New Talislanta

[Rogerdee]

Okay so not sure if anyone has spotted this on DTRPG recently, or maybe there was a thread and I missed it?

But just in case, this has been updated, brand new art and it looks gorgeous!

DriveThruRPG

preview.drivethrurpg.com

This is definitely going in my basket in my next buy.

 

[remial]

as a backer of the fund raising campaign, I can assure you, the pdfs are as amazing as the previews look. I can not wait to get my physical copies.

the only one I'm not that wild about is the book that is the D&D conversion, but there wasn't a bundle that didn't have that, so I guess I'll take it.

 

[Rogerdee]

as a backer of the fund raising campaign, I can assure you, the pdfs are as amazing as the previews look. I can not wait to get my physical copies.

the only one I'm not that wild about is the book that is the D&D conversion, but there wasn't a bundle that didn't have that, so I guess I'll take it.

Thanks for the confirmation - that settles the buying.
It looks like they are still using the Omni system?

 

[Mankcam]

as a backer of the fund raising campaign, I can assure you, the pdfs are as amazing as the previews look. I can not wait to get my physical copies.

the only one I'm not that wild about is the book that is the D&D conversion, but there wasn't a bundle that didn't have that, so I guess I'll take it.

I think you can get it swapped for an additional version of the Players Handbook - I seem to remember doing that, just so I could have a 'table copy', and there was no sense having a D&D 5E version of the game

Rogerdee
Yes, the default system is the original Talislanta system (Omni), but they have a few conversions of D&D 5E, D6, and I think Savage Worlds.
I went with the default system, as I have earlier editions of Talislanta,
I haven't had time to give the pdfs a good read yet, but they look amazing. I can't wait until the hardcopy books start arriving

 

[Gringnr]

Still using Omni, and yeah you should be able to swap the 5e book for a 2nd Players book.

 

[Bunch]

Rogerdee
Yes, the default system is the original Talislanta system (Omni), but they have a few conversions of D&D 5E, D6, and I think Savage Worlds.

That's for Talislanta - Savage Lands. (Savage Worlds didn't get done unfortunately)

Talislanta Epic Edition (most recent Kickstarter) is just Omni and a 5e conversion I believe.

I went with the default system, as I have earlier editions of Talislanta,
I haven't had time to give the pdfs a good read yet, but they look amazing. I can't wait until the hardcopy books start arriving

 

[Mankcam]

That's for Talislanta - Savage Lands. (Savage Worlds didn't get done unfortunately)
Talislanta Epic Edition (most recent Kickstarter) is just Omni ⅘and a 5e conversion I believe.

Yeah I got the Talislanta Epic Edition kickstarter mixed up with the Talislanta Savage Lands Edition kickstarter - you're right, just the default Talislanta/Omni version, and a D&D 5E option.

 

[opaopajr]

Do they do any detailed write-ups of the other 6+ or so continents?

 

[Silverlion]

Do they do any detailed write-ups of the other 6+ or so continents?

Alas no, they do not.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

I have only skimmed the new pdfs, but I think there is a lot og good stuff here. I absolutely adore the art but not as convinced about the lay-out. The magic rules seems like a sensible compromise between the free-form 4th ed and the spell hunting 1st - 3rd. Combat seems approriately deadly and there are so many cool archtypes to play. It makes sense that this is the last edition of Talislanta. You don't need anything else to play a lifetime in this setting.

This could easily be be the game I use to play with my kids.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

Alas no, they do not.

Does the Midnight Realms count as one of those continents? If so you can get info in the sourcebook with the same name.

 

[Imaginos]

as a backer of the fund raising campaign, I can assure you, the pdfs are as amazing as the previews look. I can not wait to get my physical copies.

the only one I'm not that wild about is the book that is the D&D conversion, but there wasn't a bundle that didn't have that, so I guess I'll take it.

There was an option in the pledge manager to swap out the 5E book for a second copy of Player's Guide.

 

[Imaginos]

One thing to note, going into the game, that the characters in Epic are notably less experienced than in prior editions. You can work around it (an online game I'm in is doing that). But just be aware of it going in.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

That is very true. I like the slightly lower power level. The game feels more grounded (a strange thing to say for a game with green humanoids, I know)

 

[Rogerdee]

How does this compare Atlantis the Second Age?

 

[Skywalker]

They have a similar origin and rule system but Atlantis is classic Sword and Sorcery in an antediluvian version of Earth, whereas Talislanta is gonzo weird fantasy (in a good way).

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

It should also be noted that the Talislanta-version of the rules is a lot lighter.

Atlantis comes with an extensive char gen system, a system for hero points, system for changing societies, systems for fate, destiny and gaining renown.

Compared to this Talislanta is a pretty straight forward skill based system.

 

[Malckuss]

...It makes sense that this is the last edition of Talislanta. You don't need anything else to play a lifetime in this setting.

The last or just the latest? I'm confused as to why this would be the game's finale?

I'm in a weird place; I'm familiar with the Omni system via Khepera's Atlantis: The Second Age and Godsend Agenda 3E, but I know nothing of Talislanta. Please school this ignorant sod! What do I need to know about the setting to get me to become as big a fanboy as exists in this thread?

