Thanks Katana One. That's a good idea Velhart. That could also apply to experience points in the 3rd edition too.

Could you explain what you mean by Assassin "RAW" please- as I said, I am still waiting for it to be delivered.

Now that you mention it, how is best to call a winner if you need to stop playing before the CoC is reached?

Hmm. I will have to see how it plays when I get it myself. My choice still stands though. Going back to the op's question, how about you Dam- would you still pick the FFG version over the BI?

9 players!!! And that only took 3 hours? You must play very quickly. It took 2 hours to play a 2 player game for me yesterday, and that was the 3rd edition with the quick and easy finale.

I'm with Velhart. I haven't got the revised 4th edition yet, but I am waiting for it to be delivered. There simply was no choice as far as I was concerned when I learned what FFG have done in the revised edition. It is apparently overall better balanced between characters, strength and craft etc. Plus, and this is a big plus, you can get the Reaper and Dungeon expansions for the revised edition which includes more adventure cards etc. As Velhart said, the expansions will only work with the FFG one as the cards are the same. I have ordered the Reaper expansion myself already, and am awaiting delivery of that along with the main game. If you want more info on what FFG have made changes to in the revised edition, read the news section for this game on this site. It explains why they have made changes to some of the squares and characters, and it makes sense why they did so. As for other FFG games, don't they all just look superb? I mean WOW! However, I will wait and play the FFG Talisman and get some gaming out of that before I buy any more. I am really interested in the look of Runebound and its expansions, but am a little concerned it won't be as fun as Talisman as well as the length of time it takes for players to take their turn (I wouldn't want players to get bored, which I know they won't with Talisman). We'll see.

That's an interesting way of looking at it Velhart. As you know I am waiting for this expansion to arrive, so will have to play test it a few times to see what I think too before changing any rules myself. I may feel the same as yourself. However, I do like to think of new ways to adjust the rules to add a bit of variety, so I may see myself doing that too.

I like the idea of who ever reaches the CoC will be able to control the Reaper, moving him to each of his opponents one by one (I'd allow the rule that he may not need to roll the exact number to land on the opponent space). Then I would just forget the Reaper card instructions and make my own- for example, the player controlling the Reaper chooses the opponents strength or craft to test, which ever is the lowest, and tests to see if that character dies based on that. Not sure how that would work out, but I'm just throwing some ideas out there. Perhaps they should have made the Reaper a proper character to control like the others. If a player picks him, he can go round adventuring as usual, but his main aim would be to build up his powers to collect the souls of the other characters. If he collects a soul from each player (or a minimum of 3) then he wins the game. Just another idea.

Dam said: Or Wand or Ring or Solomon's Crown or Magic Belt, etc. Talisman is an okay choice, better later on, but there a lot of those to go around. Never underestimate the power of grudges. One game, the Wizard hounded the Troll early on, ****** him in Psychic Combat again and again. Then later in the game the Wizard ended adjacent to the Troll and drew Blizzard. Next two turns were butt-kicking returned by the Troll on the Wizard. Sure, I suppose the Troll could've drawn Adventure cards, but getting payback was much more fun . I suppose that tells you a lot about how we play Talisman. Winning is nice and all, but if you can kick some ass AND win, that's much better. Kicking ass and losing, well, that comes below winning, but if you kick enough ass, not by much. Haha! Fair enough, Dam. I guess my fellow players and myself will have to learn to be a bit more devious and nasty!

Velhart said: But there is one arena card, that you can use one time, to transfer someone to your space and encounter him But that's one card from the 206 cards of the main deck.... But third edition has that card too... So it remains the same... Actually, the Arena card is in the 3rd, yes. But, the rules only allow you to fight someone of the same strength or craft as you. It doesn't explain that you have to move their piece to your location either. And again, there is no other advantage of fighting them other than making that player lose a life or object- you gain no experience points. Is it REALLY worth having PvP's in Talisman, which ever version you play? The only time I think it may be worth it is if the opponent is on their last life, or if they have a talisman you want to steal.

Is there anything in the 4th edition which tempts you to have more PvP's? You can fight others in the 3rd, but can't gain experience if you do, and can choose to steal an object or force them to lose a life if you win. Is that the same in the 4th? I would really like it to be more worthwhile having PvP's in the game, but too many times have I decided to pick an adventure card instead- likewise with other players. With the 3rd, you could easily have a house rule to gain experience with a PvP, but obviously that can't happen with the 4th.

