I've started my Solo Tabletop Roleplaying Game journey and I am [surprisingly] really enjoying it! The game in question?
Ghostbusters: Ningyotoshi Ghost Research is a Solo TRPG campaign by me for me! I'm using the Japanese indie RPG 'Tokyo Ghost Research' with some modifications for my own Ghostbusters adapted setting and the fact that its a Solo game.
The campaign follows the paranormal investigation and elimination cases, called 'Projects', of a Ghostbusters franchise in the (fictional) Japanese Coastal City of Ningyotoshi (Mermaid City). The main characters are a pair of Ghostbusters field operatives named Michio Tsumura (Male - 32) and Fumiko Magari (Female - 28).
Michio Tsumura (whose first name means 'Man on a Journey' and his last name 'Harbor Village') is a 32 year old, single Male who was born and raised in Ningyotoshi. He went to high school locally and university in Kyoto, majoring in History and Folklore Studies.
Prior to joining the Ghostbusters he mostly did odd jobs for neighbors and other local residents. All the while he read and learned as much as he could about Japanese Mythology in general and Ningyotoshi legends in particular. Eventually he applied for the Ghostbusters in an attempt to both further his knowledge and put it to practical use.
Michio is in the Sales Department because of his ability to get along with both the living and the dead. His knowledge of local legends and ghosts in general allows him to negotiate with paranormal beings instead of having to always blast and trap them.
Tsumura has a kind of 'sixth sense', an ability to detect supernatural entities that he's had all his life. It is part of the reason for his interest in the paranormal.
Michio is a big fellow, not especially tall (though above average for a native Japanese male) but he's got a lot of muscle. He can be charming and warm like a large teddy bear but also gruff and intimidating. He knows this and uses it to his advantage when dealing with other people. Good looking in a rough way, many think of him as a 'ladies man' but that's not really true per say.
He is well known and liked throughout the city from his odd job days and just has a lot of female friends. He dates but its mostly just looking to enjoy the company.
'Sure I know a lot of woman and yeah, its fun to go out and do something but it isn't serious or deep. It's not like my friendship with Fumiko. I mean, the two of us can get into some really wild conversations and man, is she smart. And her hair...I really like how she colors it just 'cause she wants to and it makes her happy and...what? Get outta here! Me and Fumiko? Nah, man...I'm..ya'know I'm just sayin."
Fumiko Magari (whose first name means 'Intellectual' and whose last name means 'A Twist or Distortion') is a 28 year old single Female who was born in Ningyotoshi but travelled across Japan with her family due to her father's job.
She is incredibly smart and understands the physics and metaphysics of the Ghostbusters technology and science. She attended the Fukui University of Technology while also taking classes at two other colleges online. After graduating she immediately applied to the Ghostbusters in order to get her hands on devices like the Proton Pack, Ghost Trap, and the Ghost Light (an item unique to the Tokyo Ghost Research game that I love. It's a Flashlight that emits charged particles similar to the Proton Thrower and Trap which cause invisible supernatural entities to appear visible within its beam).
She serves in the Investigations Department of Ningyotoshi Ghost Research as her analytical mind makes her an excellent detective.
Fumiko is scientifically and technically brilliant but a bit socially awkward. She gets excited very quickly and can't hide it. She wants to be herself but gets embarrassed when people see her as different and not adhering to Japan's social norms. She gets along well with her co-workers (most of whom would also be thought of as weird by most of Japanese society) but doesn't have a lot of outside friends. She sometimes hangs out with the Unconventionals, a community of artists, writers, and musicans who live in the Northeastern area of the city along the river.
A romantic at heart, Magari would really like to meet someone special but because of her outside-the-box thinking, her failure to prioritize Japan's usual social practices, and her job, she finds it hard to meet anyone compatible.
"How does Michio do it? I mean, sure he's kind of good looking and physically fit...and he's interesting...even sort of cute when he's talking about his interests...but...WHAT AM I SAYING?! Deep breaths Fumiko. I should probably go...modify a nuclear accelerator. That always calms my nerves."
The current supporting cast consists of:
Aya Nakamura (first name means 'Colorful' or 'Beautiful', last name means 'Middle Village') is the Project Manager for most of our Ghostbusters: NGR heroes' outings. Her abilities fall under the Career Type/Department of General Affairs. She is very good at coordinating a group's efforts, cutting through red-tape, and controlling who knows what information (so she can spin screw-ups to look better to the press and bureaucrats).
She always wears something colorful but odd, such as a business blazer made from blue flower pattern kimono material or a brightly hued plaid skirt.
Kenji Boudreaux - last name pronounced Bo-du-ru by the Japanese - is a second generation mixed ethnicity Ningytoshi native (for various reasons, Ningyotoshi has more foreign and mixed ethnicity residents than most Japanese cities its size. A follow up post will go into detail on the city itself). He is a back-up Field Operative Ghostbuster as well as being in charge of the team's vehicle. (His first name means 'Strong or Healthy Second Son'. His last name, of French Creole origin, means 'Leader of the Group'. He's basically the outfit's Second-in-Command after the boss).
Finally...The Boss! You randomly roll up the Boss in Tokyo Ghost Research and I was quite inspired by what I got. Here's Kōri Koarashi.
Boss: Kōri Koarashi (whose name means 'Cold Little Storm')
Position: Nearing Retirement Age
Appearance/Impression: Age Unknown
Nature: Nothing is said. Rarely speaks.
