Learn all about Vaesen with our brief guide designed to help new players navigate the world of tabletop gaming.
A strange rumor of inexplicable phenomena draws a mysterious Society of scholars and investigators to a small village on the Scandinavian coast. The villagers don’t know it yet, but their humble home is the victim of a monster straight out of Nordic mythology. Fortunately, the Society is here to help.
‍Vaesen is a tabletop roleplaying game, or TTRPG, about solving mysteries and fighting monsters in a world of Nordic horror. Inspired by actual Scandinavian mythology, players create intrepid investigators who meddle in the monstrous affairs of folkloric cryptids known as vaesen. They might play a curious Writer, a military Officer, an exorcizing Priest, or an odd Occultist (among others) to solve the strange problems their people face. They’ll do this as part of the Society, a recently-reborn organization of scholars and adventurers dedicated to studying and navigating the threats of vaesen. The game typically starts with players inheriting the Society’s castle in Upsala, Sweden. One player, the Game Master (GM), takes on the role of the world those players explore; they’ll play as the hapless villagers, meddling authorities, and helpful folklorists the characters encounter; the strange world of mythic Scandinavia and beyond; and of course, the mischievous and malevolent creatures who threaten the former two.
After players create their characters and familiarize themselves with their new castle headquarters, the GM will present them with the mystery those characters find themselves embroiled in, often requiring travel to a remote location. Players describe or act out what their characters do, and the GM tells them how the world responds. Frequently, they’ll take risky or dangerous actions that require them to roll dice to find out whether they succeed, fail, or something in between. But most importantly, every choice the players make progresses the story and keeps the action flowing. Vaesen is a game of collaborative storytelling, where players are simultaneously author and audience.
While player characters may be capable in a fight, confronting, defeating, or banishing vaesen is rarely done with conventional combat. More often, the characters must uncover its weakness, or a secret way it can be captured, exorcized, or undone. It might be as simple as iron for faeries, silver for werewolves, and crucifixes for vampires—or as strange as wrapping a myling in cloth, giving it your name, and burying it with a few drops of breast milk. The folkloric texture and darkness to the creatures in Vaesen gives the game a delightful uniqueness!
Vaesen, like many TTRPGs, is fundamentally a conversation among the players and Game Master. For that reason, it’s extremely easy to play online! All you need to play is a few six-sided dice and at least two players (although three to five is usually best), one of whom acts as the Game Master. Character sheets and other resources are free to download on the publisher’s website, and voice and video platforms like Zoom and Discord make face-to-face communication simple. Vaesen is often played in a “theater of the mind” style, where the fiction is described by the players and takes place entirely in their imaginations. For those who prefer visual aids, however, there are plenty of virtual tabletops, or VTTs, that allow players to share images, maps, tokens, notes, and handouts, and even have virtual dice to roll!
Finding a group of people to play with, especially as a beginner, can feel like a daunting task. Don’t worry! The hobby is growing faster than ever, and with plenty of gaming groups who eagerly welcome new players. You might start by visiting your local game store, which may have an active community of players you can join, a place to advertise open seats for games, or even a scheduled night of organized play you can drop into. Online communities focused on RPGs frequently have “Looking for Group” (LFG) forums or channels dedicated to helping players find the right game for them. Reddit and Discord are common places to look, as are the community forums for digital tools like Roll20 and Foundry VTT. There’s even a dedicated forum from the publisher. Not to mention here at StartPlaying, where we’ve created a powerful, user-friendly tool for browsing open games on your schedule and simply signing up to play! Finally, if you have a group of friends who are interested and willing to learn, it’s completely feasible to jump in feet first, learning the game as you go. Of course, someone will need to take on the mantle of the Game Master.
The easiest way to learn Vaesen is by playing, and the easiest way to play is by finding a Game Master to teach you. Professional GMs can call upon years of expertise to not only introduce players to the hobby and make them feel welcomed, but also give immersive and incredible experiences to players old and new. This isn’t easy; creating scenarios that present real challenges, invite creative solutions, include an ensemble cast of compelling characters, and result in a satisfying narrative for any choice the players make is a substantial craft to master! Not to mention Vaesen has no pre-planned plot or storyline to follow, and often requires a Game Master to skillfully improvise and weave their players’ actions into a constantly evolving narrative. Nevertheless, professional Game Masters dedicate themselves to offering the one-of-a-kind experience that only RPGs can: being the hero of a story where your choices really matter. These pro GMs are the fastest and easiest way to jump directly into the fun of roleplaying games; they can teach you the rules, create an amazing adventure, and guide you into the endless possibilities of the TTRPG hobby.
StartPlaying allows you to easily find and book sessions with professional Dungeon Masters and Game Masters that work for your schedule. You can focus on enjoying the game without worrying about the logistics of organizing sessions. Playing online provides flexibility, as you can join games from anywhere with an internet connection.
Player reviews on StartPlaying make it easy to find a Dungeon Master whose style aligns with your preferences. With reviews from other players, you can gauge whether a DM is the right fit for how you want to play, whether it’s combat, role-playing, storytelling, or a specific genre.
Professional Dungeon Masters on StartPlaying are committed to running the best game ever. When a Dungeon Master is focused on running the best game every and are doing so professionally, games are less likely to get cancelled. Players who play in professionally run games are also incredibly invested, and not likely to flake on sessions.
If you feel the call of the Mythic North and cannot wait to start hunting vaesen yourself, there’s no better way to start playing than StartPlaying.Games! With thousands of professional GMs offering games, it’s incredibly easy to find one that’s right for you. GM profiles and reviews help you get exactly the kind of game you want to play, at a time that fits in your schedule, from the best Game Masters in the world. So what are you waiting for? Start Playing!
Find a game