First Impressions - Vaesen - Nordic Horror Roleplaying

Vaesen - atmospheric Nordic Horror.

 

TL;DR: I really like this game. Throughout reading Vaesen, it was giving me ideas for mysteries to run. The streamlined version of the Year Zero Engine is light enough to work well, and the nature of the Vaesen gives the game a unique feel. I love the way the Mythic North is presented, giving just enough detail a hook a game around and enough space to make it easily your own. The somewhen in the nineteenth century approach is brilliant, giving a soft focus setting that has plenty of atmosphere. I'm going to run this soon.

Fria Ligan had me with Vaesen right from the first image they used for the Kickstarter. Enigmatic, beautiful and scary, the artwork drew me straight in. I loved the concept of a more mythically led horror game; all to often, roleplaying horror games default to Lovecraftian starkness. This was more layered, more nuanced.

The image that hooked me.

Vaesen is presented beautifully. The production values don't quite match those in Vaesen: Spirits and Monsters of Scandinavian Folklore (link to my previous comments) but they come very close. The 232 page hardback has a linen-effect cover, and rather than the flat spine you usually see in roleplaying games, this one has a curved spine like an older book. There's a dark green ribbon to mark your place. Page thickness is less than the source book, but on the heavy end for a roleplaying game. The art is glorious, drawing on Johan Egerkrans' images to great effect. Layout is clean and simple, and there's a decent index.

The game is set in the 'mythic north', an alternative Scandinavia sometime in the 19th Century. You're encouraged to be non-specific with datas and technologies to make it your own. The setting draws on the impact of industrialisation as mining, logging, railways and factories start to impinge on a way of life that has fundamentally been unchanged for centuries. Vaesen are spirits and creatures, perhaps monsters, which have co-existed with humanity over the ages, and the change is disturbing them. In some places they are resisting the change, in others their suffering has an effect of the symbiotic relationships with the villages and peoples of the north. 

Characters all have the sight; they are amongst the few who can usually see and sense Vaesen, as they are all Thursday's Children. They are members of the Society, an organisation based out of a run-down castle in Upsala in Sweden which seeks to study the Vaesen and also to protect mankind from them.

Characters are built from a number of archetypes (academics, doctors, hunters, occultists, officers, priests, private detectives, servants, vagabonds, and writers) which make it easy to establish a group that matches the fiction of the period. There are twelve core skills, and each archetype has access to a talent which gives a bonus in certain situations. There are four core attributes (physique, precision, logic, empathy). Each character establish a relationship with the others (effectively a positive or negative bond). Wealth is abstracted into a resources score. Everyone has a memento which can be drawn upon to heal mental or physical conditions. Each character also has a dark secret which can be drawn on by the GM to place pressure on them.

The game engine is a lightweight take on the Year Zero Engine, most similar to that seen in Tales from the Loop. It's stripped back and light touch; just enough to add tension. Rolls can be pushed at the cost of a condition.

The Society has its own chapter, with a history and roles that the players can have their characters take up. There are campaign rules for developing the society and its facilities. If they player's are successful, the society will thrive and grow.

Another chapter provides high level guidance on Scandinavia in general and Upsala specifically. It's a strong framework to build the game from. 

The Vaesen chapter details twenty-one Vaesen[1]; this isn't an exhaustive list, and the GM is encouraged to draw upon other sources, especially Egerkrans' book. It describes the history of how the Vaesen and humanity have interacted. The game leaves plenty of spaces to make this your own; it specifically doesn't make a call whether God and the Devil exist, merely noting that Vaesen can be fearful of the symbols of Christianity. The Vaesen range between nature spirits, familiars, shapeshifters, spirits of the dead and monsters. They often have access to magical powers which fall into three categories; Enchantments, Curses and Trollcraft. 

The mechanics of how the magic works aren't described, merely the effects. Enchantments are powerful and can affect a location and all those living there; they succeed automatically and can cause characters to suffer a fear test. They are not usually direct in nature, mainly creating an atmosphere, such as raising a fog or darkness. Curses are used by Vaesen to attack individuals. They cause an effect and extra successes may cause conditions. An example would by Night Terrors, locking a victim into a terrifying sleep and causing mental damage. The final form of magic, Trollcraft, allows Vaesen to bend time and space or alter reality. However, the game is clear that the story comes first over the mechanics. There are rules for player characters using magic, but it is made clear that this is quite rare.

Vaesen have four stats; might, body control, magic and manipulation. They cannot push rolls. They also have a fear value which characters have to resist the first time the Vaesen is revealed or become terrified (fleeing, fainting, freezing or attacking). Each Vaesen has a list of conditions that they will take if they are damaged. Their magical powers are described, along with the ritual which will banish the creature. There's also a secret which will complicate the ritual. Finally, a number of examples of conflicts involving that Vaesen are given. Of course, it's beautifully illustrated by Egerkrans. A key thing to note is that combat is not usually the solution; in most cases it will only gain you a temporary respite until the angered Vaesen returns.

A chapter is dedicated to how you design a mystery for the players to explore. It starts with the selection of the Vaesen and the source of the primary conflict between it and humanity. There will then usually be a secondary conflict which may engage into the character's dark secrets. It may be completely unrelated to the Vaesen but it will drive drama. The primary conflict will have began with some form of misdeed, prompting the Society to investigate. The location is decided, linked to the kind of Vaesen chosen and an appropriate map prepared. Elements to build atmosphere are selected to call upon in descriptions to raise player's engagement. Clues are then selected; central cases will solve the primary conflict, peripheral clues will flesh out what is going on. The text recommends having at least two places that each clue can be found and also ensuring the player's get it if the characters end up in the right place or person. Finally, a countdown is established - effectively the beats of the mystery that will happen if it is not averted. The ultimate catastrophe is also described if the characters fail.

A recommended structure for the mystery is given:

1. Prologue
2. Invitation (to the mystery)
3. Preparations
4. The Journey to the Mystery
5. Arrival
6. Places
7. Confrontation
8. Aftermath

It's a good working form. There's great examples of how to make the situation unpleasant and scary for the characters. There's also advice on building a campaign.

The final chapter is the introductory mystery, 'The Dance of Dreams', which is aimed to run for two to three sessions. I won't spoil it, but it drops in some lovely hooks for the future of a campaign.

There is an appendix with an alternative life path character generation approach, similar to that seen in Forbidden Lands.

I really like this game. Throughout reading Vaesen, it was giving me ideas for mysteries to run. The streamlined version of the Year Zero Engine is light enough to work well, and the nature of the Vaesen gives the game a unique feel. I love the way the Mythic North is presented, giving just enough detail a hook a game around and enough space to make it easily your own. The somewhen in the nineteenth century approach is brilliant, giving a soft focus setting that has plenty of atmosphere. I'm going to run this soon.

15 August 2020

[1] A twenty-second Vaesen is presented in 'A Wicked Secret'.