Hello Talisman lovers!

I love this game. I honestly truly do. I get home from work and I will surely be playing it. I live alone, in the mountain, so I am playing it online. Every night I either set a table or join one if it's already open, as there are so few of us... and this is where one of my questions comes in: how many here play the digital version? and if you do, do you have public games or private ones? The servers are almost always empty, and the ones who play are the regulars, almost every night. New players hardly come by and stay long enough...

Despite the low number of us out there, there are still 2 people out there who besides liking this game have enough love also for trying to grow this small niche community that Talisman is. Here, more than a question, I am pretty sure this is a plea for help. It would mean the world if their channel (which I am not a part of) and their discord server grew even if only a tiny bit. The hosts, LordZodz and Glen One N are surely welcoming people, fun to interact with. They stream every other Thursday and get a game going on either 4th or 5th edition and despite the ludicrous low number of people watching the stream (there's usually 8 max 10 people watching) they are super engaged and provide good commentary. Afterwards we meet at "The Bar" voice channel in discord.

If you play digital or if you like having some youtube videos on the background whilst doing other stuff or if you are on discord, I humbly ask if you could find it in your time help ever so slightly grow and maintain this niche community.

The Talisman Tavern is their youtube channel, as for the discord is under the same name (i don't know how to share a discord server link, sorry).

Thanks for reading, thanks to those that answer, thanks to those that might join us. Have a good week.

We have a small group that likes to play about every 3 months. We have Blood Moon, Dragon, Harbinger, Firelands, Frostmarch, Sacred Pool, and Cataclysm. I haven't really found any cheat sheets online, so I figured this would be a good place to look for some feedback on the ones I typed up.

These cheat sheets are intended to 1. help us decide which one to play, and 2. serve as useful references without having to search through the manuals.

1st time posting, and I couldn't figure out how to attach the word doc, but there are some images in the word doc to help identify pieces (specifically for Dragon Tokens).

General Guidance:

• Definitions
  • “Battle” = Strength
  • “Psychic Combat” = Craft
  • “Killed” = Character immediately loses all lives, and the Player starts over with a new Character
  • “Healing/Replenishing” a life/fate = up to their designated value
  • “Gaining” a life/fate = up to or past their designated value
• Fate Tokens
  • Buys 1 reroll for your Character’s movement, attack roll, or for instructions on a card/board
    • Must accept the new result, can not reroll the same die again
• Attacks with Animal/Dragon/Monster 1. Evade
  • 2. Cast Spells
  • 3. Character’s Attack Roll
  • 4. Creature’s Attack Roll
    • The Character may choose to reroll using a Fate Token
  • 5. Compare Attack Scores
  • More than one Enemy, they fight as one but only 1 Attack Roll
  • For Psychic Combat – no object can prevent the loss of life
• Attacks with Characters 1. Evade
  • 2. Cast Spells
  • 3. Both Character’s Attack Rolls
    • First the Attacking Character may choose to reroll using a Fate Token
    • Second the Attacked Character may then choose to reroll using a Fate Token
  • 4. Compare Attack Scores
  • 5. Claim Reward
    • The winner may choose to take 1 Life/Object/Gold
• House Rules
  • At the start of the game, each Player can add:
    • 2 Life/Strength/Craft however they choose
    • Enough Gold to bring their total to 3
    • Enough Fate to bring their total to 3
  • Movement
    • Players can move up to their movement roll
  • Trophies
    • Players may exchange Trophies in multiples of 4
• Spells

