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Vaesen: Folk Mystery Amidst Gaslight & Invention
Mystery, horror, and folklore mingle with industry, discovery, and science! Monsters of old scratch at the edges of the modern world!
$25.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 6:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3 hours
2 / 5 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
2/5
About the adventure
In Upsala, you are among those that can see the faeries, phantoms, and fiends in the shadows. Gather your wits, fortitude, and tools to protect the human world from their encroachments, or decide to make space for the magical world in an era of steam, industry, and invention! Vaesen blends the shadowy mystery of a world of magic with the clamoring modernity of science and gaslight. Learn the secret history of the Society, monster hunters and mystics that bridge the old world and the new. Rebuild your dilapidated headquarters with facilities to aid your scholarship and investigation. Explore city and province to solve strange crimes and goings-on! Vaesen investigators are normal people touched by the old magic and dancing shadows of the world. You have seen vaesen: faerie, restless dead, and other prowling creatures. Perhaps you've heard the song of a maritime siren, eased the wailing of a banshee, outriddled a trickster fey, or bested a woodland beast. However you have come to join the Society, you are not alone! Save lives, decipher mysteries, and navigate the space between worlds... This campaign is a series of investigations in a larger sandbox. Leap into unsolved crimes, reports of otherworldly encounters, and whispers of friendly vaesen. Or, chart your own course through the city, provinces, and abroad as you find allies, bring light to shadows, and find a path ahead for vaesen and civilization! Vaesen uses the Year Zero Engine (YZE) also seen in Mutant: Year Zero, Tales From the Loop, and The Alien RPG. Characters have four attributes (Physique, Precision, Logic, and Empathy), each with three skills. Roll sets of d6s, counting only 6s as successes. Rather than health pools, you'll manage physical and mental conditions such as battered, frightened, and hopeless.
Game style
Combat Lite
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Roleplay Heavy
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
37 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Teacher, Creativity
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
I offer: 🏳️🌈 A welcoming, inclusive play style 🔥 Player-focused flair and action 🧭 Open-ended storytelling following player cues 🎭 In-game action, horror, awe, and comedy ⚖️ Settings with themes of justice and transformation 📆 Over a decade of game mastering experience 🖋️ Know-how with dozens of systems Even in the midst of death-defying adventure or bone-chilling horror, I aim to be a warm and welcoming game master. LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC players can expect respect at my tables. I've run games for children, seniors, and all ages in between. Safety tools such as the X Card are always part of my table. I suffuse hope, respect, and warmth into every session I run. That's why I go by the Gentle GM. At thirteen, three of us huddled around the Dungeons & Dragons 3e starter set, laughing at a natural 20 to breakdown a door with the fighter's head. In high school, I found the Call of Cthulhu rulebook and made investigators, still clueless how to actually play. In 2014 with the launch of D&D 5e and Call of Cthulhu 7e, I committed to running these games and an old love sparked brilliantly to life! I've since taught dozens their first TTRPG! I'm an inveterate game dabbler. If you're curious if I run a particular game, just ask! I'm up to the challenge to try something new you're excited to play. I run games full-time. You can expect preparation and dedication at my table. Local cafes and bars also host my game sessions and workshops. My newsletter and itch page also share game design reflections and projects. Images are used with permission from James' RPG Art, https://jamesrpgart.com.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We'll complete character creation as part of a zero session so that our player characters complement one another. Characters will also have backstory questions to connect one to another.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Players will need: 1) Discord profile and to join the Gentle GM server 2) A mic and headphones (webcam is encouraged, but not required) 3) Computer access to Foundry (Foundry on tablet is experimental) Players can use physical dice if they prefer. Discord also offers Dice Golem for dice rolling.
What Caleb | The Gentle GM brings to the table
I have over ten years of experience in game mastering. A large portion of that time has been spent running investigative stories like Vaesen, Call of Cthulhu, and Trail of Cthulhu. This setting and campaign celebrates stories of folklore akin to Hellboy and the BPRD, a personal favorite series of mine. My players can speak to my strengths better than I can: "Caleb’s tables feel inclusive and safe. I love how he encourages player creativity. He tailors his games to the play group, so they are the right level of challenging and the right balance of battles and social encounters." - Cindy "I've been part of multiple table-top gaming groups in the past 10 years and Caleb's storytelling, world-building, knowledge of different systems, and ability to create an inclusive, safe space for every single player at the table is (and I say this with my whole chest) exceptional. If you are looking for a GM that will support, encourage, and wrap you up in the most amazing worlds, Caleb is that GM." - Jenna "When you sit down to play a game at one of his tables, you feel like you interact with the world and story better than I have felt anywhere else... it's like being given the keys to your dad's classic car on date night. Every game with Caleb is a breath of fresh air. I've played and run games for years now, and Caleb truly brings player involvement and agency to a different level than I see elsewhere." - Matt You can expect: A story defined by the player characters and your choices Patience and support in moments of uncertainty Colorful characters and fantastical settings Theatrical acting for side characters with a touch of voiceacting Celebration of character success and plot beats Respect and consideration of my players and their consent
Homebrew rules
NA
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Caleb | The Gentle GM creates a safe table
For safety tools, you can expect: 1. The X Card hard pauses the session. No explanation needed. 2. Open Door: Step away or leave without penalty. 3. Content Warnings: These are in the listing. Any questions? 4. Rating: I'm expecting a PG-13 tone with horror, murder, and intrigue. Players can opt for a more subdued or over-the-top tone during the zero session. 5. Lines: What content do we want to exclude altogether? 6. Veils: What content do we want to fade to black? 7. Fast forward/Rewind: Jump ahead or revisit due to sensitive content. The 18+ Game: Teenaged players can join if they have an adult also playing at the table. Discussion of how this informs content and tone will be part of the zero session.
Content warnings
Safety tools used