In an upcoming issue of Knights of the Dinner Table, I review Free League’s Vaesen - Nordic Horror Roleplaying core rulebook. I choose to review this project because the concepts, artwork, writing, and engine represent roleplaying done right. This RPG’s world and system offer mysteries that return gamers to the mystery and unknown of early tabletop. In fact, it impressed me so much that I started a Vaesen campaign. At the table, this engine and world combine to create moments of horror, humor, high tension, and high drama; in other words, everything a fun night of roleplaying needs. With the launch of their latest Kickstarter for Vaesen – Mythic Britain and Ireland, a sourcebook for the game, and Vaesen – Seasons of Mystery, an adventure book, it’s the right time to talk about why this RPG deserves the awards it has won, what the Kickstarter offers, and get a few quick insights from its author, Graeme Davis.
In the mythic north of 19th century Scandinavia, the people are abandoning the land and the old ways for the promise of the industrialized cities. They’re forgetting the spirits and traditions that made for a happy land and happy vaesen. Left alone and uncared for, those spirits and monsters are angry, and only you, an individual cursed with The Sight, can see them and their pain. It’s up to you to placate these spirits before they lose control and begin hurting those rural folks who have not abandoned them.
As an RPG, it’s a lot of fun. Your character is in a secret society, they know about vaesen, but aren’t experts, just those lucky/unlucky enough to know that they are real and what they can do, and your character knows enough to research what has to be done in order to stop them.
That’s where this RPG stands out from the rest, Vaesen has a secret sauce, Rituals. These monsters and spirits are angry because the old ways are not being observed. Your job in the game is to learn their Rituals, the works that placate them, and calm their angry nature. Unlike most RPGs, you don’t have to kill the vaesen or take their power or conquer their land, you just have to know the right rite to calm them. The culmination of the battle will not be blood and death but presenting the vaesen with a wreath of holly dipped in milk or some other piece of folklore. I like the thought and attention that this RPG puts into the rituals and how they play out.
Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying took home a number of ENnie Awards in 2021. I was able to check out the medals at Origins Game Fair and they look great sitting with the core rulebook. Having played the game, I get way the core rulebook took home the Gold Medals for Best Monster/Adversary, Best Art, Cover, and Best Art, Interior, both for artist Johan Egerkrans’ work.
Despite how good the engine is, the key to Vaesen is its Rituals. Rituals are how you defeat a vaesen. As an example, let’s look at ghosts in Vaesen. The Ritual to defeat a ghost is exactly what you’d expect: “The only way to banish a ghost is to find out what is keeping her from passing on, and help her resolve whatever unfinished business she may have.” To defeat a ghost, you have to solve their mystery. That’s all roleplaying. Let’s look at the nisse, a farm spirit sorta like a gnome. I’m only going to share the first Ritual to remove them: “The easiest way to get rid of a nisse is to make him accept a new piece of clothing. After putting it on, he disappears to another farm.” To deal with an angry nisse, your characters need to pick out the right piece of clothing and offer it. Alternately, maybe they provide a coat in winter. Maybe it’s the shirt the nisse’s brother wore before he moved off of the farm. Whatever the clothing is, the concept requires research and roleplaying, no dice.
This RPG uses a solid, award winning engine, but it’s secret is that the final resolution to any encounter is roleplaying based.
Vaesen RPG – Mythic Britain & Ireland from Free League Publishing
What Is Vaesen?
The Vaesen line of RPGs are Free League’s horror games that follow their proven formula. This RPG checks many of the boxes of Free League’s great properties:- It runs on the Year Zero Engine
- The project is based on the artwork of a great artist, in this case, Johan Egerkrans
- The graphic design and layouts are beautifully executed
- Vaesen is a line of books, not a one-and-done project like many other publisher’s games
- Best of all, the overall game is already an award winning RPG
In the mythic north of 19th century Scandinavia, the people are abandoning the land and the old ways for the promise of the industrialized cities. They’re forgetting the spirits and traditions that made for a happy land and happy vaesen. Left alone and uncared for, those spirits and monsters are angry, and only you, an individual cursed with The Sight, can see them and their pain. It’s up to you to placate these spirits before they lose control and begin hurting those rural folks who have not abandoned them.
As an RPG, it’s a lot of fun. Your character is in a secret society, they know about vaesen, but aren’t experts, just those lucky/unlucky enough to know that they are real and what they can do, and your character knows enough to research what has to be done in order to stop them.
That’s where this RPG stands out from the rest, Vaesen has a secret sauce, Rituals. These monsters and spirits are angry because the old ways are not being observed. Your job in the game is to learn their Rituals, the works that placate them, and calm their angry nature. Unlike most RPGs, you don’t have to kill the vaesen or take their power or conquer their land, you just have to know the right rite to calm them. The culmination of the battle will not be blood and death but presenting the vaesen with a wreath of holly dipped in milk or some other piece of folklore. I like the thought and attention that this RPG puts into the rituals and how they play out.
Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying took home a number of ENnie Awards in 2021. I was able to check out the medals at Origins Game Fair and they look great sitting with the core rulebook. Having played the game, I get way the core rulebook took home the Gold Medals for Best Monster/Adversary, Best Art, Cover, and Best Art, Interior, both for artist Johan Egerkrans’ work.
What Makes Vaesen Stand Out?
I mentioned the Rituals and I want to shine the spotlight on this non-mechanic. The artwork and setting help to set Vaesen apart from other RPGs. It’s concept – Nordic folklore meets some secret supernatural society – is interesting enough, but the Year Zero Engine (YZE) and the Rituals are what makes Vaesen an experience. The YZE involves rolling d6 dice pools. If you fail, you can push your luck in which case your character takes a condition and you get to reroll your dice pool. It takes the power from the dice and gives it to the players.Despite how good the engine is, the key to Vaesen is its Rituals. Rituals are how you defeat a vaesen. As an example, let’s look at ghosts in Vaesen. The Ritual to defeat a ghost is exactly what you’d expect: “The only way to banish a ghost is to find out what is keeping her from passing on, and help her resolve whatever unfinished business she may have.” To defeat a ghost, you have to solve their mystery. That’s all roleplaying. Let’s look at the nisse, a farm spirit sorta like a gnome. I’m only going to share the first Ritual to remove them: “The easiest way to get rid of a nisse is to make him accept a new piece of clothing. After putting it on, he disappears to another farm.” To deal with an angry nisse, your characters need to pick out the right piece of clothing and offer it. Alternately, maybe they provide a coat in winter. Maybe it’s the shirt the nisse’s brother wore before he moved off of the farm. Whatever the clothing is, the concept requires research and roleplaying, no dice.
This RPG uses a solid, award winning engine, but it’s secret is that the final resolution to any encounter is roleplaying based.
Vaesen – Mythic Britain and Ireland and Graeme Davis
It’s the fourth quarter of 2021, a time when RPG Kickstarters tend to thin out. However, Free League has an annual October/November/December Kickstarter tradition: they launch a new campaign. Each year, they prove there’s a significant fanbase and interest in their work despite the holiday shopping season and this year is no different. On top of that, Free League’s Q4 offerings have been some of their heavy hitters.- Tales from the Loop - Roleplaying in the '80s That Never Was (November, 2016) with 5,600 backers pledged SEK 3,745,896
- Forbidden Lands - Retro Open-World Survival Fantasy RPG (October, 2017) with 3,399 backers pledged SEK 2,828,267
- Mutant: Elysium - Roleplaying Humanity's Final Fall (November, 2018) with 1,480 backers pledged SEK 1,163,217
- Vaesen - Nordic Horror Roleplaying (November, 2019) with 3,944 backers pledged SEK 2,717,353
- The Labyrinth – New Narrative Art Book by Simon Stålenhag (October, 2020) with 9,090 backers pledged SEK 4,230,378
That is a great reason to write this book. I asked him what fans can expect from the latest book? Locations? Monsters? Adventure paths?
It’s a risk to shift focus from one setting to another in an RPG line, but this project is proving it’s a wise decision. As of this writing, the campaign for these books have more backers and funds raised than the core rulebook achieved in November, 2019.
Should You Support the Kickstarter?
Vaesen – Mythic Britain and Ireland is perfect if you want to add more English and Irish folklore options to your Vaesen campaign. Adding new monsters and learning more about the world offers fresh roleplaying opportunities to your table. If you’re a fan of Vaesen, this is an easy recommendation. Alternately, if you like RPGs with an artistic focus, this one is a celebration of Johan Egerkrans’ artwork. The game is based on Johan’s art and concepts, and the finished product shines due to the solid source material. If you want European folklore laid out in a gorgeous way, the first two books of the line, Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying and Vaesen – A Wicked Secret, demonstrate Free League’s eye for design. Don’t own the core rulebook but still want to try out this RPG? There’s a tier for SEK 898 [“Approx.$104/€89/£75”] plus S/H that gives you the print and PDF versions of the core rulebook, this sourcebook, the Season of Mystery adventure book, a map, and a soundtrack. If you want to read more about the core game, Rob Wieland reviewed it here.Vaesen RPG – Mythic Britain & Ireland from Free League Publishing
- End Date: Wed, December 22 2021 3:00 PM EST.
- “Face the mythic creatures of Britain and Ireland in this expansion to the multiple award-winning Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying.”
