Well on a stupid whim, I decided to pick up this game just the other day. It is based on a tedious, pointless boardgame that I used to play in my more youthful days, back when I did not know any better. So what could go wrong with making an RPG out such a vacuous boardgame? Well everything! But, somehow the creators of this game managed to embrace many of the aspects of the world created for the boardgame, yet at the same time have sidestepped the limitations of the boardgame.
Format
- Publisher Pegasus Spiele
- Price $55.00 Canadian more or less
- Hardcover full colour 305 pages
- Divided into Players and GM section
- Full Index and sample characters
- 7 PC races; Dwarf/Elf/Ghoul/Human/Leywalker/Sprite/Troll
- 10 Classes; Assassin/Druid/Minstrel/Priest/Prophet/Scout/Sorcerer/Thief/Warrior/Wizard no dual classes, maximum of 10 levels
Support [as of June 2021]
- Online from Pegasus Spiele including a character creation expansion, fillable character sheets and another sample adventure
- Plans for GM screen, and special dice
Presentation
Nicely formatted, good page layout, including page numbers that can be seen by my aging eyes (as opposed to certain D&D books) and very limited background image which does not distract from reading the rules. Just a quick note on this, but too many games incorporate either images or graphic embellishment to try and give a sense of atmosphere but all too frequently obscure the writing making it a challenge to read.
Players guide chapters
- History of the Realm [Fluff]
- The basic rules [Actions and combat]
- Characteristics and skills
- Ancestries [race backgrounds]
- Classes
- Character creation and advancement
- Advanced special abilities [Universal and class specific abilities]
- Equipment [Mounts/vehicles/services/tools & market/weapons, armour & shields]
- Magic and spells
GM guide chapters
- Telling a story [Guidelines and suggestions]
- Strangers and allies [Encountering, attitudes, gaining allies and followers]
- Followers [Using followers]
- Enemies [Animals, Cultists/Outlaws, Goblinoids, Monsters, Spirits, Undead, Dragons, Elementals, Fae]
- Adventuring [Exploration, Visibility, Traps, Environmental dangers, poisons and venoms]
- Rewards [Experience for PC's and followers, magic items]
- Deaths Messenger [sample adventure]
- Appendix 1[Optional failure and aspirations]
- Appendix 2[Enemies and strangers charts for random encounters]
- Appendix 3 [Interesting locations, random chart with brief explanations]
- Sample characters
Summary
Good
- Fairly standard fantasy RPG world, with a fairy tale quality, but some unique races for PCs to play
- Choice of, 7 races, 10 classes
- Start off with a fair ability to do things unlike many other fantasy RPGs
- Fair amount of choice when building a character
- Unified 3D6 resolution system, one system for everything
- 3D6 creates less chaos, tendency to get expected results
- Degrees of success; equal/beat the target number = standard success, doubles rolled = Great success, triples rolled = Extraordinary success
- Kismet die = 1, dark fate generated for GM, 6 = light fate generated for players
- Characters can be competent at a variety of things even at level 1
- Followers integrated into play without dragging down the value of the players
- Followers can gain experience, also offer specific bonuses to controlling player
- Loyalty system for followers, and attitude system for allies and strangers
- 'Player facing' system, GM has very limited dice rolling, players live and die by their own actions/die rolls
- Player centric focus, for instance player groups choose who goes first, no initiative roll
- Fate point, light and dark, that can impact on actions/reactions, or on activating special features, or to have an impact on the story
- Magic points, you do not, usually, forget spells once cast.
- Many options during play to impact on die results
- Simple experience system
- Quick to use enemies, small stat block, each has special abilities that are activated by kismet die
- Exploration rules offer quick die rolls for guides, hunters, watchers camping
- Armour absorbs damage, shields can deflect or absorb
- Limited hit points (called life points) co damage can be deadly
Not as good
- Included map is unimpressive
- Perhaps lacking some racial types and or classes players like to play (especially given the number of characters in the board game)
- Player facing system can hamper the GM from fudging in the players favour
- I will want more enemies
- One may feel constrained by the class abilities
- Only 10 levels
Overall rating: Recommended
So, first I must say I have not yet played this game, so this rating is based on my read through of the game and from watching a game session on Youtube. I do, however, come at this with 43+ years of RPGs so I do have some background in gaming.
