Talisman Fifth Edition Review | Avalon Hill's 5th Edition of The Magical Quest Game | Sponsored

[@MilPicJapan]

Played last night, second session, 2 players, 4 characters, now in 5 hrs. and we have a blast. Forgot some rules, left some out, we enjoy it so much.Going to paint the miniatures next and hope we finish the fist game this weekend. Thank you for opening this adventure for us. Greetings from far east

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Glad to hear you are enjoying the game. Thanks for watching.

[@zenaudio108]

Thank you so much for this review. Oddly, I never thought of the simplicity of the game being such a big part of its enjoyability, but in my 1980s school gaming club it was what we turned to when we didn't want the relative complexity of AD&D or Runequest that day and just a fun romp through quests. It was also, together with Dungeonquest, the game I taught to my kids as an introduction to fantasy roleplaying. Great to see this new edition and thank you for walking us through the changes. It really does look beautiful and I am happy that it is still in existence in this new iteration some 40+ years after its origins.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. Talisman is such an accessible, easy-going game. Incidentally, DungeonQuest is my favourite game of all time!

[@zenaudio108]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I still have a huge fondness for Dungeonquest also. Have there ever been new editions of that?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

So, Drakborgen was the original Swedish edition, then Games Workshop adapted it. Then FFG did their version, which went through a couple of iterations but is now out of print. Then in 2022 there was a Kicksarter to fund a reprint of the original Swedish edition. But that's it for now. I wouldn't be surprised if Avalon Hill got a crack at a new edition now they are publishing Talisman.

[@zenaudio108]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thank you! It will be interesting to see if AH does get to have a go.

[@RakNeubienniy]

I have 400 hours in steam of 4th edition, and your words really catch the spirit of the game. You are not here to win, your are here for experience. My favorite game was, where I leveled so hard, i beat dungeon lord 36 vs 12 ( and you are teleporting right to the crown if you have 8+ advantage in battle), only to find the ending is black hole. And my opponent knew that all the time, because he saw that ending with "draw new ending, watch it and put secret" card from woodland expansion. And he friendly chatted with me all game:) And I saw he is stalemating the game and HOPED black hole will happen, just for good laughs.

[@Vlad65WFPReviews]

For newcomers to the game it should be noted that when you roll a dice for movement, you can move your piece in either direction (left or right), giving you SOME control where you wind up. Great review, as always.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. I did mention in the review that you can move left or right, but yes, it bears repeating there is a small amount of control there, although using fate to move up to six spaces in either direction if you don't like your roll does greatly open up that decision space in the new edition.

[@MemphiStig]

Avalon Hill has had so many great games of all kinds over the years. Their name on this alone would sell me. I played 2e long ago and loved it, a brilliant game with a lot of the D&D feel, much more depth than Dungeon, and a competitive vibe that really worked well.

[@eriklusyne6892]

Played Talisman for 40 years sold it 5 years ago but I’m getting this one, avalon hill sold me on Heroquest and now they do it again. The art is fantastic!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think it's a beautiful production. They really did a good job.

[@craigleslie2577]

I think you have sold me on this game, dont think ive ever played Talisman before, i vaguely remember drawing up a board like this in the 90s at primary school. Ill have to ask my brother, he might remember. Game looks and sounds a ton of fun though.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's good fun. Not deep or anything, but if you approach it as a rollercoaster, you should get on fine with it.

[@xGarrettThiefx]

I recommend playing a few games of the 4e version as the game can be somewhat polarising tbh.

[@MarneusAndMilkyBlood]

The new art, especially the card backs, is amazing!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's lovely. The card backs for the spells in particular really zing.

[@golgothika]

Thanks for the in depth look at 5E! Talisman goes way back for us,and we're looking forward to receiving our copy. I like the character art better in 5E over 4E.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The new art is fantastic. I like it a lot.

[@MrBigB312]

I never played Talisman as a kid, as I never really understood what it was. When they announced 5e I was mildly interested solely for the minis and how they could work for HeroQuest, but beyond that still wasn’t terribly interested. But… gosh darn it you’ve sold me on it. Definitely putting it on the Christmas list this year !

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a lot of fun. It can feel old-fashioned compared to newer games, but I still think it can easily earn a place in a collection for a variety of reasons.

[@MrBigB312]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Sounds great. older fashioned and/or simpler games are usually the most popular at our house, or at least the ones I can get my wife and daughter to play with us. 😂

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

My daughter (13) keeps requesting Talisman and Stalagbite! at the moment. She has always loved games, but those two have really struck a chord with her. Talisman is a really great, accessible title. Even people who aren't into fantasy games will immediately understand it, and can engage with the idea of moving left or right around a board and then doing what the space says.

[@LordSathar]

Talisman is more chaotic fun, but you gotta accept the good wiith the bad.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Or with my luck, I have to accept the bad with the bad.

[@AndreasRugtvedNeumann]

Great review. I really enjoy my 4th edition. The many different expansions it got really added to the overall experience. There was so much variety. It's going to be interesting to see what Avalon Hill is going to do with the license? But I already like their first expansion, that looks completely different to any previous ones. Looking forward to try co-op. I also think it will be easy enough to mix in some of the greater stuff from 4th edition without many issues. The new streamlined mechanics are fine. Easy game to house rule anyway.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. I think Avalon Hill have done a great job with this production, and yes, their first expansion looks like something completely new for Talisman, which should be interesting.

[@puddincupp]

My favorite thing about Talisman has always been the basic board spaces that can get modified about the random cards which changes the landscape and the random story that gets created. I waiting on the coop expansion thoughts before I go in on the 5th edition. Because my game play these days is mostly solo or two players and that is why I eventually sold my 4th edition. I loved Talisman since 2nd, but not my favorite 2 player game. Looking forward to your eventual Talisman Alliances video.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I will be talking more about Alliances in my next video.

[@Carfilliot]

I can see solo being rather awkward because a large part of the board’s text will be upside down!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I don't see how that's going to be any different to playing competitively on the board. No matter where you sit some of the board is always upside down.

[@puddincupp]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring ​ @Carfilliot Solo for some games can be awkward. But having a game that just collects dust is a different awkward. This is game I've had a fondness for since I was a kid. I don't think this would be my go to solo game, but if it has good enough 2 player version then I could probably justify having room on my shelf, because I do love it with group of people and it easy as hell to teach.

[@Carfilliot]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring because the other player / players will read the text for you!

[@horusheresy6949]

I have everything from the revised 4th edition but I'm going to get this!

[@RakNeubienniy]

The faith have two sides to be able to represent light and dark faith from woodland expansion. Light is for reroll your dice, and dark is for reroll another player dice (and they can be used for some sort of alignment for expansion too, as different cards affect you different based on the faith you have)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yes. It's future-proofing. It implies a new edition of the Woodland expansion - or an all-new expansion that uses that mechanism - will be introduced for the new edition.

