The Game
Before you get stuck into the Wiki (currently under reconstruction), here’s our “game in a page” pitch for Jaeger to see if it tickles your fancy.
You’ll play as a Jaeger, a trained hunter of monsters, standing between the helpless and the Evil which preys upon them.
Our primary source of inspiration is the 2004 movie Van Helsing, drawing on a gothic world with grit which embraces its own campness.
The World
It’s the 1750s in a fictional continent acting as a fantastical darker mirror of the Holy Roman Empire. Technology sits roughly where it did in our own 18th century, however, Jaeger are at the cutting edge of technology – they’ve got the kind of stuff that peasants would see as miracles… or unexplained Evil.
Evil isn’t metaphorical here. It is a tangible force that informs folklore, the occult, and old fears given teeth in the forms of demons, lycanthropes, and the undead. Jaegers exist thanks to state backing to push it back, one long night at a time.
You won’t need to study a shelf of lore books to play. The history is flavour rather than a syllabus, and the game is built so a first timer and a long time veteran can stand in the same field and both know what’s going on.
The story has moved on since training began. Starting out as trainees on your first field mission, to coming face to face with a demonic coup no one saw coming, leading to the menace known as the Consumed strike hard at the Jaegerhauses (formal places of Jaeger tutelage) without warning.
These soulless husks are stripped of everything that made them people, and demons pull at their strings like marionettes. The seasoned Jaegers who were meant to shepherd recruits through their first missions were among those lost, whoever’s left in the field now hunts without the safety net of home.
You will become a member of the 51st, a Jaeger trainee unit who underwent field promotion when they heard of the losses at the Jaegerhauses. While it feels like all is lost, the 51st have been granted access to powers once thought only to be myth – if anyone is going to be able to fix the problem, it will be you.
If you’re new to the game, you’ll be coming in a survivor from another Jaeger unit, who was lucky enough to last long enough to find the other survivors of the 51st.
Know Before You Go
You may like Jaeger if…
Just know that…
Thrills! Not Chills
Jaeger is built to scare you and give you a thrill, not to upset or do harm. Every event opens with a full player brief, and every attendee gets a trigger list ahead of time so you can flag what to avoid.
Themes the game may explore include gore, violence, psychological horror, and other heavy subject matter. But none of it is sprung on you unannounced.
We have safety tools in place to help you have a good and spooky game:
The “Okay” System
A simple hand gesture system so any player can confirm they’re okay, even if their character is not, at any time.
The Nest
A quiet space, open all event, where you can step away from the game for as long as you need.
Accessibility
Site selection, documentation formats, and plots are all written with accessibility in mind, as best as possible.
Can I Crew Rather than Play?
Absolutely! We’re always welcoming new members of our monster crew.
However, if you are interested in playing we do not recommend joining crew to tie you over. We’re seeking a core, devoted group who we can entrust all the secrets of the plot to and if you intend to play, it’s going to spoil that.
There’s a good variety of things to do:
Combat Gribblies
Anything from big scary suit monsters commanding the battlefield, to smaller horde monsters who are just as scary in their number. We write monsters with their own tactics and feel, so you won’t just be running around as mindless mooks (though there may still be some on occasion!)
Event NPCs
Talkie roles specific to the event, like townsfolk or other local people. These roles are about providing the human element to the game, the people that the Jaeger are here to protect… Or not, it’s up to the players really. They come with minimal briefs, so you can flesh out your own stories within what’s given and work with other crew to really establish the feel of your group.
Plot NPCs
Recurring roles that will be called up across multiple events, but not necessarily at each event. These are usually powerful NPCs – from helpful benefactors to long term BBEGs, these are the ones who come with meaty briefs and lore to tuck into, and help shape to your style of roleplay.
We’re a cap flintlock system, if you’ve got your own make sure to bring them along! We’re also big fans of big bloody messes, so if you’re happy getting bloody, we’re the game for you.
With our big talkie NPCs, we’re primarily looking for confidence and the willingness to throw yourself into it and be ready to improvise on the spot. Don’t worry if you’re not sure if it’s for you, we’re always happy to write smaller roles to help ease you into NPC work, and help build you up to take on larger roles.
Crew tickets are £15 each and include catering and include a bunk wherever possible.
For Horror Fans, By Horror Fans
Jaeger is volunteer run by a small, passionate team who started this because they wanted to share their love of gothic horror. The wiki with full rules and lore is being rebuilt following Event 2, watch this space for updates!
Questions before you commit? Feel free to contact us!