‘The Woodland Expansion for Talisman Revised 4th Edition’ - Fantasy Board Game Review

The Bottled Imp - Episode 44
Which path will you choose as you enter the mystic Woodland? The Bottled Imp takes a detailed look at the Talisman Revised 4th Edition expansion 'The Woodland'. Will you manage to find your way through the dense forest to meet your destiny?
The latest corner board expansions for Fantasy Flight’s Talisman, takes adventurers into an ancient woodland where twisting trails, strange forest creatures, wealth and immense power can be found. Queen Mab has corrupted this Woodland region and so the once peaceful fae have befallen the Woodland’s terrible spell and are forced to survive by feeding on its very substance. They became desperate and hungry creatures, seeking to devour the fate of others. Only the brave or foolish would dare to enter this dangerous Woodland.
This expansion includes five new themed heroes to add to your game: Scout, Totem Warrior, Spider Queen, Ancient Oak, and Leywalker. Each has their own Special Abilities to help them traverse the land of Talisman and in addition each has their own unique Tokens giving them extra special abilities. Which one will you want to be?
This expansion also introduces the concept Light and Dark Fate to Talisman and so changes how the Fate Tokens from the base game are used. Each Fate Token has a Light (gold) and Dark (dark blue) side. A player paying a Light Fate Token can re-roll one of their own die roll and a player paying a Dark Fate Token can re-roll one of another player’s die roll. Plus each player has to decide what side up on the gaming table each Fate Token is showing every time they receive a Fate Token (including Set Up). This is known as Fatebound. If a player has more Light Fate Tokens showing they are considered Lightbound, if more Dark Fate Tokens are showing they are considered Darkbound. If it is equal then they are Unbound and if they have no Fate Tokens then they are Fateless. Each Fate condition has an effect on future Woodland Cards they may have to resolve. Therefore each player will have to choose wisely which type of Fatebound they’d like to be. A tricky choice indeed!
This expansion adds a new corner piece Region board, 103 Woodland Cards, 5 Spell Cards, 10 Adventure Cards, 20 Path Cards, 14 Destiny Cards, 3 Alternative Ending Cards, and 5 new character cards with matching detailed plastic miniatures for you to paint and each with their own Special Ability Tokens. That’s a lot of components for your money!
Please note: You will need Talisman Revised 4th Edition from Fantasy Flight Games to play The Woodland Expansion.
If you haven't done so already check out our Talisman 4th Revised Edition base game review here.... • Talisman: Revised 4th ...
Also take a look at our first expansion pack review of 'The Reaper'...
• The Reaper: Talisman E...
And have a look at our second expansion review of ‘The Blood Moon’
tinyurl.com/qflhh4a
Check out our third expansion review of ‘The Dungeon’
• ‘The Dungeon Expansion...
Fancy new weapons, armour or even a pet? Check out the Imp review of our forth expansion review ‘The City’
• ‘The City Expansion fo...
Fancy a hike into The Highland? You’ll need to watch The Bottled Imp review before you go:
• ‘The Highland Expansio...
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The Bottled Imp
Exploring the Realms of Fantasy.
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Presented by Ken Boyter
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Produced by Julian Newman Turner
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Music by Greg Breden
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Artwork by Richard Nairn
www.theartfuldoodler.co.uk

[@Chen7500]

Finally a Woodlands review for youtube :) only been able to find unboxing videoes.. The review is awsome as always.. hoping to catch a dragon expansion review one day :) keep up the good work !!

[@thebottledimp]

+Chen7500 Thanks Chen. Yeah, I guess other reviews may review the base game and a few expansions then as time goes by just forget or don't know that Fantasy Flight still support Talisman wiuth expansion. This is one of my favourite games so you know All the expansions will be reviewed!

