No one believed her shouted prophecies of imminent apocalypse. Not until it was too late. The blind, ancient man with white hair appeared and swarms of locusts followed him, so thick in the air that you could barely see in front of you. Then the skies blackened, the rivers flowed with mysterious poison, and the dead began to rise from their graves. Thousands were dying around her, but she was fine. She knew what was coming. She had prepared. 

The end of days is descending upon the realm. The Harbinger expansion for Talisman 4th Edition is now available at local retailers in the United States and in our online store. Featuring the mysterious Harbinger figure, three new characters, two alternative endings, and a host of demons, angels, portentous signs, and powerful objects, The Harbinger unleashes the terrifying first stages of an oncoming apocalyptic doom. 

Prophet of Doom or Creator of Evil?

In The Harbinger, an aged, blind wanderer comes to the realm of Talisman and wherever he goes, terrible things occur. A Plague of Locusts may appear in his wake, consuming everything it finds. The rivers and springs may suddenly turn poisonous and foul , or a grotesque, belching, Demon of Gluttony may occupy your space. No one knows whether the Harbinger simply foreshadows the horrors that follow at his heels, or whether he somehow creates them, wielding diabolical powers far beyond what his tattered clothes and blindfold might suggest.

You can try to avoid the Harbinger and the dangers that surround him, but any Event cards you draw will lure him towards you. If you meet him, you may be forced to draw from the terrifying Harbinger deck, populating your own space or the entire realm with pernicious Enemies and grim Places. He may grant you an extra turn, or grant all characters an additional fate. Only one thing about the Harbinger is certain: He is ushering in the world’s end. 

Dark Times and Difficult Terrain

There are other symptoms of the end besides the roaming Harbinger himself. The Harbinger introduces four Omen stacks, each one creating a unique scenario for the onset of doom that progresses through seven Omens. When the last Omen fades from the skies, doom falls and your time is up. The game ends, along with the realm of Talisman– as you know it. Yet even while the various Omens persist, the realm is being transformed. Terrain cards enter the game, turning benevolent fields into gaping chasms, or the Castle into a span of tormentuous Hellpits . In our first preview, you can find more about the apocalyptic scenarios of the Omen stacks and the Terrain cards that will soon cover the realm. 

Survival of the Fittest 

With so many creatures of darkness and dangerous places filling the realm, even the most powerful competitors for the Crown of Command will be fighting for their survival. The competition grows even fiercer with three new characters joining in: the demonic Possessed who rises from the graveyard, the justice-dealing Celestial who descends from the skies, and the Ascendant Divine, armed with an ever-changing arsenal of divine gifts that can be cast in moments of need. Our second preview reveals more about this formidable trio.

The oncoming apocalypse also affects the nature of the quest for the Crown of Command through two alternative endings. End of Days releases the four Horsemen into the most populated corners of the realm. In order to reach the Crown, you must not only defeat them, but their towering, monstrous leader, The Beast . Armaggedon Crown turns the quest into a brutal struggle for survival, in which the last character alive wins. In these cruel circumstances, anything you can do to take others’ lives, such as visiting the Altar of Wrath, will bring you closer to victory. 

Prepare for the End

How will you fare at the dawn of the apocalypse? Are you strong enough to defeat hordes of demons and risen dead? Can you face falling stars, swarms of flies, scavenging beasts and rains of toads? Will you fight only for your own survival, or ruthlessly do whatever you can to take others lives? Now that the Harbinger has arrived in the realm of Talisman, you have a chance to find out.

Download the rules from the support section of theTalisman minisite and pick up The Harbinger today!