Total Craft	1	2	3	4	5	6+
Max # of Spells	0	0	1	2	2	3

The Blood Moon

• Setup
  • Werewolf Card/Figure, Time Card, Lycanthrope Deck
• Key Gameplay Mechanics
  • 1. Time Card
    • Represents Day or Night, starting with Day face-up.
    • Day: each creature subtracts 1 from their attack scores (Battle or Combat)
    • Night: each creature adds 1 to their attack scores (Battle or Combat)
    • Character draws an Event card, immediately flip the Time Card (before resolving it).
    • Lunar Events flip the Time Card to a specific side (Day or Night), and remain in effect until the next Event card is drawn
  • 2. Werewolf
    • Movement: Starts in the Forest. When a Character rolls a "1" for movement, they move the Werewolf figure afterward by rolling a die for the Werewolf’s movement
    • - Nighttime Encounters: The Werewolf stops on the first space with a Character; they must roll on the Werewolf Card to see what happens
    • - Daytime Encounters: The Werewolf moves the full roll
    • - Crossing Boundaries: Crosses Sentinel River freely but can’t enter Inner Region
    • Characters that land on the Werewolf’s space do not encounter the Werewolf
  • 3. Lycanthropy
    • Characters may become a Lycanthrope by rolling a "1" on the Werewolf Card, or certain Adventure Cards can also trigger lycanthropy.
    • Lycanthrope Card effects are only followed at Night, but still considered one during Day
• New Characters
  • Vampire Hunter – Investigate (discard and redraw 1 Adventure Card), add 1 to attack roll, draw 1 in the Graveyard instead of rolling
  • Grave Robber – May draw 1 Adventure Card from the discard pile, discard to the bottom of the pile, draw 8 Adventure Cards and take 1 object and discard the rest at the Graveyard
  • Doomsayer – Any Character draws an Enemy replenish 1 fate or draws an event gain 1 spell (if craft allows), if you draw an Adventure Card other than enemy/event draw 1 more
• 3 Alternative Ending Cards
  • ✵ Lightbearers – All Characters start Good (changing alignment loses 1 life instead), Characters can’t attack each other but feely exchange Gold/Objects/Followers, 2+ Characters on a space get to add their Strength or Craft together during Battle/combat
  • ☾ Horrible Black Void – You and all your possessions are pulled into a Horrible Black Void and lose the game! Draw another Alternative Ending and place it facedown for the next Character
  • ☾ Blood Moon Werewolf – If Lycanthrope: Attack 1 other Character each turn, if you win they’re killed, if you lose, they claim a reward as normal, once all other Characters are dead you win! If not a Lycanthrope: Attack the Werewolf in Strength or Craft, each time you win take 1 of its lives and immediately attack again, if you tie or lose you roll on the Werewolf’s Chart and end turn; Kill the Werewolf = Win the Game!

The Harbinger

• Setup
  • Harbinger Card/Figure and Deck, Omen Deck (determine which set to use), Terrain Deck
• Key Gameplay Mechanics
  • 1. The Harbinger
    • Movement: Starts on the Harbinger sheet. Moves to a Character’s space once an event card is drawn. Moves back to the Harbinger sheet after the top Omen is resolved.
    • Encounters: Characters in the Harbinger region must draw Harbinger cards instead of Adventure Cards. Characters that land on Harbinger must encounter and roll on the chart.
  • 2. Harbinger Cards:
    • Don’t count as Adventure cards while being drawn, only after they are placed in a space
  • 3. Omen Cards:
    • Setup: Determine which set of 8 to use, place the 7th on the bottom, and the Prophecy card on top of the deck faceup
    • When an effect causes the top Omen Card to be discarded, immediately resolve the effects of the newly revealed Omen Card (and vice versa, if a discarded Omen Card is put back on top of the deck, immediately resolve its effects)
    • When the 7th Omen Card is discarded the game is over and all Characters lose
  • 4. Cursed Cards
    • Cursed objects and followers must be taken by a Character and can’t be discarded
    • The only time a cursed object can’t be taken is when a they’re full of cursed objects
  • 5. Terrain Cards:
    • Terrain Cards replace the name/effect of a space, making new rules and interactions.
    • If Terrain Deck is out of a specific terrain card, choose one from elsewhere on the board
    • Not stackable, if placing a 2nd Terrain card on a space, remove/discard the existing card.
    • Not allowed in the Inner Region, disables Sentinel and Portal of Power if placed there.
    • If placed over existing Adventure cards, discard them. If a Terrain Card is removed with existing Adventure cards on top of it, they must also be removed/discarded.
• New Characters
  • Ascendant Devine – Divine Spells: Start with 4, gain Strength/Craft get another
  • Celestial – Always Good (lose 1 life if instructed to turn Evil), Craft value = Fate, roll to pray = replenish 1 Fate, gain/heal 1 life – gain/replenish 1 Fate, can chose Combat vs Evil
  • Possessed – Always Evil (lose 1 life if instructed to turn Good), Strength value = Life, defeating an enemy heals 1 life, may discard 1 Stranger or Place in your space to heal 1 life
• 2 Alternative Ending Cards
  • ✵ End of Days – Start game with Horsemen and Heralds set aside, place Beast on CoC and remaining cards on designated spaces, Beast must be killed in Battle/Combat, if the Beast wins discard the Top Omen instead of losing a life, Kill the Beast = Win the Game!
  • Armageddon Crown – Roll 1 die on the CoC, always draw Harbinger Cards instead of Adventure Cards (when someone is on the CoC), if the last Omen is discarded all Characters on the CoC win the game!

