Notes on Every New System I Play this Year #5: Vaesen

Disclaimer: I encounter many of these systems for one-shots at meetups, where I sometimes won't even know what I'll be playing going in. Because of this, I'll often only have taken a deeper look at parts of the book that relate to character creation, and flipped through the rest. But I'll always have played them!

Played/Mastered on 31.01.2026 with 4 other players and 1 GM.

Look, paranormal detectives are well-trodden ground for a reason, and I'm about as much of a sucker for them as you can be. So there's really not that much interesting stuff I can say about Vaesen, other than that it feels sufficiently distinct from other takes on the genre to be interesting.

The setting is pretty specific, which is always a plus. You have a cool, broken down villa as a base you can rebuild over time. And the art and visual design is great, making each of the books and pops a beautiful physical artifact you simply want to touch and look at.

The only real critique I can muster is that the system if fine, but also nothing earth-shattering. It works well for the kind of game Vaesen is (which isn't a given). But it's almost like a smooth pebble in the sense that it feels like something very old that has been smoothed down perfectly over time. It's a modern, elegant take on a very traditional way to play. Like all games that use Free League's Year Zero engine.

Loved it. | Liked it. | Didn't care for it.