[@williamwilting]

+Chen7500 It seems that not many people really like Talisman in general, mostly because of the combination between the roll and move mechanics and their feel that the game is much too random. Especially Dice Tower and most of its contributors seem to have a problem with it, because not anyone else than the Bottled Imp does actually review it. And yeah, it's random, but isn't a role playing game like Dungeons & Dragons, or a duelling card game like Magic the Gathering? I find it very strange that people like those from the Dice Tower complain about the roll and move mechanism that much, while they like rolling dice. I understand they don't like mindless chucking dice without any meaning, such as in Ludo or Game of Goose (which I HATE, by the way), because you just do the same things over and over and over again without much tactics or strategy. But with Talisman they have no excuse for that. It's role playing, making decisions, anticipate on potential bad surprises, and most of all having choices; so it has tactics and strategy enough. I think they're just complaining about the one thing, while the problem is the other. There is a lot of things happening in this game besides rolling and moving. Sometimes, especially when you character has been developed a bit, but not enough to go for the Crown, you can find yourself encountering a lot of cards without anything significant happening to your character. That can mean that the game can drag on for quite a long time, which can bore you after a while. I tend to think that this is the Dice Tower people's actual problem with the game, and I can understand that, but they complain more about the mechanism than about what is really making them feel bad about the geme. They don't like the game? Fine, but they have to come up with the right reasons.

[@thebottledimp]

+William Wilting Good points well made William. Half the fun of the game is the unknown and random factor to it whilst still trying to upgrade your character. Plus it's fun to role play and be silly!

[@angelk.8285]

Thanks for the video Ken! We need more of your videos mate:)

[@coolcidcalvin]

Thank you for all your reviews. I just finished the last of your Talisman review videos. I've found them entertaining - and more importantly, helpful with my understanding of the game!!

[@thebottledimp]

Thank you Cal, you are quite welcome. Glad you've enjoyed them. Enjoy the wonderful game of Talisman!

[@tomaszjasinski5562]

greatly enjoy all your Talisman reviews! watched all of them many times over. ;)

[@thebottledimp]

Aww, thanks Tomasz. That's good to know and keep us going! We've got The Firelands coming in the next few weeks.

[@Bassmunchkin1]

Just purchased this on your shear enthusiasm that you share. Excellent expansion and as always... brilliant video :-)

[@thebottledimp]

+Terry Bass Thanks Terry. Pretty sure you'll love this expansion. Adds a few extra rules for fate as well as Destiny Cards that you can fulfill as you travel along the twisted path! Enjoy.

[@michaeldickinson90]

Just bought the Digital Edition with all the Addons from Humble Store. Looks like a great deal, but I have to wait an hour before Steam will let me finish entering all the keys! In the meantime, I appreciate watching your great reviews of the game.

[@GoldenChed]

Brilliant content! Just downloaded this expansion for the digital version and this video has really helped explain the new mechanics 👍🏻

[@thebottledimp]

Thanks Duke. Have fun!

[@dravenwestwood7045]

Awww. The intro song is amazing

[@mikejonesnoreally]

Thanks Ken I was wondering what the fourth (board) expansion would be! I once owned Talisman "and all of the expansions" when that meant you had the Dungeon, The City, and TimeScape. Now I have the Digital Edition with all expansions and am really pleased with the way the game has evolved and I really love the HighLand expansion which is usually my go-to at the start of the game. Great review! If I knew I could find five other people to play it regular I would be buying the physical game again! I have read in a couple of different responses to your reviews people complaining about the "randomness" of Talisman. I wonder how many of these people know that the element of chaos in the game is *by design*. The creator wanted the element of luck to be there so It could just be a fun game to play with friends and not the usual "who knows it better" contest. It is there so there is "no rancor" (his words) when you win or play some really mean spell (usually just because you want to burn it) on your friends.So now that I know how much you love Talisman I *must* ask what you think of two other games. First the spiritual successor to Talisman: RuneBound 2nd Edition, and then the literal successor to Talisman: Relic. (with Nemesis and Halls of Terra, natch'.)

[@thebottledimp]

Thanks for watching and liking our Talisman reviews Mike. Very kind. I take it you mean the fourth digital expansion? The board game has all the boards out now - The Highland, The Dungeon, The Woodland, and The City. Plus The Cataclysm is a new base board that replaces the original base board! I've not been keeping up-to-date with the digital version due to lack of time! If you visit the Nomad Games website they may have upcoming details about the next expansion. Yeah, the 'randomness' in Talisman makes it more like Dungeons & Dragons in the way the game plays and feels. Talisman is an adventure with good banter and stories to tell between players. We always take a day to play it for that very casual and fun experience. I've not played RuneBound 2nd Edition but it is on my list to review. Have you played it? I have played Relic and think it's a very good game. I think this is what Talisman would have been if it came out for the first time due to the fact they've reduced the 'randomness' factor within the game. I like the corruption cards that you get as that adds extra spice!

