Free League Publishing recently launched an intriguing and horrifying Kickstarter campaign for their award-winning Gothic Horror RPG, Vaesen. This Kickstarter features two new expansions: Mythic Carpathia and City of My Nightmares. Remarkably, the campaign was fully funded in just 10 minutes, surpassing its initial goal of $23,583 USD and raising over $62,000 USD within the first half hour. As of the time of this article, they’ve raised over $415,000, with 17 days left in the campaign.

Welcome to the Mythic North

For those unfamiliar with Vaesen, it’s a simple d6 TTRPG system focused on mystery and horror with Scandinavian Folklore. It is based on the artbook of the same name by Swedish illustrator and author Johan Egerkrans, who has recently released an expanded edition of his award-winning book. Egerkrans’ art is fantastical and eerie in the best of ways, showcasing both Norse gods and fae folk of legend.

The fae folk of Vaesen are not the light and airy fairies of Western children’s tales. Rather, these creatures are the ones who curdle milk, vanish hapless travelers, and stalk townsfolk in the night. The few, lonely cities of the north are beacons of industry and enlightenment, but the old ways still hold sway in the countryside. The people there know to fear what lurks in the dark…

The Vaesen RPG has ten-character archetypes that allow you to be ready to play in minutes. Or you could choose to use the included life path tables and roll the dice to decide your backstory. The rules for combat and investigation are quick and flavorful, easy enough for players new to TTRPGs to pick up without a sweat and fun for every level of play. There are even mechanics to develop the player’s headquarters during campaign play, a detailed gazetteer about the setting, a score of bloodcurdling vaesen to encounter, and an introductory mystery that comes with the core rulebook called The Dance of Dreams.

Hair-Raising Tales

In Mythic Carpathia, players will venture south to the bustling streets of Prague, where history intertwines with myth. The expansion explores the Pravda Society, which addresses phenomena from across Mythic Carpathia and beyond. Adventurers will traverse old cities, dense forests, and towering mountains, encountering a rich tapestry of Eastern European folklore, including characters like Drekavac, Golem, Baba Yaga, and, naturally, Vampires. This hardback volume, crafted by a team of Polish and Ukrainian writers, includes a detailed gazetteer of Prague with adventure locations and secret societies. The book comes with three complete mysteries set in Prague, Ukraine, and Transylvania.

Meanwhile, City of My Nightmares transports players to 19th-century Stockholm, where unspeakable horrors lurk in the shadows of the city. This extensive campaign, structured in four parts, invites characters to investigate a series of gruesome murders. Your investigation draws you into a deeper mystery that threatens the very foundations of the Society and the city itself. While set in Stockholm, the campaign is versatile enough to be adapted to other Gothic cities like London or Prague if desired.

Additionally, the Starter Set is designed to be the ideal entry point for newcomers to the world of Vaesen. It includes everything necessary for game night — abridged rules, character sheets, custom dice, maps, and the introductory mystery, The Haunting of Castle Gyllencreutz. The Core Rulebook has also been updated based on player feedback. They’ve streamlined gameplay and addressed past imbalances while offering optional, simplified rules for combat and damage.

A Number of Extra Rewards

The Kickstarter primarily funds these two new core adventures. All Kickstarter backers will receive early access to Beta PDFs of City of My Nightmares, Mythic Carpathia, the Starter Set, and the updated Core Rulebook months ahead of the official release. Whatever you decide to pledge, that’s a great deal.

As a special incentive, backers who pledged within the first 48 hours will receive an exclusive engraved brass lapel pin featuring the Society’s unique symbol at no extra cost. Furthermore, limited edition deluxe giclée prints of the cover art for both expansions, personally numbered and signed by Johan Egerkrans, are available during the campaign. You can get those as either part of the Mythic Bundle, or as a separate add-on. Additionally, you can get full content modules for a wide range of online TTRPG sites as add-ons as well.

A number of stretch goals have been unlocked, with plenty of time to go. At no extra cost, all backers will now get a full map of Prague, Stockholm, and Carpathia for their games; a fully illustrated newspaper handout; three additional vaesen, including the wolf demon Varcolac, the human-vampire hybrid called a Dhampir, and the revenant Nachzehrer; as well as the Codex Vaeseniana, an additional book describing all of the vaesen you can encounter. Backers are inches away from unlocking a map of the Castle Gyllencreutz at 4.5 million SEK. The last revealed stretch goal is a vaesen called the Khokha-Yarokha. This Ukranian fairy dragon might well be the inspiration for the Tooth Fairy, if a little more horrifying.

There’s Still Plenty of Time!

With 17 days left to go, and abundant enthusiasm, there’s plenty of time to unlock even more stretch goals! Whether you’re new to Gothic Horror or a tried-and-true fan, then you should definitely check out the Kickstarter.