The quest for the Crown of Command is fraught with peril, but often the greatest shield an adventurer can carry is knowledge.

Protect yourself! The Talisman FAQ (pdf, 228KB) is now available on the support page.

Talisman is a classic board game of adventuring in which journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid, and enter a beloved world of fantasy adventure!

A few days ago, we took a look at the Alternative Ending Cards offered in The Frostmarch, the new expansion for Talisman. Alternative Ending Cards offer variations on the standard Talisman victory conditions, and whether your group chooses them randomly or votes them into play, they can give exciting new direction to your game.

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve added two Alternative Ending Cards to the Talisman support page, and they’re available for download!

The Crown of Command card (pdf, 1.2mb) presents the standard victory condition in this new format, and the Danse Macabre card (pdf. 2.2mb) lets characters who make it to the center of the board control the fearsome Reaper (you must own The Reaper expansion to use this alternative ending)!

Add them to your choices of Alternative Ending Cards, and enjoy!

Talisman is a classic game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

It is the Frostmarch, brought here across the northern waters by the Ice Queen. Armed with the Crown of Command, she is transforming the realm into a desolate, frozen wasteland. Can you overcome the raging storms and strange creatures that inhabit this bitter land? Will your blood freeze when you behold the Ice Queen’s cold, cruel gaze?

The Frostmarch, the latest chilling expansion for Talisman, is now on sale!

The Frostmarch expansion offers players 4 new character cards and plastic figures, 84 Adventure Cards, 20 Spell Cards, 24 Warlock Quest Cards, and 3 Alternative Ending Cards – including a final climactic battle with the Ice Queen!

Head to your local game retailer or to our webstore, then brace yourself against the onslaught of the Frostmarch!

Talisman is a classic board game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

The Talisman Upgrade Pack is an affordable solution for players who have already purchased Black Industries’ Talisman 4th Edition, but who want the updated cards and components of FFG’s Talisman Revised 4th Edition. With the Talisman Upgrade Pack, your older copy can be made compatible with the FFG's exciting new expansions. Now, this handy kit is back in stock!

Head to you friendly local game store, or to our webstore, and upgrade your game today!

Talisman is a classic board game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

You have journeyed far and faced countless perils in your quest to claim the Crown of Command, but as you make your dangerous final ascent, an unnatural chill cuts through you. Someone, or something, has already taken your prize, and even now grows stronger as it awaits your arrival. You draw your sword, hoping that the trials of the past several weeks have been enough to prepare you for the fight ahead...

Welcome to the third preview for The Frostmarch, the upcoming expansion for Talisman! In our first preview, we looked at two new characters, the mighty Ogre Chieftain and the cunning Leprechaun. Last time, we met another playable character: The Warlock, and we saw how new Warlock Quests will play an important role in your Talisman strategy. Today, we’ll explore two of the new alternative endings to be found in The Frostmarch.

Originally introduced in a past edition of Talisman, Alternative Ending Cards may be familiar to long-time fans of the classic adventure game. These optional additions provide variety and strategy to Talisman by fundamentally changing the game’s victory condition. Depending on the tastes of the players (and the restrictions of the cards themselves), these cards can be unrevealed, meaning that only upon reaching the Crown of Command does a potential winner learn the true objective of the game, or revealed, which allows all players to adjust their strategies according to that objective.

Further underscoring the importance of Warlock Quest Cards to The Frostmarch, our first Alternative Ending Card requires that players collect and complete four Warlock Quests as proof of their worthiness to wear the Crown of Command. This makes effects that alter Warlock Quests, like last week’s Glory Seeker, even more risky!

A deadly sorceress responsible for bringing The Frostmarch to the land, the vile Ice Queen is the subject of another terrifying Alternative Ending Card. When this card is in play, a character standing on the Crown of Command must choose whether to attack the Ice Queen using Strength or Craft... and either way, she’s a formidable adversary. This hearty foe has four lives, meaning that her attacker must best her multiple times before victory can be claimed. What’s more, if the attacking hero ever loses, he or she will face a punishment in addition to the loss of a life, and it may include being sent all the way back to the plain of peril!

The Ice Queen has more than a few nasty tricks up her sleeve, but all will be revealed in time...

Talisman is a classic game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

The odor of sulphur and burnt flesh wafts from the open mouth of the Warlock’s den. Though this place turns your stomach, you have no choice but to press on; your quest has brought you to this dimly lit cave, and the enigmatic man you seek is your only hope of achieving victory. As your eyes adjust, a voice echoes around you. “I know why you are here, adventurer, and what you seek. But first, you must do something for me...”