The Frostmarch

• Setup
  • Warlock Quest Deck
• Key Gameplay Mechanics
  • Warlock Quest Cards:
    • Warlock Quests replace the standard Warlock's Cave die roll
    • Only one Quest per Character can be active at a time
    • Characters cannot open the Portal of Power while on a Warlock Quest
    • Multiple Variants
    • - Starting Quests – Each Character is dealt 1 Warlock Quest Card to start the game
    • - Treasure Rewards – Only playable with The Dungeon expansion
    • - Replacing Quests – If there’s an opportunity to accept a quest, Characters can accept a new Warlock Quest Card and choose which Quest Card to discard.
• New Characters
  • Leprechaun – Start with 2 spells, don’t roll in Forest, +3 Gold in Woods, teleport when roll a “6”
  • Necromancer – Start with 2 spells, may attack with Combat, evade and enthrall Spirits
  • Ogre Chieftain – evade or defeat and dominate Monsters
  • Warlock – Start with 2 spells, gain your allotment of spells each turn, upon completion of a Warlock Quest you can take an item from the purchase deck instead of a Talisman
• 3 Alternative Ending Cards
  • ✵ Warlock Quests – Start with 4 Warlock Quests, must complete all 4 before being teleported to the Warlock’s Cave receiving the reward, first player to CoC with 4 completed Quests Wins!
  • Ice Queen – Attack Ice Queen in Strength or Craft; each time you win take 1 of her lives and immediately attack again; if you tie or lose you roll on the Chart, lose 1 life, and end turn; she heals all her lives if there are no players on the CoC; Kill the Ice Queen = Win the Game!
  • Crown and Scepter – If there’s only 1 Character on the CoC, they cast 1 Command Spell at the start of every Character’s turn that automatically succeeds (takes 1 life); If there’s >1 Character on the CoC they must fight, but the attacker can choose Battle or Combat; once the first Character reaches the CoC, there is no more healing or gaining lives for the rest of the game.

The Firelands

• Setup
  • Terrain Deck, Fireland Tokens
• Key Gameplay Mechanics
  • 1. Burn and Fireproof
    • Burned cards are removed from the game, and game effects do not interact with them
    • Fireproof cards can’t be burned
    • If Characters are instructed to burn a fireproof card, nothing happens
  • 2. Fireland Tokens
    • If a Character ends their turn in a space with a Fire Token, they must lose 1 life
    • Only 1 Fireland Token per space, no Fireland Tokens in the Inner Region
  • 3. Terrain Cards:
    • Terrain Cards replace the name/effect of a space, making new rules and interactions.
    • If Terrain Deck is out of a specific terrain card, choose one from elsewhere on the board
    • Not stackable, if placing a 2nd Terrain card on a space, remove/discard the existing card.
    • Not allowed in the Inner Region, disables Sentinel and Portal of Power if placed there.
    • If placed over existing Adventure cards, discard them. If a Terrain Card is removed with existing Adventure cards on top of it, they must also be removed/discarded.
  • 4. Noble Infrit Enemies
    • Have ongoing effects that are in play until they are defeated
• New Characters
  • The Dervish – Start with Sword and Water Bottle, 1 weapon doesn’t count for capacity, can use 2 weapons during Battle, immediately move # of spaces = trophy’s strength after defeating it
  • The Nomad – Treat every Outer/Middle space as “Draw 1 card”, can ignore Place cards, can spend 1 Fate to remain in the same space and encounter it
  • The Warlord – Conscript followers to +1 Strength during Battle, may take additional follower as a reward, can discard 1 conscripted follower to spare a life
  • Jin Blooded – Start with 2 spells, discard 1 spell to gain 1 Fate, discard 1 Fate to gain 1 spell, bind spells cast against you and immediately cast it on a new target
• 3 Alternative Ending Cards
  • ✵ A Hero Rises – Defeating an Enemy gains 1 Fate in addition to normal reward, losing to an enemy loses 1 Fate in addition to normal penalties, replenishing Fate = gaining Fate, 1st Character to reach CoC with 13+ Fate Wins the Game!
  • ☾ Spreading Flames – Every Character (clockwise) must teleport to any Outer/Middle space w/o another Character and place a Fire Token next to them, Characters can’t enter the Inner Region anymore, at the start of each turn Characters place a Fire Token in their space, Fire Tokens are now stackable, last Character alive Win the Game!
  • ☾ Crown of Flame – Place 1 Fire Token on your Character Card, every Character in the Inner Region (clockwise) must teleport to any Outer/Middle space w/o another Character, Characters can’t enter the Inner Region anymore, Character’s with the Crown of Flame pass it to other Characters they land on, Characters with CoF must lose 1 life and burn a Follower/Object/Spell, If a Character with CoF is killed it’s passed to the left, last Character alive Wins the Game!

