Hosts of Freaky Ghosts - The Usual Literature

“The Ghostbusters have a wide variety of resources available to us when looking into the specific details of a supernatural entity or event. Regardless of how we go about our research for a particular case, at some point we’re going to want to reference the key written works dedicated to the study of the paranormal; These include Spate’s Catalog of Namesless Horrors, Tobin’s Spirit Guide, The Roylance Guide to Secret Societies and Sects, and Leon Zundinger's Magicians, Martyrs, and Madmen.

There are many more as well, although they vary in completeness, quality of the information provided, and accessibility. I urge you to be open to the rare, independent, paranormal researchers as well, who have done phenomenal work in the field and are most assuredly worth looking into, even if they never published a collection of their notes. Arguably the greatest example of this are the deep dives into parapsychology by Professor Sebastian Pott, through his 'Curious Cases', which are all incredibly insightful…”

Dr. Raymond Stantz, ‘The Unsung Research of Professor Sebastian Pott.’
Lecture to the National Society of Supernatural Studies
Las Vegas, NV. USA 1992

Hey everybody, my name is Adam Dickstein and I’m a Ghostbuster.

I’ve been with the company since the mid-to-late 80s and I’ve always been fascinated by Professor Sebastian Pott; his life, his work, and his rather peculiar disappearance. 

Winston Zeddemore, through his company and on behalf of Ghostbusters Inc., International, was able to purchase Prof. Pott’s 'estate' (such as it was), which included all of his published papers, personal journals, and notes, with the blessings of lawyer and executors, only a few months ago.

With the approval of Prof. Potts lawyer and executor, Dr. Raymond Stantz, by way of the publishing arm of his company ‘Ray’s Occult Books’, has organized, edited, and assembled the Professor’s (literally) tons of notebooks, sketchbooks, and loose post-it notes into a single, massive volume titled, ‘Prof. Sebastian Pott’s Hosts of Freaky Ghosts’. I had the pleasure of assisting on this project. 

As such, Mr. Zeddemore, Dr. Stantz, and Dr. Venkman, have asked me to put together excerpts from the book to share with all of you, free of charge. I will be doing this with assistance from Ghostbusters from various franchise offices all across the United States and the world. I hope you will find these posts informative, helpful, and yes, entertaining. Most of all, I hope the knowledge conveyed here helps anyone who comes in contact with a spook, spectre, or ghost to be better prepared for their encounter.

Remember, do what you can to avoid the situation, to protect yourself, and then call the Ghostbusters.

We’re ready to believe you and here for all your paranormal investigation and elimination needs. Please leave battling cross dimensional ectoplasmic threats to the professionals.

 
A. Dickstein

Ghostbusters, New York.

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*This is a work of Fan Fiction and Tabletop Roleplaying Game material and is not intended to infringe on the copyrights or trademarks of Ghostbusters, Ghost Corps, Columbia Pictures/Sony Entertainment, or any related entities.

Any resemblance or correlation between any person or persons living, dead, or undead is purely coincidental or for the purpose of parody. 

I am just a Ghostbusters fan making free material for those who play TRPGs. 

Thank you. 

Feelings of Dread

It's October 1st and that means Spooky Season has officially begun! Do I have a hefty helping of Halloween hijinks for you all this year? You're souls of the damned right I do!

First and foremost is Hosts of Freaky Ghosts, a Ghostbusters themed collection of 31 supernatural entities, one a day for every day this month, to battle, befriend, and baffle your paranormal investigators.

Pulled from the research of [fictional] parapsychologist Professor Sebastian Pott, each entry will also have ideas on how to use the spook, spectre, or ghost in an adventure.

In addition, time and energy allowing I hope to include posts on some other spectral shenanigans such as:

A Halloween themed adventure for The Smurfs Roleplaying Game
Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research
Peekaboo Horror, The Neighborhood Ghost Story TRPG

...and hopefully a few surprises! 

Along with celebrations of the supernatural, expect more posts on The Adventures of Bani and Easy, High Fantasy Heroes, The Smurfs, and whatever other crazy ideas come to me as the month goes on.

Join me won't you? I'm dying to show you what I've come up with!

Muwahahahaha!

Hold on! I almost forgot! The official Ghostbusters social media outlets have announced something strange in coming this year in the form of ECTOber, a month long celebration of Halloween by Sony Pictures and Ghost Corps!

