Season Two of Campfire Tales wrapped up last week with the release of #6: Old Man Winter. That brings the total number of products in the Nightmare Edition line to eight. I’m pretty proud of that. LFNE went a year after its release without additional material until the first Campfire Tales episode launched in October 2010. While I wasn’t able to pump out the 12 episodes I’d initially planned, I was able to readjust for the stutter in my workflow and publish half of them in about a year’s time along with the first full-sized supplement as well.

I ramped up my writing on all fronts this past year, contributing to other game lines and a very exciting video game project, and I look to continuing the trend in 2012. As some of you might know, I’ll be dedicating a good chunk of the first quarter to my new project Streets of Bedlam but Little Fears is a long-time love of mine and I have no intention of leaving it in the cold. On the contrary, I have some big plans for the property.

Last March, I revealed some information about a multi-part supplement called The Seven Kings. I’ve also dropped some hints about Book 3 here and there. I’d still love to do both next year but won’t commit to a time frame just yet. I’ll keep you all posted.

One thing I do want to announce now is that I’ll be releasing a summer season of Campfire Tales. The three episodes will be set in the hottest months which gives me a good excuse to finally release one of my personal favorite episodes, “Camp Howling Wolf.” I look forward to the change in season and I hope you like it as well.

Other plans for Little Fears exist, some more feasible than others, but I’ll hold tight on those yet. One promise at a time.

I want to thank you all for your support, your kind words, and helping to spread the word. I hope you had a wonderful year and an even better one awaits you in 2012.

Mary Downing Hahn knows how to write a Middle Grade thriller, and in her 2004 release The Old Willis Place, she spins one of her best, a ghostly yarn of loss and loneliness about a pair of siblings forced to live under some very strange restrictions.

From the Clarion paperback:

Diana and her little brother, Georgie, have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying mansion, for what seems like forever. A strict set of rules won’t allow them to leave the property or even show themselves to anyone.

But when a new caretaker and his young daughter, Lissa, come to live there, Diana is tempted to break the mysterious rules for the first time in hopes of making a new friend. She and George learn quickly, though, that breaking the rules can have deadly consequences…

This book is perfect inspiration for a Little Fears episode (or mini-series of episodes). Its tone, as well as the truth the story slowly reveals, is straight out of the original Little Fears*, but the events have very strong ties to some of the elements found within Book 2: Among the Missing (for Little Fears Nightmare Edition)**. Whichever edition you fancy, The Old Willis Place has something for you.

If you enjoy the book, I highly recommend Ms. Hahn’s other works as well, especially Wait Till Helen Comes. I have another of her books, All the Lovely Bad Ones, on my to-read list as well. She’s one of the few authors whose books I’ll pick up without hesitation.

*The tenth anniversary edition of which just came out in PDF (and will be out in print shortly).

**And, coincidentally, touches on some stuff in the works for the not-yet-announced Little Fears Nightmare Edition Book 3.

Visual proof courtesy of my camera phone and my poor picture-taking skills:

The books are in! I just need to check them, sign them, and stuff them into envelopes and boxes. MOST* pre-orders should go out this week (and standard orders as well). I’ve already had a lot of interest from retailers but if your local shop isn’t one of them, let me know! I love selling directly to you folks but I’m a big supporter of the brick-and-mortar shops as well.

*The downside to this news is that the United States Postal Service has halted all shipments to Canada due to the current labor dispute. So for my northern neighbors, I’ll see what I can do to get your books to you as soon as I can. I’m going to process all the other orders and then dig into my options there.

The proof for Book 2: Among the Missing arrived! Here’s out-of-focus, poorly-lit camera phone evidence:

I’m going to look over the proof, see if anything needs corrected, and either approve it or make corrections tonight. If everything looks good, I’ll approve it online and set the printers to printing. Corrections may delay things a day or two but, worst case, I should have books next week which means I’ll be sending out copies very soon.

Seems there’s some confusion about what Little Fears Nightmare Edition is and what Happy Birthday, Little Fears is and what’s compatible with what and isn’t Nightmare Edition just the original game, anyway?

Let me try to clear things up.

Little Fears
Little Fears is the original version of the game, released in 2001. It used a very simple system and had a very dark world. The world of Closetland is ruled by the Demagogue and his Kings. There were a few online supplements released but no physical products beyond the core rulebook. It went out of print in 2003/2004 but shows up on the secondary market, usually at a premium. It was never released in PDF (though PDFs certainly exist, they are not official).

