Vaesen RPG Review: Dark Folklore, Mystery, and Why You Should Play
I was unsure about this one at first. A Nordic horror RPG set in 19th century Scandinavia? Sounded niche. Now I can’t wait to run it.
What Makes Vaesen Different
Vaesen is a dark fantasy RPG where players investigate supernatural creatures from Scandinavian folklore. Not the cute stuff. The dark side of folklore. Ancient things that have turned aggressive.
The premise is brilliant. The industrial revolution has disrupted life. For generations, people and vaesen coexisted without too much trouble. But modernity has encroached on the natural world, and these creatures have had enough.
Your characters can see vaesen because something traumatic happened to them. They have “the sight.” Most people can’t see these creatures unless the vaesen want to be seen. But you? You see them all the time. And in 19th century society, telling people you see little creatures in corners is a one-way ticket to the funny farm.
The Society
All players are members of a mysterious organisation called The Society. It’s a group that’s been investigating vaesen for years, but it nearly collapsed a decade ago. Nobody knows what happened. You’re the first people rebuilding it.
This is fantastic campaign fodder. Everyone has the same mission but different motivations. You’re investigating vaesen, figuring out what’s wrong, and trying to fix problems. You’re not here to kill them. You won’t win those fights anyway. You’re here to understand.
The Year Zero Engine (Simplified)
Free League uses their Year Zero Engine, but they’ve stripped out all the resource management. No tracking weapon degradation or survival resources like in Forbidden Lands or Mutant Year Zero. This game is about investigation, not logistics.
Roll d6s equal to your attribute plus skill. Get a six? Success. Need extra successes? Keep rolling sixes. Fail? You can push the roll, but you’ll take a condition.
The condition system is clever. You choose what happens to you. Physical failure? Pick exhausted, battered, or wounded. Mental failure? Frightened, hopeless, or broken. Each condition reduces your dice pool for related rolls. Stack three of the same type and you’re broken entirely.
It’s always your choice when to push. Risk and reward, player-driven.
Castle Gyldencreutz
As members of The Society, you’ve inherited a crumbling castle. And you get to rebuild it.
This is what Free League does so well. They give you a group project that develops alongside your characters. Unlock an armoury. Build a library. Hire personnel. Each upgrade gives you bonuses when preparing for investigations.
But here’s the twist. Every time you spend upgrade points, the GM secretly rolls dice. Roll a six and something dodgy happens. A journalist tries to expose your secrets. A relative wants one of you committed. A vaesen moves into your headquarters.
The castle becomes a character everyone cares about. Brilliant.
The Book Itself
I need to talk about the physical book. It’s 220 pages but significantly thicker than books with 320 pages. The paper is gorgeous. Thick. Authentic feeling for the time period. Reading it feels like holding something from the 19th century.
The artwork is haunting. Pencil drawings mixed with period-appropriate illustrations. Every page makes you want to keep reading.
This is what you get when a company genuinely cares about their products.
The Honest Truth About Layout
Free League books prioritise reading over reference. The book is a joy to read, but finding specific rules at the table isn’t always easy.
My fix? Download rule summaries and keep them handy. Or throw the content into ChatGPT and get it summarised for table use. You get the joy of reading the beautiful book, then practical notes for running.
Free League, if you’re listening: Use your inside covers for rule summaries. One change and you’d have the best of both worlds.
What Pushed Me Over the Edge
This game made me research my own hometown in the 19th century. I’m looking up old buildings, finding historical maps, planning to run a campaign set in Ireland using the Mythic Britain and Ireland expansion.
It also made me look at my shelves and realise I have so many games I want to run. Vaesen is near the front of that list now.
Bottom Line
Pros:
- Rich, immersive setting based on real folklore
- Investigation and narrative focused
- Streamlined Year Zero Engine (perfect for this style)
- Gorgeous artwork and physical design
- Excellent GM section on building mysteries
- Includes a starter adventure
Cons:
- Niche setting might put off some players initially
- Better for reading than quick reference at the table
- Adventures have perfect text for reading, too much for running (make notes)
If you love story-heavy games about figuring out what’s going on rather than rolling dice to hit things, this is your game. The setting is unique, the mechanics support the fiction perfectly, and the book is a genuine pleasure to own.
Get it. Vaesen on Free League