Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Blood Moon Expansion
Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Blood Moon Expansion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Below is a list of all the components you will find in your copy of The Blood Moon expansion:
- This Rulesheet
- 111 Adventure Cards
- 10 Spell Cards
- 1 Time Card
- 6 Lycanthrope Cards
- 3 Alternative Ending Cards
- 3 Character Cards
- 3 Plastic Character Figures
- 1 Werewolf Card
- 1 Werewolf Figure
Component Overview
Below is a brief description of every game component.
Adventure Cards — This deck of 111 cards contains the many creatures, events, and items that characters can discover on their quest.
Spell Cards — This deck of 10 cards provides a variety of new Spells that may be cast during the game.
Time Card — The Time Card represents the passage of time and indicates whether the current state of the game is Day or Night. At the start of the game, place the Time Card next to the game board with the Day side showing faceup.
Lycanthrope Cards — If a character becomes a lycanthrope during the course of the game, he must take one of the six Lycanthrope Cards. These cards work like those in the base game and should be shuffled into their respective decks.
Alternative Ending Cards — The three Alternative Ending Cards included in this expansion replace the base game's victory conditions, offering players new ways to win the game.
Character Cards — There are three character cards, each detailing a different character and his special abilities.
Character Figures — Each character card corresponds to a plastic figure that is used to represent that character on the game board.
Werewolf Card and Figure — This card lists the rules for using the Werewolf figure in the game, increasing danger, excitement, and player interaction.
The Blood Moon Symbol
Cards in this expansion are marked with a blood moon symbol, so you can differentiate them from the cards from the base game.
Expansion Rules
When playing with The Blood Moon expansion, players are required to use the new Time Card, Lycanthrope Cards, Werewolf Card, and Werewolf figure. The new character cards, character figures, and Horrible Black Void Alternate Ending Card can be played either with this expansion or independently. This rulesheet explains how to use the new components to enhance your Talisman experience.
Time Card
The Time Card represents the passage of time and indicates whether the current state of the game is Day or the Night. Creatures receive bonuses or penalties to their attack scores depending on whether they are attacked during the Day or Night. Some Adventure and Spell Cards also have different effects or react to characters differently during the Day or the Night.
Day side / Night side — the two faces of the Time Card.
During the Day, each creature subtracts 1 from its attack score during battle and psychic combat (to a minimum of 1).
During the Night, each creature adds 1 to its attack score during battle and psychic combat.
If a character fights two or more Enemies at the same time, each Enemy subtracts or adds 1 to the attack score depending on whether it is Day or Night.
Setup
At the start of the game, place the Time Card next to the game board with the Day side showing faceup.
Passage of Time
Whenever a character draws one or more Events during his turn, before he encounters any cards, he must flip the Time Card over to the other side. Daybreak occurs when the Time Card is flipped to the Day side. Nightfall occurs when the Time Card is flipped to the Night side.
Example: It is currently Day and the Vampire Hunter draws an Event during her turn. Before the Event card is resolved, nightfall occurs and the Time Card is flipped over to the Night side.
If an encounter instructs a character to flip the Time Card to a specific side and the Time Card is already flipped to that side, the Time Card is not flipped.
Lunar Events
Some of the Adventure Cards in The Blood Moon expansion feature a new card type called Lunar Events. Lunar Events are treated in all respects like normal Events except that they use a couple of additional rules, as described below:
- Instead of requiring players to flip the Time Card over to its other side, each Lunar Event indicates which side the Time Card must be flipped to.
- Players do not place Lunar Events on the game board. Instead, Lunar Events are placed next to the Time Card and remain in play until the Time Card is flipped over. This may result in multiple Lunar Events being in play at the same time.
Example: It is currently Night. The Doomsayer draws the "Vampiric Thirst" Lunar Event, which states that the Time Card is flipped to Night. Since it is already Night, the Time Card is not flipped.
Example: It is currently Night and the "Vampiric Thirst" Lunar Event is in play. The Grave Digger draws the "Restless Dead" Event. The Time Card is flipped over to the Day side, which results in the "Vampiric Thirst" being discarded. The Grave Digger then resolves the "Restless Dead" Event and continues his turn as normal.
Prowling Werewolf
The Werewolf Card lists the rules for how the Werewolf figure prowls around the game board and interacts with characters that it lands on.
Setup
At the start of the game, place the Werewolf figure on the Forest space and place the Werewolf Card faceup next to the game board.
