The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Before I get too far into this review, I’d like to say one thing first.

I’m a sucker for gimmicks.

There, I admitted it. Every time I walk through a dealer’s hall or stop by my local game store, I fall in love with gimmicky, original RPG material. I’ve picked up some great games that way. Granted, not all of them work out like the gimmick is planed, nor are all of them good (luckily, I looked at Imagine before I made a horrible mistake I could never correct a couple of GenCons ago). Well this GenCon I came across a little book that I had heard a lot about from a friend that was at Origins. I picked it up and was amazed with Little Fears.

>START REVIEW<

Looks

First of, the book is an odd size, roughly 6”x7.5”. Not that this is problem, but it gets dwarfed on my bookshelves by larger ones (which is a shame). The cover art is quite good. Not your ultra-realistic uber-cover, but it has a creepy kind of aura about it. The interior is laid out quite well, and the organization of the book as a whole is well done. Even though the book only weighs in at a trim 133 pages, the index is, and hold on to your butts, GOOD!!! If any thing can be said about Key20, even if everything they put out in the future is complete crap, it's that they have figured out how to do the index correctly. Something bigger companies STILL haven’t figured out (White Wolf, I’m looking in your direction…). Anyway, the interior artwork ranges from sub par to excellent. Now usually I wouldn’t plug away, but I think that Veronica Jones deserves some mad credit. Hands down, however, has to be one of my new favorite artists, Kieran Yanner (I’m currently trying to blow up a picture of Helter and Skelter to hang on my wall). The art, no matter whom it’s by however, smacks with the mood of the game.

Content

One thing I wanted to bring up, right out, is that although Little Fears dose make references to child abuse, the author Jason Blair, clearly states:

“The inclusion of rules for abuse should not give the impression that abuse should be a part of your game. Abuse, while horrific beyond words, is included for reference and consistency. Use this very carefully and only with players that you know can handle it”

I’ve seen many show concern for this and I have to say that Blair handled it with respect. Could the game have been made with out it? I don’t see why not, but it’s in there and it’s dealt with in a very respectable manner and fades into nothing if you don’t want it in your game. You don’t have to use it at all and the story is just as creepy and scary with out it.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, back to the review. The setting is great, its original and fresh. The idea is that there is a land of fear where all of mankind’s sins and fears take flesh, Closetland. Closetland is home to a buffet of grotesque monsters that feed on the innocence of children and they get to our world by, amongst other things, closets. You play little kids that fight and fight-off these evil beasts, but you have only each other to depend on because the older you get the more you rationalize the world and you become blind to the evils of Closetland. Parents, cops, teachers, and even older sibs obviously won’t believe you; after all you’re just a kid. Not all the stories need be about evil closet monsters that want to eat your kid, however. The book is chock full ‘o other ideas as well.

I did have one major complaint with the setting, however. They do a good job explaining about how adults rationalize the evils that are Closetland, but I still can’t get over the fact that EVERYTHING that happens to the kids is chalked up to Jimmy falling down and Janie getting hit by a bully. I guess it’s just the idea that if so many kids are getting hurt and traumatized I’d figure at least ONE person would question it. Fortunately, this never occurred to me during play, only when I was thinking about it for this review (my apologies to anyone that now thinks of this while they play).

Character creation is a snap and you can make all kinds of little kids to play. It’s a point-based system that uses 5 stats for resolution (more on this below). You also have Qualities about your self that can be good or bad and these modify your rolls (also below). Good qualities (like “I’m athletic”, “I’m a charmer”, and “I have an older friend”) add one die to the roll if it comes into the situation and you keep the best one. If it’s a bad quality (such as “I’m a bed wetter”, “I have butter fingers”, and “I’m on medication”), then you roll an extra die and keep the worse of them.

Ok, on to the dice system. If you don’t like light systems, then you probably won’t enjoy Little Fears’ too much (but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Give it a shot you might like it!) Basically, you have Tests and Quizzes. Tests are what you use when your kid trying to do something. You roll a d6 and if you get under your relevant stat you pass. This is for actions that you’re not opposing. If, however, someone is opposing you, you roll a test. This is done by both sides rolling over the opponent’s stat. Combat is taken care of the same way, with damage being dished out in fixed numbers by weapon. The system is very simple, yet can pretty much take care of most situations.

The only real problem with the system I found, was if you have a player that likes to power game, it’s really easy to make a “super kid”. On the other hand, most players like that will just over look the game anyway and not really pay it much mind.

>END REVIEW<

>START CRITIQUE<

Like I said, I’m a sucker for a good gimmick. On the whole, Little Fears is a good game with a fresh idea. I did have some faults with it, but nothing that wouldn’t let me recommend it to anyone.

If you’re looking for something different I would highly suggest this gem. Even if you just get it to read or admire the layout, (great for a small press) you'd be geting your dollar's worth.

