Little Fears Mini Campaign and Lecture - Debriefing

[Itay]

It was quite a while ago that I promised to run a lecture about LF, and a mini campaign in a convention in Israel.
Well, the lecture was passed in January, and seemed to interest many people who attended. Unfortunately, not many people attended, but that's quite normal for that kind of lectures (They usually get no more than 15 participants). It was discussed in one of Israel's biggest RP related forums later, so the Israeli audience is aware of the existence of the game. Goal #1 achieved.

The convention mentioned was three days long, from sunday to tuesday, last week. On monday I ran the first session of the mini campaign, and on tuesday I ran two more.
What can I say? I never reached such heights in conventions. I may have written better stuff, but combined with the players I had, and the fact that it was a new RPing experience for them all (And for one it was the first RPing experience ever), they were really great games.

The mini campaign was based around the story "Believing is Seeing" presented in the LF book. The first part was about hearing the story, meeting old man Tyler, finding out some of the truth, and being frowned upon by the authorities.
The second started mixing in supernatural elements, such as the blue circles drawn by Billy Grossman. It led to a climax in which Tobey Tylers ghost, along with Billy Grossman, were taken through the crusher into closetland.
The third part was an amazing horror session, in which the kids followed Tobey and Billy (and whoever/whatever it was the took them into closentland) through the crusher into closetland, where they passed some rather horrible experiences, finally freeing Billy and themselves, though Tobey's fate remains unknown.

Just wanted to let you know how it all ended, and if you want me to elaborate on it, just ask.

Itay

[Valamir]

Just wanted to let you know how it all ended, and if you want me to elaborate on it, just ask.
Itay

Um...why should we have to ask...elaborate already :-)

[Itay]

Well, I'll be rather brief, I belive.
The mini campaign was based on Believing is Seeing, the story idea given in the LF book. It was divided into three sessions, as follows:
1st session dealt with the mundane world. The kids heard the tale, went to see the junkyard, met Old Man Tyler and found out some of the truth. They wanted to report it, but no one listened to them.
2nd session dealt with the unnatural on Earth. The kids had to deal with supernatural occurences (Billy Grossman painting blue circles on the walls, wierd dreams and visions, a commet which passes the city every 15 years and brings grief along with it) while coping with extreme personal hardship (worst of which was the father of one of the kids commiting suicide due to his feelings of guilt intesified with the approaching of the commet). It ended with the kids watching the junkyard as four images of their fathers (two of which were dead at the time) took Toby Tyler between them, bound in chains, into closetland, followed by two misterious figures (I used Helter and Skelter for the drama, though they didn't appear again in the campaign) taking Billy Grossman (who was one of the characters' brother, by the way) into closetland as well. The entrance to closetland was, of course, the crusher, which was now wide open and filled with flames. The kids ran into it after the demons disappeared.
3rd session, and the hardest one, took place in closetland. This is how I see the little of closetland that appeared in the game, it is open to criticism, and you don't have to take anything from it, though you are welcome to do it.
 The kids walked in a forest of black trees with red leaves that were shaped like drops, to create the image of a bloody forest. After a long time of walking they reached a small cabin, where they spent the night arguing about who will guard when, being afraid to walk outside because of the hundreds of gleaming eyes looking at them from between the trees. When the morning came, they went outside again and continued walking until they reached a door in a red brick wall with a small neon sign above it saying "EXIT". When they stepped through it, I divided the game into four parts, one for each character, though each saw himself with the others, who weren't really there. Each of them confronted his biggest fear in the form of an impassable test, and since the test were impassable (well, they were passable, but when playing little kids, the chances to pass them are slim), they all failed their test, which ended in them losing conciesnece.
They woke up in a wagon made of little children's bones, being pulled by little children. They were taken to Lamashtu's palace in that wagon, where they were brought before her along with Billy and Tobey. They spoke to Lamashtu for a while, until they bored her, but when she was about to order them to be taken away, the place was attacked by Bogies who wanted to take the opportunity take take Tobey back under their custody (as you may remember, Tobey's ghost was first taken by Bogies, and only later did Lamashtu's servants get to catch him). The kids used the confusion created by the battle to escape the place and found themselves in the cabin in which they slept last night. The place was surounded by agents of Lamashtu, but being some form of a "safe place" in the chaos that is Closetland, it did not allow entrance to those seeking to hurt the children. However, there was no way out either, no food or water. Just the kids and Tobey. After thinking and arguing for a while, Tobey told the kids that the only he ever heard of for getting out of closetland is y killing a creature of closetland. Since he was dead, and only existed in closetland, he was considered a creature of closetland and offered the kids to kill him so they will be able to leave that place intact. After more arguing they reluctantly agreed with that course of action, killed Tobey's ghost and got back to the junkyard, where they were found later by the authorities. Old Man Tyler was arrested, as he was suspected of hurting them, and no one believed what they said about his innocence. The remaining murderers (the two fathers that were still alive) were arested also, as the thing could be hushed no longer, with so many authority figures speaking with the kids following the whole story.

The End (And what a dreadful end it is).

If you want me to elaborate somewhere, let me know again :)