Little Fears Nightmare Edition
Little Fears Nightmare Edition is the latest version of the game, released in 2009. It uses its own system—entirely separate from the original game—and is much more fantastic in its horror than the original game. There are no Kings of Closetland and no Demagogue. Closetland still exists though. It was released in print and PDF. So far, one physical product (Book 2: Among the Missing, also available in PDF) and three electronic products (the Campfire Tales episodes) have been released for it.

Happy Birthday, Little Fears
Happy Birthday, Little Fears is the tenth anniversary edition of the original game. It’s the same text as the 2001 release (though edited and updated a bit) and includes some commentary by me, some rules clarifications/additions, and all the supplemental material released by me is included. It uses all-new art but is otherwise similar to the 2001 release. It is slated for release in PDF on July 5th and in print sometime in August. You can pre-order it at a discounted price until June 29th. You can read about the pre-order here.

I hope that clears things up. If you have any other questions, drop them in the comments or email me at jason@littlefears.com.

LITTLE FEARS NIGHTMARE EDITION BOOK 2: AMONG THE MISSING IS OUT NOW IN PDF

You were a normal kid once with a normal life and a normal family. Then things changed. There was a moment when your life took a sudden turn and you stopped being a normal kid. You became a headline, a statistic, a picture on the grocery store window. A warning for other children.

Maybe you were taken, stolen by a monster, or maybe you simply disappeared.

Whatever happened, at that moment, you became one of the missing.

Book 2: Among the Missing is an expansion to the Little Fears Nightmare Edition game. In it, we talk about what missing children mean in the world of Little Fears, how kids become missing, what happens to them next, how they can help in the fight against monsters, and how they can be saved. Includes expanded GMC rules, new monsters, information about the World In-Between, and a full-length episode titled “The Long Way Home.”

If you pre-ordered a copy of the PDF, you should already have your code. If you don’t, email me using the contact form above or at jason at this domain. If you didn’t pre-order the PDF, you can grab a copy now for $10 from the good folks at DriveThruRPG and RPGNow.

I’m going to send the files to the printer next week for those waiting on a physical book. In the mean time, if you notice any errors or find something that could use a dose of clarity, now’s the time to let me know!

With the PDF launch just two days away, let’s dig a little deeper into Book 2: Among the Missing by taking a look at the rarest type of missing: those who fall into the gaps between Closetland and the real world, those who are suddenly displaced, those whose very existence becomes questioned, whose families suddenly don’t know them, and whose entire foundation shatters in a heartbeat.

Click below for a PDF preview of Chapter Five: Through the Cracks, a look at the forgotten.

I wanted to get this up earlier but the week before a book’s release is always a maddening (and fun! But oh-so-maddening) time.

I plan to do at least one more sneak peek before the book hits digital shelves on Wednesday, and then a couple more as the print edition gets closer to launch.

Click the image below for a PDF preview of Chapter Two: By Inhuman Hands. It takes a look at the Stolen, those taken by monsters. I hope you enjoy the preview and let me know what you think in the comments below!

With two weeks until its May 25th release, I figured now was a good time to show off some of Book 2: Among the Missing. The past month has been a blur of writing, art direction, and layout as that big idea I had a while back solidifies as an actual, honest-to-goodness product. And the pre-orders have served as great motivation to keep my head down and going forward as more and more people put their money where my mouth is.

I have a great art team on this book. Veronica V. Jones and Doug Snook (Grumbleputty) return from the main book and I’ve added George Cotronis and Jeff Preston to the mix as well, doing the considerable number of chapter intro images.

I’ll post a couple PDF excerpts as we get closer to launch but, for now, take a look at two of the characters Grumbleputty did for the book. First is a member of the Army of St. Nicholas called Walter Highways. The second is called simply The Cat and it’s one feisty feline you don’t want to cross your path.

I hope you dig these peeks at the art and come back for more previews in the coming weeks.

Book 2: Among the Missing is on track for PDF release on May 25th with print to follow soon after. The pre-order ends tonight but you’ll be still be able to order the physical book after, and pick up the PDF anytime once it hits DriveThruRPG and RPGNow.

A huge thanks to everyone who pre-ordered Book 2: Among the Missing throughout the month of April. Not only did your orders help validate the past couple months of hard work but you helped raise $75 for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. I tallied the orders Sunday morning and made the donation immediately after through the NCMEC’s online donation form. Here’s a screen-cap of the online receipt:

I also put a note that the donation was in honor of the Little Fears Nightmare Edition Book 2 Pre-Order Customers but that didn’t copy over to the receipt. Alas!

If you didn’t get your pre-order in yet, don’t worry! You have until May 11th to pre-order the book in print and/or PDF and save some money in the process. See this post for details.

Thank you again to all those who helped raise money for this incredibly important cause. I hope you all enjoy Book 2 when it hits virtual shelves on May 25th (and physical ones soon after).