[@mikejonesnoreally]

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I've played RuneBound second edition, it's the game that got me looking at board games again and I have often referred to it as "the spiritual successor to Talisman." as Talisman was still out of print when I bought it and I love it and still own it and Sands of Al-Kalim which is literally a game about telling a story with a cool desert storm that moves around messing with folk. (Sound familiar?) The cards have a lot more reading to them, the game is a bit more detailed with fewer characters but more customization for them and I love the shop deck in each city that always changes what's on offer. The dice mechanism where you can only move into or across terrain you've rolled I've found to be one of the best moving mechanisms for a game. I'm not a fan of 3rd edition though and I think that's partly because it's incompatible with my 2nd edition stuff and I also find that "chit" mechanism for combat to be gimmicky and ye' olde d10s work great for me, thanks. While it is highly competitive (It's shopping mixed with racing mixed with a chose your own adventure book, basically.) it's not AS much "mess with the other players" as Talisman. Something I liked and I feel it's why I loved Relic so much when it first released and didn't seem PvP focused at all, then Nemesis released and you find that they had PvP in mind all along, they just wanted it to be asymmetrical. Brilliant. Corruption is a great mechanism as well and that *is* the theme and moral (to me) of all 40k. I think it's supposed to represent the same challenge that alignment represents in Talisman. Or maybe the toad? Either way I love both games. Halls of Terra is outstanding as well. I like that there is now a monetary cost for crossing to the other board. I've always believed the side boards were the best due to the fewer options (cards) and the higher likelihood that you can mitigate the "randomness."

[@BrutalBarracuda]

I've just bought the 4th edition of Talisman, finally upgrading from the 2nd edition. What expansion would you recommend be my first? I was thinking city...

[@thebottledimp]

Nice! Well, The Dungeon, and The Highlands are the most similar to how the base game works so they're easier to understand. The City adds more equipment to buy and offers Bounties to go. Also consider The Reaper, and The Blood Moon as the are fun non-corner piece expansions. Hope that helps. We've reviewed all the expansions by the way.

[@susandrew7217]

Does the ancient oak lose its growth or health first?

[@dacredfarer1107]

I can have a photo of the map please? Where I can also read the script

[@jazzyjane5813]

This game looks so coooool! Also, great review.

[@thebottledimp]

+Jazzy Jane's Gaming Corner Thanks Jazzy Jane! Yes, hours of fun have past. Let me know how you get on if you ever play it.

[@yehonatangarji]

what is the best exsteation to buy ?

[@ronnieone9689]

Games workshop did a reprint, still in print as of 2018

[@loomick]

the endings with no symbol can be used for either hidden or revealed endings

[@thebottledimp]

+Michael Lloyd Yes, although I'm not sure it actually says that in any of the rules! Might be wrong about that but they can be either Hidden and Revealed. Thanks for confirming. By the way, we've created a Facebook group. Search for The Bottled Imp Fellowship, click on the Join button, and we'll add you in.

[@doubleyou8589]

I am having such a hard time finding any of the corner expansions now :( I need help

[@thebottledimp]

+william pearson Yes, since Games Workshop took Talisman back in-house, Fantasy Flight have stopped printing the 4th edition. So when stocks sell out, that it for the 4th edition. Games Workshop have announced a 5th edition but no other details have been realised. You may get help with where to buy the expansions from our Facebook group. Search for The Bottled Imp Fellowship, click on the Join button, and we'll add you in.

[@adriang6259]

I wondered how you can have both dark and light fate tokens. But I guessed when you start out with your original set of 'fate' tokens and during the course of the game you spend a fate to re-roll, that token becomes dark when you enter the 'woodlands' Right? A destiny card emerged as almost an invincibility card, meaning that the owner could use either dark or light fate to re-roll, ie fate never ran down. If you can only test fate once per turn that's okay. Can you only test fate once per turn?