Welcome to the second preview for the upcoming expansion to Talisman, The Frostmarch! Last time, we looked at two characters who are set to face the sinister Ice Queen this winter. Today, we’ll explore some the many new Warlock Quests, look at new Adventure and Spell cards that play off of those quests, and even get a sneak peek at the Warlock playable character!

Though not the first expansion to include Warlock Quest cards, The Frostmarch features them prominently. An alternative to simply visiting the Warlock’s Cave and rolling a die to determine your quest, Warlock Quest cards present variety and flavor to the process of earning your all-important Talisman.

Whether besting a mighty dragon or visiting the perilous Enchantress (with her penchant for morphing unwary adventurers into slimy toads), you can be assured that Warlock Quest cards offer a heavy dose of risk, but the reward is well worth it!

Focusing on this new level of risk, many other cards have effects that directly relate to Warlock Quests in some way.

The fearsome Glory Seeker, for example, is a formidable foe who will effectively “steal” your quests out from under you! The False Grail burdens its unlucky bearer with a one-track mind; you cannot have any Warlock Quests before you rid yourself of it. And finally, the Lake of Visions is a pool of prognostication from which adventurers can select the Warlock Quest they’d most like to have... until the Lake itself disappears as suddenly as arrived.

Manipulating these quests even further is the mysterious Warlock, a new neutral playable character who is the first ever to begin the game outside the outer region! His high Craft, as well as his ability to regain all Spells at the start of each of his turns, make him a potent magic user. But equally impressive is his ability to name his own reward after completing Warlock Quests!

Join us next time, when we take a look at some of the new Alternate Endings coming your way in The Frostmarch!

Talisman is a classic game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

Have you felt the chill in the air? Winter approaches, and every passing day spreads the influence of the Ice Queen a little further. From her grim land of ice across the frozen waters of the north, she brings the Frostmarch. Armed with the Crown of Command, she is determined to transform our realm into a desolate and frozen wasteland. Who would dare stand up against such a formidable force?

Welcome to the first preview for the upcoming expansion to Talisman, The Frostmarch. Boasting 20 spells, 24 new Warlock quests, and over 80 exciting adventure cards, The Frostmarch will bring a new level of depth, challenge, and strategy to your Talisman experience. And with the new optional alternative ending cards, you can even change the very nature of your challenge!

To meet the massive threat brought by the Ice Queen, The Frostmarch introduces four new playable characters. Fans of classic Talisman will notice two familiar faces, but two original heroes are also joining the lineup! Today, we’ll take a look at one of each, a new and classic character.

The enormous Ogre Chieftain lumbers through the wilderness like a moving mountain. A commanding figure, he has the ability to dominate any foe of the “monster” type, making it a follower instead of a trophy if he defeats it in battle. Such followers can be stored away and used during any subsequent battle (discarding it afterwards), adding their own strength to that of the Ogre Chieftain. Better yet, this terrifying behemoth can choose when to use his dominated followers, and can use more than one of them per battle. This means that the Ogre Chieftain can amass an army of underlings, unleashing them at will on an unlucky opponent!

From the mighty Ogre, we move to a character of decidedly smaller stature. What the Leprechaun lacks in brute strength, he makes up for in the ability to raise a supply of gold quickly. Whenever this lucky little fellow lands in the Woods, he taps into his pot o’ gold, snatching three for his own uses. Along with this, he has the ability to teleport to any space (in his current Region) whenever he rolls a six! This combo means that he has quick access to useful funds, and can use those funds to bolster his strength against the vile Ice Queen!

Join us next time when we take a lengthy look at some of the new Warlock Quests, as well as a handful of new adventure cards!

Talisman is a classic game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

The chill is enough to freeze your blood!

In the distance a frozen continent of ice dominates the expansive horizon. It is the Frostmarch, brought here across the northern waters by the Ice Queen. Armed with the fabled Crown of Command, she is transforming the realm into a desolate, frozen wasteland. Arrayed before her are adventurers of all shapes and sizes.

This fall you will be forced to overcome the raging storms and strange creatures that inhabit this bitter land. Aiding you in this are four new characters, 20 new spells, and 24 new Warlock Quests! Standing in your way are over 80 new adventure cards and the exciting new Alternative Endings - one of which is the terrifying battle with the Ice Queen herself! Will your blood freeze when you behold the Ice Queen’s cold, cruel gaze?

