
- BGG rank
- BGG #21,265
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Vikings: The Board Game
- 2–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2016

2016
Rules assistance for Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game
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.
Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game is a board game released in 2016 for 2–5 players and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Randall N. Bills, Heather Smith, Bruce Stringer, Matthew Lattanzi, and Patrick Sean Murphy and its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
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!"
Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game supports 2–5 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 catalogue lists Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game for ages 13 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.
Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game belongs to these categories: Card Game, Comic Book / Strip, and Miniatures. Its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. 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 Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game are: Randall N. Bills, Heather Smith, Bruce Stringer, Matthew Lattanzi, and Patrick Sean Murphy. 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 Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.