Talisman Nemesis: Call of the Hunt – One Player Becomes the Beast
One player commands frenzied beasts as the Nemesis. The rest must hunt them down before the realm is consumed — 1-vs-many gameplay comes to Talisman for the first time.
📋 Expansion Details
Talisman Nemesis: Call of the Hunt is the second expansion for Talisman 5th Edition, and it introduces a game mode that Talisman has never seen before — one player takes on the role of the Nemesis, commanding frenzied beasts and villain characters against all other players, who must work cooperatively to survive and complete three brutal Trials.
Published by Avalon Hill in November 2025, it builds directly on the cooperative foundation of Talisman Alliances: Fate Beckons and pushes it further — adding the asymmetric tension of a human opponent controlling the enemy forces. The result feels closer to Descent: Journeys in the Dark than traditional Talisman, and that's exactly what makes it interesting.
Players who experience Call of the Hunt consistently describe the Nemesis role as the highlight — controlling the beasts, planning ambushes, and watching the heroes scramble creates a genuinely exciting asymmetric experience that Talisman has never offered before.
Unboxing & First Look
Heroes vs Nemesis — How It Works
What Does Call of the Hunt Add?
Nemesis Player
One player controls all villain forces — planning strategy, directing beasts, and hunting down the heroes across the board.
Inner Region Overlay
A 2-sided overlay transforms the Inner Region into a treacherous hunt setting — flip it for different adventures.
3 Sealed Trials
Three mystery boxes — complete each Trial to unlock the next figure, cards, and escalating objectives.
The Huntress
New playable character — the Huntress can also be used in standard Talisman sessions outside of Nemesis mode.
How Does It Play?
The Nemesis player controls villain characters that move and act each round with their own objectives — not just sitting on spaces, but actively pursuing heroes, blocking paths, and deploying new threats. Meanwhile the hero players must coordinate their movements, share resources, and fight their way to the Trial's adversary before the Nemesis can eliminate enough heroes to end the game.
The new 2-sided Inner Region overlay physically changes the board's center, creating a thematic hunting ground for the Trials. This is a significant improvement over Fate Beckons — the overlay makes the expansion feel like a genuinely different board experience rather than just extra cards on the same layout.
For groups who don't want the Nemesis mode, the expansion also includes cards, companion cards, boon cards, and The Huntress character that can all be used in standard competitive Talisman — giving it more flexibility than Fate Beckons.
Rating Breakdown
Pros & Cons
✅ What We Love
- 1-vs-Many creates genuinely exciting asymmetric gameplay
- Nemesis role is the most unique Talisman experience ever
- Inner Region overlay physically changes the board
- The Huntress adds to standard Talisman play too
- Considered a step up from Fate Beckons by the community
- Mystery figures are higher quality than previous expansion
❌ What Could Be Better
- Requires minimum 3 players for Nemesis mode
- Only 3 Trials — fewer than Fate Beckons' 5
- Requires Talisman 5th Edition — not compatible with 4th
- Replayability limited once Trials are complete
Who Is This Expansion For?
🎯 Perfect For:
- Talisman 5th Edition owners who want asymmetric gameplay
- Groups of 3–6 who love one-player-as-villain experiences
- Fans of Descent or similar 1-vs-many dungeon crawlers
- Players who found Fate Beckons too cooperative — this adds real rivalry
❌ Not Ideal For:
- Groups of 2 — Nemesis mode requires at least 3 players
- Owners of Talisman 4th Edition — not compatible
- Anyone who wants fully cooperative play — try Fate Beckons instead
🐗 Final Verdict
Talisman Nemesis: Call of the Hunt is a stronger expansion than its predecessor — the 1-vs-Many Nemesis mechanic adds genuine asymmetric tension that Talisman has never offered before, the Inner Region overlay physically changes the board experience, and the community reception has been noticeably warmer than Fate Beckons. Three Trials feels lean, and replayability remains the category's biggest limitation, but for Talisman 5th Edition owners who want the most dramatic and different experience the new edition has to offer, Call of the Hunt delivers.
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