First, to begin this review, two disclaimers :
-I had the honor of being a playtester for the game, and received a copy by courtesy of GMT.
-English is not my first language, and I write too much. I acknowledge this is a pretty dreadful combo. In fact, this review is kind of a wall of text. Let’s just say that concision isn’t my main quality.
So, for those who don’t want to read this whole review, here’s an...
Abstract
By introducing a new take on some ageing game design concepts, <PERSON> (and the team behind Talon) managed to create a game that feels familiar, inheriting a rich narrative legacy, while offering a fresh and stylish experience, mostly associated with modern designs. The game quickly plays like a breeze, while presenting the kind of intricacies associated to much heavier games. It’s new oldschool, if that means anything. And it’s awesome.
And now for the main review...
<PERSON> has made a name for himself by creating games which tried (some would say they succeeded) to top some of the most enduring classics of the american school of game design. He did so by following what could be described as a two-pronged approach :
-sticking to his guns, meaning he didn’t shy away from the most efficient tropes of the genre in which he was working, to adopt some of the most popular boardgame mechanics of the day (in this regard, his approach of the 4x genre with was very different from, say, the approach of , with his role selection mechanic borrowed from Puerto Rico).
-Yet (and no, there is no paradox here), <PERSON> managed to keep a fresh view on things. Most notable, he developed an ability to free himself from some of the most pregnant gameplay tropes inherited from the very classics he was trying to top, in order to keep things as simple as they needed to be, within the historical or imaginary frame he had chosen to stick to.
A legacy in game design (no, not Legacy !)
Talon is a game of space battle between fleets of capital ships. Every word counts here : the game is focused around managing more than one ship for each side, and, though there are some fighters in the game, the game is engineered around managing fleets of bigger ships (each ship coming with its own micro-management imperatives).
The game follows a tradition of spaceship combat games initiated by the 1979 classic , which allowed players to recreate fights between ships from the Star Trek license, capturing the imagination of a lot of players. 504
SFB can be described as one of the seminal game in an american tradition of heavy bookkeeping fighting games, spawned from its heavily influential wargame community. This lineage has in turn given birth to some derivative classics like (with cars fighting it out) or (for mechs). Recently, SFB has been re-implemented by a somewhat simplified version called .
Once again, <PERSON> objective has been to keep the best of SFB’s narrative and tactical wealth, while simplifying its mechanics and fluidifying the game experience. While his series relied on an historical analysis of WWII tactical doctrine to free itself from the cumbersome legacy of ASL’s gameplay tropes, deeply encroached in its players’ imaginary, Talon is built upon a number of fictional presuppositions clearly stated in its designer’s note, mostly shared with Star Fleet Battles itself (2d representation of space combat, non-Newtonian inertia…).
Thus, Talon uses a lot of gameplay tropes familiar to the tradition its design is firmly following - depleting shields, impulse-based turn sequence, energy allotment as a core mechanic - while introducing a quantity of little adjustments (like, for example, the fact that shields can’t be recharged) to grease the wheels of his system. It’s the dual nature - both familiar and refreshing - of Talon’s core mechanics which makes it an impressive design.
Impulses and energy consumption : surfing, pacing and timing
At the core of Talon’s gameplay lies his impulse-based turn sequence, which is at the core of its brilliance. Every turn is divided into six impulses (A, B, C, D, E and F). Depending of its power output and speed, a ship will be able to use a point of power, or will HAVE to move during one or more of the impulses. Every ship has the opportunity to shoot during every impulse. For example, a ship with a power output of 3 will be able to use a point of power in impulses B, D and F. In the same fashion, a ship with a speed of 3 will have to advance one hex during the same impulses. A ship with a speed of 6 would advance one hex for every impulse. 937