One of the best games that I have played in my over 55 years of board gaming experience. Elegant, and makes you make many tough decisions often with unexpected results.
The design is so simple and great. The cards are so well thought through. All the information is on each card (how many of that collection, what it pairs with if it’s a duo card, colour symbols for colour blind players) and yet they remain a super clean design.
Plays small so you don’t need a lot of space
Plays quickly and is a really overall great game.
I have been playing D&D with some childhood friends for about 4 years now. The reason? We played when we were kids (think AD&D) and that is what our DM plays with his own children. The main draw of this game system is because of D&D Beyond and it's digital tools for online play and character creation.
Why mention all of this in a review of the Talisman TTRPG? I cannot stress enough how much MORE I enjoy Ian Lemke's system than D&D (even with the WOTC digital tools and et-cetera) The 3d6 system is just better for players and GMs! The books, even with their spelling errors, organizational issues and poor index, are superior to D&D when it comes time to playing the game. Keep in mind, I am NOT a great fan of the Talisman board game in particular.
Honestly, Talisman TTRPG should be the de-faco industry standard for role-play games. Take notes game-designers, the bar has been raised! -Gweilo-D