Talislanta 4th ed.: a review
Warning! If you aren't a gamer nerd, move along. If you are, be warned that this is a long entry.
Talislanta is one of my all-time favorite rpg’s, not so much for the rules, but for the setting. Talislanta is one of the richest, most creative, and fantastic fantasy world’s every created for an rpg. Instead of drawing on the typical Tolkien/Medieval European tropes, Talislanta takes its inspiration from sources such as the novels of Jack Vance and the Arabian Nights. As such, there are none of the standard fantasy rpg archetypes: no elves, no dwarves, no orcs - and for that matter, no horses, dogs, or cats either. Talislanta has a unique, highly detailed setting that’s only grown richer and fuller over the years..
The fact that Talislanta has been around for almost 20 years is not so much a testament to its popularity as to its spotty history. Since its inception, the game has gone through five publishers and four editions, and has spawned a number of supplements. The fourth edition, which is the latest to date, is easily the most comprehensive and impressive to date. Not only does it collect years worth of material into one place, it also offers everything you need to play the game, it significantly updates the rules and it essentially reboots the game after a several year hiatus.
The actual book itself is very impressive. A hardback that clocks in at 502 pages, this is easily the thickest and heaviest rpg book I own. The exterior is done entirely in bluescale, and the cover features an eye-catching piece of artwork. The interior is black and white in a typical two-column layout, with a decorative border around each page and a lot of illustrations. The first hundred pages of the book cover all the rules: character creation, actions, skills, combat, magic, healing, experience, and so on. The game uses only one d20, and most everything in game follows one simple mechanic. Basically, when you want to do just about anything - pick a lock, hit an opponent, cast a spell, bluff your way past a guard - you’ll compare your character’s appropriate skill or attribute rating with the degree of difficulty (set by the GM) of what it is youre trying to do. The difference between the two is then applied as a modifier to a d20 roll. You then consult the action table to get your result, which works as follows: A zero or less is a mishap, 1-5 is a failure, 6-10 is a partial success, 11-19 is a full success, and 20 or more is a critical success. If you’re trying to do an opposed action (like combat), you use your opponent’s relevant skill or attribute rating as the difficulty rating.
The magic rules are one of the more interesting, and challenging, aspects of the game. Magic is divided into a number of orders, which represent a general class of magic, such as wizardry, invocation, or cryptomancy. Each order has twelve modes, which represent areas of knowledge within the order. These modes are the same for each order (though each order may be stronger or weaker in certain modes, or not have access to some modes at all), and include attack, defend, transform, conjure, etc… Magic-users in the game will be familiar with one or two orders, and will start with access to some of the modes. These modes are essentially skills, and players add them to their action table roll when trying to cast a spell in that mode. Talislanta does not include long lists of spells for each order. Rather, players are supposed to come up with spells on the fly as needed. However, Talislantian magic-users never improvise spells; the spells the player devises are supposed to represent one of the hundreds of spells the character has studied. The modes determine what kind of spell the character can cast, and the order determines the nature of that spell. For instance, a pyromancy summoning spell would allow the caster to summon a fire elemental, while a necromancy summoning spell would allow the necromancer to animate a corpse with a mindless spirit. The system is interesting, in that it doesn’t force players to read through long spell lists, it gives them a lot of flexibility while still imposing strict limitations, and it encourages them to be inventive. The downside is that players who aren’t good at improvisation are going to have a hard time with the system.
The largest part of the book is taken up by the traveler’s guide, and this is where you find the real heart and soul of the game. Every race, culture, and people is given a full write-up, with information on their ancestry, society, customs, government, attitudes toward magic and religion, arts, language, defenses, commerce, worldview, and settlements. Imagine, for instance, if every intelligent race in the “basic” Dungeons and Dragons universe - not just the elves and dwarves and halflings, but also the orcs, goblins, bugbears, kobolds, ogres, mind flayers, and so on - had their culture and background described over a few pages, rather than in a few paragraphs. That’s what you get in the Talislanta 4th edition rules. The traveler’s guide also covers some of the notable locations within each region (which often serve as plot hooks), and there are also stats and descriptions for a few creatures and plants common to each area at the end of each section as well. Finally, there are sidebars scattered throughout the guide that provide extra information and flavor, often in the form of journal excerpts. Much of this sidebar information, and indeed, much of the main text, is lifted from the original Chronicles of Talislanta. In some cases this becomes a bit clunky when the editor didn’t rewrite the text to make it fit in smoothly, but these instances are relatively minor.
The last part of the traveler’s guide contains all the character archetypes. Much like Feng Shui and Warhammer, you don’t roll up characters in this game. Rather, you choose one of the archetypes to play and personalize it a bit. There are over 120 archetypes listed, and even after you eliminate the ones that are NPC-only archetypes, there are still plenty left to choose from. And these aren’t just standard choices like “fighter,” “wizard,” and so on. Instead, you get choices like Cymrillian Swordsmage, Jaka Manhunter, Sunra Aquamancer, and Phantasian Dream Merchant. Characters have eight basic attributes: Strengh, Speed, Dexterity, Constitution, Willpower, Perception, Intelligence, and Charisma. An “average” attribute has a rating of 0, with above-average attributes rated at +1, +2, etc… and below-average attributes rated at -1, -2, etc… There are two other attributes as well: Combat Rating and Magic Rating, which are added to the appropriate weapon skill or mode skill rating when engaging in combat or spellcasting. This is similar to Warhammer, and I’m not really sold on this concept, but it works well enough.
