all i know is that due to the time invested in playing a pbw game the talisman is either bull or bear....
I think it ruins a game in stock... but in mods where there is adjustments then i have no problem...
But it can be countered you just need 20 % and greater forces to do it
I personally do not like the talisman in stock. I perfer it as a mount with no damage or range bonuses. Or if its size and hit points are increased by 100 or 150 and its cost is tripled
But there are the counters to it... the Temporal Space Yard. The Replicant centre. They are unbalancing in their own ways but not as popular in the dicussions of unbalancing racial techs...
P.S. I do not hunt down and kill taliman lovers every game.... Only if I know that I think I have a chance in the mid game to get clobbered if i do not. Then i decide if it is worth the investment in the game.....
I have never played religous in a pbw game in my life... I have in solo games.... I always found the facilites to great to build right away ( their good but cost too much at the beginning of a game... so it kills my production as i just go click happy on them )
If there is ever a rth2 i will try one... as it makes sence in that game