Aaron Brown

Little Fears
Little Fears Capsule Review by Aaron Brown on 27/08/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) Little, Scary, Diffrent... Product: Little Fears Author: Jason Blair Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Key20 Line: Little Fears Cost: 20.00 Page count: 133 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 0-9708689-0-1 SKU: kyp1000 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Aaron Brown on 27/08/01 Genre tags: Fantasy Modern day Horror Other	Before I get too far into this review, I’d like to say one thing first. I’m a sucker for gimmicks. There, I admitted it. Every time I walk through a dealer’s hall or stop by my local game store, I fall in love with gimmicky, original RPG material. I’ve picked up some great games that way. Granted, not all of them work out like the gimmick is planed, nor are all of them good (luckily, I looked at Imagine before I made a horrible mistake I could never correct a couple of GenCons ago). Well this GenCon I came across a little book that I had heard a lot about from a friend that was at Origins. I picked it up and was amazed with Little Fears. >START REVIEW< Looks First of, the book is an odd size, roughly 6”x7.5”. Not that this is problem, but it gets dwarfed on my bookshelves by larger ones (which is a shame). The cover art is quite good. Not your ultra-realistic uber-cover, but it has a creepy kind of aura about it. The interior is laid out quite well, and the organization of the book as a whole is well done. Even though the book only weighs in at a trim 133 pages, the index is, and hold on to your butts, GOOD!!! If any thing can be said about Key20, even if everything they put out in the future is complete crap, it's that they have figured out how to do the index correctly. Something bigger companies STILL haven’t figured out (White Wolf, I’m looking in your direction…). Anyway, the interior artwork ranges from sub par to excellent. Now usually I wouldn’t plug away, but I think that Veronica Jones deserves some mad credit. Hands down, however, has to be one of my new favorite artists, Kieran Yanner (I’m currently trying to blow up a picture of Helter and Skelter to hang on my wall). The art, no matter whom it’s by however, smacks with the mood of the game. Content One thing I wanted to bring up, right out, is that although Little Fears dose make references to child abuse, the author Jason Blair, clearly states: “The inclusion of rules for abuse should not give the impression that abuse should be a part of your game. Abuse, while horrific beyond words, is included for reference and consistency. Use this very carefully and only with players that you know can handle it” I’ve seen many show concern for this and I have to say that Blair handled it with respect. Could the game have been made with out it? I don’t see why not, but it’s in there and it’s dealt with in a very respectable manner and fades into nothing if you don’t want it in your game. You don’t have to use it at all and the story is just as creepy and scary with out it. Now that I’ve got that off my chest, back to the review. The setting is great, its original and fresh. The idea is that there is a land of fear where all of mankind’s sins and fears take flesh, Closetland. Closetland is home to a buffet of grotesque monsters that feed on the innocence of children and they get to our world by, amongst other things, closets. You play little kids that fight and fight-off these evil beasts, but you have only each other to depend on because the older you get the more you rationalize the world and you become blind to the evils of Closetland. Parents, cops, teachers, and even older sibs obviously won’t believe you; after all you’re just a kid. Not all the stories need be about evil closet monsters that want to eat your kid, however. The book is chock full ‘o other ideas as well. I did have one major complaint with the setting, however. They do a good job explaining about how adults rationalize the evils that are Closetland, but I still can’t get over the fact that EVERYTHING that happens to the kids is chalked up to Jimmy falling down and Janie getting hit by a bully. I guess it’s just the idea that if so many kids are getting hurt and traumatized I’d figure at least ONE person would question it. Fortunately, this never occurred to me during play, only when I was thinking about it for this review (my apologies to anyone that now thinks of this while they play). Character creation is a snap and you can make all kinds of little kids to play. It’s a point-based system that uses 5 stats for resolution (more on this below). You also have Qualities about your self that can be good or bad and these modify your rolls (also below). Good qualities (like “I’m athletic”, “I’m a charmer”, and “I have an older friend”) add one die to the roll if it comes into the situation and you keep the best one. If it’s a bad quality (such as “I’m a bed wetter”, “I have butter fingers”, and “I’m on medication”), then you roll an extra die and keep the worse of them. Ok, on to the dice system. If you don’t like light systems, then you probably won’t enjoy Little Fears’ too much (but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Give it a shot you might like it!) Basically, you have Tests and Quizzes. Tests are what you use when your kid trying to do something. You roll a d6 and if you get under your relevant stat you pass. This is for actions that you’re not opposing. If, however, someone is opposing you, you roll a test. This is done by both sides rolling over the opponent’s stat. Combat is taken care of the same way, with damage being dished out in fixed numbers by weapon. The system is very simple, yet can pretty much take care of most situations. The only real problem with the system I found, was if you have a player that likes to power game, it’s really easy to make a “super kid”. On the other hand, most players like that will just over look the game anyway and not really pay it much mind. >END REVIEW< >START CRITIQUE< Like I said, I’m a sucker for a good gimmick. On the whole, Little Fears is a good game with a fresh idea. I did have some faults with it, but nothing that wouldn’t let me recommend it to anyone. If you’re looking for something different I would highly suggest this gem. Even if you just get it to read or admire the layout, (great for a small press) you'd be geting your dollar's worth. Aaron Brown