The Sacred Pool

• Setup
  • Quest Reward deck, Neutral Alignment cards, and Stables Deck
• Key Gameplay Mechanics
  • 1. Quest Rewards:
    • Upon completion of a Warlock Quest, still immediately teleported to Warlock’s Cave. There, Characters may draw a Quest Reward card or gain a Talisman.
    • Quest Reward Cards have immediate bonuses or let Characters choose when to use it. After the bonus is used, the Quest Reward Card is immediately removed from the game.
  • 2. Stables:
    • Characters can purchase or take specific Stables cards
    • - War Horse – Add Craft to Strength during Battle, lose a life from Battle/Combat discard it
    • - Riding Horse – May roll 2 dice to determine how far you move
    • - Horse and Cart – Carry an extra 8 objects for you
    • - Mule – Carry an extra 4 objects for you
• New Characters
  • Cleric – praying replenishes 1 Fate, destroy Spirits (replenish 1 Fate), discard 1 Fate to spare life
  • Dread Knight – Start with 1 War Horse, gain War Horse from Graveyard, kill Enemy gain 1 spell
  • Chivalric Knight – Start with 1 Riding Horse, gain Riding Horse from Castle, aid others in Battle, cannot attack other Characters with lower Strength values (except on CoC)
  • Magus – Start with 1 Spell, replenish 1 spell at start of turn, indoctrinate Followers in Combat
• 3 Alternative Ending Cards
  • ✵Sacred Pool – Get a Warlock’s Quest at the start of your turn if you don’t have one; completed Warlock Quests are kept in the Player’s area facedown; first player to CoC with 4 completed Quests Wins the Game!
  • Judgement Day – Once a Character reaches the CoC, each Player must draw a new Fate and add it to this Card (determining if it’s light or dark), then the Character on the CoC rolls on this Chart
  • Demon Lord – Attack the Demon Lord in Craft, each time you win take 1 of its lives and immediately attack again, if you tie or lose your turn ends and you must attack again next turn, it heals all its lives if there are no players on the CoC, Character’s may not enter the Inner Region when a Character is on the CoC, Kill the Demon Lord = Win the Game!