Will you be prepared when the cold hits?

The Frostmarch expansion offers players 4 new character cards and plastic figures, 84 Adventure Cards, 20 Spell Cards, 24 Warlock Quest Cards, and 3 Alternative Ending Cards – including a final climactic battle with the Ice Queen!

Talisman is a classic game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command. Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

Ages have passed since a mighty and mysterious wizard, now long dead, placed his powerful Crown of Command beyond the Plain of Peril and the Valley of Fire, daring the bravest adventurers of the realm to seek it out. Over the years, many would-be conquerers have sought the Crown, but now their bones lie bleached and broken, and their names have faded into obscurity. But there is one who stands out – a hero who has devoted his life to studying the dangerous path to the Crown of Command, and is willing to share the fruits of his years of study. He is Jon New, keeper of Talisman Island.

Since its original publication by Games Workshop in 1983, Talisman has inspired some of the most dedicated fans in all of hobby gaming. Over the decades, numerous reprints of four unique editions have drawn in players from all over the world, and Talisman has been translated into multiple languages to accommodate them. For almost as long as Talisman has existed, Jon New has been one of its biggest fans, and for the past decade, he has maintained his personal tribute to this classic game of quests and treasure, the fan site called Talisman Island.

Easily the most comprehensive fan site dedicated to Talisman, talismanisland.com recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and Jon honored FFG’s own John Goodenough, resident Talismaniac and game designer, with an interview. We thought we’d return the favor, and give Jon a chance to discuss Talisman’s many changes over the years, as well as his insights into its long-lasting popularity. Enjoy!

Q: When and how did you start up the Talisman Island website?

Earlier this year Talisman Island had its 10th Anniversary and I still can't believe it has been so long!

The site started out as just a couple of pages to display an expansion that I had been encouraged to “reinvent” for the internet following discussions on the Talisman Yahoo Group.

Over time I helped some members get their creations online and was kindly offered some server space by one of the group members and the site grew some more. After a couple of site redesigns it became clear that the storage needed for the files had just about maxed out the donated space, so I bit the bullet and moved to my own host which is where Talisman Island now lives.

Just as a point of interest, the first incarnation of Talisman Island was around 4MB in size, whereas now it is somewhere in the region of 3GB!
 

Q: Most of the new content seems to take the form of home-brewed expansions. What new features will you introduce to the Talisman Island site in the following months?

I'm always thinking of things that people might find interesting about the game, unfortunately there is only a finite amount of history to trawl for articles, so the majority of things on the site are based around expansions. I still have a large number of files that require sorting out and adding to the site. It's slow work, but I'm getting there.

I have been asked about making a series of features on my collection of Talisman goodies which should be fun to do as I have a couple of unusual bits and pieces. I'm hoping to feature a bit more of the artwork used in the game as I think that it is such an important part of Talisman that is very often overlooked.

Of course, if anyone has any good ideas for features they can always get in touch!

Q: You’ve been an active participant on Talisman message boards and forums. How has the fan base changed over the years?

I think the fan base has become much larger with the advances in communication that the internet has given, especially in the last few years. Contact used to be limited to the classified adverts in White Dwarf magazine and PBM Fanzines, but now there are a number of ways people can find information at the touch of a button (and I remember when it was all fields around here...)

The various forums are a melting pot of ideas and this has really helped improve the overall quality of content in expansions produced in recent years. There is certainly no shortage of opinion on the boards!

Q: When playing what is the card that you hate to draw? Love to get? Just plain think is hilarious when it comes out of the deck?

I really like cards that encourage character interaction, but absolutely love cards that encourage player interaction. If there is a good example of a card that can lead to “good natured bad feeling” it would be the Random spell.

I also have a soft spot for cards that can change the game instantly, like the Raiders or the Granddaddy of them all – the Horrible Black Void!

As for hilarious cards, I think any of the examples above would work, provided that they are affecting someone else!
 

Q: What is your favourite moment from your years of playing Talisman?

I think some of my favourite moments with Talisman were whilst we were involved in demoing the 4th Edition during 2007 at various conventions. It was just really satisfying to see so many different people enjoying the game whether they won or lost.