[@thebottledimp]

When you play with The Woodland expansion in play, at the start of the game all players choose if each of their Fate tokens is Light or Dark. Hence why if you have more of your Fate tokens Light you are Light Bound, if more are Dark, you are Dark Bound. If it's equal then you are Unbound. So any thing that says Light Bound, Dark Bound or Unbound are effected, each player knows from the start of the game what status they are.

[@thebottledimp]

With Fate tokens, either Light or Dark, you can only use them once per DIE ROLL not per go. So you roll a die, you may spent a Light token to re-roll the die once but must except that die roll. (Unless a spell or something else alters that.)

[@xXHayateMitsurugiXx]

subbed, my dad introduced this game to me and my brother when we were little and it was just the first edition haha, so its awesome to see this I've just picked up the 4th and omw right now even to see what expansions I can grab from my local. want to ask you for your personal opinion on balance I've got a concern now as I've grown up about the balance of classes should I worry about certain game mechanics being broken and try to house rule certain things to help with the enjoyment? trying to get friends into it and I don't want them to get bored or put off its my favourite board game xD cheers

[@thebottledimp]

+Lehi Briscoe Thanks for subscribing and for watching. What lovely memories of Talisman you have. We started playing with the 1st Edition too when we were young. Hooked ever since! We've reviewed most of the expansions so that should help. The Dragon expansion is coming soon. What's your question about balance and a certain broken game mechanic?

[@xXHayateMitsurugiXx]

+The Bottled Imp awesome :D I've been getting put off the Dragon by some written reviews honestly so what I currently have is the base, the 4 other corners and the reaper/firelands for now, I wanted the harbinger but I had thoughts like I don't want to add godlike characters and invalidate the charm of some of the more unusual picks, for lack of a better example the merchant. I worry some classes are better than others and I don't want the friends I introduce to feel forced to play certain ones or gimped if they don't. the other issue I'm struggling with as its never been a talisman concern for me is managing all the cards I'm going to have with all of those expansions I've now got and how to enjoy then (firelands for example) without diluting it all or making it too extreme/packed. last concern, I've been hearing the Highlands is able to be abused by some players quite cheaply but nobody has ever stated just how that is so maybe you know how/a way to prevent that. in the end I just want a pure and nostalgic experience that newcomers can feel pulled into and love themselves balanced and without cheap elements sorry for the length thanks for taking the time to reply! nice to have someone who shares this ^^

[@thebottledimp]

+Lehi Briscoe I've not read or watched any reviews for The Dragon so it'll be interesting to do so after we do ours. I don't want to be influenced. We've The Harbinger review coming on the 25th of March (really enjoy that expansion!). Interesting what you say about some characters are better than others. What you could do is separate those that you think are better then either you all pick one (or chosen at random) from those so it's more balanced. Or you keep the better ones to one side and only play with the other ones. Again makes it fair. Or how about trying one game using all the characters to chose from (randomly) and see how it plays out. We've not really experienced this unbalancing of characters. I can recall 3 occasions where I thought that certain characters would never win - Minstrel, Sprite and Troll - and all 3 have won. It's how you play those characters and work out what their strengths are and use them to their full potential. Maybe we could so mini videos looking at each character and how best to play them? Not heard about The Highland cheat. Wonder what that is? There is one (sort of) in the Dungeon. If you get to the end and defeat The Dark Lord, you can potentially end up straight on the Crown of Command without a Talisman! Not sure I like that but it's in the rules, so fair enough. Last time we played Talisman we just played the base game with The Dragon and The Harbinger and it was very refreshing to play with only a few expansions. So maybe for the first time your friends play, I'd suggest the base game and maybe one or two expansions. Totally agree. Talisman is an experience, an event that can last hours and hours. It's the banter, joking and a bit of role play between friends that is half the fun!