[@Seth717]

the fate in 4th edition woodlands expansion had diffrent effect depend of your fate token was clipped to the light or dark fate side, so yea they are preparing for dark and light fate it seems

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

That'll be it. Thanks.

[@hanng1242]

If I remember correctly, Fate allowed you to reroll; Dark Fate allows you to force another player to reroll.

[@jarehelt]

Can any of the 4th edition expansions be used with the 5th? or do I need to wait for new expansions?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The new edition uses different sized cards and some different rules. I think we will see a steady stream of expansions for the new edition, though.

[@HivisoftheScale]

That's pretty neat!! I could see someone recording down what happened in a play through and using that story as a background for an epic role-playing campaign.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Talisman always throws out weird chains of events that could be fun to translate into RPGs. The more expansions you add the stranger it all gets.

[@HivisoftheScale]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring you said there were 12 heroes, are there any that Talisman has that HQ doesn't?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You get a warrior, dwarf, elf, wizard, monk, priest, sorceress, prophetess, ghoul, troll, assassin and thief.

[@HivisoftheScale]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring ...okay so assuming that the Elf, Dwarf, Wizard and Monk are the same, and the Warrior = Barbarian and the Thief = Rouge Heir of Elethorn... (Spoiler warning, I've never played any Talisman before... but if they were HeroQuest heroes, I imagine it would go something a bit like this...) Priest: Body: 6 Mind: 4 Can use any armor (including helmets and Shields) but only one handed weapons. "Word of God": As an Action choose a character within line of fire; if you choose a hero, they regain 4 body points. If you choose a monster they must skip their next turn. Recharge if a hero takes 3 or more damage from a single attack. "Smite": As an Action choose a monster within line of fire. That monster takes 1 Body point of damage, or 2 if they are Undead. "Resurrect": Use this card when another hero would be reduced to 0 or fewer body points. Return them to life at full body and minds points. Sorceress: Body: 5 Mind: 5 Same equipment restrictions as the Wizard. While moving, if the Sorceress rolls doubles she may recharge one of her expended spells. "Missiles of Magic": As an action choose up to three monsters you can see. Each one must roll a red die. They are dealt 1 body point of damage unless they can roll a 5 or 6. "Arcane Blast": As an action choose a Monster within line of fire. Zargon rolls one red die, unless he rolls 5 or 6 the chosen target takes 3 damage. "Teleport": Instead of moving choose a space within line of fire. You may place the Sorceress in that space. "Mage Armor": As an action, apply this spell to yourself. You roll two more defense dice until you suffer at least one body point of damage. Prophetess: Body: 4 Mind: 6. Same restrictions as Wizard. When making a defense roll, the Prophetess may re-roll all of the dice, but she must accept the second result, even if it's worse. "Presage": You may cast this when another player would roll combat dice. They may re-roll all of the dice, but they must accept the second result even if it's worse. This spell recharges at the end of Zargon's turn. "Didn't see that coming..?": As an Action choose a Monster within range and line of fire. Move the target two spaces and deal them 1 body point of damage. "Reverse Damage": As an Action you and each adjacent hero may heal up to two body points of damage. "Threads of Fate": As an Action choose a Monster within line of sight. That monster must spend it's turn attacking another adjacent monster. Troll: Body: 9 Mind 1. Trolls can use any weapons, but cannot use any armor, helmets or shields. They just don't fit! "Regeneration": If there are any monsters on the board at the beginning of the Troll's turn he recovers 1 body point. This effect is always on. "Heavy Swings": The Troll always rolls one extra combat dice when attacking. "Troll SMASH!": Make an attack with a weapon. Roll extra two combat dice but after the attack, the weapon is destroyed. Assassin: Body: 5 Mind: 5. The Assassin may not use Chain or Plate armor, and does not use shields. "Poison Blade": If you did not move this turn, when making a weapon attack you may add an extra combat dice. "Stealth": The Assassin ignores monsters while moving. "Mark the Target": Instead of attack you may select a target as your mark. The next time you attack that target, they must roll one less defense dice. Ghoul: Body: 7 Mind: 3. The ghoul may not use chain or Plate armor, and does not use shields. "Another Undead": (Unless they have no other target) Undead enemies will not attack the Ghoul. "Bite": As a free action you may roll an attack (using 1 combat dice) against an adjacent, non undead, enemy. If the target has already defended from you this turn they cannot defend against this. If you hit, the monster takes one damage and the Ghoul heals body point. "Frenzy": You may make two attacks with a weapon you are holding this turn. If you do roll a red dice. If you roll 1 or 2 you may recharge this skill. If you roll 4-6 you may not use this skill again for this quest.

[@parkerooooo]

16:50 16:55

[@Toltly.Equine]

Splendid video. It was really great to see the contents of this exciting new edition. It was neat seeing the HQ comparison as well. Some of the new rules are quiet good, truth be told.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. I think this is a really good edition of Talisman. Lots to like about it.

[@Ben_Mdws]

Really enjoyed this - thank you. When I downloaded the Talisman game on my iPad I sunk way, way too much time in to it. The memories were too strong!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching.

[@michaelhill6453]

Brilliant review. This is the first adventure game I ever played . Our RPG group played it a lot...lots. The cards were in large perforated sheets rather than decks but it seemed fine to us. I gave my first edition to a friend when I bought the second iteration; from memory the only change was from black and white card art to colour (the same Gary Chalk art but now in colour). I also had the third version with the expansions but like you, skipped the fourth edition. I've just purchased the fifth edition and I'm happy; or I was until I found an, already, delaminating card. Looks great but they skimped on the cards.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the kind words. It's a lovely new edition. If you have a badly damaged card get on to Avalon customer services. I am sure they will correct it for you if they can.

[@fshemonek]

Nicely put out enjoyed the story and remember playing in the dorms a guy had a copy I love it that was '86 , but never played again, I have only now rekindled that playing online a bit but can't wait for my copy of the 5th edition to come in next month. Thanks for the nicely illustrated review.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. I hope you enjoy the new edition.

[@LaSiena]

What is the size of the cards? I want to search for propper sleeves Just discovered the game recently and I'm really excited to get It! Xd

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

56x87mm.

[@wallyguy2621]

Thank you for this. I have never played Talisman before and this is first review I've seen that explains how the game plays.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm glad the video was helpful. Thanks for watching.

[@wallyguy2621]

I pre ordered my copy right after this review.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@wallyguy2621 I hope you have a lot of fun with the game. It hasn't left our table much in the last few weeks.

[@jonathan2950]

32 page rulebook 😮 seems excessive for Talisman. Thanks for the detailed review. This looks great for those wanting to get into Talisman and haven’t bought one of the previous versions. For me I’ll be sticking with my copies of 2nd and 3rd edition, 3rd edition in particular. Nostalgia will always win out for me, and I have so many happy memories playing 3rd edition I don’t think anything could beat it. Those minis do look good though and would fit in perfectly with AH’s Heroquest.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's got a lot of full-page artwork, a double-page spread of character biogs, a page of variant rules, a page just to highlight the differences between editions. And the rules are very clear and well-formatted with examples. You could still probably fit the actual rules on a single page of bullet points if you wanted to.

