Mysterious creatures that go bump in the night are bleeding into civilization. Nordic cryptids and creatures that were once living in harmony with nature are now finding themselves in the middle of paved roads and cities. Are these creatures truly evil? Are they malevolent? Or are they something else entirely? Whatever they are, make sure you keep their existence hushed so as to not start a panic.
Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: Vaesen was kindly sent to us for review by Free League.
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: Play as a member of a secret group that specializes in the occult and has the gift of seeing mysterious creatures that are invisible to most. Explore the countryside and find these mysterious creatures and exterminate them, exorcise them, or give them peace.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: Yes, Free League also makes our favorite high fantasy RPG Dragonbane as well as the amazing Alien RPG that makes you feel as if you’re in an Alien movie. They have many wonderful titles.
What was surprising about this title: Character creation is extremely quick and easy. You can very easily make a few decisions and have a great character to play or if you’re in a hurry the Vaesen rulebook has handy random tables near the end of the book that will help you whip up a character in no time for those pesky moments where you didn’t plan to join a session or if you happened to bite off more than you can chew against a werewolf. Each creature is crafted with thought and care, making every encounter wondrous. Is this creature out for revenge? Or is it scared and looking for safety? Perhaps it is seeking an item it lost or it’s none of those and it is acting against its own will.
How likely is this to return to the game table?: Very likely. The ease of crafting up a quick mystery is provided in the rulebook and offers up encounter tables, many Vaesen to choose from, different motives and the possibility of long-term campaigns via the use of upgrading your castle.
Game length: A few hours at minimum and many, many hours at maximum. We usually say that RPGs vary in time but this is more accurate. Vaesen will take a few hours to play and it can take a few or many sessions to complete a mystery. The example mission included in the rulebook can take one session of a few hours or multiple sessions of many hours. It really depends on your playgroup and what you are looking for.
Language Barrier Playability: Poor. Everyone at the table needs to have a full understanding of one language. It does not matter what that language is, but all players and the GM need to speak the same language. The GM can speak two languages and play the game in one of those languages but from that point on, the players will all need to understand whatever language the GM is using. Constant translation of different languages would be exhausting and would slow down the pacing.
Artwork: Absolutely stunning. This book belongs on your shelf and deserves to be displayed. The art is macabre, magical and with just a hint of curiosity. Strange creatures look both terrifying and inviting. It is a truly gorgeous book.
Quality: Amazing. The pages are matte and have the texture of printer paper. They’re slightly roughened but still smooth. This makes turning the page quite easy, and while most rulebooks have semigloss or glossy pages, this book looks all the better for it. You don’t have to worry about leaving smudges on the pages with your fingers. You don’t have to have moist fingertips to turn the pages, and the book comes with an attached ribbon bookmark that makes it easy to find where you left off or for quick reference.
Strategy: This game is a bit more strategic than most high fantasy RPGs. You won’t really be hacking and slashing (for the most part). You’re playing a relatively normal person in terms of physical abilities. Your character just happens to have a bit more knowledge than most on the occult. So you’ll usually use your own smarts or your character’s abilities to solve the mysteries and bring peace to the countryside and villages.
Instruction Manual: The entire book is an instruction manual. But it is well written and easy to follow. Though our only critique is that we found the organization to be a bit unusual. Most games follow the basic pattern of: how to play, character creation, how to DM, how to write an adventure, followed by resources such as items, equipment, monsters, etc. Vaesen just happens to give you most of the resources first and then tells you what to do with them. There is nothing wrong with this and it sort of makes sense in some ways. It seems reasonable to tell you about things that exist within the world of Vaesen first, then follow it up with “now here’s what you can do with all these things.”
Organization: See the Instruction Manual section.
Final thoughts: Vaesen is a wonderful book to add to your collection. It is unique in the sense that you don’t really want to fight the Vaesen but you need to confront them. They aren’t usually malevolent creatures but they can do great harm. Most of the encounters are built around the idea that society is doing something horrible to the poor entities and now they’re no longer happy and in harmony with nature. This is a good game to play when you’re tired of hacking and slashing everything in sight (though if your group has a murder hobo, you might still have a murder hobo). It is also a good game if you want a change of pace with horror. It’s not pulpy like Lovecraftian horror and it’s not campy like watching an episode of Buffy. It’s Gothic horror at its core with a few Nordic twists to keep it refreshing.
Sushiball Games 