Does this game compare to any other games? Ive never heard of or played this game before. Seems to have a lot of fans, but I need someone to sell me on this
On iOS, Hroogar is probably the closest analogy. Talisman has less freedom and less complex and RPG-like character progression (but lots and lots of other upsides, from the splendid graphics and music, to the larger number of unique encounters and weighted choice, huge variety of character classes, and game design refined over more years than many other board games put together). In general, Talisman is a very casual but not entirely simplistic board game (and definitively not without strategy), with a large reliance on the luck of the roll, where you bring a character from the proverbial nobody to a hero powerful enough to enter more dangerous lands and attain the Crown of Command. Along the way, you fight monsters and deal with random encounters, meet followers, improve your character's stats, gain and cast spells, equip yourself, and visit different unique locations with specific choices or considerations. Any struggle is resolved with a basic D6 roll + relevant stats + applicable equipment/followers/spells, and there is little interactivity to combat. Movement is done through the Trivial Pursuit paradigm, where you roll a die and choose to move that many steps in one of two directions, dealing with whatever effect invoked by the tile you land on (from combat to random encounters to goods and services and some rare important decisions). Other heroes move about the map as well, and landing on their tiles allows for hero versus hero combat, with the winner inflicting damage to life points or stealing equipment and followers from the defeated. It is sort of a very structured, formulaic and limited, boiled-down take on traditional computer RPGs (or, rather, CRPGs are an evolution of the Talisman board game), where you forgo most freedom of movement and choice, narrative, large worlds and artificial variety, but still journey your hero through the same steps to traditional fantasy greatness and power. And deal with a large number of randomized conditions along the way, ensuring that very few games play alike, and that your hero might develop in surprising directions. The end result is very limited when compared to most related digital RPG experiences, and most character-based, RPG-influenced board games. But it is also very relaxing, very polished, very replayable, very comfortably slow-paced and reactive, a very thoughtful experience, and (to rely on a definition that might just be the result of nostalgia and my personal history with gaming), very classic.
I couldn't resist and today I bought Talisman Digital (full price, missed the sale). Loving it so far but even with all those interactions expecially with mage users, I really think it's missing a huge opportunity without async. I hope to find the time and people willing to commit to stay online for a game, with async this would be a non issue. Anyway the game is really great and I'm looking forward next expansion.
I agree with the idea of async since the game can take AGES to complete. Going as fast as we could with the PC Steam version, a pal and I were playing a game for 4+ hours! The only problem is that many of the spells in the game allow you to cast them either ANYTIME or specific stages of other players' turns so I really can't see how the async would work. I'd even accept the need to play live, as it is, if you could at least save it to continue later easily. I mean with maximum turn times of 2 min, you can't even take a bathroom break in this game.
Interactions are a lot, especially with magic users and 4 players, no kidding. Still...it would improve the possibility of multiplayer games 10X. As it is now, I can't see myself having that much consecutive time without interruptions, nor I know friends willing to. And a sudden call if you play on iPhone, or just a crash etc...could destroy 3 hours of gameplay. As a matter of fact, I have 3 friends that aren't buying the game because of async lack. (Note that, as you perfectly know, async presence doesn't detract anything from the actual experience as it is now). I do not see it really different from Carcassonne when the dragon is in play, or Eclipse when you shoot a missile. Yeah...it could be boring and damn too fast for some parts...but still it would let people like me (and I'm sure many others) actually play and enjoy the multiplayer. They can do something to speed up things in certain circumstances (like interrupt turn skip if you have no spells, or relevant spells) and there are large parts of the game where it would be a non issue anyway. I had some really epic moments cursing at the AI characters already....I can only imagine how damn fun it will be with real friends. That said I love the game...I just wish I could enjoy it like I enjoyed Talisamn back in the days. Async is the only way to go imho; seeing how the devs are listening and really committing to the game, I have still some hope. I, for one, even if I have friends with the PC version, would trade cross platform multiplayer with iOS async any day. Async could be play by mail (or better: notification via mail) on PC. EDIT: the more I play especially with 2 players games and some house rules, the more I'm convinced that not only (of course) async would work, but it would be awesome up there with the best in the genre. I strongly hoped revs will reconsider this. I know for a fact some friends of mine would buy.
I understand this, but unfortunately (at least for me) that wouldn't change the situation at all. A 4 players game require around 3-4 hours to complete....I do not see myself having that much consecutive time, bar crashes, network issues etc...no matter the platform. Finding 2 hours one day and 2 hours next one...maybe with some few little pauses in between? Totally doable (as a matter of fact I spend ton of hours per week with my async boardgames...divided in many tiny bits of free time). I think async, not crossplatform (which is a good thing, mind you), would increase the number of games 10X. And with that...the number of expansions bought....etc... But maybe it's just me. Of course I would like both
I just had a (partial) online game with 1 friend and 2 AI, using all avaible expansions. It was fantastic. Simply fantastic. I understand more clearly why async would require a huge effort and much thinking to it right (if even possible) but if not planned/possible....a reliable 'save state' on crash/quit/switching to other apps and multiple mp save games would do wonders, expecially for 2 live players (plus AIs) games.
Multiplayer games that take ages to complete often take even longer to complete in async multiplayer. The players lose interest and only take their turn at the last minute. Then the game dies a slow death, and gets deleted. Galaxy Trucker is a good example. I liked it a lot but deleted it. It had a real-time mode but few used it and setup async games which (with not much to do when your turn was up) killed it. Games that take a long time to complete may be better off not having an async mode (unless they have lots to do when your turn is up) so as to keep players engaged in the game and so invested in it that they will stay online and in-game until the game is finished. And also to weed out the play-at-the-busstop types who play on their phones. I get the idea that such serious games aren't suitable for mobile and players who only want to play a few minutes here and there.
New update withe The Dungeon expansion is live. Update notes list cross platform play coming soon. Plus they said in the Steam forums that the Mac version has entered testing. - Edit Updated to new version but it won't let me purchase the Dungeon.
Boo! Got all excited open the app only to find its not actually available. Hopefully it comes online soon.
According to their Twitter the update went through but the expansion is still in review and should be live "any day now" and that tweet was around four hours ago. So that solves that.
Yup, I had the confirmed by email earlier. Unfortunate slip, the should have held back the update a little longer or made it clear in the update notes. Oh well.
