Tales from the Society

Creating your character

At session 0 we will generate characters, using the lifepath system which is great fun. So you will not have to worry about what type of character to play from the start or know the rules so it is very beginner friendly. Vaesen is a Nordic horror RPG set in 19th-century Scandinavia, where players investigate supernatural mysteries. The Society reflects a mix of background, skills, and talents, ranging from scholars and detectives to wanderers and priests. Think of them as “starting points” for your character’s story. To give you an idea the Core professions from the main rulebook are: - Academic – The scholar, researcher, or professor. Great at uncovering lore, solving puzzles, and providing knowledge. - Doctor – Skilled in medicine and healing. Keeps the group alive when things get dangerous. - Hunter – Tracker and outdoors expert. Excels at survival, ranged combat, and navigating wilderness. - Occultist – Dabbles in forbidden knowledge and rituals. Has insight into supernatural forces. - Officer – Military or police background. Strong leadership, discipline, and combat ability. - Priest – Offers spiritual guidance and emotional healing. Often a moral compass in the group. - Private Detective – Investigates mysteries, follows clues, and uncovers secrets. - Servant – A humble but resourceful background. Skilled in practical tasks and social navigation. - Vagabond – A wanderer, trickster, or rogue. Good at physical challenges and manipulation. - Writer – A creative observer. Skilled at storytelling, persuasion, and noticing details others miss. There are also some expansion professions from Mythic Britain & Ireland sourcebook that can apply here. - Athlete – Uses physical prowess and sports training to overcome challenges. - Socialite – Navigates high society with charm and influence. - Explorer – Adventurer driven to discover new lands and secrets. A mix of knowledge, combat, and social skills makes the team stronger. Each profession comes with suggested motivations, dark secrets, and relationships. These help you roleplay without needing to invent everything from scratch.

Preparing for the session

Having a basic understanding of the world of Vaesen is helpful but not required. Vaesen is set in the mid 1800's in Sweden, which almost parallels our own so a bit of research into this time period would also help but again is absolutely not required. I use Foundry VTT through The Forge Foundry hosting site. You will need to sign up to this for free here. https://forge-vtt.com/signup Please also sign up to my Discord. You will be assigned a TG (Transvaalers Games Player) Role and have access to your game and the community. Feel free to chat with my other in person and other gamers here too. https://discord.gg/YJuURNsVYZ I use Zoom to chat and see each other- if you are using a webcam (not necessary but I find it helps with the experience, so please can you download the free version here. https://zoom.us/signup You can also join up using your browser if you don't want to sign up for Zoom. I will share the link to Zoom and Foundry in my Discord nearer the time (usually about 30 minutes before the start of the game). Thanks for signing up to the game and if you have any questions feel free to get in touch before the game. Cheers, Ed

What Transvaaler (Ed) brings to the table

You do not need anything but a sense of adventure, everything else will be provided. You will have access to the full information on Foundry VTT (including full sets of rules and all supplements thanks to the years I have been running with my home groups). The most important part of the game is the players, the whole reason behind this is to have a good time and to tell a good story. Without the players, there would be no story, no interactions and mostly no fun. I very much love telling a good story and this takes precedence over the rules, which are more of a guideline to tell these stories. If you are a rules lawyer I'm afraid my game is not for you, but your input in my games is always welcome as long as its not disruptive to the other players or the story. I have a lot of game systems rattling around in my head so sometimes I miss a rule or 3. I love open sandbox games, creating a place to let the player live and explore that world. This challenges me on the fly and its where I get the most enjoyment. I love to see what players do and what decisions they make (and how I will incorporate this into the story) I'm enthusiastic, which makes up for my lack of voice acting (it always ends up sounding wrong, so feel free to mock me haha) and love riffing off of players decisions and backgrounds on the fly. I want my games to be immersive, inclusive and above all fun. I never take for granted the power of stepping out of our world into another to escape bills, family, work and other real life commitments. if its not fun for everyone then I've not done my job as a GM.

Homebrew rules

My general view on homebrew rules is one of making them up as we go. You never know when a player comes up with a better explanation or rule that sits better with the table. We can discuss this as they come up and implement them as we go. Every gaming group is different and I am flexible in this regards.

How Transvaaler (Ed) creates a safe table

For clarity - my general rules are to use common sense during play relying on clear communication from players and an X card with the lines and veils to be discussed in session 0. Also feel free to walk away at any time, I'm also happy as I'm sure others will be for a quick comfort break or to refill a cup of tea or coffee. If you have any hard stops you wanted to keep between us rather than discuss in session 0 feel free to get in touch. This worked amazingly when I ran a Kult game for a podcast, as not all players want to discuss their very personal concerns with a group of people they have not met. As a rule of thumb I tend to stay away from any excessive subject matters relating to anything kid related and sexual violence. In a worlds where this happens, this can all happen "off screen" and doesn't need to be described in any way. Unless otherwise stated, most of my games aimed at a mature audience and there are mature themes explored in most of my games