Hello!

I own all of the expansions (yesterday I finally purchased the dragon expansion), and I played again with four of my friends last evening. Every time we play talisman, we are reminded of the same fact: the dice dictates more or less your fate entirely. There are very few strategic choices to make. My friend even made a joke (acting like a weird scientist saying): "AH, the self-playing talisman! My greatest invention yet!".

What is your experience? Are there many strategic choices to make that really changes the outcome radically? Do you have a "strategic genius" that usually wins, or is it more or less a luck-based game of adventure?

Regards,

Dr. John, Sweden

Ps. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. Ds.

Talisman is a random game, but there is still some strategy in it.

There are a lot of cards, and some cards can do pretty good things, if you use it in a good way.

You can always learn from a game.

In my last game for example, i was down to 1 life with the doomsayer, so i was thinking about healing. The only thing what i thought was, to sell my objects in the city, so i could buy later the doctor or healer to heal myself back to my life value. Doomsayer was neutral.

It was a difficult task, but after the game was ended, i realise that i could simply visit the waterfall in the highland to heal myself back slowly.

Another example with cards like the lucky charm. Use it in the crags, forest or by the enchantress to instantly gain one strength or craft. etc

Are there any tournaments, etc, in the game of talisman?

Is it your experience, valhart, that some people win the game of talisman more often than others (in the group you normally play with)?

I was very frustrated in the last game that it all felt so based on chance and luck, and very little based on the strategic mind of the player, but perhaps I am wrong and that there is a bigger picture I cannot comprehend.

Regards,

Dr. John

Xydorf said:

Hello John,

People can create tournaments if they want.

I have a list for myself with which character i have won and lose, and the same for my opponent.

Everybody has a chance to win, but it depends on the cards that you draw, and which character you have at that moment.

If you have the Highland for example, then players can decide to go in there. This is a choice that the player must make for himself.

Rolling dices and drawing cards are random, but everything what you can see on the board, you can make some strategy for it. But you must still land on it of course.

PS: You can make some strategic move with the tokens from the dragon expansion. Vartrax has strength enemies, Grilipus has craft enemies, and Cadorus has both

Talisman is a very luck-driven game. Rolling dice for combat and movement, plus drawing cards to encounter guarantees that there will be a certain amount of randomness. No matter how skilled a player you are, if the game is against you, it may seem like you have little chance of winning. That said, there are decisions to be made every turn, which over the course of the game will have an impact on how successful you'll be.

This is a light "fun with friends" game, not a deep strategic thinking game.

I think it's better to think of Talisman as a risk management game. Even if all choices at your disposal are bad, it's better to go for the lesser evil.

For instance, in my last game my fateless Minotaur was at the Warlock's Cave after completing a quest.At the start of his turn he turns into a Lycanthrope via an opponent's spell.A vicious Pesant Mob is cheering nearby.

He rolls a 1 for movement.

The adjacent Runes space is occupied by an Eastern Dragon, Strength 6/Craft 6. He won't be able to attack it in Battle(which would have given him a slight stampede bonus in this case), since the Eastern Dragon must be encountered with your lowest stat. For the Minotaur this is his measly Craft value of 2.

The adjacent desert space is empty, and the Werewolf is prowling in the vicinity. The Minotaur has no Water Bottle, but losing to the Eastern Dragon is a bigger threat since upon defeat he'll have to lose one of his valuable Magic Objects as well. So he chooses to head towards the Desert sands. He loses 1 life(down to 2 lives) and draws two cards(one of his followers enables him to draw an extra card on every draw space with no Enermies)

He draws a Lunar Event in the Desert that turns Day to Night, and the Wolfbane.He then rolls for the Werewolf, and moves it to his space. Via Lycanthropy and the Wofbane's combined bonuses, he gets to roll a 6 on the chart, and chooses to be healed to full health. (5 lives).

So, it's all a matter of minute decisions. They may lead you to your doom, but in every game situation there are always indicators of better choices.

And yes, the Minotaur won that game session. He could have easily lost had he chosen the path of cetrtain defeat at that particular junction.

How could he move the Werewolf after he actually moved? You roll 1, you move the werewolf, then you move, you draw the cards or whatever else

Cruan said:

He did right as far as I am concerned. You move the WW after you finnished your turn.

Cruan said:

Maybe he played it RAW:

"Whenever a player rolls a “1” for his move, he completes his turn as normal , but then he must roll the die again and move the Werewolf figure according to the normal rules for moving a character…" (Blood Moon, p. 3)

We always move the Reaper / Werewolf first after rolling a "1", simply because we kept forgetting to move them if we waited until the end of the turn.

Beyond the example of our friend, Zealot, in the Desert and the WW's movement after,

I too think that the game is mostly luck-driven, but still affords a development of strategies - shifting within and between games - based upon card encounters; the objects, strangers, followers, etc, that may help you if you know when best to use them - again, strategic thinking.

Its about the most fun game for me these days, and I've played since the 2nd edition in the '80s. I don't really think of playing too many other games, since I'm just too busy with other non-game hobbies or vocations/volunteering with my free time.

Admittedly many games are frustrating, to see a character develop a bit, but not enough, to be taken out, when things seem to be moving along well. I only play with my wife; can't get any other friends or family to play, and we sorta go easy on each other; we rarely attack each other outright and we don't send the WW or the Reaper at each other, unless no other choices. They usually end up in Regions neither of us are touring, but not always.

Nidhögg said:

Hh, then Ive been doing it wrong th whole time:) Should pay more attention to the rules..