[@hotrodtiki200]

The upside down outer art kind of makes sense. On previous editions only the row in front of you would be facing you. While three other sides are facing away. In this new version only one side, the one in front of you is upside down. While three sides can easily be seen. So they traded seeing three sides vs only one .

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's been quite divisive, I think. Having the closest side to you being upside down, and having all text being oriented in the opposite direction to the accompanying art on every space, has put some people off. I think it's a good-looking board though.

[@korr4000]

Always Board Never Boring you are a true gentleman and a scholar! Thank you for including HQ comparison picks. The Dwarf to Dwarf was the one I was most interested in.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The first thing I did when I received the game was shoot comparison photos and upload them to my Instagram because I predicted people would want to see them.

[@korr4000]

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I don't normally get on Instagram. That's why I didn't see them. I did end up finding them on there, though. Thank you!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You know... I better whisper it... I think I like the Talisman dwarf more than the HeroQuest dwarf.

[@korr4000]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring shhhhhh 🤫....... me too...

[@stevenkennedy4130]

The gift that keeps on giving...Thanks for the share!!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you for watching.

[@jarehelt]

So I drew a "prince" follower. It says "you may heal up to 2 lives each time you visit the castle and you may exchange the prince for 3 gold at the castle" Do I nees to land ON the castle to heal 2 lives? or can I simply pass through on the way to a different space? I assume I need to land on it to exchange, but can pass through to heal? 🤔 Please help thanks 🙏

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You have to land on a space to interact with it. If you don't stop on the castle, you can't get the healing.

[@GlennGriffin]

Can’t wait to get my copy! Great review. Has me even more hyped!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you have a lot of fun when it arrives.

[@jarehelt]

One more question I drew a poltergeist Follower. It says I can get rid of it by crossing the river. I was already in the middle region. Can I cross the sentinel bridge back to the outer region? If so do I need to fight the sentinel going both directions? Thanks the information🙏 reddit and the rule book doesn't seem to have these answers 😅

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

No worries. This is covered on page 17 of the rules. If you cross the bridge going from the middle to the outer regions, the Sentinel leaves you alone. Of course, if you try to go back to the middle region, he will fight again.

[@dfwpiper1]

I've collected and painted all the 4th ed stuff, but I'm almost disappointed by that. The art on this edition looks so much better. (and it's pretty darn good in 4th ed too!)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Well, FFG did a really nice-looking edition as well. I wasn't a fan of the miniatures so much, but I always thought the art was good.

[@drharvey6245]

I remember playing this at a friends house when I was 10 or 11. Felt incomprehensible to me at the time so never bothered to follow up on it once I started getting into Heroquest and Space Crusade. I did pick up the PC version of the game with all the expansions and that did seem like it could be a really fun boardgame to play so I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this. Assuming we get the Dungeon and City expansions at some point this could well be the game I decide to get into with my group after we're done with Heroquest. The group has only just started meeting up again after about 25+ years so we're really just enjoying playing Heroquest like we used to every Saturday when we were in junior school together!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

HeroQuest is such a great way to reconnect with the hobby. It's just so accessible and so much fun. Talisman would be a great one to play with a group who don't take things too seriously and aren't looking for something particularly taxing - roll, move, and laugh as disaster unfolds.

[@SgtRenny]

If only the new edition of Heroquest had received the same art style as this game! 😢

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I don't dislike the new HeroQuest art; I know why they would go with that art direction, and I appreciate the homage they made to the original classic art. That being said, I do think this new edition of Talisman is stunning.

[@Mrwigglyau]

does one need the new edition tho? Could the rule changes not simply be applied to 4th edition? Especially seeing how many expansions the old edition had. I also wonder since not too much has been changed, is 5th edition compatible with the expansions from 4th edition out the box. I feel if not, that will greatly hold 5th edition back.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Fourth edition is no longer available, and is pretty expensive on the secondary market, so anybody who wants to get into classic Talisman at this point, this is the version that is available. It's not compatible with previous editions - different card sizes, different card designs, revised rules for the core mechanisms and some of the characters - but the new edition already has an expansion dropping, and we can assume there will be a lot more to come. If someone already has a previous edition and a lot (or all) of the expansions, then there probably won't be much reason to pick up the new edition. However, I see a number of reasons why someone might buy in anyway: If they only have the old base game so haven't sunk a lot of money into that edition; if they prefer the art and miniatures of the new edition; if they are a collector; or if they like the idea of the new co-op experience that the first new expansion is bringing to the game. Every new edition when it comes out lacks the weight of a lot of expansions behind it. Fourth edition players had a wealth of options, and while those aren't available yet for Fifth edition, if the game does well enough, all the game needs is a little time.

[@kirkadurka7152]

Found out about this game during Covid 4th edition digital. Became my favorite board game of all time and when I learned 5th edition was coming out I bought it

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Glad to hear you have been enjoying it. Fifth edition is a really nice one, so I hope you have a lot of fun with it.

[@sevastjanjan8114]

i like the 4th edition much more, as i see now the new 5th one, but ok.. i m excited about the expansions upcoming. Lots of questions! Do the cards will have keywords? like "cursed" oder "trap"? And what's about the great terrain-cards? i love them from the 4th edition. Important are also the fireland-tokens, the remnant-cards and the netherworld-cards. and tons of cards from the other expansions. the city, dungeon, woodland, highland, bridge and tunnel between city and dungeons. and there are great fan-made-stuff.. overall my talisman has 14 regions! i have nearly 4000 cards overall. but i will give the new edition a chance. ;-) We will see..

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah, it's very difficult at the moment to compare the new edition to an edition that was supported and loved for such a long time. I am quietly confident though. Avalon Hill have proven to be good custodians of HeroQuest, and they have done a good mix of reissues and new content. They clearly want to put their own stamp on Talisman with some clever rules tweaks that don't upend the system, and a first expansion that does something new, but I also expect them to remake some of the fan-favourite expacs too.

[@sevastjanjan8114]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thanks for your response! Ja i hope that they continue some great ideas from the 4th expansion! like the Harbinger-expansion and most important: the terrain-cards! Brings a lot more fun to the game! :-)

[@crazyhudson]

Wow, sooooo cool, I can’t wait to get this, I have all 4th edition, the Double sided Fate tokens were used in the Woodlands expansion, depending what side you had showing determined certain event outcomes. The only new rule I really like is the Leveling. At first you’ll level up your strength and craft quite quickly, but then it will get harder too, usually playing the Warrior, you’d be auto killing anything after a few dragons. At least this will slow it down. Awesome video.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Levelling up smooths quite nicely now. Runaway leaders tend to get slowed down enough for others to keep a better pace. I also like the new death rules. Getting a reset at the village keeps you in the game and removes that element of feeling like you have lost long before anybody wins.

