Talisman: The Cataclysm
The Elf was only an infant when the earth cracked open, the sky fell, and terrible demons ravaged his forest home. He couldn’t remember the apocalypse itself, only the ruination and chaos that followed in the years after. Now, he is determined to bring order and harmony back to the realm, to revitalize the forests and all nature. That means exploring the realm’s wreckage, meeting its denizens, and fighting its enemies in order to seize the Crown of Command.
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce The Cataclysm, an expansion for Talisman that takes place one generation after a terrible apocalypse has devastated the land.
The Cataclysm brings to life a realm that is built upon, but utterly unlike, the Talisman of old. A new game board replaces that of the base game, with every space from the Fields to the Valley of Fire altered by the apocalypse and its aftermath. Remnants of former civilization are scattered everywhere from the Desert to the Graveyard. Much of the former population either died or fled, and only now are people returning to establish permanent settlements. Five more characters enter the quest for the Crown of Command alongside those, like the Elf, who sought it before, and four new alternative endings reinvent that quest for these post-apocalyptic times.
User Reviews (1)
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Lord of the Rings said it best, and so the world of Talisman is also changing. This Expansion offers a whole new base board to play on with updated art of familiar places with a very dark twist. Just as The Reaper expansion sought to clean up the boards clutter from time to time with card like Whirlwind and Earthquake, so this expansion offers ways to keep things fresh. The new mechanic is the complete renaming and changing of spaces on the main board, both by implementing the new base board and through cards that change a single space at random times during the game. It also capitalizes on NPC’s through the use of denizen cards, which can help the adventurer along the way.
Components: The new base board is a welcome addition to this series. I enjoyed how the Dragon expansion replaced the center portion of the board, but now they take it way further by giving us all new artwork to admire. It has a very dark feel to it (post-apocalypse high fantasy) that I enjoyed immensely. All of the artwork is Fantasy Flight good with great components. Some new characters offer different ways to play the game than your standard “stat change, new name” characters. The mutating ability of the Mutant is a fun way to gamble, and the Black Knight finally becomes a playable character! Trinkets are still utilized to help players have more objects available (they don’t count against your total items).
Pros: Plenty of new things to look at and great new mechanics. There is an alternate ending card that turns Talisman into a co-op experience…
Cons: Bigger box than the woodland expansion, but it contains a full size board so…
Overall: This is what a game expansion should be! Tons of wonderful new room to explore and new characters that behave in ways we haven’t seen before. Well implemented new mechanics that have a smooth flow to them but still let you play the game in ways you never have before. A good bargain, and in my opinion the best “big box” expansion for this classic game!