So what makes this silly, completely frivolous game so special? Think about Star Wars, since I brought it up and I’m guessing more folks have seen it than Krull. Star Wars is pretty dumb too, kinda creaky and crude in spots. Yet it has atmosphere, character, and a certain X-factor charm that is absolutely irresistible. It’s just pure entertainment without pretense, sophistication, or “elegance”. Talisman is a lot like that, just an overall fun experience with a character all its own that even similar and mechanically superior games like the very similar Prophecy from Czechoslovakia just can’t match. (It also beats Runebound over the head with a hammer. -- ed)
3rd Edition was pure Warhammer. Still, pretty menacing
It’s the kind of game you get your best buddies together and just sit around and casually play, not worried about strategy or winning so much as making fun of your pals when they get turned into a toad or gloating when you get to the Crown and begin your reign of deathly terror. Every session is sure to generate a lot of laughs, groans, and cheers while it engages the imagination. That’s the mark of a great game as far as I’m concerned.
Which brings me to probably my favorite gaming anecdote—in fact the single greatest session of any game I’ve ever played. Sometime in the mid ‘90s, a friend of mine decided he wanted to celebrate his birthday with a monstrously huge game of Talisman. It was the second edition, and we played with all the expansions except for Timescape, which he didn’t have. We played eight players, which is sort of pushing it in terms of how many the game can accommodate. We started around 5pm on a Saturday, and between all the drinking, pizza breaks, goofing off, and so forth I think we didn’t get finished until around 3am the following morning. During that time, I think we burned through pretty much every character in the game since we played a variant where everyone gets to “respawn” three times with a new one when they were killed.
4th Edition is now full-on menacing complete with wicked dragon
So around 3am, the birthday boy gets to the middle of the board. One of the expansions changes the game where the Crown of Command is one of several possible endgame treasures but there is also something called the Horrible Black Void, which either kills you instantly or sends you to Timescape (not present, remember?). Of course, birthday boy gets up there with his last character and draws the Horrible Black Void, putting him out of the game after nearly 12 hours of play. It was hilarious, anticlimactic, and completely ludicrous. So did he pitch a fit about the “luck factor” or other “concerns” that modern gamers have about situations like this? Hell no. He took a last shot of tequila and went to bed while we finished the game. He even let the guy who won the game keep the whole set.
It’s great to see Talisman back in print and out of the crypt; I hope it provides a few memories like that for a new generation of gamers who missed it the first three times around. And if you missed Krull, there’s a great special edition DVD available that would make for great background viewing while you play the game. Oh- and one more thing. As if a new edition of Talisman currently on store shelves wasn’t exciting enough, there’s also a couple of electronic versions on the way. Capcom has licensed the game for Xbox, PS3, and PC. A new era of Talisman has dawned!
Questions or comments for Michael? Send them along to
gameshark.feedback@yahoo.com
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Previous Cracked LCDs:
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Version 1.5
Version 1.6
Version 1.7
Version 1.8
Version 1.9
Version 2.0
Version 2.1
Version 2.2
Version 2.3
Version 2.4