[@xXHayateMitsurugiXx]

Thanks for the suggestions! Will probably just do that play with all the characters perhaps even regardless of whether their expansions are in play and see how they pan out, in the end I suppose you choose who you like the look of the most and I don't mind choosing someone "weaker" if I really like the theme I think I'm just scared to put off my only willing friends from it since I don't really know many people who do play haha. Looking forward to seeing your future reviews I found myself watching your base game video just for something else to watch haha, I think what I'm finally going to get round to doing this morning is opening and going over all the cards and characters in each to see if I can spot anything that sounds off but I think the idea of playing with maybe just a few sounds good, we can probably get away with sticking all the corner boards on and using the reaper since its not too different then just testing how that works out. Not sure if I asked but how do you manage your decks when there are so many cards, example the firelands adds a really cool/nasty burn mechanic which probably gets seen less frequently the more expansions you use it with. I've thought of reducing the amount of cards after a look through, playing with less expansions of course and things like that but I'm always interested to hear how other people tackle things. Lastly and semi related but where are you guys based? Cause of course you're talisman enthusiasts like myself, I'm based around London myself :D

[@xXHayateMitsurugiXx]

Ah sorry and I'd love little character tip videos that'd be awesome, one thing I love too is so far I've never really thought strategy when playing so much I've just grabbed a cool looking guy and jumped right in (granted I've not played it since I was little I wasn't much of a strategist haha) and the Highlands thing was probably not so much a cheat like that whole dungeon skip although I'd probably house rule it that you get sent to the centre ring rather than the crown immediately I guess? Depends how everyone else feels and how hard the dungeon really is, the Highlands thing sounded more like the guy had seen numerous people find a way to cheese it for an easy victory and it apparently reduced playing time, I'll see if I can spot anything when I open it and let you know!

[@benlawyers]

Very basic question. Do the new characters get mixed in with all other characters at the start of the game and selected randomly ?

[@thebottledimp]

I play that we mix them all in but with The Woodland the characters do have Special Abilities that can only be used in that expansion so you could play where each player gets one of The Woodland characters.

[@benlawyers]

@@thebottledimp thanks

[@thebottledimp]

You are quite welcome!

[@hinamajeed]

Where would one purchase this game?

[@TheDeano4000]

Heya, do you have a firelands review. I can't be sure about it yet. Thanks

[@thebottledimp]

+Dean Turner Hi Dean, we've not done a Firelands review yet although I do have it. The basic premise for the Firelands is everything gets burnt! There are adventure and spell cards that can burn objects not protected by fire (some of the new cards have a burn proof symbol on them) plus spaces on the board can get burnt and a new terrain takes it place wiping out what that space used to be. For example if The Chapel gets burnt then it no longer is a chapel with its text box full of instructions. The new terrain card that is placed over The Chapel may simply say 'Draw 1 card'. There are cards to change the terrain back into its original space too. I like it as it changes the spaces and adds a bit more jeopardy to the game. It certainly does make it harder to win! Hope that helps. We'll be doing a review in the next couple of months.

[@TheDeano4000]

+The Bottled Imp That's great thanks, I have bought most of the expansions based on your reviews and we have great fun with them. I'm also very curious about the Nether and deep realms expansions but there seem to be no reviews at all on these, only unboxings that don't explain the new mechanics. I'm also desperate for storage solutions and sleeving solutions if you have any suggestions.

[@thebottledimp]

Good stuff! Glad you're enjoying the growing (and probably never ending) world of Talisman. Yes, I've got both of those expansions too and will do reviews of them in the next few months. As for storage, I use a big wooden chest! Everything fits in but not that great fro transporting. Fantasy Flight and Ultr-pro make good qulaity card sleeves that fit the Talisman cards. Amazon sell both kinds.

[@Odinrasmus]

Hey Bottled Imp... Just wanna hear do you paint for ppl.??? and if yes what is your price...?

[@thebottledimp]

+Odinrasmus Hi Odinrasmaus, well that's flattering you ask but I've just starting painting the figures to my games so I wouldn't say I'm ready to start a painting service. Although that does appeal to me! I did a bit of searching and I found The Miniature Painter (www.theminiaturepainter.com) looks good (not used them so don't really know). He's based in the UK. Also in the UK are www. golempaintingstudio.co.uk but they arn't taking commissions at the moment. If you live in the USA, I've found this directory with loads of links to painting services theminiaturespage.com/paintserv/Fantasy/ Here at Imp Towers we are going to do a series of 'How To Paint Miniatures' but that might not be for a couple of months. Hope this helps.

[@zoomtronix5042]

best singer

[@Oxediusfex]

This game look nice but like the Witcher board game i heard that there isn't many interactions between players. You can play a full game without interacting with anyone just doing your stuff alone. Is it true ? I know you can go and fight them and with that dark fate system at least you can act against them and thats good at least !

