Talisman Prologue picked up the rare distinction of a 5 out of 5 score in our review earlier today, thanks to its deep and satisfying fantasy strategy tactics and endless variety. We've dragged ourselves away from playing it just long enough to bring you some very useful tips for mastering the game in the early days.
- If you're trying to achieve the maximum rating possible on a quest, you're going to need three things - planning, practice and luck. There's nothing you can do about your luck but practice will help you manage misfortune much better. When it comes to planning, keep the specific objectives of your quest in mind and don't deviate from your plan unless necessary. Don't forget that you can use gold and stat-enhancing trophies to bypass a lot of poor luck.
- The closer you go into the center of the board, the more challenging the encounters you'll face, so there's a clear opening, middle and closing stage to each quest. Knowing when to make a move inwards is largely a question of practise (understand the objects and followers at hand), and also the specific requirements of the quest you're on. Don't try to head into the center of the board too earlier unless the strength of your character and followers allows for it.
- Don't forget to cash in your trophies when you have a decent selection as these can make a serious difference to your attacking power. It's easy to lose track of what you have in your pack, but making use of these bonuses can make the difference between progressing deeper into the board very early on, or too late to finish the quest with a decent rating.
- Each character in the game has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the character-specific quests are designed to take advantage of both. As a solid all-rounder, we recommend making as much progress as you can with the Warrior quests before specializing into the other, often more challenging, roles.
- Don't use up your Fate re-roll unless it's absolutely necessary - to prevent a complete loss of all lives for example. Sometimes it's worth taking a temporary inconvenience for a few turns, rather than using up what might be a game-saver in a more critical situation. Be aware that once you've used up a point of Fate, you have no choice but to accept the results of the second roll - and that roll might be less beneficial than the one you originally received.
- If you've unlocked a special card that will replenish lives, or add a bit of Strength when it's visited, keep in mind where it's located. A few lucky rolls, and keen awareness of your character's position on the board, can leave you with a very powerful character, very early on. Note that depending on the effect that's active, you may not be able to draw a new card.
- Psychic Combat is similar to the traditional Strength-based combat but it differs in two very simple but important areas. For these battles, your ability to fight is determined by your Craft level instead of your Strength attribute. In addition, any objects you have in your possession that would normally mitigate a death become invalid during combat. This is one occasion where it's worth keeping your Fate re-roll in mind.
- Be aware that when you make a crossing into the Inner Region of the board, no dice-roll occurs and you will only be able to move one square at a time. Creatures living inside the Inner Region are also immune to spells, and you can't evade fighting them either. Enter the center of the board at your peril, and make sure you're prepared!
- If you want to cross from the Outer Region to the Middle Region, you're going to need to either build a raft, or battle the Sentinel who has a very high Strength attribute compared to yours in the early stages. To build a raft, you need to have acquired an Axe either through drawing cards or visiting the Blacksmith. Once you have one in your possession, you can build a raft to the Middle Region from any forested area. If you choose to fight the Sentinel instead, make sure you've cashed in every stat-enhancing trophy you own beforehand.Download Talisman Prologue: iOS | Android