The Cataclysm

• Setup
  • New Board, Remnant cards and deck (place Remnant cards face down on indicated spaces), Denizen deck, Warlock Quest deck, Terrain Deck, and Talisman Deck
• Key Gameplay Mechanics
  • 1. Denizens:
    • Specific spaces (including Terrain cards) instruct Characters to draw 1 Denizen card
    • Denizens are discarded after being encountered, unless they match the space they’re on
  • 2. Remnant Cards:
    • Remnant Cards start face down on specific spaces; Characters uncover them when landing on these spaces before deciding to encounter the space or a Character on it.
    • Face up Remnant Cards counts as an Adventure Card
  • 3. Terrain Cards:
    • Terrain Cards replace the name/effect of a space, making new rules and interactions.
    • If Terrain Deck is out of a specific terrain card, choose one from elsewhere on the board
    • Not stackable, if placing a 2nd Terrain card on a space, remove/discard the existing card.
    • Not allowed in the Inner Region, disables Sentinel and Portal of Power if placed there.
    • If placed over existing Denizen cards, discard them. If a Terrain Card is removed with existing Denizen cards on top of it, they must also be removed/discarded.
  • 4. The Eternal Crown:
    • Alternative ending serves as the standard ending with new rules for winning the game
• New Characters
  • Scavenger – Discard 5 Remnant Cards, carry unlimited Objects, stash objects, roll 1 scavenge
  • Barbarian – Start with Greatsword, can’t have/gain/affected by spells, magic resistance, Crags ability
  • Black Knight – Start with Spiked Shield, threaten other Characters in the same space, Castle ability
  • Arcane Scion – Start with 2 spells, peek spells and steal magic objects/spells, any Character gains a Craft you may gain 1 spell, can ±1 to any dice roll by discarding a spell/magic object
  • Mutant – Roll 1 die at the start of the game, may mutate at the start of your turn, Toad effect
• 4 Alternative Ending Cards
  • The Eternal Crown – Roll on Chart to cast Command Spell
  • ✵ The One Talisman – Start with 1 Talisman on this Card, whenever a Character would gain a Talisman, they take the One Talisman (from anybody/anywhere), it +2 Strength and +2 Craft, first player to reach the CoC with the One Talisman Wins the Game!
  • ✵ Lands of Wonder – Draw 1 extra Adventure Card whenever drawing; after encountering Enemy/Object/Place roll 2 die if ≤ Strength add that card facedown to Player Area (Event/Stranger/Follower for Craft); first player to CoC with 12+ facedown cards Wins the Game!
  • ☾ Cult of the Damned – Place 1 Denizen on certain spaces then remove the Denizen Deck and teleport to any space not in Inner Region; each remaining Denizen has Strength 4/Encounter 2; each/every Character’s turn they move the Denizens 1 place closer to Plain of Peril; if a Denizen reaches the Plain of Peril everyone loses! If all Denizens are defeated everyone Wins the Game!

