Publisher: Free League Publishing
RPG System: Year Zero
Throughout the 19th century, Scandinavia underwent many changes due to industrialization, war, and the spread of education. The supernatural beings of the region known as vaesen are also changing, as they grow more aggressive during these sweeping changes. Children are being snatched, villages are being destroyed, and it is no longer safe to venture out into nature. The players of Vaesen have been granted the ability to see vaesen, and are tasked with tracking them down and helping those who are negatively affected. Vaesen is an RPG full of mystery and horror, and the core book gives the GM and players everything they need and more to go on their journeys.
Storytelling & Worldbuilding
A good chunk of the core rulebook establishes the setting, vaesen, and vibes. GMs who prefer storytelling over combat will be salivating at all of the possibilities within the game. The Society, an organization made up of players with the Sight (Like players) is fully detailed here, breathing life into the organization while giving GMs room to make it fit their stories. Everything from The Scoiety’s history, structure, creed, and facilities are covered here. The book mentions rules for utilizing the society, including an optional base-building mechanic in which players can manage their headquarters, deflect threats, and upgrade equipment and facilities. There are many facilities to utilize, and the core book also includes contacts that can be used within the facility. All of this helps the preparation phase significantly.
Mythical Scandinavia is a joy to explore thanks to all of the detail in the core book. The geographical features, atmosphere, cities, and more are covered in this book. Rules and structure are in place for navigating the region, establishing technology, what life is like in the country, and even vehicle speeds are all here.
Finally, the book has tons of rules and explanations for the Vaesen themselves, as well as a bestiary with great detail on the Vaesen. It’s remarkably easy to craft a mystery in the world, and storytelling is rarely easier to get going than this.
Rules & Mechanics
The gameplay loop for Vaesen involves the players taking on a mystery throughout 1-3 sessions, making it a great episodic game that can be woven into a larger campaign, like Root: The RPG. Each mystery begins with preparations, including equipment acquisition, library research, and interactions with contacts. An invitation initiates the story, guiding players toward locations where vaesen presence is felt. The narrative unfolds through investigative sequences, with players gaining advantages by roleplaying preparations during the journey to the scene. The loop of gathering information, performing rituals, and returning to headquarters creates a satisfying rhythm, ensuring players are deeply engaged throughout the campaign.
Dice come into play when facing difficulties or opposition, determining outcomes based on character attributes and skills. The system involves combining various strengths that the player possesses and then using those to roll d6. For example, a player trying to push a character will need to perform a Force test. They would combine their Physique stat with their Force stat. This player has Physique 3 and Force 1, so they get 4 dice. Players need to roll at least 1 6 to be successful, and extra successes enhance the outcome (Like a critical would). Conflicts against other characters result in the two comparing their successes, and whoever rolls more 6’s wins. These rolls add to the stakes for players, and while their stats and situation can greatly increase their odds of success, it’s much more unpredictable than other established systems.
Conflict utilizes a familiar system with initiative, rounds, and zones/distances. Determining turn order involves every player drawing a player card numbered 1-10. The value of the card sets initiative. Players can choose to swap cards for initiative at the start of each round, giving them flexibility in approaching combat. Rather than set distances, battles consist of zones, which are areas that can be traversed in just a couple of steps Finally, circumstances, such as darkness, alter what is needed for rolls. Players get two actions per turn, a slow and fast one. Slow actions (attacking, persuading, ritual performances, treating injuries typically involve rolls, while fast actions (standing up, shouting, moving to a new zone) don’t. Reactions are also fast actions, so things like dodging, breaking free from being grappled, or resisting magic are all reactions that can be performed during anyone’s turn in a round as long as the player still has their fast action.
The rules aren’t anything special, but there is plenty of groundwork here for a great GM to make a great game. Few mechanics made me say “Wow,” but everything is so clean and tight that it’s a delightful game. Everything from character creation to preparation to combat just feels good.
Artwork & Presentation
Vaesen is a gorgeously put-together rulebook with stellar illustrations by Johan Egerkrans. The artist’s work can be seen almost every time the player turns the page. It’s colorful, adding a bit of coziness to the book, but also features some horrific designs for the Vaesen. Human drawings are expressive and nearly animated, with bold lines and large eyes. The font for the texts adds to the mythical feel with brown colors. sigils, and curvy lines surrounding all the words.
There are a lot of words obviously, but it is broken up by so many images that it’s easy to digest. The rules are broken down into clear sections, and it’s easy to quickly flip through the core book and find something for clarity while playing.
The binding of the physical book is excellent, and the book has a nice heft to it. The paper quality is great, and no page feels like it will tear easily from regular use. Free League has put together an excellent product here that looks great on a shelf.
GM Experience
As implied earlier in the review, Vaesen is a dream come true for GMs. If players are down for using the setting provided in this Core Book, they have a trove of information to get them started. The setting is exciting and the vaesen are full of detail in both behavior and combat. The blueprint to making a mystery that follows the gameplay loop makes up its chapter, so players who need a little more structure have it.
Combat isn’t flashy in Vaesen, but it’s mechanically sound, which is nice for GMs as it gives fewer things to keep up with. The character creation’s inclusion of motivations and traumas gives a lot of threads for the GM to pull on, especially since the rules motivate players to hide their traumas from other players. Some games are robust with rules, making it a nightmare for GMs. Other games simply don’t give enough with their rules-lite approach. Vaesen gets it just right.
Player Experience
Creating a character in Vaesen is mostly standardfare. Ultimately, character creation is broken down by personality, characteristics, and miscellaneous. Personality is made up of archetypes, motivations, and traumas. Characteristics are attributes, skills, and talents, while miscellaneous includes relationships and resources that players start with. Archetypes are essentially classes, and the core book gives players ten to choose from ranging from Academics and Doctors to Occultists and Officers.
Vaesen gives players the tools to feel like a significant presence in the world. The game embraces gray, emphasizing that vaesen, often victims themselves, require nuanced solutions rather than just being bonked by players. Sure, players are armed with rifles and rapiers, but it often takes more than simple combat to drive them away.
Players who love mysteries and preparing for the next entity will have a fantastic experience in Vaesen.
Vaesen doesn’t change the game with its rules, but it does give players one of the best settings to work with. Combat and checks aren’t its strength, so anyone who wants to focus on epic battles will need to go elsewhere. The unique atmosphere, impressive tools, and incredible flexibility make this an excellent RPG for those who love storytelling together. It’s an easy recommendation for fans of mystery and horror.
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Storytelling & Worldbuilding
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Rules & Mechanics
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Artwork & Presentation
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The GM Experience
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The Player Experience
