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Great adventures and a great setting. Don't know what else you'd need to know
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I don't own Little Fears, but I found this to be a nice, lighthearted adventure easily adaptable to World of Darkness: Innocents. It brings back a lot of memories of summer camp (Where I played Exalted my first and only time!) and those experiences would make Camp Howling Wolf an easy adventure to run.
The writing style is a little strange - the author likes to interject with tid-bits and recommendations to the reader. These little tangents can make the material hard to follow in a few spots and I'd suggest putting tangents in sidebars, or some other formatting.
The adventure itself is good and you can get varying amounts of mileage out of the story - depending on how much extra content you want to throw in. The NPCs are all believable and I can easily pin their personalities to folks I met at summer camp.
I also found the quick reference monsters to be very useful for a World of Darkness game, since the dice pools are already made for you.
The only noticeable flaw to Camp Howling Wolf is its lack of closure. As written, your players might get some answers at the end, but they will not have resolved anything. Perhaps this could open up a longer chronicle - Camp Howling Wolf only covers the first day and night of camp - but I would have liked more ideas for how to end the story.
Overall, I like it and look forward to more in the Campfire Tales series.
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The easiest way to sell this game is to think of it as Sin City the RPG. I mean this in the most flattering way possible. Streets of Bedlam is no simple knock off. It takes the themes and look of neo-noir and runs amok with it. Anything borrowed is given its own spin so it stays unique in its own right while still being recognizable to the source. This is apparent in the text as well as the art. I have to give a shout out to the illustrator, Shawn Gaston, for creating some evocative images that pay tribute to Frank Miller's style without flat out copying it. The art goes a long way to keep your imagination in the right place while reading through the text.
Inside you will find a great setting and some fun additions to Savage Worlds. These include Character Archetypes, Interrogations, and a very clever Investigation system. Combine that with a great setting and a solid Plot Point campaign and Streets of Bedlam doesn't disappoint.
I'm glad to have Streets of Bedlam on my shelf. It provides a very good take on gritty neo-noir investigations. The ultra-violence rules make emulating the source material a breeze and the art is pleasure to look at. Best of all, it looks fun as all hell. Savage Worlds fans take notice! This is definitely something unique and well worth checking out.
For the full review check: http://www.boredandsorcery.com/rpg/rpg-review/streets-of-bed
lam-review/
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I was glad to be part of the Kickstarter, THe book is a great read and delivers what was promised. I can't wait to run this.
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WHAT WORKS: The writing is very crisp without getting at all cute. Nothing is hard to read here. The art sets the scene incredibly well. I love the Archetypes set-up for character creation, especially since there's still so much room for flexibility, and the Plot Point Campaign structure is a welcome change of pace. The city is a wonderful mish-mash of Neo-Noir tropes, giving you everything you need to play around, providing landmarks without roadmaps so everything is where you need it to be.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Heart on Your Sleeve is either the worst Edge ever, or a misplaced Hindrance. Entourage and Protected could also use mechanical support. Bookmarks in a PDF are always great, and they don't exist here. I'm one of the few Kickstarter members who isn't a character in the city, because I'm not a fan of "vanity rewards". It takes me out of the setting seeing Shane Hensley or Gareth-Michael Skarka as NPCs in the setting, though I understand why vanity awards are present in KIckstarters.
CONCLUSION: I think Jason L. Blair has done a fantastic job of crafting a unique Savage Worlds experience while retaining the Fast, Furious, Fun feel the game exudes. Great new additions to the rules, a big sandbox to play around in and promises of more to come. Streets of Bedlam is the "over the top" cousin to Wellstone City, serving a similar niche in an ultraviolent and extreme manner. My biggest disappointment is that I didn't have the extra at the time to kick in for the print copy. Recommended if you love Sin City or crazy Mel Gibson revenge movies, and I love both.
For my full review, please visit http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2012/06/tommys-take-o
n-streets-of-bedlam.html
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WHAT WORKS: The art in the books is eerily effective, with one piece (page 91 of the PDF) genuinely creeping me out as I was scrolling through the PDF. Seriously...not cool. The book has lots of information designed to inspire, and the writing conveys the research in such a manner as to not be tedious or boring. I do also love adventures that put actual choice in PC hands, and this one does a nice job of that, especially at the end.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Well, if you want a lot of crunch, it's not here. There are some slight tweaks to the character generation that you can use, but this isn't a "splat book". Similarly, the subject matter may begin to push Little Fears a bit more into "Squick" territory than a lot of you may like, addressing the idea of humans being as detrimental to kids as Monsters.
