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Ben Lathrop Posts

Monsters in the woods

Monsters in the woods

Published by Ben on November 2, 2026

I was recently asked by Wild Plum Games if I’d be interested in collaborating on a story for Precipice: Mech Miniatures Combat, exploring a spookier corner of the fantasy setting Harness created by Michael Gernes. My immediate answer was yes.

Harness is a very fresh and unexpected take on the mecha genre. It starts with the question of “what if suits of armor from the middle ages were giant robot sized?” but the real genius of it is how thoughtful and historically supported the answers to that question are. Harness is ultimately a fantasy world, but its political, technological and economic structures are thoroughly grounded in our world’s past. Michael is a dedicated life-long student of history with hands-on experience wearing and fighting in period armor. His incredible attention to detail makes Harness come alive.

The three-part “Harness Special” story, as well as the original Harness stories, can be found on Wild Plum Games site. The incredible illustrations were made by Rune Hrafnagaldur.

Be sure to follow Wild Plum Games’s Dev Blog for updates on the game and reveals of more settings.

Approaching the Precipice

Approaching the Precipice

Published by Ben on March 31, 2026

Last summer I was contacted by game designer Max Brooke about a new project he was launching through his company Wild Plum Games. Tabletop games, especially ones with tiny plastic figures to paint, are one of my many nerdy pastimes so I was on board before he’d even described his concept. Once I heard it, the wheels really started to turn.

A game of sci-fi combat, where battles are fought with enormous robotic machines. The twist: the scale is not the bird’s eye view of huge armies of troops crawling over the landscape like Battletech or Warhammer 40K, but it puts players directly in the cockpit — facing off like two ace pilots dueling each other for the highest stakes. Among his many projects, Max developed several popular spaceship battle games including: Star Wars: X-Wing, Star Wars: Armada, and Star Trek: Into the Unknown, so it was easy to imagine what he might do with giant robots.

Max had the game mechanics down, but he was looking for different voices to create a collection of independent settings that could bring the game to life. He asked me if I had an idea.

It just so happens that I did…

Flashforward to this week when Wild Plum Games posted their free Alpha Test Rules materials and the Launching Soon page on Kickstarter for Precipice: Mech Miniatures Combat!

Working on this project has been a blast and I can hardly wait to share the stuff I’ve cooked up. I’ll post more details as the Kickstarter warms up, but can say for now that I’ve created both a world guide for the game setting as well as original fiction that will be available as part of the campaign.

Old Heap Needs a Jumpstart

Old Heap Needs a Jumpstart

Published by Ben on October 7, 2025

I set this website up a few years ago and its been fairly static ever since. Mostly because of minimal news on the publishing front. That is set to change soon, since I have some pending announcements, so watch this space —

Initially, I’d planned to use this site for information about my writing only. I have a lot of other hobbies and interests, and was saving those for social media, but I feel like that space is a lot less about engaging with like minds these days and more like yelling into an empty room. I’d still like to share my thoughts on all those nerdy topics, so I think I’ll start branching out with some of the posts here.

Their Ghoulish Reputation

Their Ghoulish Reputation

Published by Ben on July 5, 2022

Their Ghoulish Reputation An Anthology of Folk-Horror, featuring my story “The Barn,” is available for pre-order HERE.

“The Barn” is a return to Mahigan County and tells the story of a failing graduate student who seeks seclusion in rural Iowa to finish their thesis and slowly discovers the horrible family secret that has lurked beneath the soil for generations.

Advanced Praise for Midnight Horror Show

Published by Ben on September 14, 2020

“For fans of Dan Simmons’ one-two punch Summer of Night and A Winter Haunting, where the horror seeps into the very region itself, there’s a new novel waiting for you to call home… Ben Lathrop’s Midnight Horror Show is the bleak and bloody equivalent to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, if it were directed by Al Adamson. This is acoustic guitar horror at its best, strumming up windswept screams against a backdrop of the lonesome Midwest.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of The Remaking

“Firmly rooted in all those things that made ‘80s horror so great. Campy, gross, weird, harrowing, scary, funny, big-hearted. Midnight Horror Show is a good one.”—Keith Rosson, author of The Mercy of the Tide and Road Seven

“Spook shows, drive-ins, horror hosts & monster movies – Ben’s love for the genre shines through in this page-turner.”—Dr. Gangrene, Chiller Cinema, Dr. Gangrene’s Cinetarium

“Midnight Horror Show takes you through the darkest recesses of horror nostalgia and video store lore into a fog-drenched gothic landscape of occult murders, mysterious creatures, and so much blood. Evokes Poe, Lovecraft, and Clive Barker in a compelling mystery that’s familiar while feeling thoroughly fresh. I couldn’t put the book down.”—Ben Rock, Video Palace, The Blair Witch Project

“An ode to the nearly lost tradition of the Midnight Creature Feature and their macabre hosts. If you fondly remember Elvira, the Svengoolie, Vampira, Dr. Creep, Sinister Seymour, or Grampa Al Lewis you will absolutely love this sinister adaptation of the late night monster movie scene.” – Rex Hurst, author of What Hell May Come

Preorder Now: getbook.at/HorrorShow

The Show Starts September 25th

The Show Starts September 25th

Published by Ben on August 31, 2020

It’s end of October 1985 and the crumbling river town of Dubois, Iowa is shocked by the gruesome murder of one of the pillars of the community. Detective David Carlson has no motive, no evidence, and only one lead: the macabre local legend of “Boris Orlof,” a late night horror movie host who burned to death during a stage performance at the drive-in on Halloween night twenty years ago and the teenage loner obsessed with keeping his memory alive.

The body count is rising and the darkness that hangs over the town grows by the hour. Time is running out as Carlson desperately chases shadows into a nightmare world of living horrors.

On Halloween the drive-in re-opens at midnight for a show no one will ever forget!

Preorder HERE