Legends of Valour Retrospective

Legends of Valour, or to be precise, Legends of Valour Volume I: The Dawning, is the subject of the latest retrospective article from Richard Cobbett for Rock, Paper, Shotgun. The role-playing title developed by Synthetic Dimensions and published in 1992 intrigues Cobbett largely because of its different approach to the themes of heroism and powers, and its simulationist approach to gameplay.

According to Cobbett, the classic RPG mechanics and quests weren’t very good, but everything that was around them felt memorable:

I was mostly drawn to it now because for the last few weeks, I’ve talked about games conveying a sense of heroism and power, and there’s been quite a few rumblings about how old that gets. Legends of Valour is one of the defining examples of the other approach. You’re a nobody, with no great destiny and no particular skills, in a world marked by its absolute indifference to you. Much of the challenge early on is simply surviving hunger and thirst and the town guards’ love of arresting people rather than fighting the monsters that live below, as well as learning your way around a town whose map is a sprawling urban nightmare. There was a map and you can at least ask for directions, but an engine of this vintage isn’t what you want to reach for when it comes to radically different city districts and cool points of interest. You spend at least much, if not all your time basically starving to death on the street in the rags of what few bits and pieces bought back in your home town. Now, on top of that, there’s a story, there’s quests, there’s guilds to join and all the usual RPG stuff, but there’s reasons why nobody ever talks about that side of the game. It’s pretty weak.

Within the weakness though, there’s still some wonderful weirdness. The ability to hurl insults at everyone, like (Didn’t you used to be a bugridden cave dwarf?) that tend to turn into stabby face pain if pulled on the wrong person. Local delicacies including the bugburger literally, a tarantula in a bun with lettuce and zombie brains ((Very appetising if you’ve a mind!)) that bring a whole new horror to filling up need bars. Gambling on cockroach races at the tavern for cash. Hilarious digitised photos in the various town establishments, with the option to send in a photo and have your own integrated into the game, a la Core Design’s Corporation. Bumping into werewolves wandering around at night, calling them over with a (Hey?) and then asking them for directions. Not much use unless what you were looking for actually was over in the (GRRRRRRRRRRR!) District, but hey, at least you could talk to the monsters!