Velhart said: Third edition has no raft. and i can only remember that it has a great axe that gives +2 in battle? Examples are: a sorcerer shop to buy spells, a academy to buy training, so that you can grow stronger for 3 gold and so on.. Those cards are not included in the 3th edition. So this is the list of postive and negative points for 4th edition revised compared to 3th edition - no bows -no broken weapons - less draw 2 spaces - no experience points counters + more spell gaining + more cards to spent your gold on + tavern, city, village, tavern, temple, warlock etc has been improved +rafts + spell limit for casting spells + if a character is death, you must ditch all your objects on the space + fate is new to the game + warlock cards are new to the game + treasure cards are new to the game + dungeon has become bigger + More cards for the main board and the dungeon ! The axe gives you +1 in battle, the same as the sword, in the 3rd. There is also the same chance of it breaking (by rolling a 1). So there is not much point in having two weapons the same. However, in the 4th edition, the axe has the benefit of being able to make a raft, as you say, so it has an advantage over the sword. Better in the 4th edition then. Also, the sorcerer 'shop' card is in the 3rd too, but not the others you mentioned. Regarding your list of plus and minus points, I agree with all of them (from what I can tell without having played the 4th edition yet) except for the toad, which also allows you to keep your spells while you are a toad in the 3rd edition too- but you can't use them until you revert back to your character, which I assume is the same in the 4th. Just played another game of the 3rd tonight and enjoyed it a lot more this time, as the fountain cards for craft and strength were placed on the board early allowing us to level up a lot quicker. We also had the sorcerer 'shop' card on the board, so spells were used a little more (I actually managed to use my one spell before the game was won). I have played 2 games in the past 2 evenings, and lost both, but it doesn't matter as I thoroughly enjoyed myself. A great game, even with the 3rd edition. I can't wait for the revised 4th and the Reaper pack to arrive. I love the new artwork judging by the pictures of them on the net. And I can't wait to have a proper inner region again. One thing- once again, no-one was turned into a toad again, and after checking the adventure pack, there is only one witch card that you have to roll a 1 on to turn into a toad- that's all!!! Very silly having toad counters and cards just for the small off-chance of rolling a 1 on one single card of the adventure pack, which was never put on the board my last two games.

Velhart said: About the weapons. All the weapons in 4th edition so far, can't break ! This means that you never lose your sword, axe etc unless you ditch it or a card says that you lost your weapon etc ( but it don't break from itself) There are no bows yet in 4th edition, i am only hoping that they will be included in the future.. You know what bows do.. right? Yes I know what bows do, and I like the use of them- they come in handy for adding 2+ strength when you need them. I would have liked them in the 4th Edition. Shame. What is the advantage of the axe over the sword in the 4th? Are they both the same as in the 3rd Edition? It is also a shame they don't break, as sometimes even that added a little strategy- should you risk using your sword for an extra strength point in the risk that it will break, or save the sword for a more powerful enemy? I liked that. It also meant that there is more chance of you having to buy more weapons in the future if they broke. That reminds me, there is one more question- in the 3rd Edition, there isn't much to spend your money on except weapons, the occasional event, or special cards such as the Mercenary, as well as paying 1g toll to cross the bridge. As I said above, I kept gaining gold, and had so much I didn't know what to do with it! So, my question is this- does the 4th Edition add anything new to spend your gold on? I do know that there is actually one LESS item to spend your money on in the 4th, as you have to fight the sentinel instead of paying 1g to cross the bridge. But does it give you anything else? I am concerned that there won't be enough use for gold, especially if your weapons don't break so there is less chance of you needing to buy new weapons during the game.

I am glad you told me about the lack of experience points in the 4th Edition Velhart. Indeed I will miss them. Using the adventure cards as trophies to earn strength and craft will help, but I will miss deciding for myself what I want to use experience points on- strength, craft, lives, or gold. I suppose it doesn't really make any sense though does it- firstly, if you win battles against monsters with strength, why would that earn you an extra point in craft or lives or a gold piece? It makes no sense at all. So really, the 4th Edition has got it exactly right, that enemies with strength will only gain strength, and likewise with enemies with craft will only gain craft. After all, in real life, the more you do of something the better you get. The same should apply here. So as I say, I will miss the options, but it makes absolutely no sense, so I won't be too unhappy. Also, with the trophy points being restricted to what is on each card, there is an added strategy- do you increase your strength earlier and lose a few points in the process, or do you wait to get two strength and hopefully lose less points? Adds an extra bit of thought, which is always good. Regarding swords, if they can't break in the 4th Edition, can the axes? What is different about the bows? You have been very helpful, informative, and welcoming Velhart. Thank you.

