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The Talislanta Guidebook contains everything gamemasters and players need to play. I'll begin with saying this is a great game! Unfortunatly, it was dumped by Wizards of the Coast along with Everway and Ars Magica. I don't know if another company is currently supporting it but I do recomend picking up a copy of it if possible.

Don't let the goofy cover Illustration fool you. The interior is filled with black and white illustrations that range from average to very good. The layout is standard, strait forward and uncluttered with no editing problems and a useful index. The book contains everything needed from setting to rules and bestiary. There is an introductary adventure at the end of the book.

The setting attempts to stray away from standard fantasy fare. There are no elves or dwarves or humans for that matter. It is set after a holocost that destroyed an at one time, powerful civilization founded by magic on the continent of Talislanta. The theme is heroic high fantasy where characters explore lost secrets and fight against the menace of barbaric sub-men.

The rules are basic, easy and are pretty much derived from D&D. No problem there since this is what the designers set out to do (to create a detailed setting with easy and quick rules). The magic system is not anything special but works.

Character generation is a matter of choosing a template out of almost a hundred choices. This not so bad because of the huge selection. The templates include a lot of very cool races such as Parthenian Sea Traders which are enigmatic mechanical men that sail the seas in search of sunken treasure or Thrall Warriors which is a race created by magic with the sole purpose of making war whose bodies have no pigment and so are covered with colerful tattoos. I can't easily count how many races are available to players. The diverse setting allows for even the most improbable looking group of characters.

The setting also includes many thing that I have weak spots for such as wierd magic items and equipment, flying ships, an alien setting and a detailed background. The only thing I didn't like is that the rules aren't anything innovative.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Talislanta Guidebook Third Edition
Author: Stephan Michael Sechi and Jonathan Tweet Category: game Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Cost: $20.00 Page count: 327 pages ISBN: 1-880992-01-9 Capsule Review by Garry Gross on 02/28/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	The Talislanta Guidebook contains everything gamemasters and players need to play. I'll begin with saying this is a great game! Unfortunatly, it was dumped by Wizards of the Coast along with Everway and Ars Magica. I don't know if another company is currently supporting it but I do recomend picking up a copy of it if possible. Don't let the goofy cover Illustration fool you. The interior is filled with black and white illustrations that range from average to very good. The layout is standard, strait forward and uncluttered with no editing problems and a useful index. The book contains everything needed from setting to rules and bestiary. There is an introductary adventure at the end of the book. The setting attempts to stray away from standard fantasy fare. There are no elves or dwarves or humans for that matter. It is set after a holocost that destroyed an at one time, powerful civilization founded by magic on the continent of Talislanta. The theme is heroic high fantasy where characters explore lost secrets and fight against the menace of barbaric sub-men. The rules are basic, easy and are pretty much derived from D&D. No problem there since this is what the designers set out to do (to create a detailed setting with easy and quick rules). The magic system is not anything special but works. Character generation is a matter of choosing a template out of almost a hundred choices. This not so bad because of the huge selection. The templates include a lot of very cool races such as Parthenian Sea Traders which are enigmatic mechanical men that sail the seas in search of sunken treasure or Thrall Warriors which is a race created by magic with the sole purpose of making war whose bodies have no pigment and so are covered with colerful tattoos. I can't easily count how many races are available to players. The diverse setting allows for even the most improbable looking group of characters. The setting also includes many thing that I have weak spots for such as wierd magic items and equipment, flying ships, an alien setting and a detailed background. The only thing I didn't like is that the rules aren't anything innovative. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Talislanta Guidebook Third Edition