Francesca Viganò
Before we dive into this review of Wandering Souls, I would like to thank the author, Dario Lazzari, for providing us with a copy so we could share our thoughts about it. It is an optional rules module for conjuring and continuing to play the soul of a recently deceased Son of Thursday (the name by which the protagonists are known) in Vaesen, the Nordic horror roleplaying game published by Swedish publisher Free League Publishing.
If after reading this review you would like to buy the manual, you can find it on the DriveThruRPG (in Italian and English), priced at $2.25, about 2 euros.
Again, like The Ritual (adventure module by the same author), this is a product created under the Community Content Agreement license for Free League Workshop. It therefore requires the basic game manual to be used. It can be useful during your campaign or for the duration of a single mystery.
A Special Premise
It may happen, during the solving of a Vaesen roleplaying game mystery, that one of the characters does not reach its conclusion.
They may have been killed by a creature that seized them, or they may have faced an unbearable truth, and terror stopped their heart. No matter what the real cause of the character’s demise, their companions might decide not to let go of their spirit and attempt to hold them back.
In 6 pages, the module provides new rules for handling this type of situation. It first offers a brief guide for ghosts and ghouls. Then, very importantly, a procedure for putting this mechanic into practice in the game.
New Capabilities, New Powers and Much Resentment
In Wandering Souls, there is not only the technical and mechanical procedure for retaining the soul of a prematurely departed Son of Thursday. In fact, between the pages of the supplement, we also find suggestions for the Narrator and the player to handle the new form of the character.
The wandering soul does not require a character sheet. There are 3 Soul Characteristics, 4 Special Powers and the possible Rancour, as well as a way to keep track of residual Mystic Energy. All these peculiarities are contained in a summary sheet at the end of the supplement.
The new character form will then be able to assist companions by supporting them with particular vigour, or it will be able to move heavy objects or show itself to mortals by frightening them.
What I found very interesting is the Rancour table. Let’s face it: our prematurely departed comrade may not appreciate our attempt to keep them beyond their natural mortal time. In terms of rules, the Rancour functions similarly to a Dark Secret. You must therefore not reveal it to other players, but only use its effects as described.
The Rancour that seemed most interesting to me is the one thanks to which the soul is forcibly detained in the world of the living, helps them, but once this task is accomplished, it will torment them until they make amends for their sins.
Aesthetics Review of Wandering Souls
The aesthetic of Wandering Souls is perfectly in line with the rest of the products in Vaesen‘s original publishing line. As I anticipated, in fact, it was born under license from the Free League Workshop. This method provides the layout templates so that there is uniformity in the products, even among third-party manuals. Browsing through it, you therefore have the impression that you have in your hands a product not too dissimilar from the others.
The two-column layout is elegant and, thanks to the flowery decorations that frame the in-depth boxes, helps in reading and handling the text.
The illustrations, small in number but adequate for the breadth of the text, follow the atmosphere and purpose of the supplement and never disfigure.
Conclusions of the Wandering Souls Review
To conclude this review, Wandering Souls is an ancillary, particularly thematic, but very neat supplement.
It is not an indispensable supplement to be able to play Vaesen, of course. But if one of your players does not want to let their character go even after their departure, then it might be the perfect module for you. Another circumstance in which it could be useful is when, in a one-shot, a character perishes prematurely, and you do not want to exclude a player from the narrative.
