Valiant Universe RPG
Valiant Universe RPG is a superhero role-playing game, based in the Valiant comic universe, written by Randall N. Bills and Phillip A. Lee and published by Catalyst Game Labs.
By Aaron T. Huss
Learn more about Valiant Universe RPG here
Purchase Valiant Universe RPG here
Find other Valiant Universe RPG products here
Valiant Universe RPG is the latest entry of comic books made into tabletop role-playing games. It features superheroes from the Valiant Comics universe and is powered by the same game system as Cosmic Patrol with a slight change for powers. The system is simple and story-oriented and keeps with the GM-less features of the original system, allowing everyone to have a turn at being the antagonist of the story. All in all, it’s a very solid entry into the comic book RPG realm and a good addition to anyone’s library.
I was a big comic book fan in the 1980s and 1990s. One of the heroes I like was Ninjak, although I didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy him as I was at the tail-end of my fandom. When I saw that Catalyst was developing a comic book-based RPG, I had my doubts. When I saw that it was set in the Valiant Universe, my curiosity was piqued. When I got my hands on the Quick Start Guide, all of doubts fell to the floor and my eyes opened to something amazing.
I have a bit of a problem with many superhero RPGs. Many of them feel like regular RPGs with a superhero theme wrapped around them. But when you look at comic books, superhero careers are nothing like what most RPGs represent. They generally don’t have long-term campaigns, battling hordes of mooks until reaching the one big-bad. At least not the comic books I was a fan of. Every one I read consisted of short adventures (with deeper stories in the later years) with one to only a mere handful of adversaries to deal with. But most RPGs are mechanically designed to play like long-term campaigns or lengthy adventures against lots of different adversaries. So when I finished reading through the introduction of the Quick Start Guide and realized it was based on the same, very simple system of Cosmic Patrol, I got a glimpse of those comic book-like adventures, pinning the heroes against villains that were all-but equally matched. This is all done without adding a bunch of layers of mechanics.
Valiant Universe RPG is powered by a GM-less system whereas each player spends an entire scene as the Lead Narrator (i.e. the Gamemaster). Of course, the LN also gets to play as a PC, giving him the chance to act on both sides of the screen. One of the coolest things about this type of mechanic is that everyone gets a hand in driving the story forward, using the given framework, kind of like the ever-changing mentality of a super-villain who must react to the heroes and adjust his plans accordingly. To me, this makes for a much more dynamic game, which comic books always seem to be. They’re not as static as a pre-designed campaign where the characters drive the story, altering regular outcomes, but the overall movements of the one big-bad generally stays the same. In comic books, you’re always fighting the big-bad, and that really comes out in the Valiant Universe RPG.
I can’t wait until this comes out in print!
Follow Us!