One downside to this method of character creation is that a lot of players dislike systems where you don’t get to build or roll up a character, and in truth, Talislanta doesn’t let you do much to customize your character. However, this method has its advantages as well. For one thing, given the vast amount of information in the traveler’s guide, new players are probably going to find it easier to simply pick an archetype that appeals to them, rather than trying to create one from scratch. And with so many archetypes to choose from, you’re always going to be spoiled for choice. What’s more, if you really can’t find something you like, it’s extremely easy to create a new archetype with the GM’s help.
The remainder of the book includes a GM’s section, which contains information on things like abberant weather, diseases, and holidays, a long section on equipment, appendicies, and an index. Once again, the flavor of the game stands out, as the equipment lists contain descriptions of a variety of weapons, vehicles, and things unique to the game. This includes the Aeriad Crescent Knife, Mirin Ice Schooners, Thaecian Nectar, Mandalan Rune Stones, and a variety of alchemical creations, elixirs, narcotics, powders, and poisons.
In short, the Talislanta 4th edition rulebook tries to give you everything you need to play the game, and it pretty much succeeds. The only thing missing is an introductory adventure, but everything else is included, and it never feels like the game is skimping. It’s a very impressive piece of work that does justice to a truly fantastic game world.
Unfortunately, I can’t give the same kind of praise to the Talislanta Menagerie, a “monster manual” for the game (the third version to be published in the game’s history). The menagerie covers all the plants, animals, and extra-dimensional entities that didn’t fit into the main rulebook. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with the book. The biggest is that much of the information is redundant. Not only are all the creatures from the main rulebook reprinted, but there are also entries for every intelligent race as well. This is all information that you can find in the main rulebook, and the entries in the menagerie add no new information. Also, all the creatures from the Midnight Realm sourcebook (demons, devils, and so on, and so on) are also reprinted here as well, adding even more redundancy. I’d say maybe 25% of the material at best is new. Also, the only organization is alphabetical, which means that intelligent races, creatures, extra-dimensional entities, and plants are all lumped together. The book would have been much more usable if these things had been categorized seperately (as they were in a previous edition). Overall, while it’s very useful to have information on monsters not included in the rulebook, I was left feeling like the book wasn’t worth the price I paid for it.
Talislanta is one of my all-time favorite rpg’s, not so much for the rules, but for the setting. Talislanta is one of the richest, most creative, and fantastic fantasy world’s every created for an rpg. Instead of drawing on the typical Tolkien/Medieval European tropes, Talislanta takes its inspiration from sources such as the novels of Jack Vance and the Arabian Nights. As such, there are none of the standard fantasy rpg archetypes: no elves, no dwarves, no orcs - and for that matter, no horses, dogs, or cats either. Talislanta has a unique, highly detailed setting that’s only grown richer and fuller over the years..
The fact that Talislanta has been around for almost 20 years is not so much a testament to its popularity as to its spotty history. Since its inception, the game has gone through five publishers and four editions, and has spawned a number of supplements. The fourth edition, which is the latest to date, is easily the most comprehensive and impressive to date. Not only does it collect years worth of material into one place, it also offers everything you need to play the game, it significantly updates the rules and it essentially reboots the game after a several year hiatus.
The actual book itself is very impressive. A hardback that clocks in at 502 pages, this is easily the thickest and heaviest rpg book I own. The exterior is done entirely in bluescale, and the cover features an eye-catching piece of artwork. The interior is black and white in a typical two-column layout, with a decorative border around each page and a lot of illustrations. The first hundred pages of the book cover all the rules: character creation, actions, skills, combat, magic, healing, experience, and so on. The game uses only one d20, and most everything in game follows one simple mechanic. Basically, when you want to do just about anything - pick a lock, hit an opponent, cast a spell, bluff your way past a guard - you’ll compare your character’s appropriate skill or attribute rating with the degree of difficulty (set by the GM) of what it is youre trying to do. The difference between the two is then applied as a modifier to a d20 roll. You then consult the action table to get your result, which works as follows: A zero or less is a mishap, 1-5 is a failure, 6-10 is a partial success, 11-19 is a full success, and 20 or more is a critical success. If you’re trying to do an opposed action (like combat), you use your opponent’s relevant skill or attribute rating as the difficulty rating.
