Vaesen | Investigative Folk Horror | New Players Welcome
In dark forests, beyond the mountains, by black lakes in hidden groves. At your doorstep. In the shadows, something stirs.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Wednesday - 1:00 AM UTC
Dec 24 / Session 9
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
5 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
5/6
About the adventure
You have the Sight, the ability to see the unseen, the vaesen — nature spirits, shapeshifters, spirits of the dead, monsters. As industrialization changes 19th-century Scandinavia, humans and the unseen increasingly come into conflict, and it's up to you and those like you so intercede. Sometimes you're called on to negotiate between and the vaesen, sometimes you need to banish the vaesen, and sometimes you need to confront humans who are doing wrong. And who are you? You might be a scholar, an occultist, a doctor, a consulting detective, or a vagabond. Whoever you are, gaining the Sight hasn't left you unchanged. Whether you were born with it or gained it through some encounter with vaesen, your accessing the Sight was traumatic, and you carry that trauma with you. Likewise, you are driven to use your Sight, and you carry a dark secret. Finally, you have been recruited to join a newly revived Society, a group of people like you dedicated to researching and investigating the vaesen to reestablish order between humans and the unseen of the world. As a member of the Society, you have been given access to the Society's old headquarters, a neglected castle in Upsala. Between mysteries, you will explore, repair, and expand the castle, and pursue your own personal goals.
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(11)
2 years on StartPlaying
37 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Teacher, Creativity
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Welcome! I'm Gunnhrafn (he/him), and I'm a long-time GM (26 years of experience) who loves to run a wide variety of games for a wide variety of people, including introducing new players to role-playing games and introducing players to new games. I first started GMing in 1986 and I first began playing TTRPG back in 1982. As a GM, I enjoy shared story-telling and collaborative world building. I run one-shots (which can run 1 to 3 sessions), campaigns, and can be hired to run a game for a group, a one-to-one single-player game, teach a game system, or help with character creation. If I'm not currently offering a game you're interested in or at a time that works for you, drop me a line and we'll see what we work out. For custom bookings please contact me with an inquiry. I'm available to run one-shots, short-run games, and campaigns for groups and individuals (for one-to-one gaming). I'm also available to teach game systems. Rates will vary depending upon the request. I use Discord for communication, and a mix of theater of the mind, Foundry VTT, Roll20, Quest Portal, and Google Sheets depending upon the game.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will discuss and begin character creation during our Session Zero. If you would prefer a pre-generated character, please ask.
📜 Prospective players are welcome to sit in on a session for free to get a sense of the group and orient theirselves to the campaign, or they can just jump right in with a character and play. 📜 Vaesen is an investigative folk horror game set in a mythic 19th-century Scandinavia. We'll use both the official Lost Mountain Saga campaign as well as other mysteries to tell our stories. 📜 This is a beginner-friendly game designed to be engaging for experienced players. 📜 Balance of roleplay, exploration, social encounters, and combat. 📜 This is a welcoming, open table and there is no space for racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia
What to expect
Preparing for the session
To play, you will need: 📜A reliable internet connection and ability to access our Discord, Foundry VTT, a Google Drive, and (if we choose to use it) LegendKeeper. 📜A reliable microphone for voice chat via Discord and Foundry. Web cameras are optional. 📜A free Discord, Foundry, and (if we use it) LegendKeeper account. To prepare for our free Session Zero, you should: 📜Join our Discord and Foundry VTT servers. 📜Fill out our modified Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist so we may establish our game's expectations for lines, veils, ask first topics, and issues and themes of interest. 📜Access our character creation guide.
What Gunnhrafn brings to the table
📜Digital 24/7 access to the main Vaesen book through our Foundry VTT site, as well as a guide to character creation and quick-reference sheets of the game's mechanics. 📜A Discord site for voice and text chat to be used before, during, and after our game session, and if we wish, a LegendKeeper site for us to record campaign details. 📜The Lost Mountain Saga plus other published and custom scenarios that meet player interests. 📜Mechanics for players to establish and achieve short and long-term goals for their characters and to build those interests into our campaign. 📜My 26-years experience as a GM, and my ability to run games that are both beginner-friendly and enjoyable for long-time players.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Gunnhrafn creates a safe table
To help ensure everyone enjoys our game, I will send out a modified version of the Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist prior to Session Zero. Other safety tools we'll use during play include the X-card, Script Changes, and an Open Door policy, as well as Debriefing and Stars and Wishes and Roses and Thorns in text channels in Discord. As an investigative folk horror game, will encounter themes of violence, abuse, other dark themes. I don't engage in graphic descriptions of violence, abuse, or gore, but because each of us have different tolerance thresholds, I strongly encourage players to make use of our safety tools, and we can revise our lines and veils as needed. During Session Zero, we will discuss player interests, the framework for our campaign, and then discuss character creation. During game play, we'll use Discord for voice and text chat, along with Foundry VTT to manage skill checks, combat, and the like. While we will use some maps and images, much of our game will be run using theater of the mind, and during each session, we will have at least one 10 minute break, roughly halfway through each session. I strongly encourage feedback, both in what you like about current play, what you would like to see happen, and what isn't working for you. I see my job as trying to create the best experience I'm able to for each player.
Content warnings
Safety tools used