Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Vaesen

We started a new monthly tabletop campaign called Vasesen, which is 19th Century Nordic Horror.  It's made by Free League Publishing, the same people who make RPGs such as Forbidden Lands and Tales from the Loop.

My one player Casey likes to mention that the system is brutal. You roll Attribute plus skill and any sixes you get are considered a success. You can push a roll to generate success but it doesn't guarantee success, just a reroll.

So far we have the following characters:
An Academic
A Private Investigator
A Lutheran Minister
A Military Officer
A Rich Doctor
(I am sorry but I don't have access to their names where I am right now. All I remember is that the private detective is named after one of Sherlock Holmes' disguised identities (which I believe is Ulf Sigerson)

We have done half an adventure so far, and the Military Officer has shot at monsters, gone a bit batty, and ended up screaming uncontrollably at the sight of a hanged man. There was haunted shadow puppet theater going on. People fainted,  The Doctor and the Private Investigator are the only ones who kept their heads on straight so far but we shall see what happens when more stuff goes on.

It's a lot like seeing a Call of Cthulhu group lose it's collective mind in a way.  An interesting event to say the least but it'really can throw a wrench in the story.

I know some people prefer the fear mechanic in things like Legend of the Five Rings, where you just get penalized on rolls to the point where running is probably a good idea. I have found this doesn't work as well with groups that mainly play D&D because instead of embracing the fear they just get frustrated at the penalties. Then again, it's tough without getting the proper buy in from players in L5R without it turning into D&D with Samurai. When the GM tries to describe zombies without saying it and really give a good horror to the situation and the players are all like, "YAY!! ZOMBIES!!!" it really can take the wind out of the GM's sails.

Back to Vasesen. I find the game fun.  Hopefully other people do too, since they are playing in it. Hopefully everyone survives. As the GM, I root for my players, but that is another post for another time.

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