[@crazyhudson]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring imma keep the old toad rule, missing three turns is what made it funny, but at least you can keep your items, also only one talisman means other players can’t horde them.

[@Mailed-Knight]

Great vid. Not the biggest fan of the upside-down map, but still a cool looking game.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Half the Talisman map is always upside to you, depending on where you sit, it's just that with this new edition, it's the half that's closest to you, instead of the half that's farthest away. I didn't even really think about it until someone pointed it out, but it has definitely bothered some people.

[@pasqualegarofalo3713]

The older expansions are good for this edition?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

No. This is an all new edition from a different publisher. They aren't compatible.

[@iansmith9762]

This is a wonderful review of a classic game. You are on point with this review

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you liked the video.

[@walt776]

As a physical board game, I have little interest in Talisman as other games scratch the same itch. But I have Talisman as an app and have played many games that way, when I have time to waste and don’t need to worry about setup. Hope this version gets an app as well.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I feel pretty much the reverse. The app version of Talisman didn't do much for me because the interactions at the table were always such a big part of my enjoyment. I actually don't know what the deal is with the app now that there's a new version...

[@AndreasRugtvedNeumann]

They already announced the digital version of 5th edition. Same developer who made the 4th edition.

[@MilPicJapan]

Enjoy your movies, thank you for sharing. Maybe you could that up for me : Dropping cards ? Doesn’t make sense if you don’t have more than you can carry or are not allowed so why would I drop a card beside avoiding to dra an adventure card ? 🤔

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You can only carry four items as standard (or eight with a mule), so if you want to pick up a new object you would have to drop something. If you change alignment and you have objects or followers that are forbidden for that alignment, you are forced to drop them immediately. If you are on a space and don't want to risk drawing a card, you can drop something so you don't have to draw. Some events may force you to drop something.

[@MilPicJapan]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringthank you sir, appreciate the response, hope to see a game report in the future 😅have a great day and lucky dice

[@simoncaddick4857]

Visually, looks great - the fate tokens to mitigate poor movement rolls is a plus, though our house rule of rolling two dice and picking one will likely still be used to bring some decision making to that part of the game.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I really like the new look, and anything that gives a bit more control over movement is a good thing, I think.

[@myeviljewels6539]

The updated art is stunning! But I don’t like the board perspective change. Nor am I a fan of the updated rules but I think people can easily house rule them to suit. The die having the talisman symbol as the 6 is just stupid, it should be the 1 as before. No doubt this will be a popular version especially if the new publishers do plenty of expansions.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The original rules for dying and for turning into a toad are included, so that's not an issue. The new rules for levelling up are easily ignored - although I think they are better as it gives an early bump to stats and keeps the game chugging along at a nice pace. And if you want to do the crown of command ending, you can easily tag that on after killing the dragon. I actually like the Talisman face now being the six. Talismans are supposed to be powerful artifacts, so to me it makes more sense for it to be the six. The first expansion is out this October, adding co-op play, new heroes, and new win conditions. So, that should be very interesting. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.

[@treknobabble1701]

Always got bored of talisman far before the end of play, but this new edition zips along with just a few simple rules tweaks. I love it.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The changes they have made definitely speed the game up considerably. Aggressive players who really push for the centre and who know the rules should be able to finish the game in a little over an hour, I think. You are still probably looking at closer to two hours for most games though, but that feels about right to me for an adventure game.

[@machfront]

Huge fan of the game. I just turned 50 and in 1986 or so a good friend of mine bought the 2nd edition here in the States (we’d all recently begun playing D&D. I was 12 or 13 at the time. He then sold it to another friend and he sold it to me. So…1988, I went and grabbed the expansion and the Dungeon expansion. (I never got Adventure nor City. Really wish I had.) I’ve come across so very many people in the decades since and all of them loved playing the game! Friends, girlfriends, wife, daughter, acquaintances….everything and everyone! It’s always been a hit. I had third and fourth editions, but….them having less than my 2nd edition had, were less satisfying. Also…..I guess I must have played 4th with 2nd edition rules because I was very confused about you referencing things like….certain things to advance Strength and also the mention of a Dragon at the Crown of Command? Huh? Oh, well. This looks very nice and if it’s not too expensive, I’ll happily dive in. Otherwise, I still have my extremely flavorful and fairly well expanded 2nd edition that actually has a descent choice of characters (unlike the basic game). Also……everyone I’ve ever known threw out cards like “raiders” and “witch” etc, because losing everything and/or arbitrarily being turned into a toad is the opposite of competitive fun, so eff that. Please. 🙄 Great vid! Thank you for covering it so well! I’d zero idea this had been released! Cheers! 🙂

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. Yes, Talisman has had a long and storied history and has had many little changes over the years. For example, you can now level up strength and craft in the same way by defeating enemies which wasn't possible in first and second edition. It was possible to meet a dragon at the Crown of Command in second edition, but it required expansions - Talisman the Adventure added random final encounters, one of which was a dragon, and Talisman Dragons added a dragon king you had to battle. Avalon Hill have gone for battling a dragon as the end game scenario, and you don't have to zap everyone else with the Crown of Command. I can see that being added back in with later expansions.

[@dejahthoris1808]

Looks like a really good new edition of the game, though the upside down orientation of the game board I can't get past, I personally will just continue on with Talisman 2nd Ed, I own all the Talisman 2nd Ed citadel miniatures, have all the Talisman 2nd Ed expansions (Timescape being my favourite) I have made loads of house rules and even added rules from other edtions, Talisman 2nd Ed is all I will ever need. Thanks for the great review of the newest edition. 👍

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

As nice as the new miniatures are, they ain't Oldhammer miniatures. It sounds like you have more than enough superb Talisman products on your shelf already!

[@dejahthoris1808]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yes, the Oldhammer Talisman 2nd Ed miniatures are beautiful, it took me about 3 years to collect them all at the prices I was willing to pay these days. I recall having a few of the miniatures in my youth but obviously lost them all, including my original Talisman 2nd Ed collection through my journey in life, though thankfully I have the stability the financial means to recollect everything again in my middle adult years, It's great to have a complete Talisman 2nd Ed collection including the miniatures.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I am still gradually building a collection of every miniature for Advanced Heroquest. It's not a cheap hobby, but the collection of miniatures is worth it!

[@dejahthoris1808]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I own Advanced Heroquest, two sets actually, just so I could have more tiles. I doubt I will collect any of the Oldhammer miniatures showen on the box or the tokens, I just use classic heroquest miniatures and other fantasy 3d printed proxy miniatures instead. I have to draw the line in the sand somewhere, collecting Oldhammer miniatures is a very long and expensive pursuit and not something I will be doing again anytime soon, But goodluck with your Oldhammer collecting.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@dejahthoris1808 I've been charting my Advanced Heroquest project on the channel. I also have two sets, I made my own Terror in the Dark, and I set myself the ridiculous goal of getting one of every miniature pictured anywhere on the game or on the associated materials. It's a very long-term project though. I may be dead before I finish it!

