
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,785
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Villages of Valeria
- 1–5 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2017

Rules assistance for Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition is an expansion for Valeria: Card Kingdoms released in 2021 for 1–5 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Isaias Vallejo and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Cooperative Game, and Open Drafting.
The Kickstarter editions comes packaged with 3 expansions not contained in the retail edition - The Fire Temple Monsters, The Kaharian Monsters, and The Shade Events. The goal of Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn is to introduce co-operative play into the Valeria world through groups of related books called Sagas. These books will lead the players through a story that unfolds during the game and offers greater immersion into the Valeria setting. New rules and cards will be introduced in each book, some lasting only through the current book and some persisting through the unfolding Saga, somewhat like a "legacy game". Darksworn uses six book-decks to tell a story of wonder, sacrifice, and adventure as you explore the territory west of Valeria and encounter a darkness that cannot go unchecked. Each book presents you with a set of new rules and several tasks that must be completed by your gaming group in order to advance to the next book in the saga. Within each book you'll find special boons to assist you and powerful monsters to challenge you. Your team will have to strike a balance between building effective tableaus of citizens that will allow you to complete the tasks and defending the decreasing center stacks of citizens that are the health of your kingdom. The play area for Darksworn is much the same as an ordinary game of Valeria: Card Kingdoms, but there are some notable changes. The story board sits above the monster row. This is where each book's story and challenges are presented, where new rules are displayed, and where citizens captured by monster attacks languish in a dark oubliette. Walls provide additional protection from the attacking monsters, but if they make it past the walls, your citizen stacks are going to suffer. At the bottom of the play area is the Blessings Board where your devotion to the radiance of Aquila can grant you special powers, free captured citizens, and even rebuild fallen walls. If any of the monsters make it through to the Blessings Board, however, all is lost.
Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition supports 1–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition is 30–45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Cooperative Game, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition are: Isaias Vallejo. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn: Kickstarter Edition as an expansion for Valeria: Card Kingdoms. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Valeria: Card Kingdoms to use it. Check that your edition of Valeria: Card Kingdoms is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.