Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game (2016)

Overview

Hidden beneath Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary is a massive, hidden research installation run by the secretive organization known as project Rising Spirit. This mysterious installation, code named “the Facility,” uses unknown energies to morph and transform itself at will to keep horrid villains, dangerous creatures, alien entities, and top-secret research projects trapped within. Rumors of the Facility’s existence and its most prized possessions have leaked, and the Valiant Universe’s most powerful organizations—The Harbinger Foundation, the Renegades, GATE, and more—are taking an interest. The world may never be the same.

In Valiant Universe: The Deck-Building Game you command an organization attempting to seize the secret Alcatraz base. Purchase cards to craft a unique deck, and battle your way through the ever-changing Facility grid that moves during play to gain access to a card or damage another player. Maneuver your superhero miniatures to battle it out with other superheroes for ultimate control!

From the rules: "Each player assumes the role of an Organization within the Valiant Universe, attempting to infiltrate the Facility and gain control while fighting off any other Organizations along the way. The Facility is abstractly represented by a grid of cards: 5 Levels (rows) x 5 Blocks (columns), for 25 decks of cards. Each deck on this grid is known as a Sector. To gain ultimate control of the Facility, each player will play cards from their hands to deal damage to other Organizations and manipulate the cards in the grid—which represents the Facility morphing and changing. Players will also have the opportunity to purchase cards from their Zone of Influence (ZOI) on the Facility. Additionally, players can move their Superhero miniature around the Facility’s Sectors to deal additional damage to Opponents, while making use of their Abilities on their Power card. Along the way, the Facility may also strike back at the players. As fighting rages throughout the underground complex, damage is also inflicted not just to Organizations but to the Facility as well, marked using the Facility Durability Tracker. As more damage is received, more Sectors go into shutdown, making those cards unavailable for purchase, as well as potentially causing damage to a player’s Organization. As Organizations take damage, their Cohesion drops; a measure of their overall strength, morale, leadership, and ability to keep fighting. If an Organization’s Cohesion ever drops to 0, they retreat from the Facility and are out of the game. The last player remaining in the game is the winner as they seize control of the Facility and its exotic treasures!"