First announced earlier this year, the plan is for brand collaborations, fan events, and more, though details are being kept silent as the grave. 

Stay tuned, as I will likely be covering anything that I find particularly cool and interesting.

Spook you later,

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High Fantasy Heroes - Rules Cyclopedia

I've got a lot of TRPG projects to work on right now: These include continuing Star Wars Visions Heroes and The Adventures of Bani and Easy, more thoughts on Smurf Houses, and of course October's rapidly approaching Spooky Season and Hosts of Freaky Ghosts. 

Additionally there are the games I am running and playing in: Gamemastering my bi-weekly Star Trek: Prosperity campaign, two separate weekly Superhero campaigns, and a limited run, 5 episode, Star Wars Heroes game (a Star Wars game using the Space Opera Heroes rules). I'm playing in our bi-weekly Hogwarts/Wizarding World campaign and a number of periodic one-shots.

The last thing I need right now is a new endeavor in my ever-shrinking free time.

So let's start one why don't we!

High Fantasy Heroes is what you get when you've fallen in love with the Space Opera Heroes rules system and you're sick and tired of not being able to find a Medieval Fantasy TRPG that fits your preferred mechanics and style of play*. 

Converting Space Opera Heroes to High Fantasy Heroes is fairly easy as it turns out I want many of the same tropes and parameters to apply to it (see my post Eight Ball in The Corner Pocket).

Let's quickly recap the system's basic mechanics:

In order to take a dramatic Action, one that may have obstacles or be opposed, the Player 'spends' one of their Character's Action Points and then makes an Action Check. An Action Check involves adding the PC's Ability Score appropriate to the situation to an appropriately related Skill (using the Skill's Level) and finally the result of a 1D6 'Exploding' Die roll. 

If a Warrior had a Strength of 3 and a Sword Skill of 3 and rolled a 3 on the D6, the total of their Action Check would be 9.

The final total is compared against a Target Number that reflects the Difficulty of the Action/Task, as determined by the Gamemaster.

The Target Numbers in general are as follows:

3 - Very Easy (Usually not worth rolling for)
4 - Fairly Easy
6 - Easy
8 - Standard
9 - Tricky. Slightly Difficult.
10 - Difficult
12 - Very Difficult
15 - Extremely Difficult

Since the D6 being rolled 'Explodes', if the die comes up a '6', add the result and roll again. If it comes up a 6, add the result and roll again until it does not come up a 6. If the final Action Check total is high enough, the Action can cause extra damage or it may have Situational Benefits or Special Effects. See this chart:

Check Total vs. Target Number

Total is < The Target Number = Failure. (Unless...See below)

Total is = or > the Target Number = Success!

Total is > the Target Number +5 = Effective Success. +1 Damage or Situation Benefit.

Total is > the Target Number +10 = Critical Success. +2 Damage or 2 Situation Benefits.

Roll is > the Target Number +15 = Extraordinary Success. +3 Damage or 3 Benefits.

Roll is > the Target Number +20 or more = Legendary Success. +4 Damage or 4 Benefits.

Lastly, at least for the basics, if the Action Check total is below the Target Number, the Action fails. The Player may spend a Hero Point to change that failure to a Success with Consequence. 

Hero Points are pretty awesome and can be used to do a number of things, such as:

Hero Point Uses for Player Characters:

• If you Fail a Judgement Roll for any Action Check, spend 1 HP and make it a Success with Consequence

•Spend 1 HP and an Attack against your PC misses. Beware! Something or someone else likely got hit!

•Otherwise, spend 1 HP to lower the Damage Rank your character has taken.

•Spend 1, take an Attack meant for someone else. You take damage. Spend an additional 1 to reduce as above.

•Spend 1 to have a one-time item you need. You find it nearby or in your pack.

•Spend 1 to gain Skill you don't already have. Must be related to one on your sheet or to your Archetype in general.

OK, now that we have the basics down, I'm going to spend the next post on explaining Player Characters and Character Creation. 

.

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*Outside of Ars Magica and Smurfs that is. 

As an inconsequential aside, Barking Alien, the blog that is, is apparently ranks #194 out of 2.2K RPG gaming blogs globally, placing this odd little corner of the tabletop game blogosphere in the top 10%. That's crazy! I talk about playing Smurfs and Ghostbusters. What's wrong with you people?!

