Preview New Characters from The Firelands Expansion for Talisman

New terrors and challenges arise throughout the land of Talisman in The Firelands, an upcoming expansion for Talisman Revised 4th Edition! The power of the Ifrit is rising, and as their flames grow hotter, the realm itself may be burnt to ash. In the midst of the chaos, you and your fellow adventurers must pursue the quest for the Crown of Command. Time is not your friend, however, and those who delay may find themselves trapped without resources in a burning land.

In our last preview, we looked at some of the powerful new Enemies that will oppose you in The Firelands – deadly Ifrit who consume everything they touch in flame. We also examined an Alternative Ending Card that throws you and the other players into a race to keep ahead of an inferno spreading throughout Talisman. Today, however, we’ll look at two of the four new characters introduced in The Firelands, as well as another Alternative Ending Card.

A Heritage of Fate and Magic

One new character you’ll meet in The Firelands possesses power reaching beyond mere human existence. This character is the Jin Blooded. Drawing on his heritage, this character possesses great Craft and begins each game with two Spells, representing the magical learning he inherits.

Although the Jin Blooded possesses powerful magic abilities, he is wise enough to know that continuing in the same state is impossible. Always ready to adapt to the situation, the Jin Blooded may discard one of his Spells to gain one fate at the beginning of his turn. Gaining fate may give the Jin Blooded the tools he needs to survive in The Firelands, but if he needs more Spells, he may spend a fate token to draw a Spell card at the end of his turn, giving him even more options for next turn.

The Jin Blooded’s knowledge of Spells and fate extends beyond his own magic. Whenever another character casts a Spell on the Jin Blooded, his space, or one of his cards, he may either gain one fate for the new magical knowledge he has acquired, or else spend two fate to bind the Spell. If the Jin Blooded binds a Spell, it has no effect on him, and he may immediately cast it on a new target, ignoring both Region and timing restrictions! Your opponents will surely beware of casting a Spell on the powerful Jin Blooded, lest that Spell be turned back upon them.

The World is a Path

Another new character arrives in Talisman in the person of the Nomad. Always on the move, the Nomad has no one place to call her home, so she begins the game in any space in the Outer Region of the board, choosing the most advantageous place to start her quest for the Crown of Command.

The Nomad’s many travels have brought her much experience of the world. Because of her great experience, the Nomad may ignore the printed text on any space not in the Inner Region. Instead, she encounters the space as if it read, “Draw 1 Card. Do not draw a card if there is already one in this space.” The Nomad can often avoid many dangers that may lie in wait throughout Talisman by using this ability. As an added bonus, whenever the Nomad encounters a Place card, she may choose to ignore it, using her worldly wisdom to keep out of danger.

Sometimes, even a Nomad will find someplace that deserves extra attention. By spending a fate, the Nomad may stay in her current space and encounter it again instead of moving normally. This gives you a second chance at anything the space has to offer, whether gaining cards or defeating Enemies. The Nomad cannot deny her nature for long, though, and she cannot remain in her current space if she chose to remain on her last turn.

Wreathed in Flame

As we examined in our last preview, Alternative Ending Cards are split into two categories: “hidden” and “revealed.” Revealed Alternative Ending Cards are open knowledge to all players from the beginning of the game. Hidden Alternative Endings, however, remain a secret until one player reaches the Crown of Command, and sometimes the player that uncovers it has a nasty surprise waiting for him.

Crown of Flame is a new Alternative Ending Card from The Firelands. When it is revealed, the character who encountered it places a fireland token on his character sheet as the Crown of Flame. Then, each character in the Inner Region must teleport to a space in the Middle or Outer Regions that does not contain a character. The player with Crown of Flame must attempt to give it to another player by entering a space containing another character and ending his movement.

Whenever a player begins his turn with the Crown of Flame, he must lose a life and burn one Follower, one Object, and one Spell, removing them from the game. If a character is killed, the Crown of Flame is passed to the player on his left, and the game continues until only one character has escaped alive!

Smoke Leads to Fire

Are you prepared to risk everything in the pursuit of the Crown of Command? New characters await, offering the opportunity to tell new stories, but new Enemies approach as the land of Talisman burns. Prepare for your adventure, and preorder The Firelands at your local retailer today!

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