CONCLUSION: 128 pages flew by, thanks to the concise writing and conversational tone. The author has a knack for speaking to you when writing without it ever feeling tacky or annoying (which can be a hard feat to master). Little Fears will work perfectly fine without this book, but it does do a nice job of adding more pieces to the puzzle...pieces that are wholly optional and rarely completely spelled out for you, instead providing a long road for your group to walk down on and leaving it up to you all to determine what's at the end.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/12/tommys-take-o
n-lfne-book-2-among.html
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WHAT WORKS: The mechanics of this edition are MUCH tighter than the original in just about every way. Belief is a nice mechanic, with it's risk-reward system. A robust monster-creation guide is fantastic, especially when you don't have a full bestiary out there, and most of the flavor text is creepy without being overly drawn out. Oh, and the advice on using the Questionnaire against your PCs.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Well, I could always use random charts. I also thought the Closetland baddies in the original had a ton of personality, and most of them were ditched for this version.
CONCLUSION: One of the most justified second editions I have ever seen. Tighter focus than the original, tighter writing, tighter mechanics, you name it. Lots and lots of examples, plus a steady supply of support? I'm not sure how you beat that. If you like the idea of kids versus monsters, this is one of the best options out there, hands down. If you liked the original, and I did, I don't know why you wouldn't jump at this one. If you scoffed at the original because of its "True Horror" content...rest assured, The Defiler is nowhere to be found, so you can feel free to give Nightmare Edition a go.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/12/tommys-take-o
n-little-fears-nightmare.html
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I love this treatment of the concept of playing kids fighting not-so-imaginary monsters, where belief can be a powerful force for good or for horror. The game is presented in a way that's delightful to read, especially with the example segments to set the mood, and goes a long way toward not only giving me the mechanics (which are clever yet simple on their own) but in helping me to figure out how I might actually *run* such a campaign. It's all presented with a very flexible framework that lends itself quite easily toward a more lighthearted and wistful take on such adventures, with nostalgia for a child's way of viewing the world ... or toward a darker, more horrific spin - all depending upon the GM and his players.
The mechanics are simple and effective, giving enough for each character to be distinguished from the others in terms of strengths and weaknesses, doing a fine job of allowing players to take on familiar roles of childhood protagonists from popular fiction, but without locking them into rigid archetypes. There are also plenty of options for the GM to handle combat and other action in a more detailed or abstract way (especially when considering multiple participants), so that there's the option of getting quickly through minor conflicts so that the time can be better spent on more story-focused elements.
All-in-all, this strikes me as a very well-thought-out system for an intriguing take on adventure roleplaying.
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This is a great catch for those who loved the original version of "Little Fears" or the newest "Nightmare Edition"
This book goes thru the original version of Little Fears and polishes it up, fixes some game mechanic issues, removes some redundant clunkiness and brings it back as the 10th anniversary version.
Jason put in a bunch of "notes boxes" explaining the changes he made to the original book and why he made them. This goes for rules modifications, world changes, and NPCs as well. Jason also put in alternate rules so that if you want to play, the game will work a lot better.
This book fits a lot more in the "dark horror" genre while the Nightmare Edition fits a bit more into the "dark faery tale" genre. The mechanics are simple enough and the character builds are easy to understand. However there are a lot of dark and disturbing topics addressed in this book, but it is done masterfully.
Sleep tight
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This is a GREAT supplement to "Little Fears, Nightmare Edition."
Many other rule books offer "more classes" or "more perks" or even "more gear." The whole bigger, better, stronger, and faster kind of idea.
This book doesn't do that. Instead, it grows the world of Little Fears. It adds more creepy places and creepy scenarios. Scary places that are neither closet land nor the real world. Among the Missing gives the players a chance to play (or interact with) one of the "Missing." And it gives rise to different motivations and different types of monsters.
A big worry was that this book would treat the idea of missing children either in a fantastic or kind of flippant way. It doesn't do that. This book treats the concept of "The Missing" with respect and the touch of sadness that it deserves. Reading the stories are heartbreaking.
Little Fears is a game based on imagination, fear, and hope. This book just adds another layer to each of them.
If you like Little Fears, Nightmare Edition then I would recommend this supplement. It makes the world larger than just your Cul-De-Sac
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This is a module for the RPG "Little Fears, Nightmare Edition." It's set in pretty much Anytown USA during Halloween Trick or Treat time.
It is a very well thought out story with a lot of detail going into the background/world of the adventure. The NPCs and Monsters are more than just stats on a sheet. The Module goes a bit deeper into them, giving them depth. This will help bring in the players.
This module is different from many as it is a lot more "story oriented" rather than target number oriented. There is a lot of help built into each scene so that the GM can guide the party to the dramatic reveal.
I would recommend reading the campfire tale from front to back so that the GM knows where the story is going to go.