 

[Imaginos]

The last or just the latest? I'm confused as to why this would be the game's finale?

I'm in a weird place; I'm familiar with the Omni system via Khepera's Atlantis: The Second Age and Godsend Agenda 3E, but I know nothing of Talislanta. Please school this ignorant sod! What do I need to know about the setting to get me to become as big a fanboy as exists in this thread?

First, go to www.talislanta.com and download most of the older books from earlier editions. The creator wanted to support the fans and gave his blessing for the library.

Second, Talislanta is a world populated by fantasy races alongside some that were originally extraterrestrial. Ancient wizards created and combined creatures as servant peoples. Ancient wizard magic caused a great magical cataclysm, so most editions of Talislanta are after peoples have recovered and repopulated. The Savage Land edition (prior to this one), was about surviving after the cataclysm.

Third, and this probably should have been second. Imagine heavy drug use might have been going on when the setting was created.

 

[Gringnr]

The last or just the latest? I'm confused as to why this would be the game's finale?

I'm in a weird place; I'm familiar with the Omni system via Khepera's Atlantis: The Second Age and Godsend Agenda 3E, but I know nothing of Talislanta. Please school this ignorant sod! What do I need to know about the setting to get me to become as big a fanboy as exists in this thread?

Stephen Sechi, the creator of Talislanta has said this is the last edition he will be involved with. I get the impression he doesn't game anymore. He may be leaving the door open for other authors to put out work, though. And Imaginos is correct, Sechi has cited hashish (specifically Turkish hashish) as a massive influence on Talislanta.

 

[Gringnr]

Dude is a jazz musician so

 

[Skywalker]

It should also be noted that the Talislanta-version of the rules is a lot lighter.

Atlantis comes with an extensive char gen system, a system for hero points, system for changing societies, systems for fate, destiny and gaining renown.

Compared to this Talislanta is a pretty straight forward skill based system.

I expect it is lighter but not by much. The core system for PCs and creatures is essentially the same and they feel much the same in play IME. There are some additional subsystems in Atlantis but they aren't that extensive IMO (all of those you mention take up less than 12 pages in the rulebook).

 

[bleys21]

Dude is a jazz musician so

 

[Brand55]

I like what I've seen overall. I will say, though, that as a newcomer the rules are a bit all over the place. The combat section seems pretty vague with lots of rules scattered across the other sections, particularly the skills (which there are way too many of). I'm pretty sure I'll have to sit down and re-read those parts again at least once before I'd feel confident running the game.

I like the magic system so far, though I can't compare it to the earlier versions. I think it's easy enough that players can grok what their characters can do easily, but then the magic levels provide some customization as to how you approach being a caster. I can understand those who prefer a more freeform system, but those sorts of systems have their drawbacks, too. I haven't gotten too far into the GM's book yet so there may be some more about magic in there.

 

[Gringnr]

There was a separate spellbook for the 4th edition, for those who preferred less freeform magic.

 

[Gringnr]

I like this a lot, but greatly prefer the "one roll for to-hit and damage" of 4th.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

I expect it is lighter but not by much. The core system for PCs and creatures is essentially the same and they feel much the same in play IME. There are some additional subsystems in Atlantis but they aren't that extensive IMO (all of those you mention take up less than 12 pages in the rulebook).

I agree that the core dice mechanic is the same, and it is a really simple mechanic too.

But that isn't what makes Atlantis a more complex game. The complexity stems from the entire Hero Point economy with atman elements, disadvantages, indulgences, votives and sacrifices, tempting fate, spending limits and the interactions with Renown, Fate points and Great Works. The importance of Hero Points in play, makes Atlantis a very different beast than Talislanta. There are a lot more fiddly bits and characters behave quite differently in play since Atlantis characters can always throw hero points at a problem (sometimes at the expence of gaining fate points, but still). Talislanta is much more a grounded old school game where you don't have any such metacurrencies.

Both are very good games, but I could run Talislanta without any books. With Atlantis that would be unthinkable for me.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

I like this a lot, but greatly prefer the "one roll for to-hit and damage" of 4th.

That certainly is the more elegant way of doing it. But even a rabid 4th ed fan as me is warming up to the use of variable damage. One advantage is that scaling back the power of the archtypes is easier to do with variable damage. And I like that.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

I'm in a weird place; I'm familiar with the Omni system via Khepera's Atlantis: The Second Age and Godsend Agenda 3E, but I know nothing of Talislanta. Please school this ignorant sod! What do I need to know about the setting to get me to become as big a fanboy as exists in this thread?

They are more alike than different. You get the system in Talislanta if you keep the success-table, scale back skill levels a quite a bit (a really good fighter will start with about weaponskill +3 (and perhaps +7 total when you add stats), reduce hit points a bit (the archtypes span from 10 - 16 I think) and use dice rolls for damage.

There will be no Hero Points, no life path charts (characters are created by modifying archetypes), no renown gain (or at least not as XP), no fate/destiny or great works. Think a more gritty version of Atlantis, set in a psychedelic fantasy setting.

