Talisman (and other games)

[Camel]

I've heard little bits about Talisman but have never played (or even seen the game played) before. Anyone here own the game? Can it be played with only 2 people, and is this fun at all? Is it ridiculously complicated, or could a bunch of people who never played before pick it up fairly quickly? My friends usually need to be hooked pretty quickly or interest fades fast. Anything you could tell me about the game would be great. It sounds like something I'd be interested in, and I plan on checking out my local game shop today to see if they have any copies. I had originally planned on getting the XBLA version when it came out, but I completely forgot about the game since the digital version got canceled a while back.

Also, any other recommendations you could make for board games would be great! I've already got Catan, Ticket to Ride (awesome game), and Killer Bunnies (takes a while to get used to, but also pretty fun if you can get friends together to play it), and some other more common games like Balderdash, Stratego, etc. I'm always looking to find more board games, though, so recommend away!

[Tayaya]

I'd tell you, but I haven't opened my copy of the game yet. Just came in the mail a few weeks ago alongside 8 other board games. My friends have told me nothing but great things about it, though, and you CAN play it with 2 players.... though I'm not sure how much fun it would be. You can play Descent, for example, with 2 players, but it really does kind of suck.

I've never heard of anyone really complaining about the complexity of Talisman, and now that they're on the 4th (and even those are revised) rules set, things should be pretty well balanced and streamlined at this point.

[nnanji]

Talisman is a great game. I have the newest edition, but have played them all. You could play Talisman with 2 people, but it wouldn't be as much fun. I think 4 people is probably an optimum amount. The game itself is fairly simple to learn and play. The biggest thing is the setup time, theer are a lot of components. I would recommend getting it early and opening it up and setting up the pieces once before game night, that way people don't get bored watching you set up.

If you like Kilelr Bunnies, maybe try Munchkin. I also love playing the Illuminati game by Steve Jackson GAmes.

[Camel]

I've seen Munchkin and its expansions before, but it seems a little too similar to Killer Bunnies. I can only handle one card-based game with massive amounts of expansion packs at a time! ;)

http://mumpy.typepad.com/gimpy_mumpy/images/killerbunniescard_1.jpg

[Tayaya]

Talisman is a great game. I have the newest edition, but have played them all. You could play Talisman with 2 people, but it wouldn't be as much fun. I think 4 people is probably an optimum amount. The game itself is fairly simple to learn and play. The biggest thing is the setup time, theer are a lot of components. I would recommend getting it early and opening it up and setting up the pieces once before game night, that way people don't get bored watching you set up.

If you like Kilelr Bunnies, maybe try Munchkin. I also love playing the Illuminati game by Steve Jackson GAmes.

I picked up Munchkin Quest, because everyone I know has Munchkin and its many expansions. The board-game adaptation of Munchkin is even better than the card game. Basically the rules are mostly the same, and the gameplay is similar (your level + buffs - crap from other players + die roll vs monster's level + same crap) as the card game, but there are added rules for movement, searching rooms, and a more frantic endgame, as you need to get the fuck outta there once you hit level 10, with everyone else trying to kill you. The board is modular, and gets built as you explore using interlocking, double-sided room tiles (with their own effects and humor). Really fun as an intro to dungeon delving and with the great humor and player on player teamwork/rivalry that makes Munchkin so much fun. Highly recommended, especially if you want to avoid "just another card game" syndrome.

[KamaItachi]

Talisman's good, but ti doesn't really become great unless you have at least 3 plus players. It's not got that steep of a learning curve, so you should be able to pick up the gist within half an hour or so. It's even better with the expansions, but things have gone very quiet after the announcement of the 4th edition add-ons.

[Camel]

Went to my local game store and they didn't have any copies. I'll probably check out a comic shop on Tuesday, although to get any kind of deal I'm thinking I'll need to buy it online somewhere.

EDIT: Has anyone ever played Agricola? It was the top-ranked game on a site I was checking out earlier today (Board Game Geeks maybe), but damn was it EXPENSIVE! I realize these games are high quality and all, but $70 is a big investment for a board game.

[jpublic]

Talisman is hard to get - IIRC it's out of print AGAIN.

It's a good game 2-player, but it usually ends up being a squash game, where one player gets a massive leg up on the other and the second can never recover. Best games I had 2P were when we banned the Prophetess or played random characters. Even under the new rebalanced rules she's still stupidly powerful.