The Dragon

• Setup
  • Inner Region Board, Dragon Lord cards and decks, Dragon Token pool, and Sleep Token pool
• Key Gameplay Mechanics
  • 1. Dragon Tokens
    • Draw a Dragon Token at the start of your turn and resolve its effect before moving:
    • - Special Effects: these tokens are removed from the game after they are resolved
    • - - Dragon Strike: Immediately draw two more tokens (resolved in order of drawing)
    • - - Dragon Rage: Suffer the Dragon Rage of the current Dragon King
    • - - Dragon Slumber: Place 1 Sleep Token on any dragon of your choice, if no dragons are on the board, then any enemy of your choice, otherwise no effect.
    • -Dragon Scales: see Crowning the Dragon King
  • 2. Crowning the Dragon King
    • Choose a random Dragon King to start the game
    • Placing the 3rd Dragon Scale on a Dragon Lord card immediately crowns it
    • -Unless there is a Character on the CoC, then no new King
    • 1/ 3 Scales are then placed on the Character’s space (or first open space to the right, if all that region’s spaces are full then the Character suffers Dragon Rage)
    • -Dragon Scales are not placed in the Inner Region
    • The other 2 Scales from the new Dragon King’s card are discarded.
  • 3. Encountering Dragon Scales
    • Characters encounter the space, a Character in the space, or the Dragon Scale
    • If the Dragon Scale matches the current Dragon King, it must be encountered
    • -Draw from the Dragon King’s deck even if there are cards in the space, then resolve all the cards in the space following encounter numbers
    • -All the space’s instructions are ignored, including Sentinel and Portal of Power
  • 4. Claiming Dragon Scales
    • Kill an enemy from Dragon deck, take it as a trophy and claim the dragon scale
    • -Each Dragon Scale a Character has that matches the enemy, +1 to their attack score
    • -Dragon Scales may be discarded to avoid the matching Dragon Rage
  • 5. Inner Region Board Overlay
    • Dragon Realm (follows the same rules as the main game board)
    • Dragon Tower
    • -Always draw indicated number of cards from the Dragon deck (regardless of existing cards) and encounter them (but now creatures can’t be avoided or affected by spells)
    • -After resolving encounters, move 1 space forward, +1 extra space for each enemy killed. If defeated, do not encounter the remaining cards (if any) and move -1 space
    • -All cards/tokens in the Dragon Tower are discarded after the Character’s turn ends
  • 6. Confronting the Dragon King
    • Immediately attack (in Craft or Strength) when entering the CoC
    • Upon defeat (not a stand-off), lose 1 life and suffer Dragon Rage
    • If there are no Characters on the CoC, the Dragon King heals itself
    • The Character that removes the last life of the Dragon King wins!
  • 7. Other Rules
    • Dragon Rage
    • -Specific to each Dragon Lord, discard 1 Follower/Object/Spell or lose 1 life instead
    • Sleep Tokens
    • -Reduces Enemy Craft or Strength by 3 points
    • -Only 1 Sleep Token on an Enemy at a time
    • -Once a sleeping Enemy is encountered, it wakes up after that turn
    • Breath Attacks
    • -Character’s must resolve Combat or Battle even after suffering Breath Attacks
    • -If a Character evades the Dragon, they still can’t evade Breath Attack
• New Characters Highlights
  • Dragon Rider: +3 attack if fighting Dragons, capture defeated Dragons (movement & attack)
  • Dragon Priestess: Start with 2 spells, take Cultists as followers, ritual when praying, sacrifice when encountering a Dragon, not affected by Dragon Rage
  • Fire Wizard: Start of your turn gain 1 spell, pyro blast when engaging in battle (roll die and add to your Craft, if the sum is > than opponent’s Strength they lose), not affected by Dragon Breath
  • Dragon Hunter: Start with Axe, may move to closest Dragon in your Region without rolling, deathblow roll 2 dice for your attack roll (if you roll doubles, you’re automatically defeated)
  • Conjurer: Start with 1 spell, always ≥1 spell, conjure 1 faceup Adventure Card instead of drawing
  • Minotaur: Stampede adds the result of your movement roll to attack roll, can’t use any armor
• 3 Alternate Endings
  • Dragon King – Only roll 1 die on the Chart; can’t encounter other Characters on the CoC; it heals all lives if there are no Characters on the CoC; Kill the Dragon King = Win the Game!
  • ✵ Dragon Slayers – Instead of life counters on each Dragon Lord, place 5 Dragon Scales; Characters on the CoC determine which Dragon Lord to fight each turn, taking 1 Dragon Scale when they defeat the Dragon Lord and place it in their Player Area, if you tie or lose your turn ends, you lose 1 life, and you must suffer the Dragon Rage; Dragon Lords do not heal even if there are no Characters on the CoC; when all 5 Dragon Scales have been removed from each Dragon Lord the game ends, Characters with the most Dragon Scales Wins the Game!
  • ✵ Domain of Dragons – Start with a random Dragon King that will stay the Dragon King for the entire game; when an Strength Enemy is drawn take a Varthrax card and place it on top of the Adventure Deck (Craft Enemy – Grilipus, and Object – Cadorus); when a Dragon Card Enemy is defeated, take a matching Dragon Scale from the pool; when instructed to draw a Dragon Token, suffer the Dragon Rage instead; Characters on the CoC must attack the Dragon King, Kill the Dragon King = Win the Game!

...then got the Horrible Black Void as the random hidden ending (with Dwarf then winning).

Why does this game hate me lol?!

My 100% losing record remains intact.

4th Edition Xbox One. I always play as Elf (who, according to what I have read online, is lower tier... but I am sticking with him lol!). I nearly always play against 4 AI opponents - Warrior, Wizard, Dwarf & Valkyrie (my games nearly always result in Warrior & Wizard dominating, while I try to avoid being worse than Dwarf & Valkyrie...).

I play with the four corner boards and fairly default rules, adjusting here and there for improved game flow (eg. No More Lives upon reaching Crown of Command).

What about the rest of you who play Digital Edition against AI? Do you have a fixed/preferred character, opponents & rule sets?

How do you all like to play the game?

Does anyone know if a secret place to get the expansions that I don’t need to take out a liver to pay for one expansion. Or am I pretty much screwed and have to pay 200+ per expansion.