Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Lost Realms
Talisman (Revised 4th Edition): The Lost Realms Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Below is a list of all the components you will find in your copy of the The Lost Realms expansion:
- This Rulesheet
- 2 Realm Cards
- 20 Bridge Cards
- 20 Tunnel Cards
- 3 Alternative Ending Cards
- 36 Nether Cards
- 6 Coloured Base Rings
Component Overview
Below is a brief description of every game component.
Realm Cards — These two cards feature new Realms to explore: the Wraith Lord's Domain and the Rat Queen's Lair. Adventurers may brave the rickety bridge in an attempt to cross between the game boards found in The City and The Dungeon expansions. Heroes can also choose to delve deep into the crypt of the Wraith Lord or the nest of the Rat Queen.
Bridge Cards — This deck of 20 cards contains the many creatures, events, and items that characters can discover when trying to cross the bridge between The City and The Dungeon.
Tunnel Cards — This deck of 20 cards contains the many creatures, events, and items that characters can discover when they enter the tunnels deep between The City and The Dungeon.
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.
Nether Cards — This deck of 36 cards contains the many deadly creatures and encounters that characters can discover in the Nether Realm.
Base Rings — There are 6 coloured base rings included. You can insert your character figures into these rings to make them easier to identify during your game. To remove your character figure, carefully push the base of the figure via the hole in the base ring.
Realm Symbols
Cards in this expansion are marked with either a Deep Realms symbol or a Nether Realm symbol so you can distinguish them from the cards in the base game.
- Nether Realms Symbol
- Deep Realms Symbol
Expansion Rules
When playing Talisman with The Lost Realms expansion, the basic rules of playing Talisman are unchanged. This rulesheet explains how to use the components of The Nether Realm, the Nether Deck and the Alternative Ending Cards, as well as the components of The Deep Realms, the Realm cards and the Bridge and Tunnels card decks, to enhance your Talisman experience.
The Nether Realm
Alternative Ending Cards
The inclusion 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 Nether Realm expansion are usable with Alternative Ending Cards from other expansions.
Setup
To setup a game with Alternative Ending Cards, randomize the Alternative Ending Cards in your collection, take one random Alternative Ending Card, and place it faceup 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.
- After any character reaches 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.
The Nether Deck
The Nether Deck contains some of the most nefarious and difficult encounters in the Talisman world. It is shuffled and placed facedown close to the game board when playing with one of the three Alternative Ending Cards included in this expansion. Players will need to make sure their characters are ready to handle such extreme challenges when they draw a Nether Card.
Special abilities and effects that apply to Adventure Cards also apply to Nether Cards, but only after they have been drawn and placed on the board.
The Deep Realms
Hidden between the City and the Dungeon are two small, but dangerous Realms: the Rat Queen's Lair and the Wraith Lord's Domain. Each of these Realms counts as a separate Region and is ruled by a powerful being who holds sway over all who dwell there and all who attempt to enter.
Setup
When playing with the The Deep Realms components, resolve the following steps after setting up the base game, The Dungeon expansion, and The City expansion:
- Place Realm Cards: Place the Wraith Lord's Domain (1a) and the Rat Queen's Lair (1b) Realm cards between the Dungeon and the City boards.
- Set Up Bridge Deck: Shuffle the Bridge deck and place it facedown between the Skull Passage and Rat Run spaces (2).
- Set Up Tunnel Deck: Shuffle the Tunnel deck and place it facedown next to the Realm cards (3).
- Set Up Loot Piles: Take three random Treasure cards and place them faceup on the Throne Room space (4a). Take two random cards each from the Armoury and Magic Emporium and place them faceup on the Rat's Nest space (4b).
Rat Queen's Lair
The Rat Queen makes her lair in the foul and fetid sewers under the City. She sends her endless tide of children into the overworld to steal what they can for her putrid nest.
Each Enemy encountered within the Rat Queen's Lair with "Rat" in its title adds 1 to its Strength during battle.
Wraith Lord's Domain
The Wraith Lord rules over dank crypts and endless catacombs with terror and eldritch might. Those who seek to plunder his tomb must face his terrible power.
Each Spirit encountered within the Wraith Lord's Domain adds 1 to its Craft during psychic combat.
Encounters in Realms
A character in a Realm cannot encounter other characters but must follow the instructions on his space.
Entering the Realms
A character can enter the Rat Queen's Lair by moving into either Rat Run or Old Sewers from an adjacent space in the City, following the arrows. Characters can enter the Wraith Lord's Domain by moving into either Skull Passage or Catacombs from an adjacent space in the Dungeon, following the arrows. When a character enters a Realm, he must immediately end his movement.
Movement in the Realms
Before a character rolls a die for movement he must choose to either ESCAPE or PRESS ON.
If a character chooses to escape, he must roll for movement as normal and move directly against the arrow (into an adjacent Region), following the normal movement rules for that Region.
If a character chooses to press on, he does not roll a die for movement, but instead follows the instructions on his space, which are detailed below.
Rat Run and Skull Passage
When a character encounters Rat Run or Skull Passage, he draws 2 cards from the Bridge deck and adds them faceup to his space. When his turn ends, he takes all cards on the space and shuffles them into the Bridge deck. When a character on Rat Run or Skull Passage chooses to press on, he moves one space across the bridge; either from Rat Run to Skull Passage, or from Skull Passage to Rat Run.
Example: The Tavern Maid begins her turn on Skull Passage. She may choose to either escape or press on. If she decides to press on, she moves one space to Rat Run (A). If she decides to escape, she rolls for movement and moves that many spaces out into the Dungeon (B).