I think I like it, a lot, I am just not entirely certain why. It does have a very old school feel to it, which is not always a good thing. I know that OSR is all the rage in some areas, and I certainly would fit the demographics of the 'typical' nostalgia gamer longing for the 'good old days' of gaming. But I have tried to go back, and the old D&D just does not cut it. Every time I have tried I am reminded of why we moved on from the original systems. However with Talisman Adventures it feels like we could just sit down quickly generate characters and have a fun, light weight adventure, just like we did when we first started gaming back in 1977.
It allows players to generate fairly strong characters right from the start, and allows for a certain amount of customization. It does not take itself too seriously, and encourages a more abstract approach to gaming. For instance the map does not have a scale to it, instead GM's are encouraged to be casual about journey times. This may not sit well with everyone but to me it demonstrates the more abstract nature of the game, and the idea of having fun and not getting tied up with the minutia. Another example would be purchasing items. Most cost gold, but some items can cost less. Items listed as <1 mean that you roll a D6, on a one it will cost you 1 gold, any other result and it just costs pocket change, no need to record that cost. I like this. While in my youth it was fun (maybe) for players to have to keep track of all their money, at 60+ years of age I am done with that. I much prefer this abstract approach, much like D&D using lifestyle costs to show monthly expenses.
Die rolls are mainly the domain of the players, they will live and die by their die rolls. This puts the player squarely in charge of their characters lives. The focus is on the players and what they are doing. The die roll system using the kismet die allows one to interpret the results in a number of ways. Rolled a success, but not an extraordinary result, then you succeeded but with an additional unexpected complication.
Followers offer advantages to PCs but do not take over from the players. Loyalty system governs how often and for what purpose a player activates the special abilities of followers. Use the follower too much and they may cease to be loyal to you. However you can rebuild the loyalty during downtime.
Deeper dive
Characters
The boardgame uses two attributes, Strength and Craft. The RPG keeps those two attributes but then further defines them by creating 3 aspects for each attributes. So we now have 8 defining characteristics, that play a part in how the character interacts with the world.
Strength has the following aspects; Brawn/Agility/Mettle
Craft has the following aspects; Insight/Wits/Resolve
You do not roll dice to determine any of these attributes, instead your career defines your starting scores in Strength and craft. Then each is multiplied by two, and the result is split among the 3 aspects. Aspects are limited to 6 points (but you can select 1 of them to have a limit of 7) while Strength/Craft are limited to 10. Now I do find it odd that it is the career that dictates your stats, with only a limited nod to your race. This can mean that a troll PC can have the same starting strength as a Sprite if they both choose the same career. This seems strange to me.
The system used to determine everything is; roll 3D6 + modifiers.
Modifiers include, skill, skill focus, or miscellaneous situational or magical modifiers.
When rolling the 3D6 one of them needs to be of a different colour, this is the KISMET die. A six on this die generates a light fate point, or may allow you to activate a special ability. A 1 generates a dark fate point that goes to the GM who can activate a special ability for an enemy character or be saved for later use. It is an interesting aspect of this game that imposes a limit on how often you can use certain special abilities. There is a limit to the number of fate points that you can have, this rises as you increase in levels.
Most everything is resolved using target numbers. When a PC engages in combat they must beat the threat level of the enemy that they engage. The enemy does not roll against the player. Instead the players success level determines the result.
- Failure = PC takes full damage from the enemy
- Standard success = PC hits for full damage, but PC takes 1/2 damage from the enemy
- Great success = PC inflicts full damage, takes no damage from enemy
- Extraordinary success = PC inflicts full damage + an option
- Add 1D6
- Knock opponent down
- Stun opponent
- Inflict 1 wound
In this system, you have life points. Once life points are reduced to zero, you take a wound and fall unconscious. You receive a -2 modifier for each wound you have. You can take a number of wounds equal to your mettle or resolve. Your life points are easier to heal than wounds, and wounds therefore represent long term injuries.
Combat includes a number of optional actions
- Assist [apply relevant skill to grant 1D6 to aid another character]
- Attack Melee
- Attack Missile
- Attack Psychic
- Cast Spell
- Defend [all out defense of self +4]
- Disengage [move out of combat must roll to avoid damage]
- Protect [attempt to block damage being inflicted on someone else]
- Recover [attempt to recover life points]
Enemy actions
All actions are from the point of view of the PCs. Unengaged enemies can move and attack, but it is the players defense roll that will determine the outcome. Enemies who still have actions can take them, if they do not have any actions remaining they cannot. Enemies attacked by PC use an action when defending. It is possible for an enemy to effectively use more actions than they actually have if they are attacked multiple time in any given combat round.
to be continued...
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