All in all, it's a fun one shot and perfect for Halloween!
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"Among the Missing" is an excellent follow up to "Little Fears: Nightmare Edition". The material is well written and tightly edited, with some wonderful use of childlike prose and voice throughout. The Framing fiction is handled in a somewhat unique fashion and really helps to spotlight how each form of Missing Child could flow from the same narrative.
For those who felt "Nightmare Edition" lacked some of the darkness that the original game boasted, AtM brings a measure of that back; though it does so with respect to the seriousness of its topics.
The artwork it black and white, which is actually the best artistic choice for the imagery and themes the game is working with. Indeed, the art it top notch and some of it downright creepy.
The added rules - entirely optional - are simple and eloquent. For the players there are some options to better reflect the kind of life a Missing child might endure, complete with a new Questionnaire addressing the topics important to a Missing character. Most of the added rules are for the GMs, however, and introduce streamlined ways of making supporting characters with varying levels of depth. There is also extensive advice on how to use the Missing background, or npcs, (here called GMCs) in a "Missing" themed game.
The book wraps up with a short, though decent, adventure designed to introduce you to some of the ideas presented in the material. While the adventure could probably be wrapped up in a single night, it offers enough inspiration and potential that it could be spun into a much longer story.
Overall I am quite pleased with this product and look forward to future releases from FunSizedGames.
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Great set of rules, and a very interesting setting. The Scan is great and easy to read (I use an iPad for the digital books, and this has been one of the best on it thus far).
The rules remind me in some pieces of the Fate system (which is nice, you describe your character's abilities with small phrases) coupled with some nice D6 rolling. The combat has several options that make it possible for everyone, even the 'non-combat' designed characters, to be able to participate.
The setting has the nightmares of children, and can be played as dark or light as one prefers. It, Labyrinth, Eerie Indiana.. all are great for setting ideas.
Really I just have to say this is a great new version of the rules, and anyone looking for a different setting to run in.. playing children and their nightmares.. should look into it.
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It is a very well writen and you should get it now if you like little fears
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Little Fears has the distinction of being one of only five games my FLGS will not carry. I didn't press them why or ask to order it (they said they would, they just don't stock it), they are my FLGS for a reason and I have many other means of getting the books I need. So DriveThru to the rescue!
I had the original edition from some time ago and picked up the nightmare edition, promising the author Jason Blair I'd have a review up. I still don't. But I hope to fix that now.
LF is a game of Childhood Horrors. Simple enough. As a father I have been up many nights sleepily fighting one bogeyman or another. Thankfully most bogeymen are terrified of my "huh? go back to sleep" speech cause I have never seen them. But maybe once apon a time I did. I am reminded of a Charmed episode where a little girl was being attack by little bogey like creatures and the Charmed Ones, being adults, could not see them. They had to cast a spell to be more childlike (with accompanied wackiness) to see the threat. That was the hook I was going to use to get my group to play LF one day. Turn their characters into kids and to keep them off guard I was going to take their Unisystem sheets and give them Little Fears sheets instead and then not tell them all the rules. The Little Fears book makes a big issue about kids living in an adult world and not knowing or understanding the rules. Frankly I thought it was brilliant, but it never happened.
Little Fears plays like that. Only more so. Monsters are defined by the character's fear but also by their belief. In some ways playing LF with adults is a bit like playing D&D with really young kids. They want to be the player AND the DM. In LF the characters and players can change the nature of the game in overt or subtle ways.
The rules are very simple really. The system is a d6 dicepool based on abilities or qualities. Monsters are built similar to characters though are tougher generally speaking. The damage system reminds me of Mutants and Masterminds a bit and is also pretty simple. Emphasis though in this game is not how many monster you can kill, but how well you role-play the monster you nearly escaped from and lived to tell your friends about (because they have seen the same monster, but have been too afraid to tell you). Little Fears is one of the most role-play heavy games I have read in a very long time. If you only like to hit things with pointy metal sticks or throw fireballs, then this might not be your game. If the idea of playing something that is akin to "Kult Jr." or "C.J. Carella's WitchCraft Babies" then this is the game for you.
There is an over-arching malaise though over Little Fears. I get depressed reading it I have to admit. Maybe it is because I am a father and I know how those little kids feel to be afraid and alone and powerless. I guess the counter argument is they are not powerless or alone really.
Little Fears might also be one of the most effective horror games I have ever played. Chill, Kult, WoD, CoC, WitchCraft are all great and I love them all, but Little Fears is different and the power structure between what you can do and what you need to do is such that it is a scary, scary game.
Buy it. Play it. And even if you don't like it you will never look a butterflies the same way again.
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