[@drowningin]

My friends LOVE this game. Buy all the expansions, and spend 9 hours playing it every other weekend…I just don’t get the appeal… I mean it’s all luck of the dice, no skill and decision making like good board games have. What am I missing that makes it so loved? I have played the base version, and with so many different combinations of expansions I couldn’t possibly list them all

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I doubt you are alone, and you probably aren't missing anything, it's just not a game system that connects with you. It really is a game where you are along for the ride - what story will happen around you while you play? It is not totally devoid of decisions. For example, do you play aggressively, trying to steal as much from other players as possible? Are you gong to push your luck by moving to the central region early? Do you focus on exploration, or do you instead go to "fixed event" spaces as often as possible, relying on others to find the things you can then take off them? The new edition also adds extra decision points by making it easier to level up your low stats, and allowing you to spend Fate to mitigate a bad movement roll. Ultimately, it is a chaotic game with lots of randomness, which is instantly accessible to anyone, and which provides the opportunity for lots of backstabbing, uneasy alliances, screwing over your mates, and laughing at everyone's misfortune (including your own). I would say most fantasy games that tell a story of adventure are far more complex, so Talisman scratches a particular itch. And as it leans a lot on traditional gameplay elements, it's as much about what happens around the table as it is about what happens on it. Those moments where two players make a truce and start hunting down other players, or where one person will cast a healing spell on an enemy on the understanding there will be some kind of payment in return later on.

[@malfunction51]

I have the digital Anniversary edition of Talisman on Switch with all the expansions which is really well done. Do you think it's worth buying this 5th edition physical board game? NIce review btw.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

If you had all of fourth edition in a physical copy it would probably be an easy pass. If you only have a digital copy it may be worth considering if you think it would see table time. It is a great game for a light, fun evening with friends. Also, Avalon Hill are taking it in some new directions with the first expansion being co-op so there will be some new things to explore.

[@TSRCardMasterFan]

The new addition looks gorgeous, I'm loving the art work and the mini's. The presentation is just beautiful, I really wana to pick up a copy now lol. The ogre sculpt looks a little like blanka from street fight with a club, i like that :D. I was kind of hoping they would of included a toad sculpt for the transformation, oh well :). I'm glad they kept the core of the game the game and like mentioned before I'm just gushing over the art. I'm a sucker for fantasy art and game play

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It really is an attractive game, and just such simple fun. My daughter keeps asking to play!

[@iandestroyerofworlds576]

Remember, the fun of the game is not to win, but to see if your character's journey, survives more than your rival, or... better yet... be the actual one to beat everyone in the room. It's so dicey and RNG based, but simple enough that you can write a short story on an actual notebook and be creative with it.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Absolutely. Like I said in the review, it's not a game about winning (although it's nice if you do), it's a game about seeing what happens along the way.

[@xToni981x]

I played talisman like one time and i remember there where more then one kind of ending. Is that removed?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Originally the idea was to get to the centre, beat the challenges, and then use the Crown of Command to defeat all the other players. In second edition, the expansion Talisman: The Adventure introduced a deck of cards that would randomise the win condition. Later editions would also have alternative endings included with expansions. For fifth edition, the win condition at the moment is just to defeat the dragon, but the win condition is likely to be different in the Fate Beckons expansion, and more alternative endings will probably be introduced as the game grows.

[@xToni981x]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I see. I liked the randomness of the ending and the crown ending. Then we need to wait the expansion for it then

[@allthingsnerd.4484]

@@xToni981xthe absolute best was the “Horrible Black Void”!😆 first person to reach the Crown of Command space… instead of winning, gets sucked into a black hole and killed instantly. Thanks for playing!! 🤣🤣😆 God I loved classic, brutal Talisman!!

[@patricklavoie3939]

There goes my money…. again!!! Great presentation.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. If you're interested to know a bit more before putting down your money, my last video is talking about the forthcoming expansion so you can see where the game is heading, and later this evening I will be rounding out my coverage with a look at all 12 characters in the core set.

[@ZzaphodD]

Funny about the new progress for stats: We have had exactly that house rule since the 80:s to 'compress' the scale progress so that and allow stragglers to catch up. The artwork orientation is crap though.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It certainly increases the pace of the game. Those first early levels really help.

[@ZzaphodD]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yes, and slows down the leader, putting more suspense into the game.

[@Mega-G-Star]

Sad the Toad is weakened so much, was a funny part unless it happened to you if you were powerful. If you weren’t it just was a great slowing effect which would make you even more determined to get the Crown of Command.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You get the best of both worlds here. They have included the original Toad rules for people who like the game to be a bit more brutal, but you also get the nerfed rules for if you are playing with younger gamers or players who don't enjoy that level of chaos.

[@martinfiedler4317]

Glad to see a new edition of Talisman - the true one, not branded like StarWars. Personally, I find it sad that they use this "modern" art style. Would have preferred a comic-style homage to the 90s editions.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Since second edition, each new edition of Talisman has had its own style and I think it's nice that different artists get to put their own stamp on it. I have liked all versions, but wasn't the biggest fan of the third edition in '94.

[@martinfiedler4317]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Right, the 90s edition was the third. I was thinking of that and the second, but that was already in the 80s. Hell, time flies...

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

As I get older time loses all meaning. Everything was yesterday, and also possibly 40 years ago.

[@judgecohen1373]

Getting this one as well. Played the game since 1st edition.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I played first, second, and third, and I skipped fourth completely, but I didn't have a copy in my collection anymore so was very happy fifth edition came along.

[@pickpocketpressrpgvideos6655]

Great review thanks for sharing!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you for watching.

[@Templar462]

I haven't played any version of Talisman since 2nd Ed (and yeah, all the expansions here too. Man, the Timescape is wild). I was disappointed with 3rd, even though it had actual miniatures, 4th looked nice to me, and I have a couple friends who bought the Black Industries version before FFG took over publication... But I think this is the first NEW Talisman I'm going to try getting. It's pretty... and the co-op mode in the upcoming expansion has me very intrigued. Have you seen all the Talisman licensed variants? I admit, I kind of want a copy of Talisman Batman... but it also seems a little ridiculous.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I've seen 40K Talisman, Kingdom Hearts Talisman, Bat Man Talisman, Harry Potter Talisman, and Star Wars Talisman, plus the spin-offs like Legendary Tales and the RPG, but I'm really only interested in the original version of the game.

[@DavidGreen_au]

You are right that the board art is a little unsettling. The aspect looks really unusual, although it does look pretty good.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I honestly didn't really think about it until someone pointed it out, but I can definitely see why some people wouldn't like it.

[@madmarduk1936]

Oh wow. I played the original one like 30 years ago. I remember pulling Templar and then just dominating the game.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

As I recall, for second edition the Templar was a "master class." You had to earn the right to become one during the game. The templar was a base game starting character in third edition with completely different powers. That edition came out in 1994, so I wonder if that was perhaps the one you played?