[Karak]

I've heard little bits about Talisman but have never played (or even seen the game played) before. Anyone here own the game? Can it be played with only 2 people, and is this fun at all? Is it ridiculously complicated, or could a bunch of people who never played before pick it up fairly quickly?
2nd edition Talisman is amazing.
3-4 people and any of the free expansions and you can spend an entire afternoon and a couple bucks on chips.
NOT too complicated at all and 2 people is fine, if you do not use the expansions. I love that game even with 2.
Other games.
World of Warcraft ADVENTURE boardgame. Not the normal one.
Munchkin is great fun for a card game but can degenerate into...some bits of chaos and sometimes loses its luster when playing for long periods of time.
World of Warcraft the CCG is amazing. I never thought I would like it but its awesome.

[Tayaya]

Talisman is hard to get - IIRC it's out of print AGAIN.

It's a good game 2-player, but it usually ends up being a squash game, where one player gets a massive leg up on the other and the second can never recover. Best games I had 2P were when we banned the Prophetess or played random characters. Even under the new rebalanced rules she's still stupidly powerful.

Revised 4th Edition is available just about everywhere. Fantasy Flight picked it up from Black Rock, who made the original 4th edition, and re-published the game.

I recommend going through Thought Hammer (www.thoughthammer.com) as they provide amazing service, and have the best prices out of any trustworthy online retailer. I ordered my big box o' games from them on a Sunday morning, and had my stuff on the Wednesday of that week... as opposed to a place like Game-Outfitter that took 3 weeks of "processing" and only sent me a partial order, and even that contained items I did not order,

Talisman, for example, is $44.96 instead of $59.99 there, OR if you want the Black Rock, non-revised 4th Edition, they still have that for $25.00 on clearance. You can always buy that, see if you like it, and then upgrade it to the Revised 4th by way of the "Upgrade Pack." This would be needed to use the expansions, as they are based on Revised 4th rules. Also, any Thought Hammer order over $150 gets FREE shipping, which is why I use them for my huge 8-9 game orders.

[Camel]

Awesome, that site definitely has some good prices. I'll probably order through them if it turns out my local comic shop has everything at list price (which is probably the case).

I am tempted by that Carcassonne full set as well, but I still think I like playing it on the 360 so I don't have to worry about scoring.

EDIT: Ooh, Small World looks kind of fun as well! This is going to end up being an expensive hobby for me. :(

[Tayaya]

Awesome, that site definitely has some good prices. I'll probably order through them if it turns out my local comic shop has everything at list price (which is probably the case).

Yeah I feel guilty using Thought Hammer sometimes just because I feel like I'm burning the local awesome game store, Games Plus, but paying full price PLUS cook county's TEN PERCENT PLUS sales tax just makes it unreasonable when you're buying as many games as I buy at once... sales tax alone is over $45 if playing list price for my last batch of games... saving over $100 off the prices alone PLUS not paying tax, OK by me!

When I buy one game at a time, I go local, but typically what I do is research a bunch, make a list of games I may want to play, research them more, narrow it down, and then order a few months worth of gaming stuff on a semiannual basis. This has worked well for me these past few years, other than the pain that comes with all that punching and then deciding what to play first!

Oh, by the way, since you asked about Agricola... I don't think it's worth the high price of admission, but it is a great game. Some of my friends are fanatical about it and play it weekly. I wouldn't buy it, personally, as my tastes lean towards fantasy and sci-fi and lots of battling and conflict (aaaaand zombies!), but it's a good, well-designed, solid game with nice bits that manages to make farming an enjoyable process. The few times I've played it, it's been fun, and the game's always been very close as far as determining a winner is concerned. If you can get one cheap, go for it!

[jpublic]

I'm probably going to pick up that Upgrade pack today. I don't play much, but I'd like to have the ability to pick up the expansions down the line, and the Upgrade pack looks like it's starting to get scarce.

[alienmastermind]

Talisman is great, and luckily my online retailer of choice is also one of my local shops. :)

www.nobleknightgames.com

Talisman was created by a guy who liked Dungeons and Dragons, but didn't think the complexity would let his casual friends play the game. So, he dusted off an old boardgame concept, and created a fantasy game.

It is not hard to play, hard to learn, or hard to get addicted to. I have the Black one. :( Luckily my shop might take it in trade for a new one!

Anyway, it's a fun, fun, game.

BEWARE THE TOAD!

[Camel]

Ended up getting Talisman (revised 4th edition) and Small World (it's a Days of Wonder game, and looks pretty fun) from Thought Hammer. With a little luck, I should be able to get some people together this week to play. If nothing else, I'll set up the games and get a feel for the rules so we don't have to waste too much time during the first playthrough. I'm pretty damn excited, and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

[jpublic]

I picked up the Upgrade pack and the Reaver. Far more expensive than Thoughthammer, but I'd rather support the local store.

[Tayaya]

Far more expensive than Thoughthammer, but I'd rather support the local store.

Well like I said for my last order using the intertubes saved me over $200 total when all's said and done. As much as I love the mom and pop gaming store, I love saving $200 more.