Hello all,

I am wondering if Talisman will be a good game for my wife and I to play together. She enjoys playing board games like Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride but doesn't really play any fantasy related games.

I have got her playing X-wing with me, and she is starting to show a slight interest in playing Magic (we have played a few games but I am not sure it is going to catch). If the rules are too complicated or the strategy too deep I find that she looses interest and doesn't want to play (She won't even consider playing Warhammer with me.)

I am looking for a game that could fit a little bit of both our styles. We do have a couple friends that we might be able to play with but the majority of the time we only have each other (which is why we don't play Catan and other games as much as we would like).

So the question is; Is Talisman a good purchase? (Keeping the above criteria in mind)

I am really wanting to find a 2 person game that we can play together and put a lot of hours into.

Any advice is appreciated

Cheers

If She does not really like Fantasy based games I don't know if this would be the game. It can be rather long, tedious and boring with 2 players. If you get a few other people to play the first few times it may strike her interest as long as everyone is having a good time. I tried playing it with my wife and She kept asking, are we close to the end yet? Needless to say, that was the first and last time......

We do like playing LOTR together. http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=58&enmi=Lord%20of%20the%20Rings:%20The%20Board%20Game

Talisman is such a toss up, some people love it others hate it, and that does not depend on enjoying fantasy.

In basic game play it is very simple. However there are some cards and situations where rules need to be clarified. Some people I do not like playing Talisman with because they are rule tyrants. Talisman is no fun with such people.

Some people also dislike Talisman sometimes because of luck. A powerful character can be hit bad with a streak of bad luck and lose everything. For those who hate this, Talisman is not a game to be played.

Some people don't like the old school of roll and move games. Talisman may not be the game for such people.

I just watched a review of Mage Knight by Tom Vassal (Dice Tower?) and he put Talisman on the worst type of fantasy games to play, based on his dislike of roll and move. I discovered Tom Vassal's reviews last fall and have enjoyed his reviews, this surprised me.

I love Talisman myself, been a fan since the 80's!

Take it from one who knows - make sure she doesn't become a toad too often or she will hate it

You do not need to play Talisman by all of the specific rules it has. If you are having fun ignoring a few of the rules (intentional or not), nobody is in the position to tell you to play otherwise. I think my wife sort of has that attitude, though I sometimes wish to point out where we're following the rules wrongly. Playing only the base game is fairly simple compared to including for example the Dragon expanion, so you might want to give that a try first.

Me and my wife love to play the game, and it works perfectly as a two player game. She's not as much into fantasy as me and for that reason was a slow starter, but now she doesn't have a problem with that all. Basically we just enjoy the game.

I think it's good to start with 2 maximum 3 players, or it will take to much time as turns tend to take longer time before you get used to the game (know what happens on most spaces of the board and what to expect from most of the cards in the adventure deck).

If we ever have a rule debate we always choose the kinder option and check it later to see if there's an official ruling. Don't spend time discussing rules during the game or it soon will be boring and tedious to play.

Keep it small, start with the base set and be sure to tell her that you can add more expansions over time (years to come, if you would like) all adding new cards, characters and game mecanics. Personally I would recommend you starting with frosmarch expansion, adding more warlock quests (cards) and an easy alternative ending "warlock quests" (finish 4 warlock quests then go the Crown of Command). We nearly always use this ending introducing new players as it gives them something else to focus on during the game (except leveling your character).

Play with the inherit rule (if your character is killed the new character keeps all equipment and followers). It should be fun to play. Always! Sometimes bad things happens, but don't go hardcore from the start.

And if she's turns into a toad, as mentioned above, don't steal her stuff, let her regain it as soon as she can herself. I've tried both and found this a better solution...

Good luck!

Hmmmm,

Thanks for all your responses. Still not quite sure what I am going to do.

I want to believe that she will enjoy it if she gets playing, but I am worried she won't be interested in giving it a chance, and then it will just be boring.

If I so go for it I will definitely take everyone's advice

Thanks again, Cheers