Gaming Outpost Interview: Key 20, Makers of Little Fears

Key 20 is a fledgling Company from Ohio that is producing a brand new role playing game, based on the dark fears of children, called Little Fears. Gaming Outpost recently caught up with Jason Blair, a Key 20 executive, in our chatroom on Gamesnet, #gamingoutpost. Jason told us all about his new game and what the future holds for Key 20. Gaming Outpost: Your first product was a book of poetry called Illegible Stone. I guess my first question is, why a book of poetry? Jason Blair: First love, I guess. Poetry is really important to me. Gaming Outpost: Oh? Jason Blair: I think it's the most important form of writing out there. Gaming Outpost: Why is that? Do you think it is more expressive>? Jason Blair: Done properly, yes. All bets are off with poetry. Gaming Outpost: Why try and start a game company with a poetry book? Jason Blair: Good question. Key 20 is not a game company. It's a publishing house. And the three original members of Key 20 were all poets. Only two of us were gamers. We wanted something that we all could get into. Gaming Outpost: Do any of you do this full time? Jason Blair: There're only two of us in Key 20 now and we both have full-time jobs on top of Key 20. Both poetry and role-playing games are small markets and the money just isn't there for us yet. Gaming Outpost: Can you give me a basic synopsis of Little Fears? Jason Blair: Everyone growing up was scared of something. The dark, the Bogeyman, the Crazy Old Man next door... Little Fears asks the question, "What if all those things you were scared of were real?" What if there was place they all came from that was ruled by the wickedest monsters alive? Gaming Outpost: Why the title Little Fears? Jason Blair: Well, originally, the game was called Small Fears and I really didn't like that title so I tweaked it a bit and started to call it Little Fears. I wasn't too keen on that name either, until I started doing some research and found out that "little fears" is actually a term used to reference fleeting childhood fears. It's a contrast to the term "phobia." After I found that out, I knew I had to keep the name. Gaming Outpost: Where did this games inspiration come from? Jason Blair: Well, it's really hard for me to point at anything or anyone as an inspiration. The original concept came about three years ago while I was at my job. I remember I stopped working to write three pages down. I came home after work and grabbed two buddies of mine and we played it. It was a blast. Then those three pages sat for about a year and a half. Gaming Outpost: What made you start developing it further? Jason Blair: I remember I was working on a bunch of different games. I had about 20 pages done for each. A stack of scribblings, doodles, etc. Gaming Outpost: But little fears obviously stood out. Was there any reason why? Jason Blair: I finally decided that I had to pick one and finish it. Little Fears wasn't even up for nomination. I had separated all the games into piles to see what I could work with the most. I reached for this other game, but at the last second grabbed those three pieces of Little Fears notes. The floodgates just opened. I started writing more and more and in no time... Little Fears was on its way. Gaming Outpost: What are your most honest expectations of the game? Jason Blair: Honestly... I don't think people want to play children. But... I think most people have a misconception about the intelligence, social skills, etc. of children. Most gamers, in my opinion, think of 2 year olds when you mention a 10 year old. Middle-childhood children are amazingly advanced. I think when people crack through the shell of Little Fears, they're going to find quite a fun, enjoyable, and hopefully unsettling game beneath. Gaming Outpost: Will you branch off with little fears at all to try and make more money? If so, how? Jason Blair: Well, with Little Fears we hope to develop a line of product and, in turn, roll some of that money over into a second game line that is still in its infancy. We also want to do another poetry book and hopefully a collection of short stories. Gaming Outpost: Here's the big one, why do you want to get into two industries that, as you have said, are small markets? Jason Blair: Passion. Unlike most business people I've come across, I need to feel passionate about what I'm doing. I'm not the type of businessman who can do anything with any product and any company. I need to be fully behind what I'm pushing and the two things I'm most passionate about are poems and rpgs. Hopefully, getting into two small markets will work for us the same as if we'd gotten into a single mid-level market Gaming Outpost: So when will Little Fears be released? Jason Blair: We'll be premiering Little Fears at Origins 2001. It will then be available exclusively from our website until GenCon 2001. After that, it'll be in distributors hands and available at your local game shop. Gaming Outpost: What about the book itself, how much will it retail for? Will it be Hardcover or Soft Cover? What about the Size? Jason Blair: Twenty bucks. It will a 7.5" x 9.5" Hard Cover. Gaming Outpost: Wow. Going all out. When will you be taking pre orders? Jason Blair: We'll start taking them in June, probably. Gaming Outpost: Any last comments? Jason Blair: Stay good, visit us at the cons, and always keep a night light on. You never know what will come out in the dark.