I'm kidding of course. Thank you so much to everyone out there who comes by, checks out my mad musings, and enjoys what I have to offer. It really means a lot to me.

What Is The Point of This Conversation?

Most Humans love to talk. Sadly, fewer love to listen.

It is could also be said that while people love to speak, they don't always have something to say.

The games I run and play feature a lot of roleplaying in the form of dialogue between the Players and the Gamemaster or, less often, between one Player and one or more others. 

Something I've noticed over the years is that these discourses don't always seem to serve a purpose. Instead, a player - through their PC - tries to convince an NPC of something and the NPC is unconvinced. This is often because of reasons the NPC has hinted at or outright explained but which the PC and player have ignored. In other cases, the PC is hoping to get information from an NPC and that NPC simply doesn't want to reveal anything and so they don't really. I've witnessed discussions taking 20 minutes or more of real time between PCs and NPCs - so one or more Players and their Gamemaster - that ends exactly as it started and moves nothing forward.

In one particular game I'm in, this happens alot. A LOT. A Player/PC parlays with a GM run NPC. The PC fails to change the NPC's mind while simultaneously not understanding the mindset of the NPC [and why the PC's argument isn't working on them]. The GM fails here as well, perhaps because the Player didn't pick up on how the NPC thinks or because the GM has decided NPC 'X' acts 'THIS WAY' and has set their attitude and outlook in proverbial stone.

Sure, sometimes a PC asks an NPC for advice and does get something useful; real, actionable recommendation that the Player(s) need. Unfortunately, those conversations are often more plot driven than character driven. Still, its better than nothing. 

Every time I go into an in-game conversation as both a Player and as a GM, my first thought is, 'What is the point of this conversation?'.Why does my PC or a given NPC want to communicate with this other character. Do they want to? What is the PC trying to achieve? What am I, as GM, trying to accomplish?

I noticed in a recent session that when other Players got into conversations, those discussion just went on and on and on and little ground was gained by either side. On the other hand, when my PC got into a conversation with another PC and a group of friendly NPCs, I purposely allowed for my character to take in what they were suggesting to me. From this discourse, I came up with an approach to my PC's personal family issues subplot that incorporated the dialogue we'd had.

The PCs/Player and NPCs/GM had an in-character conversation. I saw a way to integrate what they were trying to say into what I wanted/needed to do. This also allowed me to shorten the length of the back-and-forth. Instead of having it go on forever, I had my PC repeat what one of the NPCs said, asked another PC a question, and then indicated to the GM I was taking an action. Boom!

• First, ask yourself 'What is the point of this conversation?'
• Enter the in-game character conversations with a goal. Know what your PC wants to say.
• As a GM or Player, decide if you are trying to inform, convince, learn, or entertain. 
• Say what you want to say but listen to the other Player or the Gamemaster. 
• Analyze not just what they are saying but how they are saying it. 
• Try to understand the opposing point of view and the mindset of the other character. 
• Allow yourself to say AND mean, "Maybe I'm wrong", "OK, I see your point", "I don't agree but I get where you're coming from", "You know, I never thought of it that way", "Do you get where I'm coming from", "Is there any chance I'm getting through and maybe you agree with me?", or any number of other phrases that show you're flexible enough to have a true exchange of ideas. 

The bottom line - I love listening to Players talking and interacting in character. I love when GM's do it with NPCs as well. I especially like when it reveals something about their characters and shows that they are 'people' in a living, breathing universe. I love when people say funny things. I like when they explain what drives them. 

I do not like rambling conversations that last 20+ minutes and start and end at the bottom of a  mountain words that get neither side any closer to the top.

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Eight Ball In The Corner Pocket?

Could the 'holy grail' in my quest for a Medieval Fantasy TRPG have been sitting right in front of me for some time now?

Could Space Opera Heroes work as 'High Fantasy Heroes'?

"Thou hast been left with Good Leave! Dost thou surrender?"

"Bite me Mage Boy."

Let's go back to my post 'Magic Eight Ball', a response to Tim Knight's 8 Factors I'm Looking for in My Holy Grail Fantasy RPG and see if a Fantasy hack of Space Opera Heroes fits the bill. 

