Talisman: The Horus Heresy: The Interview

Having already created the digital versions of classic board game Talisman and having mastered the art of the rolling and the crafting of the virtual die, indie studio Nomad Games is now working on something terribly exciting: a 40k version of Talisman. Talisman: The Horus Heresy to be exact and here's art director, Warhammer connoisseur and industry veteran Andy Bate answering our questions for your pleasure, the Emperor's glory and the entertainment of the Ruinous Powers.

So, I take it Talisman: The Horus Heresy is really happening, is it not? Are we finally getting a Warhammer 40k version of the classic Games Workshop game?

Yes you will be able to play within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, 10,000 years before in the 31st Millennium during the Horus Heresy.

Don't you feel slightly intimidated?

I would say excited rather than intimidated. I have been a Warhammer 40,000 fan since its inception back in 1987! So when Games Workshop asked if we would be interested in working on Talisman: The Horus Heresy I jumped at the chance!

The teaser trailer looks rather impressive. How close are we to the game's release and will it be visually more lavish affair than the digital of version of fantasy Talisman?

We are hoping to release Talisman: The Horus Heresy at the end of February.

We have spent a lot of time and effort working on the game, most notably the board. Now rather than traveling through a fantasy world, you are exploring the whole of the Galaxy! Visiting star systems, planetary sectors and traveling through huge Warp Storms!

Oh, and was that a Thousand Sons reference I noticed there?

Probably! As you travel through the galaxy you may enter the Prospero Sector, the home world of the Thousand Sons!

Theme aside, should we also expect gameplay changes?

The most significant game play change links to the Horus Heresy theme. Unlike Talisman: Digital edition, where you are a single adventurer, in Talisman: The Horus Heresy you are fighting for a side, Loyalist or Traitor. The first thing you do is choose your allegiance, Horus or the Emperor. The forces you encounter around the board will (for the most part) have an allegiance too; what this means is the encounter will react differently to you depending on which side you are fighting for.

Will Talisman: The Horus Heresy support both multiplayer and single player?

Yes Talisman: The Horus Heresy supports both online and local multiplayer for up to 4 players, as well as single player games versus AI.

Let's talk dates. Will the game be set during the Horus Heresy?

The game is indeed set at the beginning of the Horus Heresy and each game you play will see you influence that final 'historic battle' between the Emperor and Horus.


What's The Horus Heresy feature you think people will love the most?

Talisman has always been a game that creates cool narrative moments. With Talisman: The Horus Heresy, that story telling mechanic is still there, only this time the characters you are playing with are some of the most iconic heroes and villains of the Horus Heresy. No longer are you battling to gain the Crown of Command, but for the very future of humanity and the stage you are playing on is the Galaxy itself!