Down these mean streets a Goblin must skulk...

2022 closed with two highly-anticipated releases for Talisman Adventures, and I've now got my hands on a copy of Tales of the City. This is the second themed sourcebook for the game, following Tales of the Dungeon earlier in the year. 

First off, I am delighted that Goblin is the featured Ancestry - Goblin NPCs have been a big feature of my own Talisman adventures - ya gots ta love gerblins! Even though Goblin characters were missing from the boardgame, they are a great fit for the RPG. There are three new Classes: Gladiator, Alchemist and Tinkerer. These have some interesting options and mechanisms. Glory for Gladiators introduces a whole new game currency to boost that class's special abilities. Allowing players of Alchemists to transmute base metals to gold from level 1 is very Talisman! The Tinkerer was a class from the boardgame I was particularly keen to see, with its ability to manufacture mechanical Followers. All three are interesting, colourful classes. Incidentally, I think that means we now have 10 Ancestries and 15 Classes for Talisman Adventures - making 150 combinations to choose from!

There's a reasonable dose of equipment and treasures, but the best GM resource by far is the tumultuous host of Strangers, each of whom can be an interesting diversion, or even centre piece for a session. Tales of the Dungeon had sections on rules and GM tips for Dungeon adventuring – the Urban Adventuring equivalent is a feature missing from this book, which is a shame. However, the scenario included is a really good urban adventure, highlighting urban features like interactions with NPCs, mystery and investigation challenges, and events like a city-wide festival. 

There's more gazetteer bumpf with further background on the world of Talisman. For me, this is maybe less directly useful than the rest of the book, but provides a good enough jumping off point if you want to use the version of the Talisman world that has been growing through these sourcebooks. I don't love it, but it's functional, not without charm, and full of plenty ideas for GMs and players to run with. 

For me the only real disappointment is the two maps, that are the worst yet in a series that has otherwise made a good case for not using maps at all. These are not graphically pleasing and, bluntly, of what possible use to anyone? Maybe some use if you have the pdf, to throw onto a virtual tabletop - though there must be a ton of better generic city mats freely-available if you're looking for that. A map of the City itself would have been much preferred - though if of this standard, we are probably better off without it. Its a minor shame that the series has never got better than its map of the Realm in the Core Rulebook - though it has done a good job of showing that maps can be entirely dispensed with. I may try and knock up some maps of the City and other places - not because the game needs them (it thrives well as pure theatre-of-the-mind, with exact locations fuzzy and elastic), but because I've always liked making fantasy city maps. 

All-in-all, I think this is a great addition to the game, a useful resource for GMs, with some very fun options for players. I haven't run it, but the scenario looks like it uses the possibilities of the system really well - and is maybe one of the best so far released for the game. Now, I need to go make a list of City Hazards...