[@thebottledimp]

+Oxediusfex Yeah, pretty much true. If you land on another character's space then you can fight them. You can also cast spells on other players that will affect them. The dark fate does now mean another way to interact with players. Not played The Witcher board game. Is it any good?

[@Oxediusfex]

+The Bottled Imp Really good looking and every character play completly different but you MUST be 4 to play otherwise some character won't be as good as for the bard who gain point from following others characters around. So far there are no expansion and you got no interactions between character. It's fantasy flight too so I guess they will find something in the futur !

[@thebottledimp]

Sounds pretty good. I know it was released but haven't watched any reviews of it yet. Thanks for that. Will add it to our ever growing review list.

[@phantoll2964]

I have a question can the reaper enter the woodlands?

[@thebottledimp]

Yes! All regions, including expansions, apart from the Inner region since he's already there..

[@phantoll2964]

@@thebottledimp Thanks

[@thebottledimp]

My pleasure.

[@Gurubu]

These characters seem stronger than the other expansions I have seen so far. Do you randomly hand out characters from all the expansions mixed together? It seems once you start collecting expansions you're going to have quite a lot of different characters.

[@thebottledimp]

+Gurubu Gaming We play it that we mix up all the characters from all the expansions and randomly pick. You'll be surprised how you can still win with base game characters verses the expansion ones. They've done a pretty good job of balancing them all. Or you could all pick or randomly pick only The Woodland characters?

[@Gurubu]

The Bottled Imp Good to know thanks. I'm still going through all the expansion videos you made. I ordered the base game which should be here next week. Going to play it with some friends and see how we all feel about the game before going ahead with the expansions. I feel randomly picked characters seems like the best option especially if they're balanced for the most part.

[@DrewCooldude]

i was pretty sure fate tokens were bright side if you had them available and dark side once you've used them...

[@kraetah]

oh and maybe Runebound?

[@thebottledimp]

+kraetah Yes, Runebound is on my list to play and review. Have you played it?

[@kraetah]

+The Bottled Imp Got it for Christmas. Hope to play it with the group soon. juggling work, kids and the other half along with other gamed makes it tight haha

[@thebottledimp]

Lol, ah, yes, life getting in the way of gaming! Let me know what you think of it when you do manage to play it. Been on my radar for a while.

[@kraetah]

+The Bottled Imp the reason I got it was due to the same but different aspect it has to Talisman. level up and complete the quest first. Maybe an over simplication.....Hoping to play it a week on Saturday. Geek fest at my house!!!!

[@thebottledimp]

kraetah Yes, heard it's like that. Good questing this Saturday!

[@kraetah]

Talisman Dragon expansion please

[@thebottledimp]

+kraetah Yes, kraetah, The Dragon is coming soon. Soonish!

[@blackthorn956]

I love and hate this game equally. Not this expansion, mind you.. but in 22 turns I haven't been able to go into town to change my alignment back to evil so I can pick up the Runesword that is RIGHT THERE. Then someone else changes to evil and picks it up, RIGHT. IN. FRONT. OF. ME. HOW. DARE. YOU.

[@thebottledimp]

+York Denim Lol, yep, that's Talisman! We played a game last Sunday and we only had the base game, The Dragon expansion and The Reaper expansion. Took us 8 hours. With only 2 of us playing! I won with my fourth character.

[@blackthorn956]

The Bottled Imp That's so long! I don't have the stomach anymore to play a game for that many hours, that's why I personally really like the "bloodbath" house rule from the digital version. - Only 1 Talisman Card in the Talisman Deck. - When a character is killed, they do not return. - All characters can be attacked (Alignment restrictions are ignored). It still took 3 hours though when I played last time.

[@thebottledimp]

Nice! Yeah, when we play we brace ourselves for a long day. It''s more of an event. We did however talk about not playing with all the expansions but instead just have the base game, a corner/big expansion and maybe a mini one too. Looking forward to the new expansion The Cataclysm. It's basically a reboot of the base board.

[@oliviawenholz7511]

the reviews are good but i just think that you are a little bit too cringy no offense

[@thebottledimp]

Thanks for watching Olivia. Glad you enjoyed the review. None taken. I've have cringey as a strength on my CV.