Quote from: RPGPundit;1056431D&D Talisanta, who would ever have thought?

It was always thus. Begging to be done.

Given the relative obscurity that Talislanta has wallowed in for various reasons, the powers-that-be, felt a D&D5e would be a good way to get some fresh eyes on it.

However... when people look at it they'll see that there is included a *classless 5e progression system* included where you build your character as you level-up. Or you can just use 5e with some included modifications.

It's really pretty awesome.

Quote from: tenbones;1057615Given the relative obscurity that Talislanta has wallowed in for various reasons, the powers-that-be, felt a D&D5e would be a good way to get some fresh eyes on it.

However... when people look at it they'll see that there is included a *classless 5e progression system* included where you build your character as you level-up. Or you can just use 5e with some included modifications.

It's really pretty awesome.

It's a shame they bothered with any variation of D&D (as opposed to a million other systems) but I get the marketing.

Quote from: tenbones;1057615Given the relative obscurity that Talislanta has wallowed in for various reasons, the powers-that-be, felt a D&D5e would be a good way to get some fresh eyes on it.

However... when people look at it they'll see that there is included a *classless 5e progression system* included where you build your character as you level-up. Or you can just use 5e with some included modifications.

It's really pretty awesome.

OK, that's the first thing to make me interested in the 5e version of TSL. Of course, I've got the version with the original system;).

Quote from: AsenRG;1057596I agree. It should have never happened;)!

Probably not. Though maybe my perspective on why not is the opposite of yours...

I want both the 5e version and the original rules.

I don't want either.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1058646I don't want either.

Interesting - why not?

Quote from: tenbones;1058826Interesting - why not?

I always thought Talisanta was kind of dumb. Starting with their whole 'no elves' marketing spin in a game full of substitute-elves.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1058988I always thought Talisanta was kind of dumb. Starting with their whole 'no elves' marketing spin in a game full of substitute-elves.

Hmm. That's a pretty shallow representation of "elves" if you mean "anyone with pointed ears and wields magic" = elves. I don't even do that for D&D elves. But okay.

I fell for the Talislanta setting with the Thrall Warrior on the 2nd edition book cover.  Always liked tattoos, the concept at that time of a race that was identical within the sexes so they used tattoos to tell their deeds and identify themselves.  Awesome.  Never got a game of Talislanta going though.  Always too alien for people strictly because there were no elves, no dwarves, etc...  There wasn't the familiarity that people wanted.  It was like a game inspired by 80's album covers.  So while I loved the game for so long, a few years back I finally started getting rid of the books because I knew they would never get played.  And I'm was not interested in reading them any longer.

Quote from: Imaginos;1059039I fell for the Talislanta setting with the Thrall Warrior on the 2nd edition book cover.  Always liked tattoos, the concept at that time of a race that was identical within the sexes so they used tattoos to tell their deeds and identify themselves.  Awesome.  Never got a game of Talislanta going though.  Always too alien for people strictly because there were no elves, no dwarves, etc...  There wasn't the familiarity that people wanted.  It was like a game inspired by 80's album covers.  So while I loved the game for so long, a few years back I finally started getting rid of the books because I knew they would never get played.  And I'm was not interested in reading them any longer.

I've heard the blurb that Pundit said for many years from various people. "A game marketed about 'No Elves' but full of elves." It was a product of 80's marketing to differentiate itself at the start from D&D. Then it became a big joke that exists today as a "tradition". There is one race is arguably a nod to traditional elves (the Ariane) everything else is pretty much cosmetic at best, which I guess is fine if you think elves are "just" pointy-eared smart people, free of cultural context. Anyone that's ever played it knows this game has very little Tolkieny concepts. It's pretty dark.

The reality is much closer to your description. While there is no implicit familiarity, the cultural frameworks of later-era Talislanta is still kingdom civilizations, mageocracies, city-states, filled with weird shit - with complete savagery and tons of ancient ruins filled with beasties in-between. It is very much meat-and-potatoes Sword-and-High Sorcery.

The rest is, by design, made to be different. I like your album-cover analogy, I totally feel that too. I also think you're indicative of a LOT of gamers from that era that did pretty much the same thing. I would have been that guy too had one of my GM's back inna-day not got us to play it. That's all it took for me.

This new edition (final proofs are being done now for print!) was written and designed by me and some others to give everyone, especially people like you, a chance to do another double-take. 30-years of consideration went into how we'd take Talislanta "back" to formula, not to change what's been done, but to give it a deeper context that the players can make their own. Not just new players, but old players too.

Quote from: tenbones;1059046This new edition (final proofs are being done now for print!) was written and designed by me and some others to give everyone, especially people like you, a chance to do another double-take. 30-years of consideration went into how we'd take Talislanta "back" to formula, not to change what's been done, but to give it a deeper context that the players can make their own. Not just new players, but old players too.

Cool deal.  I didn't know you were involved.  I actually did get my current game group agree to help playtest TSL.  We played some sessions and I sent in feedback based on what everyone said.  I backed the kickstarter, but only at the original rules PDF level because I didn't know if I'd get them to agree to a full campaign.  But they had fun with what we did, as did I.

Seeing the comments above, I kind of wish I had backed for the 5E rules as well, to see how they worked.

Quote from: Imaginos;1059061Seeing the comments above, I kind of wish I had backed for the 5E rules as well, to see how they worked.

Well you'll get your chance once the print editions drop. They'll be open for PDF/Print to the non-backers soon.

I always thought the 'No-Elves' was a bit silly, but that never dampened my interest.  The issue is that I'm pretty sure I'll never run it, so I hesitate to pick it up.  On the other hand, if there's a 5e version, I know I can likely get people into it because it's D&D.