Rapid Review
This is a “Rapid Review" . A “Rapid Review” will typically be under 450 words, and typically is a review of a book, game, comic, or item that follows on from another very similar product or just a smaller item & is designed to give you a rating quickly to help you decide if you want to purchase it. While we’ll certainly tell you strengths and weaknesses, we give no numerical rating in stars as previous, but just a ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ by Hillary!
Review By Talia Heart
Funded FAST on Kickstarter, “Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland” delivers on the promise to expand the “Vaesen” universe into Britain, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland – territory perhaps more familiar to not just modern players from those countries, but Americans as well. Set principally in Victorian-age London your characters can adventure there or use that setting merely as a springboard to adventures in more rural areas, where “Vaesen” of all types may lurk. An optional social-class system is introduced which helps to sell the setting, with related matters such as finances (how many shillings to the pound and such, as the setting is prior to the decimal system being adopted there) are touched on as well, again very helpful to American folk such as myself who never needed to learn that before. The setting is well-established in that the reader won’t need to constantly look things up on the internet.
“Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland” provides new material for both players and storytellers, such as three new character archetypes (The Athlete, The Entertainer, and the Socialite) as well as new creatures (Vaesen) like Banshees, Leprechauns, and Pixies, as well as modified versions of existing creatures from the core book, “Vaesen”. Three story ideas are also written up here: “Old Meg”, “The Llantyweyll Incident”, and “The Hampstead Group”. The art style throughout the book is consistent with prior “Vaesen” releases, with “Vaesen” Creator Johan Egerkrans again serving as lead artist. And the art is beautiful, consistent, and evocative, with my only complaint being there’s not more it! I do love everything about the art that is presented, though, more than meeting the high standard of what I’ve come to expect from a Free League release.
Physically, the book is top-notch, with a sturdy cardboard cover, THICK high-quality paper, all well-bound and a green satin bookmark included, too. Sadly, “Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland” has just 152-pages and left me wanting more. Presently priced at over $40.00 USD, this title is a bit expensive, but the good news is that I’m taking that price from the official Free League Store where you get a digital copy to enjoy right away at no extra charge when you buy a physical copy. This title delivers great writing, entrancing art, and will last for years to come given its physical quality. Based on all this, I’m happy to give “Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland” a thumbs-up!
Reviewer’s Note: A free copy of “Vaesen: Mythic Britain & Ireland” was provided by Free League Publishing for purposes of a free & fair review. Opinions expressed here are my own.