Bad Habits: Cold Gags – Dark sense of humor.
Another native of Ningyotoshi who lived in Tokyo in his college years. Koarashi was one of the first Ghostbusters in Japan, having served for over two decades with GB: Tokyo Ghost Research. While generally said to be 'near retirement age', no one is certain how old he actually is.
The Boss rarely speaks, preferring to communicate through grunts and motioning with his head. When on rare occasion he does say something, its often a dark joke of dubious appropriateness.
I have a lot of thoughts about this whole endeavor but I'll start with this epiphany...In a Solo TRPG you are in the role of Player. The Gamemaster role is 'automated'.
I know this seems rather obvious to most people but it took a while for this to sink in for me. My brain defaults to thinking like a GM; to thinking that I AM a GM. This is why it was so difficult for me to grasp not just the idea of Solo gaming but also why one would even like doing it.
Once I was able to let go (sort of - keep reading) of trying to be fully the GM and fully the Player at the same time, I had a lot more fun with the exercise. Focusing on the Player role and letting the Game System, Tables, and Dice be the referee is what makes the whole thing work. That said...
As noted, I am a Gamemaster at heart. If I wasn't going to get involved with creating the game's narrative and actively world-building, I'd probably get bored with the whole process pretty quickly. So, what I've decided to do is roll randomly for many of the key elements of the game and then generate a story, a setting, and the encounters myself using those prompts. Essentially this how all Solo RPGs function, I understand that. What I'm trying to do is add a bit more from my head than from random generation.
If Solo TRPGs typically have the Dice and Mechanics handling 75% of the Gamemastering duties and you filling in the remaining 25%, my approach is more 60/40. These aren't real or exacting numbers but just a way of helping to visualize how I'm looking at it.
I have a ton of other thoughts and ideas about this in addition to a recap of my first session. I hope to run my second session tomorrow (I've been busy OK! Sheesh). Before I go though, I want to share a table I made that I am really proud of. This is my custom 'Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research Japanese Ghost Generator'.
For this campaign, I start most scenarios by getting a Client using one of several online NPC generators (such as this one for example: Chaotic Shiny Modern Character Generator) and then going to a different site to give the character a Japanese Name. I do a little research on the names I find interesting and alter them if needed to get one I like that has the meaning I'm looking for.
Next, I use the table above to create the Ghost haunting the Client. As you can see, you roll 1D10 four times, or just 4D10 I suppose, and put together the results. The first three categories are clearly from the Ghostbusters franchise and the same CDI identifiers I use in my other homebrew/kit Ghostbusters game. The last column adds a Japanese Yokai Type - a spirit/ghost/monster from Japanese folklore - to the mix to give The Call an appropriate local feel.
The best thing about this is that it can result in some very unique or at least unusual Japanese supernatural entities. An Oni for example is a powerful Ogre-like demon but what if you're dealing with a Class II Terminal Mist Oni? This is an Oni that can barely manifest itself. It can be made to shuffle off back to the ghostly realm (Terminal) but what will make it do that? If you don't do that, will it get stronger and eventually fully form? So many possibilities!
Let's do one right now to show you what I'm talking about. We start with a Client.
Interesting. A Photographer. OK, getting an idea immediately but before I'll get to that I need to give him a Japanese name. Let's see...
After several attempts I saw a couple of names that I liked but decided to combine two in order to make:
Hibiki Fushimiya (Hibiki means 'Echo' and Fushimiya means 'Hidden Shrine'). Hmm. A photo is like a visual echo, no?
OK, now let's roll 4D10 using an Online Dice Roller.
A Mōryō is a supernatural wilderness being connected to mountains, forests, and most especially water, usually streams and rivers. This Yokai is generally viewed as a nature spirit but also as an eater of the dead, consuming corpses like a ghoul. While it might 'live' near a riverbank or waterfall, it can often be found skulking around graveyards looking for a meal.
So combining this result with the Client I can generate the Project or Scenario for an adventure.
Project Name: Picturing The Dead
Number of employees required: 2-3 people
Number of Phases: 4
Recommended skills: Any
Client: Hibiki Fushimiya, Freelance Photographer
Ghost: Class IV Repeating Phantasm Mōryō.
While doing some Wildlife Photography near a forest stream East of the city, a young man named Hibiki Fushimiya saw something strange and accidentally caught it on camera, though it is difficult to clearly make out what it is.
That was a week ago and every since (Random Rolls on Various Tables) Hibiki has since seen strange lights, ghostly figures, and heard distant voices at random wherever he goes. Returning to the site of stream he found parts of a dead body in the water. It looked very old (long since deceased) and like it had been chewed or gnawed on by some very large animal.
Taking pictures of the scene, Fushimiya once again caught a bizarre image in a photo, a monstrous being reflected on the surface of the water. He called Ghostbusters: Ningyotoshi Ghost Research (Random Motivation Roll: Lust? Huh. The Lust result matches the 'Favorite Sin' entry on his NPC info. Got It!) and specifically asks for Fumiko Magari for help as he has seen her on TV and Social Media and has a crush on her.
How will she react? Will Michio get jealous? Why is this creature now haunting this poor guy?
That, as they say, is the adventure!
Well, that's all for now but as noted there's a lot more where this came from*.
AD
Barking Alien
*That would be my head.
