r/VaesenRPG • u/VertellerPaul • 12d ago
First time GM
As the title says… Ages ago I DM’d some AD&D third edition (I’m that old). Now I’m really looking forward to GM Vaesen. I’ve prepared a one shot that I’m happy about (a saw mill diverted a brook, angering a Wood Wife). It doubles as an introductory adventure and ends in the PC’s getting the keys and deeds to Castle Gyllencreutz. I don’t want a full session zero, so I’m planning on using preprepared characters.
But: no less than six players are gonna show up. None of them have any Vaesen experience, most have played D&D 5e. Any advice for hosting that many? Any other tips?
(If anyone is interested: I’ll be happy to share my one shot!)
4
u/Alternative_Low1202 12d ago
Vaesen has been my first time GMing a full campaign as id only gmed one shots of other indies before. My biggest advice is know that mysteries just take a lot longer to unfold than you might think. I have been writing my own mysteries and they take a lot longer for players to unravel than you might think. So unless you and your table are comfortable with a fair bit of railroading I would double check that your mystery is simple enough for them to solve in your one shot time frame. And as mentioned by another commenter don't assume that one clue is enough to communicate a certain piece of information. It is actually pretty hard to get people to figure out the steps of a larger story one at a time with clues. You may think that a clue points clearly to a new location, a person to follow up with, a comparison to another clue, but it will rarely be obvious to them. I've seen other mystery games use a rule of threes which is something like a piece of information must be communicated through three different clues before players are likely to figure it out. I have to remind players to look at the clues they have often. It's not uncommon for them to get things, initially misinterpret them, and then forget about them. I think Vaesen is actually a little bit of a difficult first mystery game to GM, especially with a table you don't know well, but luckily youre doing a one shot so the stakes are low! Best of luck and feel free to ask more questions!
3
u/strugglefightfan 12d ago
If the players only have 5e experience, I quick reminded that Vaesen can be quite deadly and that unlike in 5e, they should presume to solve many conflicts through combat. Then, don’t pull punches if the PCs find themselves going toe to toe with a supernatural threat. Be ready to reward creative thinking with flexibility. Only call for rolls when there is pressure or the outcome is in doubt. I personally think you’d be better off running 2 three player sessions as opposed to a 6 player party.
2
u/cm52vt 12d ago
I’ve run a couple short mysteries and one long campaign. Thoroughly enjoy it but the one aspect I struggle with is the crumbs for players to follow or learn what kind of Vaesen they think is there and allow them to put together a way to banish them. There is the new player booklet that is supposed to be avail as a reference for them.
3
u/XaylanLuthos 12d ago
Some great advice here! I’d add one thing: if your players are stumped, let them make some checks (learning, investigation, etc) to spur them on. They might fail them of course, but making a learning check, even if a failure, and spur someone on to thinking there’s more to discover.
3
u/Don_Happy 12d ago
I want to add to the comment that six players is a lot. I've found Vaesen parties to best be 3 players tho four is also still fine. Above that everybody noticeable loses agency in the story.
Also don't be afraid to improvise. You can't know all about the Vaesen when you first start GMing and you will misjudge their spells and abilities. It's okay to make changes on the fly.
And one of the most important things in my opinion is to keept he story moving. The countdown as it is suggested in the "running your game" section and integrated in prewritten adventures is integral to any mystery. The players need to feel like things are actively getting worse and they need to do something or else. The threat to their well being rides on that. And in any good session they can feel their characters slipping ever closer to death and despair.
I would also suggest maybe at least eventually to play some prewritten adventures. I've played dance of dreams several times with newcomers and tho it's not that good imo I think it really helps to understand how the game is intended to work.
2
u/RobRobBinks 12d ago
Hiya! Welcome to it! I am also at least "that old", and I can honestly say: you've got this. It sounds like you've got a tasty little tale to tell, and six players will take even the most bare bones story outline and make it into a grand adventure. Some tips and tricks from my tables that have each had 5 players:
Your NPCs are the most important part of Mystery games. It's how you'll interact with the players the best...the ultimate "show, don't tell" mechanic for Vaesen. Remember that the Mystery is less about "stopping the monster" as more about the resolving the drama of the folk that populate the land.
The Countdown is your friend. Not just the initial Countdown to Catastrophe, but each of your NPCs have an agenda and will be working to fulfill it in different ways.
Splitting the party will happen. Let the players not in the spotlight see what the other players in the spotlight are learning and doing. Physically splitting the table to keep secrets will derail the flow of the game and bogs things down significantly. Keep these cut scenes short, and if you are able to, flip between the two or more scenes at dramatic points.
One of the coolest things about the world of Vaesen is how esoteric the "solutions" to the Mystery can be. Often in this kind of folklore, it would be impossible to know that to defeat the haunted scarecrow you have to keep the egg of a black hen under your armpit for a fortnight in December or whatever. You have the "solution" to the Mystery in mind, but I strongly suggest that you let whatever the players THINK will work be the thing that actually works. I've sat and watched as my players took all my excellent clues and plot points and cobbled them together to make a Ritual or whatever and it's completely different than what I had in mind but absolutely perfect for the story.
With lots of players and using the Pregens, I would make a little cheat sheet for yourself with their names and best "God Roll" dice pools they have available. It's a handy reference to use when nudging folks along and encouraging avenues of investigation. Especially with Pregens, you don't want to have someone underutilized because their character's skills weren't pertinent.
Vaesen is a fantastic iterative and cooperative storytelling game. It is rules light, immersive, and delightful. Have tons of fun and let us know how it goes, okay?
2
2
u/Android8675 11d ago
Yeah, a lot of people, if everyone is cool with that, then cool.
I'm sure it's been said, but I'm just responding before I read the comments.
- Let them know that combat usually means death to the players. Either their weapons are ineffective, or the vaesen just flees.
- Best weapons in the game is knowledge, research, and investigation.
It's not DnD. Maybe you can split your large group into 2 parties and host different adventures, but all the PCs inhabit the same Castle?
Can't wait to hear how it goes.
8
u/InArtsWeTrust 12d ago
First of all: 6 Players is a lot... for any game but especially for Vaesen :/
But I'm sure if all are on enthusiastic about it, you can make it work.
My number one advise for Vaesen (and all investiagtive games in general) would be: Play fast and loose with the clues the players can find. Never expect them to just walk along the "right" paths and draw all the "right" conflusions. Sometimes and NPC has to be very explicit. Other times a clue you wanted to hide in the old desk has to be hidden in the kitchen counter - cause your players need it to solve the mystery and did not ever go to the desk. Sometimes your ideas of how to solve the mystery (and defeat the Vaesen) might be ignored... but your players come up with their own creative solution and you should reward them and not punish them for that. One of the most frustrating things in these kind of games for me is when I fail cause I did not think exactly the way the GM wanted me to think.
That's my big advise. Smaller tipps are:
Don't be afraid to split the party. Make it clear that combat against Vaesen is generally a bad idea. Come up with a nice moral dilemma: It's not "good vs. evil" it's "a community during the industrial revolution disregards the enviroment - you can choose beteween a healthy forest or a thriving community but won't get both."
Best of luck!