The magic rules are one of the more interesting, and challenging, aspects of the game. Magic is divided into a number of orders, which represent a general class of magic, such as wizardry, invocation, or cryptomancy. Each order has twelve modes, which represent areas of knowledge within the order. These modes are the same for each order (though each order may be stronger or weaker in certain modes, or not have access to some modes at all), and include attack, defend, transform, conjure, etc… Magic-users in the game will be familiar with one or two orders, and will start with access to some of the modes. These modes are essentially skills, and players add them to their action table roll when trying to cast a spell in that mode. Talislanta does not include long lists of spells for each order. Rather, players are supposed to come up with spells on the fly as needed. However, Talislantian magic-users never improvise spells; the spells the player devises are supposed to represent one of the hundreds of spells the character has studied. The modes determine what kind of spell the character can cast, and the order determines the nature of that spell. For instance, a pyromancy summoning spell would allow the caster to summon a fire elemental, while a necromancy summoning spell would allow the necromancer to animate a corpse with a mindless spirit. The system is interesting, in that it doesn’t force players to read through long spell lists, it gives them a lot of flexibility while still imposing strict limitations, and it encourages them to be inventive. The downside is that players who aren’t good at improvisation are going to have a hard time with the system.
The largest part of the book is taken up by the traveler’s guide, and this is where you find the real heart and soul of the game. Every race, culture, and people is given a full write-up, with information on their ancestry, society, customs, government, attitudes toward magic and religion, arts, language, defenses, commerce, worldview, and settlements. Imagine, for instance, if every intelligent race in the “basic” Dungeons and Dragons universe - not just the elves and dwarves and halflings, but also the orcs, goblins, bugbears, kobolds, ogres, mind flayers, and so on - had their culture and background described over a few pages, rather than in a few paragraphs. That’s what you get in the Talislanta 4th edition rules. The traveler’s guide also covers some of the notable locations within each region (which often serve as plot hooks), and there are also stats and descriptions for a few creatures and plants common to each area at the end of each section as well. Finally, there are sidebars scattered throughout the guide that provide extra information and flavor, often in the form of journal excerpts. Much of this sidebar information, and indeed, much of the main text, is lifted from the original Chronicles of Talislanta. In some cases this becomes a bit clunky when the editor didn’t rewrite the text to make it fit in smoothly, but these instances are relatively minor.
The last part of the traveler’s guide contains all the character archetypes. Much like Feng Shui and Warhammer, you don’t roll up characters in this game. Rather, you choose one of the archetypes to play and personalize it a bit. There are over 120 archetypes listed, and even after you eliminate the ones that are NPC-only archetypes, there are still plenty left to choose from. And these aren’t just standard choices like “fighter,” “wizard,” and so on. Instead, you get choices like Cymrillian Swordsmage, Jaka Manhunter, Sunra Aquamancer, and Phantasian Dream Merchant. Characters have eight basic attributes: Strengh, Speed, Dexterity, Constitution, Willpower, Perception, Intelligence, and Charisma. An “average” attribute has a rating of 0, with above-average attributes rated at +1, +2, etc… and below-average attributes rated at -1, -2, etc… There are two other attributes as well: Combat Rating and Magic Rating, which are added to the appropriate weapon skill or mode skill rating when engaging in combat or spellcasting. This is similar to Warhammer, and I’m not really sold on this concept, but it works well enough.
One downside to this method of character creation is that a lot of players dislike systems where you don’t get to build or roll up a character, and in truth, Talislanta doesn’t let you do much to customize your character. However, this method has its advantages as well. For one thing, given the vast amount of information in the traveler’s guide, new players are probably going to find it easier to simply pick an archetype that appeals to them, rather than trying to create one from scratch. And with so many archetypes to choose from, you’re always going to be spoiled for choice. What’s more, if you really can’t find something you like, it’s extremely easy to create a new archetype with the GM’s help.
The remainder of the book includes a GM’s section, which contains information on things like abberant weather, diseases, and holidays, a long section on equipment, appendicies, and an index. Once again, the flavor of the game stands out, as the equipment lists contain descriptions of a variety of weapons, vehicles, and things unique to the game. This includes the Aeriad Crescent Knife, Mirin Ice Schooners, Thaecian Nectar, Mandalan Rune Stones, and a variety of alchemical creations, elixirs, narcotics, powders, and poisons.
In short, the Talislanta 4th edition rulebook tries to give you everything you need to play the game, and it pretty much succeeds. The only thing missing is an introductory adventure, but everything else is included, and it never feels like the game is skimping. It’s a very impressive piece of work that does justice to a truly fantastic game world.
Unfortunately, I can’t give the same kind of praise to the Talislanta Menagerie, a “monster manual” for the game (the third version to be published in the game’s history). The menagerie covers all the plants, animals, and extra-dimensional entities that didn’t fit into the main rulebook. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with the book. The biggest is that much of the information is redundant. Not only are all the creatures from the main rulebook reprinted, but there are also entries for every intelligent race as well. This is all information that you can find in the main rulebook, and the entries in the menagerie add no new information. Also, all the creatures from the Midnight Realm sourcebook (demons, devils, and so on, and so on) are also reprinted here as well, adding even more redundancy. I’d say maybe 25% of the material at best is new. Also, the only organization is alphabetical, which means that intelligent races, creatures, extra-dimensional entities, and plants are all lumped together. The book would have been much more usable if these things had been categorized seperately (as they were in a previous edition). Overall, while it’s very useful to have information on monsters not included in the rulebook, I was left feeling like the book wasn’t worth the price I paid for it.