My fascination with Talislanta stems from the exotic sword & sorcery - vibe. It is a setting that contains a multitude of heritages/races/species, but the setting is described in broad strokes in stead of going deep. This ends up with a really diverse and colorful setting without it being overly complex and unweildly. For me this is simply perfect. Add windships, ancient dark magic, lots of ruins, portals to other dimensions, extremely cool character archetypes and original monsters.

For me it is truly one of the great settings.

 

[Acmegamer]

Okay so not sure if anyone has spotted this on DTRPG recently, or maybe there was a thread and I missed it?

But just in case, this has been updated, brand new art and it looks gorgeous!

DriveThruRPG

preview.drivethrurpg.com

This is definitely going in my basket in my next buy.

With the size of those books, they need to get to PoD.

 

[Skywalker]

Both are very good games, but I could run Talislanta without any books. With Atlantis that would be unthinkable for me.

All cool. I agree that there are these subsystems in Atlantis, I just don’t think they add the level of complexity that your post suggests. However, I appreciate that may be a matter of personal taste and tolerance.

 

[NinjaWeasel]

Is the version of Omni System in this any different to previous iterations? I assume they've incorporated errata at least, but are there any other revisions or additions to the rules?

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

What version are you familiar with? If you start from 4th ed I guess the biggest changes are variable damage, non-freeform magic, a lower powet level.

 

[NinjaWeasel]

What version are you familiar with? If you start from 4th ed I guess the biggest changes are variable damage, non-freeform magic, a lower powet level.

I've never actually owned any edition of Talislanta but I think I did read a bit of 3rd edition. I'm mostly familiar with the system through the generic version, Atlantis, and High Medieval.

 

[pawsplay]

I don't know the new edition, but it sounds like it was based off 4e, back-crossed with 2e. And those are the two best editions.

 

[Gringnr]

Sechi said it was the best of each previous edition. At least that's what they were aiming for.

 

[Savage Schemer]

I don't know the new edition, but it sounds like it was based off 4e, back-crossed with 2e. And those are the two best editions.

It really looks like a blend of 4e and The Savage Land, with TSL's mass combat and renown systems being brought over. It also goes back to variable damage for weapons, and removes the Combat and Magic ratings (also per TSL, which makes me kind of sad). The magic system, as with every other edition of Talislanta, has been completely changed out again. The "modes" have been removed, so that now you have a magical order and a list of spells known to that order (in general, you know a lot of spells from the start of play). Spell casters are now limited to the number of spells they can cast per day.

I've made a few characters already and the lower power level is really mostly confined to starting values of the templates. Once you spend the required "free XP", they mostly stand toe to toe with 4e characters. Except that your starting HP doesn't get raised based on your CON score. This is offset, however, by the fact that every 25 XP earned results in a bump in HP, which occurs whether you spend the XP or not.

The setting has been updated / modified to account for the "submen rising war" (which is now canon). As a result, the Seven Kingdoms are now Nine, with the Jaka now being a displaced people, and were given new lands closer to Cymril. There are a few other examples of this sort of thing I can't recall off the top of my head. Overall the update serves to create a built-in source of conflict, pitting the Archean descendants against the "beast men" cultures.

 

[Brand55]

For those more familiar with the setting, what's your take on the Danuvians and their future? I find it a bit of a stretch to believe every single male Danuvian in existence was in that one city, but okay. The books talk about them as a doomed race now, but female Danuvians are still taking partners and the whole setting is full of new races descending from previous ones.

 

[Savage Schemer]

For those more familiar with the setting, what's your take on the Danuvians and their future? I find it a bit of a stretch to believe every single male Danuvian in existence was in that one city, but okay. The books talk about them as a doomed race now, but female Danuvians are still taking partners and the whole setting is full of new races descending from previous ones.

I've always found the idea that all (or most) of any given race/culture congregates in one relatively small region in the setting to be problematic and unbelievable. To that end, I agree that all the males being in one city is implausible (or too convenient, depending on your perspective). That said, I think the Danuvians, like many of the races before them (see: The Savage Land; example: the Vandar eventually became Thralls as we know them) will eventually become extinct and be replaced by descendants born from their now multi-cultural mating, where such mates allow for offspring, of course.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

For those more familiar with the setting, what's your take on the Danuvians and their future? I find it a bit of a stretch to believe every single male Danuvian in existence was in that one city, but okay. The books talk about them as a doomed race now, but female Danuvians are still taking partners and the whole setting is full of new races descending from previous ones.

I find it hard to believe that each and every danuvian male died in the massacre. There would probably be some males living abroad with their wives, so a large majority is believable but not all IMO.

But this might not be about realism at all. For on a meta level this could be more about house cleaning to remove some of the more problematic elements in the setting (in the same way that the Batreans quietly disappeared). And from that point of view, the setting might be better off if they are simply all dead.

And consider what a merger of danuvians and thralls (the danuvians preferred mates, according to the book) could mean. I mean, the danuvians have no restrictions on magic use so...