contain such dangerous cards, otherwise the game will be to easy and there is nothing to be afraid for.

Basilisk is also a dangerous opponent, and in the new dragon expansion, there is even a dragon toad.

I like those cards.

I also dislike the raiders. I am still waiting for new raider cards, that can steal objects, spells, or followers from you. those cards will then be discarded. That would be nasty. Or make it a place card. Raiders hide out for example. . If you land on it, it will steal somerhing from you

Ahhh yes,,,Deathstalker. I remember drawing that on the first turn of a game...followed by a dragon on the next turn.

A very short game indeed.

Rod of Ruin. Even more so when the person that is owning the game draws it....

I despise (truly despise) any card that allows a player to search through any deck / discards to find something they want.

Depending on the player (and their level of knowledge of the game), this can take a very long time and grinds everything to a halt.

Good time for coffee and cigarette break lol

Ell.

Ekor and two Shiver Nymph.

But from the other side I cannot stop loving "Icecap Elk" - I really LOVE its artwork.

Velhart said:

During my last game I drawn it and had 3 gold. My friend was asking if I will pay him, I have said that I will not. During my turn I am taking 2 dice and rolling them for movement. My friend was laughing - "ah, that's why you refused to pay him". A few turns later I was able to get rid of him without needing to pay him.

Demigod.

Everybody takes too long to choose a spell.

Temporal Warp.

Only if it is the player before you who is a really slow player and you are waiting to take your turn to get the game going and then you have to sit through a whole three turns. Takes about 20 minutes to get through a temporal warp in my game group.

Ekor/Shiver Nymph

I have to explain what these cards do everytime, usually after somebody attacks it takes it as a trophy then realizes they can't. The whole turn then has too be redone.

Msrushing said:

Oh yes I know the feeling about this one aswell. As soon as somebody have it, nobody dares to change their trophies for stats

Hmm, I like this thread, it's interesting to see what cards fellow talismongers hate and or despise. Well here are mine

Deathstalker: I dread drawing this thing, and everytime I se it I always wish I have the orb of prophecy or a simalar effect just to avoid it. Not only does it make me nervous to attack anything, I've lost a few characters to it.

The witch: Always roll a one...always....

Basilisk: another card I fear...cause my friends have the annoying habit of rolling doubles with him

Rod of ruin: My most hated card in the game. I spent time and effort to get those 2 level. I had to kill a demon for one...a Demon! and you just take it all away from me! some friend you are! (also known as our coversations when somebody uses that nefarious little object)

And here's a new one I've learned to hate recently, the Dracolitch. Craft 10 and he drains your life...and considering I have a habit of playing strength characters means he'll usually get a life or two before somebody tries to take him out, which can last a while.

These are the cards I hate in talisman. I don't get rid of them though, because being dealt misfortunes such as these always ,makes a great laugh and story during the game, and that's one of the reasons I play talisman, to laugh at my friends and I's horrible misfortunes in talisman.

Rod of ruin is up there for my group and I for sure. Also for me personally any spell card that has a negative effect on a player. Seems my group always picks on me on the account of my lucky die rolls when I need them lol.

The spells that provide a permanent bump in Craft. They've been unanimously removed by my group.

Msrushing said:

I hate that card too!

My opponent has use that card in our last game. luckily i still won the game

My mate's most hated card must now be the Dragon Toad. It contributed two to the SIX toadings he suffered during our 18-game session, while I was completely toad-proof. The second time, I was the Philosopher and calmly walked up, discarded the Dragon Toad, drew a nice card and took all his goodies

Anyway, for me:

Sky Screecher - please tell me that Craft roll is a misprint. And all the other dubious alliterations - Crag Crawler/Growler, Silent Stalker etc. Why didn't they use proper fantasy creatures instead of inventing duff ones?

I don't see anything wrong with FFG inventing new fantasy creatures. All fantasy creatures were invented at some stage in history lol

Ell.

my group has a card that we hate so much, we actually changed it's name - annoying robe.
every time some1 draws it, he gets annoyed..

talismanamsilat said:

Well of course. And yes, FFG are welcome to invent new fantasy monsters, as long as they're not crap.

I don't know about a single card but imagine a monk. With 12 followers. That each add 1 to his strength. Who can also add his strength to his craft in Psychic Combat. That was my wife. She ended up with an attack strength of 60 and was obliterating anything and everything by selectively pulling trophies with the Ord of Knowledge. My lowly Warrior of course could only watch as she pulled out the Rod of Ruin, and went on a run for the Crown of Command only to sacridice a bunch of followers to the Vampires and realise she'd forgotten to bring along a Talisman! I laughed so hard but she came back down, took mine and went right back up and won. I had the Arnkell and a fresh Talisman and a Strength of 22 and Craft of 14 by the end. Just couldn't land on the Portal to go up and overtake her. Now that WOULD have been some comeback win!

You should pay more attention to rules.

Monk does not add his craft to strenght, but instead he adds his craft value (fixed number 3) to his strenght. And also, you don't need to land on portal of power - please reread rules for movement in talisman.

And lastly, you can really finish the game when you have 8 in higher stat. You don't need to have 20 strenght, 8 is enough (with full life and some fate left).

Gaining trophies for defeating Enemies is like gaining experience in battle/psychic combat. If a character is already 6 or more stronger than the Enemy before battle/psychic combat begins, then introduce the house rule that the Enemy cannot be kept as a trophy and it must be discarded instead!

Ell.

guciomir said:

8 is pretty low. You need a lot of luck and fate to roll lower with 2 dices in the mines or crypt.

I should say that you need at least 10 or 11 to make a chance, including fate