Talisman: The Magical Quest Game made a comeback in June, and if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, the fantasy dungeon drawler is on sale for $49 (was $60) at Amazon. Manufactured by Avalon Hill, the developer responsible for hits such as Betrayal at House on the Hill and HeroQuest, Talisman was out of print for years and pricey on reseller marketplaces as a result. You can also preorder the first expansion, a cooperative experience dubbed Talisman Alliances: Fate Beckons.
If you’ve never played Talisman before, it’s an adventure board game with light RPG mechanics where up to six players compete to obtain the Crown of Command, slay the Elder Dragon and become the new ruler of the land. Each player chooses from one of 12 characters to play as, including the Thief, Elf, Wizard, and Prophetess. The original game launched back in 1983 and since then has seen multiple revisions, the last being the 4th edition in 2008. The game is typically quite pricey on the reseller market. This new 5th edition printing makes picking up a copy of the game much easier.
Talisman Alliances: Fate Beckons is an exciting expansion, because for the first time in the board game’s 40-year history, Talisman will offer a cooperative mode for two to six players. The $34 expansion set includes new characters, adventure cards, and spells. Teams will try to conquer five trials, which Avalon Hill describes as offering “endless replayability” due to the sheer number of variables in the mix. If you’re a Talisman veteran, you’ll get to experience a new way to play the strategy game, and co-op mode tend to be nice onboarding experiences for brand-new players.