1. A single die type. Preferably D6s.

Check. Space Opera Heroes uses only D6s and often you're only rolling one. The die 'explodes' on a 6, meaning you roll it again and again with each 6 until you get a result that isn't a 6.

 
Sometimes you may be rolling additional D6s in situations involving an Advantage or Disadvantage.

2. Armor reduces the Damage a Character or Monster takes.

Check. Armor increases your Durability and Durability decreases the amount of damage you take. Heavier Armor applies penalties to a character's Evasion, making them easier to hit [but usually harder to hurt]. 

He's a Knight who's hard to hurt. She's a thief who's hard to hit.

Together THEY FIGHT CRIME BRIGANDS!

3. DM able to summarise all relevant information on any and all aspects of the game quickly and easily.

I'd say Check for the most part. I was able to sum up the basics in roughly 10 pages for one of my groups.

4. Archetypes/Templates instead of Race and Class.

Check! One of my favorite aspects of Space Opera Heroes and one easily translated into a Fantasy game. Want to play an Elf Wizard? Pick the Elf Wizard Archetype. Interested in being a Hairfoot Thief? Here you go, the Hairfoot Thief Archetype. 

Couldn't be simpler and it's quite easy to modify Archetypes and make new ones.

Choose your Archetype!

5. Contingent Advancement. No Levels. Maybe no XP.

Hmm. Ok, this is the first area where the 'Rules As Written' don't match what I'm looking for. Space Opera Heroes definitely uses Experience Points, which are spent to improve abilities and skills as well as purchase modifications for ones robot or spaceship.

All that said, changing this to a Contingent Improvement system is a cinch. PCs might raise one or two skills at the end of an Adventure or when they accomplish a particular goal. 
I could also just stick with the XP system as I don't find it to be a big issue or anything. It's certainly not a dealbreaker.

6. Flexible Magic of different types that comes with a cost.

Flexible Magic? Check. Different types. Hmm. Maybe. Sure. Comes with a cost? Occasionally. 

While I definitely have some thoughts regarding how Magic would work in this game, I don't have a completely fleshed out idea of how the Magic system would work. For now, here are my initial thoughts:

 
Basically it would function the same way Psychic Powers do in Space Opera Heroes: Magically gifted Player Characters would have an additional Ability Score called Magic Ability and one or more Magical Skills.

The more powerful and/or complicated the Magical Spell or Effect is that the PC is trying to achieve, the higher the Target Difficulty Number would be when attempting to Succeed in their Action Check.

As far as types, I don't want to get too granular but I might steal a page from my Aerth/Winghorn Guard setting. There, Magic falls into broad categories based on how it is performed and/or what it does. There's Alchemy, Spellcasting, Summoning, Runes, Miracles or 'Holy Magic', and Shamanism or 'Spirit Magic'. There are others but you get the idea.

 
When you use Magic you make an Action Check as you would for any skill use but here, if you fail the Magic doesn't work or have the desired effect and there is a negative consequence. Something goes very, very wrong.

That did not go as planned. 

If the player spends a Hero Point they Succeed with a Consequence but one somewhat less severe. Obviously a Success works the way the player intended and if you rolled high enough there will be additional effects or bonuses. 

More thoughts on this in a future post.

7. Speed & Simplicity of play

Super Duper Check! I taught a group of five people how to play and their were only a few of rule questions in the first session and really only one clarification in the second. 

8. Regardless of the PCs' degrees of power and skill, they should always feel challenged.

Check. 

One of the things I really dislike is when mastery of a game's mechanics is the key to overcoming challenges in the game. Games where the in-game narrative is less important to overcoming the challenge than having the 'right build' or knowing what the rules are in order to have some in game advantage completely turns me off to that RPG. 

Space Opera Heroes doesn't have that kind of dynamic. It's designed with a totally different mindset. The game remains challenging because the challenge doesn't come from the rules of the game. Many of the game's rules are actually designed to prevent things like permanent PC death for example. Instead, there are consequences in the story, for your gear, starship, robots, allies, friends, and the world around you. 

IMHO, this is far more engaging then losing my 1st level collection of random rolls to a pack of giant rats. 

'High Fantasy Heroes'?

The more I think about this, the better it fits. 

Expect to see more High Fantasy Hero in the near future. 

For now, Later Days,

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