Moving the Werewolf
Whenever a player rolls a "1" for his move, he completes his turn as normal, but then he must roll the die again and move the Werewolf figure according to the normal rules for moving a character, with the following exceptions:
- If the Werewolf figure moves during the Night and enters a space with a character, it must end its movement in that space.
- The Werewolf figure may freely cross the Storm River at the Sentinel.
- The Werewolf figure cannot cross the Portal of Power.
- The Werewolf figure may enter and leave expansion boards, such as the Dungeon Region, according to the normal rules for a character entering and leaving those expansion boards. If the Werewolf figure reaches the last space on an expansion board, such as the Treasure Chamber in the Dungeon Region, it must immediately move to any space in any Region (except the Inner Region) and end its movement in that space. The player moving the Werewolf figure chooses which space it moves to.
Encountering the Werewolf
Whenever the Werewolf figure ends its movement on a space containing one or more characters, the player who moved the Werewolf figure must choose one character on that space. The chosen character then rolls one die and consults the chart on the Werewolf Card to determine what happens. If the character rolls a "1" result on the Werewolf's chart, he becomes a lycanthrope (see "Becoming a Lycanthrope" below).
Characters who land on the Werewolf figure's space do not encounter the Werewolf figure.
Becoming a Lycanthrope
Whenever a character encounters the Werewolf figure or fights a character who has become a lycanthrope, he risks inheriting its curse and becoming a lycanthrope himself. Some of the Adventure Cards in The Blood Moon expansion may also result in a character becoming a lycanthrope.
When a character becomes a lycanthrope, he must take a Lycanthrope Card and place it faceup next to his character card. If a character is instructed to become a lycanthrope and he already has a Lycanthrope Card, the effect is ignored: the character does not take an additional Lycanthrope Card.
The instructions on a Lycanthrope Card are only followed when it is Night; however, the character is still considered a lycanthrope even during the Day. This distinction is important because some encounters affect characters differently if they are a lycanthrope.
If a character is turned into a Toad, he must discard his Lycanthrope Card. If a character who has been turned into a Toad becomes a lycanthrope, his Toad Card and figure change back to his original character's card and figure. He then takes a Lycanthrope Card as normal.
Alternative Ending Cards
The use of Alternative Ending Cards is optional, and players should agree whether or not to use them before starting the game. The Alternative Ending Cards included in The Blood Moon expansion are usable with Alternative Ending Cards from other expansions.
Setup
Setup for Alternative Ending Cards is determined by which of the two game variants players decide to use. Players can start the game with the card either revealed or hidden.
Revealed Variant
The revealed variant has a greater impact on characters during the course of the game and offers players more strategy.
If players use the revealed variant, all Alternative Ending Cards with a hidden icon in their upper left corner must be removed from the game. Cards with a hidden icon can only be used when playing with the hidden variant.
Players must then shuffle the remaining Alternative Ending Cards at the start of the game, draw one card at random, and place it faceup on the Crown of Command at the centre of the game board.
Hidden Variant
The hidden variant adds more mystery and excitement to the game because players do not know what dangers await them at the Crown of Command until they reach the space.
If players use the hidden variant, all Alternative Ending Cards with a revealed icon in their upper left corner must be removed from the game. Cards with a revealed icon can only be used when playing with the revealed variant.
Players must then shuffle the remaining Alternative Ending Cards at the start of the game, draw one card at random, and place it facedown on the Crown of Command at the centre of the game board.
Encountering Alternative Endings
Alternative Ending Cards replace the base game's victory conditions, offering players new ways to win the game. When using the Alternative Ending Cards, characters on the Crown of Command must encounter the Alternative Ending Card and follow the rules printed on the card. They cannot cast the Command Spell or encounter other characters on the Crown of Command unless the Alternative Ending Card specifically states otherwise.
All other rules regarding the Inner Region still apply when playing with Alternative Ending Cards:
- None of the creatures in the Inner Region (nor any of the Alternative Ending Cards) can be affected by any Spell. They also cannot be evaded.
- Characters on the Crown of Command cannot move and must remain on that space unless the Alternative Ending Card specifically states otherwise.
- Once any character has reached the Crown of Command, any character who is killed automatically loses the game.
Alternative Ending Cards generally only affect characters on the Crown of Command. However, instructions that have a star icon at the start of their text affect all characters, no matter what Region they are in, including characters on the Crown of Command.