[@madmarduk1936]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringvery possible. That’s around when it was. I don’t remember seeing an edition on the box and it was so long ago I assumed it would’ve been the original lol

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Talisman has been around a long while - it makes me feel very old! If the edition you played had plastic miniatures it would have been third edition. First and second edition came with cardboard standees and had metal miniatures you could buy separately.

[@SrTNick1]

Love Talisman. Though it doesn't have the board expansions of 4e, at least this edition isn't prohibitively expensive.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's going to be interesting to see what they do with expansions. The first is something new, adding co-op play but no new boards, but I am expecting them to run with this and we will soon have lots of board add-ons too.

[@dhdjdjidjjwndnxjjznqba]

I hire two attorneys still when we play talisman so they can sweat the fine details of the rule book for us.

[@bri.g.5105]

how does this edition compare to the old

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Besides the graphical and component differences the changes from fourth edition are the ones I listed in the video.

[@PincheHugo_130]

PLAY THROUGH PLAY THROUGH!!! pls :D

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

No plans for a playthrough for Talisman, I'm afraid.

[@PincheHugo_130]

worth a shot jeje CHEERS FRIEND!! ;D

[@A.E.Konietzky]

I have never played OR owned Talisman but it has been a lifetime "Want" since my high school years. LoL.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I hope you get a chance to play it one day. It's a lot of fun with the right crowd.

[@westonboy8823]

What size card sleeves do I need and what make does anyone recommend?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

They are approx 87mm x 56mm. I don't sleeve my cards, so I can't help on recommendations.

[@westonboy8823]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks what about the bigger cards?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@westonboy8823 All the playing cards are the same size. I don’t think you would be able to find anything to fit the character cards.

[@leew6537]

Also had 2nd edition with all expansions including dragon. It got stolen😢

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ah that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that.

[@Templar462]

nooooooo! Dang, and Dragon was SO HARD to get a copy of.

[@allthingsnerd.4484]

That is a capital offense. Straight to the chair for that scumbag thief!!

[@PurifyWithLight]

I own the complete 4E set, still unopened for a few years. Maybe I'll break them open. I've been playing it on Steam occasionally.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Complete with all expansions? That's a lot of adventure! Unless you are keeping it for an investment you should crack it open and give it a go. It is a lot of fun if you don't expect it to be more than what it is.

[@PurifyWithLight]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yeah, all the expansions too. I bought about 30 miniature board games over a few years. I love painting miniatures. Been slowly opening and playing them. On Heroquest atm. Was gonna play The Lord of the Rings or Masters of the Universe next but may do Talisman instead.

[@dhdjdjidjjwndnxjjznqba]

I encountered Some suspiciously modern changes to the adventure cards lol 😂

[@jimmysorensen]

Hate that the art faces inwards (upside down). Might stick with my 4th edition instead... 😒

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think there will be quite a few people who feel the same way. I honestly didn't really think about it until someone pointed it out, and then I couldn't unsee it. So, it doesn't bother me personally, and I can see the reasoning why they did it - indeed, I actually like that we can see more of the world with this new style - but I can understand why it bothers people and I do wonder if Avalon Hill might have been better off sticking with the more traditional perspective.

[@JLH111176]

I like they change toad in old version you get changed to toad you may as well quit at that point game was pretty much over for you. Fate token when you really need to land on a specific space that is good also

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm still uncertain about the toad change. I like the new Fate rules for movement, the new way of levelling stats, and how character death doesn't mean starting from scratch with a new character. All the changes speed the game up a bit, which I think is a good thing.

[@allthingsnerd.4484]

The artwork is gorgeous and I am intrigued by the co-op expansion coming in October, but… as a long time hardcore fan of Talisman (tattoo and everything! 😂) I have to say that the new soft rules are against the spirit of Talisman. A toad for only one turn AND you don’t drop all your stuff?!? Same thing more or less when you die?? Use Fate to just go where ever you need to within six spaces?? Have fun watching the guy who was stockpiling Fate drink up all the Strength or Craft or Lives at the various “Pool/Fountain” locations. Obviously this can be easily house ruled back to correct OG Talisman rules, but it is just annoying to see the classic brutal punishments taken away or softened to practically no effect. Hell, the Toad is really no worse than “skip your next turn” now. Before, it was commonplace for players to chant “TOAD!! TOAD!!! TOAD!!!!” as someone was rolling to see if they were going to be cursed as it was so detrimental to be a Toad. This is Talisman for Millennials.😁😆😂

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

A common complaint of Talisman is that it can drag so they have made changes to reduce that. I’m no millennial, and DungeonQuest is my favourite game of all time, and I like a lot of the changes. Stockpiling fate is now a valid strategy too so I don’t see a problem there. You don’t need to houserule toads or death though. The original rules are included in the book for those people who want the longer, more punishing game.

[@allthingsnerd.4484]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringmy literal favorite and most remembered game session of Dungeonquest (OG GW version) involved two players, myself and my girlfriend. We got the game down off the shelf, cleared the table, set up everything, selected characters, got all the appropriate bits together for the chosen characters, got our drinks and snacks together, and sat down to play. First turn; I fell into a bottomless pit and died. 🤣 Reset and started a second game; I think it was about 3 turns in and a rotating room trapped me against the castle wall with no escape. 😆🤣😂 we played a third round where I lucked into a treasure item in the first room… on my second turn I left the dungeon and said “beat that”. 😂 GF stayed in because she wanted to try to win but some awful fate befell her and she died in there. In all I think we might have spent as much time setting up the game as we did playing it. God I loved Dungeonquest!😆

[@madzen112]

White Dwarf definitely pushed it at full power

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I didn't know they'd covered the new edition in White Dwarf magazine. Is that in issue 501?

[@madzen112]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Did GW sell the rights to AH?

[@madzen112]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Referring to the original version.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Talisman has been produced under licence since fourth edition. Fantasy Flight Games lost the rights quite a few years back when they parted ways with Games Workshop putting the game in limbo, but Avalon Hill now have the rights. Hopeful we might eventually see new editions of games like Fury of Dracula and DungeonQuest from them as well.

[@EleshNorn-ui1eg]

It looks like they take a lot of the early game grind away. But not being able to kill a player who is running away with the game is lame. My least favorite thing about talisman is the classes who always have a spell. So annoying. Im shocked they haven't changed it to just draw a spell if you have none at the start of your turn by now. I have all the expansions from 2nd edition, i think? My biggest issue with all the expansions is how you end up with a huge deck and some games every player can draw bags of gold and not hit a combat for hours. Hope they rectify that.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Spells aren't a problem in my experience. On your turn you can only cast as many spells as you started the turn with, so even if you use your final spell and draw a new one, you can't cast it that turn. On any other player's turn you can cast a maximum of one spell, so again, you can't spam the spell draw. Furthermore, 11 of the 24 cards in the core set can only be played at the start of your turn; only 9 spells can be cast at "any time" and they are usually things like the heal spell, preservation, and invisibility, when you will still generally use them only under specific circumstances. Of course, that changes with expansions.

