Talisman, one of the OG dungeon crawlers, is back with a 5th edition this summer

First published by Games Workshop in 1983, Talisman: The Magical Quest Game is remembered fondly by kids who grew up with board games in the 1980s and early 1990s. But the last version of the dungeon crawling board game, its fourth, was published way back in 2008, well before the modern board gaming Renaissance really began. Now Hasbro is bringing it back for a fifth edition. Pre-orders, priced at $59.99, are live now. The game returns to mass market retail on July 1.

In Talisman, players take on the role of stock fantasy heroes on the quest for a MacGuffin called the Crown of Command. The highly linear board game takes players round and round a citadel, where they encounter traps and monsters, and even fight against the other players at the table. It’s an unusual hybrid of an action-oriented tabletop role-playing game and something like Candyland, but a novel format that has resonated with generations of casual fans of tabletop games.

Polygon reached out to Hasbro following Friday’s press release. They confirmed that the IP hasn’t changed hands. Instead, the game is being produced under license from Games Workshop. Here’s the official description:

In the game, players set forth on an epic adventure, racing to be the first to obtain a Talisman, reach the Crown of Command in the center of the board, and defeat the elder dragon to win. With a diverse range of characters to choose from and a vast world of possible scenarios plus an easy to use, revised 5^th Edition Rulebook, this strategy game offers limitless adventures!

While the game retains the traditional spiral game board, new cover art was revealed showing a crumbling staircase leading to a glowing crown while giant statues of gilded heroes look on. Product photos also show plastic 12 plastic miniatures for each of the 12 included character classes. More information is promised in the weeks ahead. For now, all we have is the gallery of images below.

Grid View

• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro
• Image: Hasbro

Talisman: The Magical Quest Board Game, 5th edition

• $60

Prices taken at time of publishing.

• $60 at Amazon