Vaesen.  Do you love it or hate it?

Out of all of the Free League games, it has caught my interest more than the others.  Although ALIEN and TFtL tie for second place.

Quote from: Vanadium Angel on March 09, 2024, 08:43:30 AM
Vaesen.  Do you love it or hate it?

Out of all of the Free League games, it has caught my interest more than the others.  Although ALIEN and TFtL tie for second place.

I played it, it was OK. I'm not a fan of the YZE, I like Dragonbane a lot more. I never really got into the base building aspect. Overall I think I enjoyed it, great art, but would much rather the system was Call of Cthulu/BRP.

Quote from: S'mon on March 09, 2024, 10:34:25 AM

Quote from: Vanadium Angel on March 09, 2024, 08:43:30 AM
Vaesen.  Do you love it or hate it?

Out of all of the Free League games, it has caught my interest more than the others.  Although ALIEN and TFtL tie for second place.

I played it, it was OK. I'm not a fan of the YZE, I like Dragonbane a lot more. I never really got into the base building aspect. Overall I think I enjoyed it, great art, but would much rather the system was Call of Cthulu/BRP.

Being into CoC is what drew me to Vaesen.  I appreciate the simplicity of the YZE, but there are a few aspects that I do not care for.  Zones or other vague distance tools are not normally my cup of tea.  The HQ building can be worked around easily.  In fact, I have been working on producing a map for the base Vaesen HQ, Castle Gyllencreutz.

I love the concept of Vaesen, but honestly haven't been able to convince my group to try it yet. Call of Cthulhu is a lot darker than Vaesen and my players seem to prefer it, but Cthulhu always strikes me as that "no win" scenario where you survive until you go insane. Vaesen is better (in my opinion) because it's designed where you are supposed to be able to win, but you need to think through how to do it rather than just brute-force combat.

Also, I really like Johan Egerkrans' art style. 

In terms of how popular... until you mentioned it, I didn't even know it existed and needed a web search to even learn what it is.

So I'd guess very popular within a limited sphere; unknown outside it.

I can tell you that I wasn't able to get 4 players for it even though I posted the game on Free League's official discord. 

Beyond seeing ads on Facebook and a fee discussions on FB and non-FB forums Znonone asking to play or run it in my gaming circles.

Like all fantasy rpg imports they have to go up against existing competition and is big one iin the form of D&D. Even if one can find the players and imo it's not that easy, the system has to be easier to use than what is available. Otherwise many players like myself will read reviews and if it's crunchier and less easier to run and play we simply are not interested. And no sticking it to Wotc is simply not and good enough reason for many gamers to get out of their rpg comfort zones.

Look at the Dark Eye it has a great background yet the publishers stubborn though understandable insistence on catering to their existing fanbase. It's been what give editions and five attempts to break into the North American market and for the most part because of its mechanics dead in the water. 3D20 system or something similar when we have collectively been spoiled with rule lite systems like savage Worlds. Or less rules light though easier to run D20 systems and similar.


Go ahead cater to your existing fanbase just don't expect the average player outside of one current fanbase to bend over backwards to learn more complicated rpg systems especially rpg imports because it's not our fucking job to do so. You want to interest many of us imo in the latest indie export make sure it can do what D&D can do or similar top tier rpg easier and faster. Otherwise it's just another rpg heartbreaker.

I have nearly everything for it and I enjoy the system and love the art.  However, the reason I'm using Shiver to run my current Gothic campaign is because I am not knowledgeable on Swedish folklore and creatures.  I'd be all over running this if there were some kind of European Gothic creatures expansion.

I need vampires, werewolves, etc.  Basically, if it was Rippers for Vaesen instead of Savage Worlds, I'd be all over it.

Well, I'll be running the second session of the game for my group tonight...

I figure after two sessions I'll be able to give an informed opinion. I want to see if some of the things that came up in the first session are consistent.

FWIW: My players and I love the premise. It's essentially Victorian Monster hunters, but with more of a solid folklore bent than you would see in your favorite monster of the Week tv show.

Quote from: Batjon on March 10, 2024, 12:15:56 PM
I have nearly everything for it and I enjoy the system and love the art.  However, the reason I'm using Shiver to run my current Gothic campaign is because I am not knowledgeable on Swedish folklore and creatures.  I'd be all over running this if there were some kind of European Gothic creatures expansion.
...

Given what is provided in the core book, I do not really see this as an issue. It's certainly not one that currently I see would prevent me from running a long campaign. (They feed you the lore...)

But still only one session in, I'll be back and post a mini-review of the game in a day or two.

I still want my vampires, werewolves, wendigos, etc.

I ran it for a bit. The mechanics actually worked fine, though my player's felt the system was super whiffy.

I gave it up because it's a ton of heavy lifting for the GM. Each adventure needs to be built by hand, you're going to some random place so I have to make up all those NPCs, figure out what's hiding the Vaesen, what the conflicts are, etc. It's not like it's an OSR game with tons of random generators for all this.

One thing about Vaesen is that the magic system is really vague and narrative.  Pretty much all of the vaesen have some combination of enchantment, curse and/or trollcraft in their list of abilities.  Enchantment is really just window dressing.  It allows the vaesen to alter the environment in an area to make it spookier.  Curses are what you think they are.  Trollcraft allows them bend reality.  The mechanical effect of enchantment is the same no matter how it's described.  Curses and trollcraft are left vague.  There is a long list possible effects of each that it might have...or not.  It doesn't actually say in the entry what it has.  You have to fill that in.  The possible effects are all over the place and range from inconvenient to extremely dangerous.       

Although I own Vaesen, I've never played it because finding players is very difficult, even here in Europe.

Quote from: finarvyn on March 10, 2024, 08:27:55 AM
Also, I really like Johan Egerkrans' art style. 

Yes, his art is really nice.  I guess it says something about your art when a game company wants to make a game based on your visual interpretations.

Quote from: Batjon on March 10, 2024, 12:15:56 PM
I have nearly everything for it and I enjoy the system and love the art.  However, the reason I'm using Shiver to run my current Gothic campaign is because I am not knowledgeable on Swedish folklore and creatures.  I'd be all over running this if there were some kind of European Gothic creatures expansion.

The creatures can be in any location, you could even rename them according to the area you pick.  Plus, Free League offers the Mythic Britain and Ireland sourcebook.  I imagine the drive for that product was related to what you said above.