[@ScaleHangar182]

I don't know.. Is it only me or it looks downgrade from 4th edition?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Depends on personal preference, I think. I prefer the art and miniatures in this edition, and I like that they have tweaked rules while still including the previous rules for those who want them. I am also very interested to see where they are going with the expansions as they seem to want to put their own stamp on it. However, this edition does have two less characters in the base game, so that is a downgrade from the 4th edition.

[@ScaleHangar182]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I dont like the new art on the board at all, there is a good reason why they kept art style from the 1st edition till 4th, because everyone loves it. Also the flipped art I think is a total miss. Another thing is that you mentioned that paper on cards are thin, dont have the 5th edition to compare but my cards from 4th are still in prestine condition... The dice look same as in 4th edition but in 4th you get 6 not 3 dice. Also 4th edition have a toad figures not only cards. The only thing I see as an upgrade is figures because as for rules I think you can use them in previous edition.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The art is a subjective thing, of course. They absolutely didn't keep the art style the same from 1st to 4th edition though. With the exception of 2nd edition, the art style has changed with each new release. I liked FFG's art (FFG have always had good artwork - they know how to make games that look awesome) but I do prefer the 5th edition art in this case (and nothing comes close to Gary Chalk's original artwork from 1st and 2nd). With the cards - they do seem a little thin, and one of mine was slightly marked by the wrapper, but I believe they are bigger than the cards from 4th edition and I prefer the presentation. I also don't have the FFG cards to compares, but it may be a case of swings and roundabouts. The loss of two characters is, I think, the biggest downgrade. The miniatures are so much better, though. It's a shame we didn't get some plastic toads (maybe they will hop into an expansion), but if it would have pushed the price tag up I think it was probably a reasonable compromise. I would say for people who already have a copy of Talisman it may not be worth buying the new edition unless they are strongly in favour of the new artwork and miniatures, but for people who are just coming to the game, they do get a genuinely attractive edition they can buy off the shelf at retail, which has the promise of interesting expansions with new mechanisms. And they won't have to harvest organs to shop on eBay. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@-Markus-]

High quality production no doubt but this new modern art just look so boring and generic, i really dont like it.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

While fifth may lack the character of first/second edition, and the much more cartoonish third, I don't personally see it as being any more generic than fourth edition, and in general I do prefer the art. I think all five editions have had their own qualities, and I feel Avalon Hill have produced another excellent edition to add to the history of the game.

[@joecosier22]

Just like with Munchkin, all players need to be aware of, and ok with, this being a 'screw your buddies' type of game.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's definitely a game where you have to be okay with confrontation, random chaos, and sometimes everything going against you.

[@L0-R3Z]

The artwork of the paths around the board being flipped to face inward was a TERRIBLE idea. Stopped watching @ 9 minutes. I'm out.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Well, I said it might be a divisive choice.

[@matyasregenyi4214]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring And you are right. Some people doesnt mind, but for me too, this looks terrible. I cannot really say why, it kind of have a vertigo effect on me.

[@BookOfWraiths]

Theres no better review than one created with love and passion. Enough of these "Eh game meh cause other game bettah" kind of reviews.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I only run this channel because of my passion for the hobby, and everything I create is made with love, aiming to be as informative, balanced and fair as I can be. I'm disappointed if that hasn't come across in the final edit.

[@BookOfWraiths]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring what I meant to say is that you put the love and the passion (for this game at least) while other reviews lead me to believe the game wasn't worth it. Sorry if I wasn't clear

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching and the kind words. I hope the video was helpful, and if you've never tried Talisman I hope you get to play it some time. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's been around for a long time so it's clearly doing something right!

[@sethpeterson8261]

Thanks for the vid, but I'mk kind of surprised you think it looks good. Personally I think this 5th edition looks pretty bad from an art and graphic design perspective. The presentation of the board is probably the worst of any edition, the text border is so plain and stark and overlarge it looks out of place and seems to detract from immersion in the landscape as an actual place. At least 4th edition attempted to blend this text in by making it looked like curled parchment a bit. Then the board art itself is packed into the tiny space the text doesn't eat up which makes all those landscape features pitifully small and unimpressive looking. The card art itself is done to a high standard and I think is probably better from a technical standpoint than previous editions... But it's also extremely generic in style and looks a bit lifeless and for some reason most of the cards you show here seem quite zoomed in which gives it a cramped feel (kind of the opposite issue the board art has). Even 4th edition comes across with more flavor and vibe than this. The minis do look better than 4th though (although not as cool as 3rd) and the rule tweaks sound good. Really love Talisman, and kind of bummed about what I see here

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The board is big so the art still has plenty of room to breathe - the lovely city art fits in a 6.25 by 2.25 inch area. The text is clear and easy to read, and it's still presented on burnt parchment like the 4th edition. I like the more zoomed out style because you get more of a sense of scale. In (for example) 3rd edition, the tavern space was just a tavern sign, but now we get to see the whole tavern, the livestock in the pen outside, the boat bobbing by the pier. It's beautifully detailed. It's different, but it works for me.

[@AndreasRugtvedNeumann]

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Do you have the full measurement of the new board? I would really like to know how it compares to the 4th edition board? I hope the new one is a bit smaller, because 4th edition could be really hard to fit on a table with all expansions.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's approx 30.25 inches x 20.25 inches.

[@AndreasRugtvedNeumann]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thanks a lot. The new board is just a little bit smaller then. I think the 4th edition board is around 33 x 22 inches. It will be interesting to see if Avalon Hill will also release corner board expansions? I guess they will? Hopefully they will then be a bit smaller than 4th edition corner boards as well.

[@xxbrkdwnxx]

will this be compatible with 4e expansions? it's impossible to find the 4e core game but the expansions are all readily available and cheap.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a new edition from a different company, so art, card sizes, and formatting are all different.

[@GamersQuestTV]

Thanks for this! Dropping in to invite you to take a look at my Talisman Alliances: Fate Beckons unboxing on my channel.

[@johnmiddleton4291]

GW was able to condense the rules down to 3ish pages and AH and FFG seems to believe it needs 30 plus pages. All with very little actual change to gameplay. Weird how that works. The main change these larger boards need is to have the text printed twice on the boarders of spaces oriented so it's readable from either side of the board. That's always been annoying to me. Bet that toad minis and dice in other colors are all coming along are "promos".

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

There is a flow chart on the back of the book that condenses most rules into one page but the new rules are very comprehensive. Lots of artwork, including full page illustrations, lots of examples, double page spread of character biographies, full page just to show the initial board set up, stuff like that you don’t really need. It could have been smaller but it’s well done. I can see toad minis turning up at some point, for sure.