Thanks Velhart. This will give me some idea as to the differences between the 3rd and the revised 4th, although there are of course differences between the revised 4th and the 2nd. Looking at the FAQ, I can't believe how much they cut out of the 3rd- the City and Village options. I do like Experience points added in the 3rd though, as it gives you options as to what you want to do with them. Do these work in the same way in the 4th? I had a quick play of the 3rd last night with a family member and was disappointed in it this time. We were playing for about an hour and a half and my character had hardly got off the starting block in terms of advancing him. The problem was I was constantly picking up weapons and other items from the adventure pack, including a Talisman no less, and must have had only 2 fights with monsters the entire time. The way for your character to grow is of course winning battles or psychic combat, then gain experience points. But how can you gain experience points if you hardly ever meet any monsters or spirits? It got very frustrating as I had a talisman, a magic belt (+1str), shield, water bottle, and had many other items I just had to discard to the square because I couldn't hold any more. I JUST WANTED TO FIGHT SOMETHING!!!! I heard the revised 4th Edition has this problem UNLESS you also have the Reaper pack, so I ordered that too. I also had more money than I needed- so much so that I didn't know what to do with it! I eventually managed to get the Mercenary follower which helped (pay 1g for +3str in battle), but other than that, I didn't need to buy new weapons and there wasn't much else to spend it on other than the toll bridge (which I didn't want to cross with such a low strength and craft value). I also don't see the point in the toad cards as the few times I have played the 3rd Edition I have NEVER seen the toad cards used with any players! What a waste! Yet another issue was the spell cards were only touched ONCE in the time we played, for my opponent to pick a card that was never used. They just aren't implemented well in the 3rd Edition at all. All this BEFORE we even get to the anti-climactic Dragon King. I really hope the 4th Edition fixes these issues. On a side note, does everyone else have troubles with this forum? Every time I visit, I have to log in again, but when I return to the forum I am logged out again! What I have to do is then go back to the log in page where it shows me as already logged in, then click my name, then click to view posts by myself, then click the post to be able to reply! That's on my Macbook. On my iPhone, these text boxes must be an older format as I can't even type in them on it as I can with every other text box on any other forum I am on. Great site and company- pity about the usability.

I used to have the 2nd Edition when I was younger, now own the 3rd Edition, and am awaiting the revised 4th Edition to be delivered along with the Reaper. I have noticed there are some big and some small differences between the two, such as the middle region having spaces to navigate in the 4th instead of just a pack of cards as in the 3rd, and the Sentinel just requiring 1 gold to pass to the middle region in the 3rd instead of having to fight him. Is there a list of the differences between these Editions? I would love to go more into how they compare. I am very much looking forward to the 4th Edition, as if it's anything like the 2nd but with better balance, then it should blow the 3rd out of the water.

Thank you very much for clarifying Velhart- that makes perfect sense. Dam, that sounds like a nasty space! That's worse than the Dragon King strength of 12 at the end of the 3rd Edition!

Thanks. So, to be clear, if you draw 3 adventure cards- one with a strength score and two with craft, you choose which you want to fight first- the one strength in a battle or the two craft in psychic combat combined as one enemy- correct? Should that be the players choice as to who they fight first? The only exception, from what I can tell, is the middle square where you roll the dice to see how many enemies you need to fight (you fight them one after the other), correct?

There is a rule in the 3rd Edition which I don't remember being in the 2nd one when I used to play it as a child. Basically, when you come up against 2 or more enemies, then you must combine their strength and roll 1 die to add to that total strength, and you fight them as one enemy rather than individually (however, the rules don't state how you handle more than one enemy if one uses strength and the other craft- I do fight them separately in that instance). Anyway, I was wondering if the same rule is there in the 4th Edition, or do you fight enemies individually?

I wonder if it would play better if we use a d4 to move the Reaper instead of the usual d6. That way players would have more room to move as he will have less reach. Also, I do think killing the character outright is too harsh just for rolling a 1. As others say, it's a case of keeping your last fate for this instance alone.

I definitely remove all Talisman cards from the Adventure deck. I think it is something you should definitely have to earn (or steal ).