Black Industries

TALISMAN, THE LEGENDARY FANTASY BOARD GAME, IS BACK!


Marc Gascoigne.	Zoe Wedderburn.

We talked to Head of Black Industries, Marc Gascoigne, and the Talisman Project Manager, Zoe Wedderburn, about what it was like putting together a new version of Talisman, and why they made some of the choices they did about the look and feel of the new edition.

Why did Black Industries decide to produce a new edition?

MG: Black Industries grew out of the Black Library’s successful business publishing spin-off novels from the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000. Its first range of releases, for the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game, returned us to the world of roleplaying games, in multi-award winning fashion. Once that was established, it seemed the time was right both to proceed with the ambitious 40K roleplay game, Dark Heresy, but also see if there was also mileage in returning to the world of boardgames as well. Right now the hobby boardgames market is strong and it’s the ideal time to remind people why Talisman has its place amongst the pantheon of all-time great fantasy boardgames.

Talisman has appeared in a number of different version over the years – why did you choose to base the new edition on the 2nd of those versions rather than a more recent one?

ZW: Talisman has appeared in a number of editions over the years, and each edition took the opportunity to focus on certain aspects. We wanted to take Talisman back to its roots – a classic boardgame with a high fantasy feel. The second edition of Talisman has always been the most popular edition of the game with fans. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to base our edition on it, albeit incorporating certain improvements from the third edition and its expansions too.

How did you discover the artists you used for the project and why did you choose them?

Max Bertolini (Blood Bowl) and Ralph Horsley (Tome of Salvation) have both worked on cover art for BL Publishing in the past.

ZW: Max Bertollini & Ralph Horsley were artists that the Black Library had used before and still do. Max had done the covers of the Blood Bowl & Daemon Gates novel series to name just a few, while Ralph had worked on numerous covers for WFRP and has been a longstanding freelancer with the Black Library. We knew these two could tackle powerful, classical fantasy very well and they delivered! We were unfamiliar with Jeremy’s work until Ralph recommended him and we definitely took a chance on him but it was so worthwhile. All these guys have a brilliant understanding of what makes fantasy art look so good - using these guys made our vision come to life. It was a fantastic journey watching how a conceptual idea became a sketch, an initial draft, and then a final piece of beautiful fantasy art.

MG: Of course everyone has their favourites, especially if one grows up with a game, but this does look gorgeous. I think it holds its own alongside anything out there now, let alone the classic Talisman editions from years gone by.

What sort of things did you have to look into before deciding to launch a new edition of the game?

MG: Firstly, we had to ask, was there a boardgames market at all? Many of us here are huge fans of the new wave of boardgames, especially coming out of Europe, but in the UK, at least, boardgames have been overshadowed by other hobbies in recent years. As we started talking to distributors and end-users, it became clear that there was a huge existing Talisman fanbase, but also a coterie of gamers who had heard of the game but never been privileged to play it.

The next stage, working out how we could make a game work economically while delivering the ultra-high standards Games Workshop insists upon, took just as long. In that we made the first of a series of good decisions, and got our Zoe transferred to Talisman as dedicated project manager. When we followed that by persuading the mighty Rick Priestley to review the rules and come up with the definitive Talisman game we were on our way.

And it’s with the rules that the final stage really proved to be the ultimate challenge. Talisman’s a simple game to play, but with masses of different events and abilities that all have to knit together. When we started working on the rules, we were faced with every man and their dog telling us which worked, which needed pumping up and which were plain wrong – but rarely talking about the same cards. Cutting our own path through all this was the real work. We believe we’ve reached the best middle ground, but we’re sure that if we haven’t, the most dedicated fans out there will offer alternative rules and variants so they can play the game their own way. That’s the beauty of Talisman, I guess.

Who should buy Talisman?

ZW: Talisman can be played by anyone, young or old – it appeals to a very broad market of board game players. So frankly, we’re hoping EVERYONE will buy Talisman!

Why should people buy Talisman?

MG: For new or occasional gamers, it is an ideal introduction to fantasy gaming. If you’ve seen The Lord of the Rings movies, this is all understandable. It starts off a little like Monopoly – roll the dice, move around, collect things. But then as you get into it, the wide variety of adventures and events starts to take over, so few games are like any other. And even as an advanced, regular gamer, there is the lure of trying to master it, to grasp every possible combination and win the game regardless of what the Fates throw at you from those randomly shuffled events decks. Plus, it looks great and it’s all made of real high quality materials. And because, well, we tried to think of everything -- hell, we even put loads of dice in so you don’t always have to go scrabbling for a six-sider hidden amongst the discard decks when it’s your go.

Why do you think Talisman is such a successful game?

ZW: The simplicity and fun of the game makes Talisman successful. Each time you play, a different epic tale of heroics and danger presents itself; it doesn’t seem to repeat itself and to me feels like a completely new game each time you get it out.

What is your favourite Talisman memory?

Becoming a toad is something Talisman players have to cope with now and then.

ZW: Getting to the centre of the board! I’ve only managed it once and it was a long time ago!

MG: It’s the little things that are really memorable, generally when the Fates decide to monkey with our heads. Just from the last game session we had: Rik’s double toad was a cracker; Chris’s confused alignment-changing ghoul; just how the hell Dunny got to the middle so quick without getting hacked to pieces... The notable events come thick and fast every game. Hey, maybe we should put that on the adverts — events you’ll talk about for years in every game, guaranteed!

Which character is your favourite?

ZW: The prophetess, I have to say – she kicks butt, but then I love the fact I could turn an opponent into a toad! But I’m biased, I like them all!

The ever-popular Prophetess.

MG: Yeah, everyone likes the prophetess – though we did catch some folks misinterpreting the rules -- quite innocently, I’m sure. For the record, you take only one card and if you don’t like it you may take another, but you have to encounter that one. Me, I’m rather fond of trying to understand the potentially less glamorous characters and finding ways to ensure they really kick butt. That Ghoul particularly springs to mind.

What is your favourite thing about the new edition?

ZW: Where do I start? I really like the playing cards and how they slot so nicely back into their place in the board. I love the big old toad – he’s huge! The rulebook is laid out beautifully and I have to say the art looks absolutely amazing…. Ahh, too many favourites!!!

MG: I rather like the fact that we managed to get the whole BLP team playing boardgames. That’s an achievement in itself. And like many of my colleagues, I liked the way we took a classic and, rather than mess it up, we did justice to its legacy and its many fans, yet made it afresh.

What does the future hold for Talisman and Black Industries?

ZW: Talisman could be the start of something big and all the people who’ll buy Talisman may well make this happen.

MG: What she’s trying so politely to say is this: Look, you lot -- if you all go and buy loads of copies, we’ll make expansion sets and maybe more. We’re in your hands now.

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