[@johnmiddleton4291]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I'm not sure how many examples you really need for" Do what the card or space says" but that's modern gaming for you. Maybe they will go the GW 2nd ed route of having character specific toad minis.

[@LebiDzoko]

everythink great but spell and adventures cards are to large. it will be problem im pretty sure about this

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I've played plenty of games with the new version and it hasn't been a problem. The cards fit on the spaces fine.

[@LebiDzoko]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring we will see if you say so when you play with 10 expansions. dont understand me wrong i really have hope im wrong and you right. Over the years I have played the fourth edition many times with 4 people (with all the expansions) and there was often a fight for free space on the table. Of course we didn't complain, it was great, but when I see these big cards I have concerns. I honestly hoped for years that if there ever will be a fifth edition, the cards would be smaller 🤣. I hope im wrong! we will see soon.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's certainly not a concern at the moment. Down the line a table could get cramped, but the corner boards are probably more of an issue there than the cards players accumulate for their characters. I'm lucky - I play my games on a 6ft by 4ft gaming table, and compared to games that are stupid space hogs like Shadows of Brimstone I don't have any concerns about Talisman.

[@LebiDzoko]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring you're right and I agree with you about the corner boards, but they won't be reduced much and I hope they will be included in future expansions. I just want to add that there can even be a 10m by 10m table, but at some point it will be pointless. I don't want to seem like a hater, I love this game and I really like the new edition! time will tell if I was wrong 🙏 and I hope I was wrong! (but if im right this should be a concern from this point). thanks for answering! regards!

[@JB-js4xi]

Oh boy the joys of scalpers snatching up all copies then asking 200 a game or MORE. That's surely going to happen. 😢. I hate resellers.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a board game going to general retail, which is already available to preorder, not a limited run or collectible. I can't see scalpers being an issue here.

[@JB-js4xi]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring well they are. It was impossible to get Hero Quest when it came out. People buy all the copies and raise the prices. This has gone on with lots of products for over 20 years. You can't get edition 4 for a decent price so of course they'll try to snatch all these to mark up.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Are you in the UK? Fourth edition Talisman isn't a live product at this point so I'm not surprised it's hard to find at a good price. Fifth edition is currently available for preorder. You can order it from Hasbro, Amazon, and Zatu, probably other places, and I expect it to appear in more stockists soon. I would be surprised if it becomes really hard to find.

[@JB-js4xi]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I'm in USA . Thanks

[@kirkadurka7152]

I just bought it for 60$ on amazon

[@SaltyWound]

THEY NERFED THE FROG

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

They did, but they also included the full original rules for the toad for those people who want the full toad experience.

[@jamos5710]

Do not like ending the game fighting the dragon v3 rule that sucks. The most fun was final fight in the crown of command. Hard pass.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

That's fair enough. They are using a slightly modified version of the alternative dragon ending from the old Dragon expansion, and I think they have picked that as it's a quicker way to wrap up the game. If you don't like that, it's easy enough to add the Crown of Command battle. After defeating the dragon, just leave that player on the space and each turn zap another player for one life point, until everybody is dead. We can also be pretty sure the winning conditions in the Fate Beckons expansion will be different, and I would be surprised if we don't see other alternative endings in subsequent expansions.

[@xGarrettThiefx]

I'm sorry but the 5e talisman artwork looks off to me.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Not all art styles can appeal to everyone. I think this is a really beautiful edition, but I still prefer the second edition artwork, and I still think the third edition artwork is the worst.

[@thirteenthirtyseven4730]

Ahh Talisman: The worst game I’ve ever loved.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

That’s a good way of putting it. It’s such a lot of fun but it’s not exactly sophisticated or deep! I feel that way about Dungeon! too.

[@mcstabba]

It should be the text book definition of a beer and pretzel game. Sometimes that is what you want though. Love Gary Chalks art he was all over my childhood; Talisman, Heroquest and Lone Wolf.

[@tomaszmiskuniec1951]

I cant belive anyone likes this design....

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Well, lots of people seem to.

[@tomaszmiskuniec1951]

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringthis is disgusting compared to 4'th Ed :/. Like AI made the graphics. No soul there :/ Main board is smaller and cards are bigger (where art covers 90% of card and Text is so thin...) so they will not fit on space... Mechanics are blend. 2 heroes are missing and druid was my favorite. There are 2 good parts about this: one: characters figures are bigger and are more detailed. Second: I hope it will impact over cover prices of 4th edition. I need woodlands and few expansions :/ those are very expensive in Poland :/

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Everybody accuses everything of being made by AI at the moment, regardless of style. I think it's a dangerous accusation to continue making, and potentially undermines the real work of real artists, which is not what any of us want to do. I largely disagree on your assessment of the new edition (but I too would have liked to see the druid and minstrel included from the start), but it sounds like you are most of the way to a complete fourth edition anyway! Good luck getting the rest of the collection, and thanks for watching.

[@tomaszmiskuniec1951]

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Good that you do. I also disagree about your opinion from video. Still we can respect each other.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

For sure. It would be a boring world if everybody agreed on everything!

[@garicb9271]

So, 4th edition with a worse looking board and a generic looking art style. meh

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It’s built off 4th but has the rules changes I listed, bigger cards, and different art (I don’t think it’s any more generic than 4th). I think the character art, art design in general and miniatures are better, and the first announced expansion which I have covered on the channel is doing something completely new. Some people will decide it’s worth getting the new edition while others won’t. For people who missed previous editions it’s great to see a new, beautiful edition at retail.

[@Azeeeem]

Just got my 5th edition today. I have to say I really don't like most of the character artwork... Way too clean and romanticized. They look like AI generated. Have to take characters from other editions to play.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's a shame you're not a fan of the new character art. I love it. Still, I hope you have fun with the new edition!

[@mikolajwitkowski8093]

This game needs a more critical review. And maybe from a 4th edition player. They wasted a chance to make the game better, it is basically the same as the 4th edition just with much worse illustrations.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Every game needs lots of reviews, and I encourage people to go out and find them. I am generally considered to be a harsh critic, I think, and I call things how I see them. I much prefer the illustrations in this edition; the art in fourth is generally of a high standard - it was an FFG product after all - but they fluffed most of the character art, in my opinion. Avalon Hill have taken the chance to do some new things with the game. They have revised some of the main gameplay elements - I even broke down the differences between 4th and 5th for those 4th edition players out there. Also, they have a new expansion coming out introducing co-op play and mystery boxes, which is something completely new for Talisman.

[@remiwalas2514]

Have all editions, but probably will end my adventure on 4th one. 5th is so ugly 🥹 graphics and design look like generate by poor AI..

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching.

[@holzbergerpeter4480]

How woke and diverse.... Im glad I got the 4. edition and can pass 5.

[@40zed]

I have a low tolerance for woke garbage so no thank you

[@mikoajpiotrowski3772]

Dis is shit 5 edition 😂 🤮🤮🤮🤮