I was sent the Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland expansion for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest review.
What is Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland?
Vaesen is a monster-of-the-week type game. In a world where fairytale and reality blend, there is sometimes chaos. Fairies, ghosts, and other Vaesen will sometimes cause havoc in the world of man, and it is up to the members of the Society to stop them. Not everyone can see Vaesen, and those who can battle their own demons. These select few are tasked with traveling to the far corners of the world to investigate local myths and bring peace to both the people and Vaesen.
Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland is a supplement setting to the Vaesen roleplaying game. You will need the core rulebook to use this source.The source offers players access to three new classes and a few new abilities. GMs get access to a new setting and more Vaesen to use in their campaign. There are also three prewritten mysteries for those who need them.
Mythic Britain & Ireland takes Vaesen to the industrial period of the British empire. The events aren’t historically accurate, there aren’t enough pages for that, but it does a decent job of setting up the world for a campaign. The book offers various ideas for settings like cities or areas in cities with a solid overview of what it would have been like. Rising tension between classes and ethnic groups can help bring the world to life. I enjoy the different myths and legends sprinkled into each setting as hooks.
The Book
This book is beautiful, and printed with the high quality and care that I have come to expect from Free League Publishing. The pages and cover are textured to give it that old storybook feel. The illustrations are incredible. I love the use of color and style. If you enjoy physical media, you’re going to want a copy of this on your shelf.
Impression
While I love this book, you don’t need it. This is a supplement, only for those who are looking for ideas to spice up their next campaign. The ideas are interesting. There are some great ideas for settings, hunts, and how to run NPCs. The history is a nice touch and can give a campaign its flavor. As a GM, I think it’s a great resource, even if you don’t run the prewritten adventures.
The prewritten adventures are fine. I didn’t run through them, but I did read through them. They have interesting hooks, mysteries, and Vaesen. I like that there isn’t a railroad or structure. You get a bunch of information and it is up to the players to run their investigation. There are certain events a GM can trigger to create tension, but it isn’t a railroad. I always like having prewritten adventures around in case I need them, and this will not be the exception.
If you’re thinking of getting the supplement, you should consider if you need a new setting. I don’t believe any of the ideas introduced in this book are necessary for running a good Vaesen campaign, but there are some good ideas to build from. I like the setting and Vaesen in this book enough to think it is worth it. The prewritten adventures are a nice bonus. But if you’re looking to get into Vaesen RPG for the first time, you need to start at the beginning.
You can pick up your copy of Vaesen: Mythic Britan & Ireland on the official website ($51.35) or on Amazon ($49.99) using my affiliate link. If you don’t care for physical media, the PDF is on DriveThru RPG for ($21.99).