There was a tremendous buzz around the tables. Everyone who got Toaded was ridiculed (quite deservedly!) One chap decided to role play his Dwarf and made a point of accumulating gold at every opportunity, even though he could have powered his character up! Alliances were forged and broken with much gnashing of teeth. It just showed that all you need to do with the game is allow yourself to have fun.

Q: Despite being out of print for so long, why do you think Talisman has continually grown in popularity over the years?

I get a lot of emails saying how people have come back to the game after a number of years away. It seems that people generally discover Talisman whilst at college and university when there is plenty of time available for playing the game between studying and sleep. They then get on with a bit of real life and after a while rediscover the game, be it because of the new printings or because they have found their copy in the attic. Some mail is from people who are now playing the game with their own children and the cycle begins again.

Once you are bitten by the game, you are never truly free!

Q: What other games do you enjoy playing? 

Back in the day I used to play a few fantasy games put out by Games Workshop like Dungeonquest and Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (Note to FFG – please publish these!!!) but never really found anything that was quite as satisfying to play as Talisman.

I don't really have any other traditional games that I play often these days, but I did enjoy a few games of Zooloretto when it first came out. I am hoping to remedy this at Gencon Indy when I'll be trawling the open gaming areas looking for something that takes my fancy. I'm even booked for a beginners session of D&D with my kids!

I tend to graze whilst gaming by playing in short bursts and have rather a short attention span, which is odd I know given that Talisman is my weapon of choice! I used to play a lot of RTS video games, though never actually completed any and play a few FPS games, mainly Counter-Strike Condition Zero. I'm currently enjoying Assassin's Creed on the Xbox 360 and can't wait for the sequel!

Q: How did you get involved with Talisman? Which version did you start out playing? How would you compare the other versions with each other?

I've always enjoyed fantasy books and films, but had never really found any games that really captured my imagination. I was never struck by role playing and tabletop gaming always seemed a bit complicated, not to mention expensive, but I always enjoyed nosing around Games Workshop stores at the miniatures. One day I was looking around Games Workshop Manchester and noticed a game with a cool looking dragon on the front and after quickly reading the blurb on the back of the box I decided to buy it.

That was in 1985 and it was Talisman 2nd Edition with the Chris Achilleos artwork on the box, so I was actually a couple of years late to the Talisman party. You could say I have made up for it in the mean time though!

When Talisman was out of print I was always in the 2nd Edition camp, however, I used to play a few games of 3rd Edition with the kids when I wanted a quick game because it had been simplified, though perhaps a little too much. I didn't really mind which version I played as Talisman is Talisman is Talisman, but 2nd Edition was closer to the game's roots and had less of a skull fixation.

I am pleased that Black Industries and now FFG have gone back to the earlier edition of Talisman, but there is the added advantage that they have access to the best of both worlds. I think the use of corner boards in 3rd Edition was a touch of design genius!

Q: What is your favourite and least favourite character to play?

I'm afraid it's going to be rather boring, but I don't mind which character I am dealt to play with. Even if you find yourself battling against the odds, there is always a chance that the game balance might change because of a die roll or a particular card being drawn. A character that is perceived as “weak” can offer a nice challenge rather than using the same strategies over and over.

As for a favourite, it would have to be something which people might be surprised at given my stance on technology in Talisman! I used to love playing as the Cyborg from the 2nd Edition Timescape expansion. How can you not love a character that starts with 5 Strength and has built-in abilities for movement, combat and defence? I used to stomp around the board many a time with him, and in fact my video gaming nickname was chosen in his honour.

Thanks Jon! Be sure to check out Talisman Island for the most comprehensive collection of Talisman content on the web... Or as Jon describes it, “a humble fan site dedicated to the best Fantasy genre game ever produced!”

Talisman is a classic game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command.Take control of one of 14 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.

Originally debuting in 1987, Talisman: The Dungeon was a welcome addition to Talisman. Featuring a new board, this expansion opened up a ton of new options for you and your friends to explore. Now, in 2009, the Dungeon reappears in the world of Talisman. An all new board, new encounters, new monsters, new adventurers, new treasures, new Lord of Darkness... this expansion is packed full of exciting options! This expansion is now available from your friendly local game store and the FFG online store.

For a peek inside check out the previews.
The Path Ahead.
Digging Deeper.
What Lies Beneath.
Further Into The Darkness.

Talisman is a classic game of adventuring. Your character journeys through the lands in search of the powerful Crown of Command.Take control of one of 18 different characters from a powerful Troll to a magical Druid.