Old Sewers and Catacombs
When a character enters the Old Sewers or the Catacombs, he immediately takes the top 3 cards of the Tunnel deck and places them in a facedown stack in front of him.
When a character on the Old Sewers or the Catacombs chooses to press on and has any cards remaining in his stack, he encounters the top card of his stack (turning it faceup if it is facedown). When a character on the Old Sewers or the Catacombs chooses to press on and has no cards remaining in his stack, he moves forward one space following the arrow; from the Old Sewers to the Rat's Nest, or from the Catacombs to the Throne Room.
A character cannot encounter Adventure cards on the Old Sewers or Catacombs while he has cards remaining in his stack. After a character encounters and removes the last card in his stack, he then encounters all cards on his space before ending his turn.
When a character on the Old Sewers or Catacombs chooses to escape, or otherwise leaves his space, he discards all Tunnel cards remaining in his stack.
Rat's Nest
When a character encounters the Rat's Nest, he cannot take any Objects on the space and instead fights the Rat Queen in battle. The Rat Queen cannot be evaded and Followers, Spells, or Objects cannot fight in the character's place. The Rat Queen has a Strength of 3 and adds 1 to her Strength during battle for each Object on the Rat's Nest.
If a character defeats the Rat Queen, he takes one Object of his choice from the remaining Objects on the Rat's Nest and then teleports to any space in the Outer Region. If a character is defeated by the Rat Queen, he must ditch one of his Objects at random (in addition to the loss of life). If the result is a stand-off, or if the character is defeated, he moves to Rat's Road in the City and ends his turn.
Throne Room
When a character encounters the Throne Room, he cannot take any Treasure cards on his space and instead fights the Wraith Lord in psychic combat. The Wraith Lord cannot be evaded and Followers, Spells, or Objects cannot fight in the character's place. The Wraith Lord has a Craft of 4 and adds 1 to his Craft during psychic combat for each Treasure card on the Throne Room.
If a character defeats the Wraith Lord, he takes one Treasure of his choice from the remaining Treasure cards on the Throne Room and then teleports to any space in the Outer Region. If a character is defeated by the Wraith Lord, he loses 1 Craft (in addition to the loss of life) and places one random card from the Treasure deck faceup on the Throne Room. If the result is a stand-off, or if the character is defeated, he moves to the Hall of Darkness in the Dungeon and ends his turn.
Bridge and Tunnel Cards
Special abilities and effects that apply to Adventure cards also apply to Bridge and Tunnel cards, but only after they have been drawn and placed on the board. When a Bridge or Tunnel card is discarded, it is shuffled back into its corresponding deck.
Terrain Cards and Tokens within Realms
Terrain cards, Spell cards, and tokens (Fireland tokens, Dragon Scales, character tokens, etc.) cannot be placed on Realm spaces. Ignore any effect that would place tokens on a Realm space.
Spells and Other Effects
Each Realm counts as a separate Region for the purpose of the Command Spell, Spell cards, and other effects that affect characters depending on their Region.
Traps
Some cards feature the Trap keyword printed above the card's effect. A character cannot use special abilities or effects to ignore or avoid encountering Traps, unless the special ability or effect specifically states that it is effective against Traps.
Alternative Ending Card Texts
The printed text of each of the three Alternative Ending Cards is given below under its card name. The Lost Realms set includes the Nether Realm's three Alternative Ending Cards. Their text is taken from the Nether Realm rulebook transcription (talisman-the-nether-realm-rulebook.md) because the Lost Realms card illustration is too small and overlapped to read in full; the fragments legible here match that text.
Pandora's Box
To use this Alternative Ending, you must use the Nether Deck.
Once a character reaches the Crown of Command, characters cannot heal or gain life for the rest of the game and the entrance is sealed; no other characters may enter. Any character attempting to enter the Crown of Command is thrown onto the Plain of Peril instead.
When a character reaches the crown of command, he must take six cards from the Nether deck, plus six cards for each other character in play, and place them in a pile in front of him.
On each of his turns, he must take the top six cards from this pile and use them, one at a time, against any of the other characters, as if they had just drawn the cards themselves.
If all of the other characters are killed, the character on the Crown of Command wins the game!
If any of the other characters have survived when the pile of cards is exhausted, the character on the Crown of Command is killed and all surviving characters share victory and win the game!
The Gauntlet
To use this Alternative Ending, you must use the Nether Deck.
At the start of the game, place one card from the Nether deck facedown on each Inner Region space, and two cards facedown on the Crown of Command space.
A character entering the Inner Region decides on a route through the Inner Region as normal, but must encounter the cards on each space before encountering the space.
If he fails to successfully encounter a card, his turn ends immediately and he must encounter the card again on his next turn unless he decides to turn back.
A character that has turned back ignores any Nether cards on his return to the Plain of Peril.
Once a card has been encountered successfully, draw a replacement card from the Nether deck and place it facedown on the space to be encountered by the next character to land on that space.
The first character to survive The Gauntlet and reach the Crown of Command wins the game!
The Hunt
At the start of the game, place this card at the side of the board with the Nether deck.
Whenever a character has to draw Adventure Cards, he may discard one card of his choice that he does not wish to encounter and draw a card from the Nether deck to replace it, which he must encounter.
Once a defeated Enemy from the Nether deck is exchanged or otherwise discarded, it is not placed on the discard pile. Instead it is placed facedown in the character's play area.
The first character to reach the Crown of Command with four defeated Enemies from the Nether deck in his play area wins the game!