Preview: Alaria: Valor & Company

They set off across the Black Sea and became stranded in a valley surrounded by inhospitable wilderness and the sea. The Humans and the Vlox (A reptilian species) were the first to settle in the Alaria Valley. That was six centuries ago. Now we find the Alarian society starting to crack and there are powers maneuvering for control of Alaria. Alaria: Valor & Company is the newest Tabletop Role Playing Game (TTRPG) by Alex Abrahams coming to Kickstarter this spring.

Valor & Company is a new TTRPG system that is debuting with an adventure set in the fantasy renaissance world of Alraria. The Valor & Company system aims to reduce bookkeeping, play fast all in a highly customizable way. The design of Valor and Company looks to speed up interactions in a fast and intuitive way. The game is also scalable due to the minimalist character sheets allowing players to control multiple characters.

When players make skill checks they summon their inner Maverick and call a suit the proficiency of the skill will determine the amount of cards drawn.

In Valor & Company players develop their characters by using 2 sections, the first is the Station and this covers the story and goals of the character. The second section is the Build this is where players add in all the skills and weapons and traits (all the heavy rules stuff).

The systems in Valor & Company are simplistic so that players and GMs can keep the adventures story focused without getting bogged down in a rules heavy system that requires lots of reference. For example when players make skill checks they summon their inner Maverick and call a suit, the proficiency of the skill will determine the amount of cards drawn. You succeed on a match or series of matches to the called suit depending on how evil your GM is. No dice here just a simple deck of cards with the jokers included.

The combat system is elegant and makes for quick altercations.

When players enter combat they start utilizing the focus economy. Each player has 1 Standard, 1 Move, and 1 Swift action on their turn. Reactions and doing additional actions will cost you that focus but you can gain it back if you use the prepare (standard)action. The combat system is elegant and makes for quick altercations. Deciding wounds and damage is quick and easy also.

The adventures in Alaria that come with Valor & Company are full of detail and resources for the game master. In the adventures there are maps, NPCs, background info, and plenty of decision points for the party. There is a lot of depth and guidance put into it to ensure that the GM runs a successful campaign.

If you are looking for an elegant TTRPG system that scales and manages to keep things simple and easy all while delivering depth of play then Valor & Company deserves your attention. I found the system easy to learn and I loved the details put in to the system. This is not another D20 system this is fresh and new. Valor & Company will be on Kickstarter at the end of February!

Players: 2+

Year Published: 2023

Recommended Ages: 12+

A beta copy of Alaria: Valor & Company was provided to Bert's Tabletop Games for review purposes.