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reddish vines.
Nesti are walking bundles of
are bug-like and amphibious.
like and subterranean. Valorian
and serpentine. Budetug are bug-
butterfly wings. Caract are giant
Inuuel are thin and wispy with

Nesti (Agility)
Valorian (Intelligence)
Budetug (Determination)
Inuuel (Magic)
Caract (Brute Strength)
Humans(Creativity)

of specialty:
galaxy, each with their own area
The following species inhabit the

Species and Class

species (p2) and a class (p3).

To create a character, pick a

world, check out the setting

(p5), plus what your class
You have 10 Hero Points

To read more about the

This is a pen-and-paper
sci-fi roleplaying game.
Valence

and species give you.

elements (p4).
owes you a favor. 2
mecha, or even someone who
starship, photon blade, autodoc,
acts as 5 Hero Points, like a
You can also have one item that
game session for their specialty.
extra stash of 5 Hero Points per
Each species and class have an

Rogue (thief), Rogue (assassin).

Mage (healer), Mage (elemental),
Soldier (mecha), Soldier (pilot),
(diplomat), Soldier (deep space),
Expert (doctor), Expert
Examples: Expert (scientist),

area of specialty.
Rogues. Each picks a focused
Experts, Soldiers, Mages, and
There are four broad classes:

back
of years old. It's laser pistols
This is a tiny, folded science

and photon blades, mystical

It's hope and change, and a

against a backdrop millions
Change the World...

powers and bizarre aliens.

whole lot of space opera.

fiction roleplaying game.

We hope you have fun.

rebuilding empires and
starships and space, of

megacorporations, set
...or someone will
change it for you.

Valence is a game of
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Thematic Elements: Rules for Playing the Game:

Genetechnologies corporation, controlling half of the galaxy. Play freestyle until some sort of important action comes up.
Genetically engineered Ultramercenaries, outfitted by GT. The GM will describe the results of all actions based on
An artificial species, the Demons, who ruined the Earth. common sense. If you would prefer a different outcome,
An Earth devastated by asteroid impact. spend a Hero Point to take over narration. You and the GM
Million-year-old alien cultures stagnated by lack of creativity. each roll a die, and whomever comes up higher gets to
Enhancement Suits, the most advanced armor created. describe the result. You can spend as many points as you
Mechanized Assault Craft, robotic armor 20 feet tall. want in this process, but you have to describe each point
Planetary warlords and their fleets of starships. spent as a sort of retry or new approach. Don't describe any
Photon swords that slice through ship hull plating. results as final until everyone is done spending points.
Gatling lasers and entropy beams.
An enhanced computer network called the Lattice. Example: GM: “You try to sneak into Genetech corporate
Ancient starships dating from the fallen Human Empire. HQ. Their security is pretty good, and it is likely you will be
The Coalition, remnants of that Empire in the galactic core. caught.” You: “I'm really charismatic, though. I can talk my
The Lording, a universal source of magical energy. way through.” You spend a hero point. Each of you rolls, and you
The Lords Dimension, a shadow of our own world. fail. GM: “Before you even get in the front door the guards
Scientific laws of Lording, and people who break them. are staring at you.” You pay another point, and you both roll again.
The magical and valuable element Xenite. This time you win. You: “I bluff the guards, con the front desk,
Dozens of alien species, each with multiple cultures. and I'm in the restricted area before anyone even realizes it.”
Worlds of beauty and worlds of devastation.
Starships teleported light-years by Tesseract Drive. You can gain Hero Points at the end of a game session by
Space stations inhabited by millions. doing heroic things during it. At the end of a session,
Black ops teams and covert military operatives. everyone suggests times when a character was in danger or
Propaganda in rhetoric, trends, even advertising. made a sacrifice, and the GM hands out 2-3 points for each
A race to reach the galaxy Andromeda. incident.

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Advice on the rules: Antagonists:

You can spend Hero Points on the behalf of others, but the
points have to be from your personal stash, not what you get
from your class, species, or equipment. Your character has to
be involved in the event somehow, even if only in a flashback
or via comlink.
If you and the GM tie on a roll, you can choose to make the
tie a reality in the game world, or to just re-roll.
For numbers of foes less than that listed, do not use Villain
Points. Note: breaking down the opposition into smaller
groups is the equivalent of giving them Villain Points. A
strong opposing black-ops team of five people can be given 1
VP each and tackled one at a time, or given about 10 VP and
handled all together.
Genetechnologies Forces:
● Guards: 1 VP for every 6 guards.

The more important antagonists have Villain Points (though ● Ultramercenaries: 1 VP each.

not all antagonists are really “villains”). These allow the GM ● Fast-talking diplomat: 1 VP each.

to force a re-roll just like Hero Points do. Armageddon Industries Forces:
● Armed citizenry: 1 VP for every 10 people

Your characters start the game competent but not godlike. ● Guards: 1 VP for every 4 guards

When the GM describes a few armed guards coming with ● With mechanized assault craft: 3 VP each.

guns, you can use a Hero Point to roll and (if you win) take Coalition of Sentient Races Forces:
over narration. If there are a whole lot of them, the GM may ● Soldiers: 1 VP for every 5 guards

assign them Villain Points. ● With starfighters: 3 VP each.

Assorted Others:
Winning narration does not have to be all-or-nothing. If your ● Inuuel Empire Magi: 1 VP per 2 magi

diplomat wins narration against twenty armed guards, you do ● Aegis Corp Enhancement Suits: 4 VP each.

not have to slaughter them all with your briefcase. Instead ● Valorian-trained hacker: 1 VP per 2 hackers

consider a daring escape, a dignified surrender, or the threat

of reprisal from your employers. For space combat, treat individual starfighters as normal
opponents (one VP per several fighters), and give capital
6 ships half a dozen VP or more. 7

Adventure Hooks: Character Sheet

● Go take over a planet or a colony.

● Explore a newly-discovered life-bearing planet, or perhaps Name: ___________________________
one that isn’t life-bearing but that someone else wants.
● First Contact with a new species. Player: ___________________________
● Retrieve/steal the MacGuffin from Location X.
● Guard the MacGuffin. Hero Points
● Create a MacGuffin. For example, you could gather parts Species: 
for better tesser drive, steal diagrams to build fast-
maturing AI or other such things. Class: 
● The MacGuffin you have is the wrong one. Someone’s
stolen it from under your nose. Go steal it back. Equipment: 
● Your employers are considering a particular course of
action in the next sector over. Information must be
gathered. Personal hero points:
● Join the Renaissance freedom fighters, and work against
one of the megacorporations to push them out of an area
or take them down completely.
● Someone is coming to conquer your planet. Are you going
to join them or stop them?
● You're all being blackmailed by the same person.
● Remove your employer's enemies. The means are up to
you, as long as you can't be traced back.
● Retrieve a runaway Ultramercenary.
● Traditional alien menace from beyond our galaxy.
Written by Colin Fredericks. CC-BY-NC 3.0 License.
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