Plot Ideas

[ether]

Here are some plot ideas for Little Fears

MAGIC
At a birthday party (either for one of the characters or they friends) a magician is present (the Amazing Amazo). After a few amusing tricks (rabbit from hat, ballon animals etc) Amazo finishes by producing an empty jar and asks the birthday boy to breath into it. To the surprise of everyone a glowing light appears in the jar which Amazo then seals it saying he's taking the childs soul.
The next day the birthday boy becomes ill but no physical reason can be discovered. As the childs condition worsens the characters must get the soul back from Amazo.
Breaking into his office they find plenty of occult artifacts among the usual party magician props. There is also a cabinet that leads to Closet Land. While recovering the Soul Jar (which sits with many others) Amazo enters the office. Can the kids sneak past him with the soul?

DOG CAME BACK
A pet dog is run over in front of the children. By the time the characters get help they find the dog is fine and in the arms of its owner Billy. However the dog gets more and more aggresive. Adults think the dog has rabies but the children know it is possessed by pure evil. Only the will of Billy keeps the dog in this world and he must be convinced to let his dog go.

ROAD TRIP
The children are returning from a school trip to a County museum. As the light starts to dim they stop at a break point so everyone can use the toilets. As everyone is coming out their teacher is on the bus waiting for them.
Suddenly the doors slam shut and the bus pulls away, The teacher stumble and the children see her fall against the rear window looking terrified. The players must make their way home as night falls and their class mates get frightened, wander off or fight.
Eventually they find the bus in a ditch, blood staining the windows and their teacher badly injured. Eventually they can wave down a car. The concerned old man agrees to give the teacher and some of the children a lift to get help.
As they go along they see someone waving them down. It appears to be the bus driver, He is covered in blood, apparently from a head injury. The old man slows the car and winds down the window only to be stabbed by the bus driver. The players must some how get the car away (it'll take two).

IT WASN'T ME:
Windows are being broken, cookies are being stolen and animals tormented Wittnesses claim the characters were responsible. Glimpses of children who look like characters indicate some evil doubles are on the loose.
A new mirror in the family house hold seems to hold the key as the characters don't seem to have any reflection in it. Smashing the mirror denies the escaped mirror images the opportunity to return home and they escalate their evil actions going so far as arson and even murder.
Note: Satanic beards on the mirror doubles are, of course, optional.

GRANDMA:
Jimmy claims that his Grandma knows alot about the town and might be able to explain why weird stuff happens all the time. He leads the characters to the house which is falling apart. The garden is a daunting field of weeds and tall grass. The windows are blackened through dirt. Jimmy explains that his Grandma isn't able to do much.
Inside the house things are in a similar state of disrepair. Dirty plates are piled in the sink. Dust covers everything and the house stinks of death. Jimmy says his Grandma likes to stay in the attic, where she can look over the town.
Climbing the rickety stairs to the attic they see an old woman sitting in a rocking chair. Getting close she grabs a characters arms and hisses " Help me!"
On closer inspection they see a manacle has been placed round her liver spotted leg, chaining her to the chair. Jimmy laughs and goes down the ladder, closing the attic door behind him.
The truth is that the house was once the sight of a series of terrible murders. The couple that lived there were being used by the Closet Land to kill and died when the police raided the building.
Jimmy's Grand Ma moved in (as the place was very cheap) but the original owners returned and locked her in the attic. When Jimmy came to visit the murderous couple stole his innocence and turned him into their pawn, to draw more children there.
Now the characters are trapped in an old house, filled with stuffed animals, fading yellow photos and antique furniture. The ghostly couple intend to rob the characters of their innocence.
Not only must the children escape but they must also get the old woman out as well.

[Petter Sandelin]

"Only the will of Billy keeps the dog in this world and he must be convinced to let his dog go. "

This is intresting because it makes for the kind of true horror adventure I would like to see more of.

In my latest Little Fears game I had a similar plot. The childrens best friend found a cat in the woods and soon started to act strange and commiting evil deeds. I painted the picture of an evil demonic cat taking over the body of their friend. They took the bait and shot the cat with a playstation laser pistol only to realize that the demonic cat was teir friend desperatly trying to contact them from another body and the real demon was in his body..

When I read Little Fears I knew I didn't want to touch the subjects it took up under true horror, but still play these kind of adventures and I think this is a good way to do it. Let them experience traumatic events sprung from close ties to near and dear, but without bringing in child molestion etc.