Mystael,
Thank you for the thoughtful and comprehensive analysis. It sounds like you were able to read the game rules but not play the game, which is too bad. I think you would enjoy it. I’m going to respond to each item below in brief just to ensure parity.
Aesthetics:
The background for the other sections are different illustrations, but sadly I had to make them very transparent to ensure the readability of the text. I may include them in full on the game page later for viewing. Anyway, I love the images, and the point is well taken that it could use more viewable art.
Mechanics:
We went back and forth on using the word adjacent here. Perhaps we should change to connected? The definition of adjacent is adjoining or near. Sadly it has been changed to mean horizontally or vertically adjacent. Not sure how that happened. Good call out on the Player Token. We will improve that. We just pushed version 1.3, which has improved the text on Champion and Party challenges quite a bit. Love to hear your feedback there.
Universe:
I must not understand this category. Does it mean that because the suits and items are well defined that the universe isn’t expansive enough? Do you think the suit definitions are too limited or uninteresting? Interestingly I think this game’s universe emerges during play. As you move around, realizing that you are walking through a swamp with a 5 beastie is a joy when you play the swamp strong character, but dread for a hills strong character with no magic sword.
Supplements:
Thanks. The idea with the item cards was to print many copies of that page and keep them with the game. Or to have them available on the table to reference, so the players would know what an item does without needing to write it down on their sheet. We are looking into doing a version of this game where we build out the deck of cards entirely, each with its own illustration and included narrative text.
Experience:
Talisman is only one game. Which other game are you referring to? I think it is fair that you did not play the game from this description. There is Role-playing that happens quite frequently as the characters negotiate with each other about where to go, how long they can last, and what their needs and desires are. I will admit at reading the rules the first time that I didn’t expect this either. But when we sat down to playtest, the amount of decision-making, horse trading, and just plain in-character talk were astounding.
Thanks again for your review. I hope you will look at version 1.3 and keep an eye out for future releases as we improve the game and integrate some of your feedback.