The Thin Blue Line

This is it! The first half of a two-part breakdown of the fifth and final session of the Smurfs TRPG five session mini-campaign, The Smurfs and The Palace of The Silver Princess. 

Based on/Inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons module B3 Palace of the Silver Princess and using the upcoming The Smurfs Roleplaying Game from Maestro Media, the sessions were run over Discord with five players (Andrew, Brandon, Heather, René, and myself) and a Gamemaster/Storyteller Smurf (Stephen).

While the first three sessions were roughly 4 1/2 hours each, Session Four was about 5 1/2-6 hours, and Session Five was about 5 hours. 

To catch up check out this post on the Player Character Smurfs and for the recaps of the previous sessions, you'll want to read:

Something Burrowed, Something Blue - Session One, Part 1

Singing The Blues - Session One, Part 2

Blue Green Red - Session Two, Part 1Cry Blue Murder - Session Two, Part 2

Tangled Up in Blue - Session Three

Blue Blazes - Session Four, Part 1

Blues Clues - Session Four, Part 2

OK, here go...

Session Five, Part 1

With the Court Magician Mirabillis freed from the influence of The Eye of Arik's dark magic, the next logical step was to obtain Arik's Sword. When the two items - the Eye and the Sword - touch each other, both will be destroyed. 

The problem of course was that the Sword was being kept in the Royal Armory protected by a mighty Ogre. Then there was something about a Dragon...

"YES, the Dragon! I should have mentioned the Dragon right away" said Mirabillis in a somewhat embarrased tone. 

"Yes, you should have", said Apathy Smurf flatly. 

"I mean really, it is just proper etiquette you know", added Suave Smurf.

Mirabillis cleared his throat, "The Princess' betrothed is Sir Ellis, a Knight of the Order of the White Drakes. This isn't just some fanciful title. Sir Ellis landed in the castle's courtyard astride a pale dragon the length of the four horses nose to tail. It had red-pink eyes and a look of cunning intellect. It breathed a burst of bright flame in display, to the excitement and terror of the crowd."

This started a short discussion about how or why a White Dragon might be able to breath fire. We quickly came to the conclusion that this may be A) an important element to the mystery of the adventure, B) evidence this isn't really a White Dragon,  or C) it doesn't really matter and here White Dragons breath fire. All good. 

"When the crimson light of the Eye of Arik flashed its awful brilliance, the White Dragon - called Fellbane - took off into the castle. Strangely, during my time walking the Palace's halls as both a sane man and my corrupted self, I never again saw the Dragon. It may have been corrupted by the Eye's evil, it may have fled, or it may be hiding somewhere within the these walls", Mirabillis finshed, concern etched on his face. 

"OK...", Apathy began, "So who else is really excited to keep going?", finishing with a mocking 'hurrah!'.

The gang decided there was nothing to be done regarding the Dragon for the time being (other than being on alert for its potential presence). Instead, the Smurfs would proceed to the Royal Armory to face the Ogre and obtain the Red Sword of Arik...somehow. We suggested to Mirabillis that he use the cure to the Petrification Curse to free Rowena the Minstrel, as we recalled the information from an earlier clue that 'merry music' irrated Arik and might weaken his power. There was agreement, the wishing of luck, and off we went.

It took us a fairly short time (roughly a random encounter with rat skeletons and a scene transition) to locate the Royal Armory. Readying ourselves for battle - or possibly talking our way through this - the team smurfed themselves up mentally and went to unlock the door.

"Who goes there!?", he bellowed. "I smell not beast, nor man, nor fairy. A scent I do not know? Be wary! Whomever you are come forth but be warned! You face the might of Suffertooth's scorn!"

"Suffertooth?", whispered Smurfcornflower, a look of both anxiousness and skepticism on her face. Apathy shrugged in response.

The door had a normal keyhole but the Smurfs took a chance and used the Magic Key with the Blue Crystal to try and open the door. It worked! Brash, Honeysuckle, and Apathy slowly pushed the door open, largely because it was big and heavy, as Suave and Cornflower readied themselves for whatever would be revealed.

The latter were under no delusion that the two of them could handle the Ogre themselves. Quite the opposite. The team decided it was best for the tougher Smurfs to enter the room first, placing them closer to the Ogre sooner. It was the group's hope that Smurfcornflower and Suave Smurf might be the best to assess the situation and think of a plan...from a slighter safer distance.

What they saw was... 

A collective 'Gulp' was made by all [the Smurfs]. 

Suffertooth was massive. He stood two heads taller than the tallest knight they'd ever seen and nearly three times as wide. His hands could hold two or three Smurfs within them and crush them easily by making a fist. He carried a long handled club with a heavy head studded in spikes.

For his part, Suffertooth the Ogre took a ready stance but his face twisted into an expression of confusion. He definitely wasn't expecting five tiny, blue people and yet he didn't immediately laugh nor did he ignore them. He was clearly wise enough to not take any chances. 

Suave and Cornflower each had an idea which came to them at the same time. Their eyes widened, they looked at each other, smiled, and turned back to the Ogre at hand. Suave stepped forward with his characteristic charismatic charm as he gave a deep bow. Smurfcornflower on the other hand stepped backward, allowing the focus to be placed squarely on Suave so she could slip a Potion out of her bag. 

"What manner of invader enters this room? What creatures are these that come to their doom?", Suffertooth called out, ending with a droll chuckle.

"Greetings mighty Suffertooth! My name is Suave Smurf and on behalf of my colleagues and I, may I say what an honor and a privilege it is to be in the presence of such a magnificent warrior as yourself!"

Suffertooth starred hard at Suave, a grimace etched into his rough and leathery face. He then smiled what could only be called a polite smile and said, "You may! You may I say! Tell me now small blue one, what brings you here? Why don't you run? I am mighty that is true and could easily smash the lot of you." Once again the Ogre chuckled.

All the while he failed to notice Cornflower handing a Potion to Brash, making sure Honeysuckle was right beside him, and gave the two of them quick instructions. Apathy looked around for the Sword of Arik, though the room was surprisingly big and full of weapons of all sorts, he was certain a blade of such terrifying power wouldn't be too difficult to notice.

"Why we came to marvel at your might and majesty m'lord. We have heard that you guard the great Sword of Arik the Vile. Certainly only the strongest of wills and most battle-hardened men-at-arms would be charged with such a task.We have come to pay homage and congratulate you on a task well executed." Suave spoke with air of admiration, doing his best to hide his building fear of Ogre. 

"I see, I see but you can't fool me. You have come to try and steal the blade. Perhaps so the Eye may be unmade? Well then, well met my brave foolish friends. Sadly you have come to meet your end. My strength is real, my prowess true. The time has come to smash each of you." Looking almost disappointed, Suffertooth raised his mace above his head such that it scrapped the ceiling of the Armory. As he swung it down, sparks flew where weapon met stone.

It hit the ground with a thunderous sound but missed each and every Smurf. Apathy, Cornflower, and Suave were knocked back a bit by the sheer force of the blow but were otherwise unharmed.

"NOW!" shouted Cornflower. 

Brash Smurf drank half of the contents of the Potion bottle she'd given him. He than handed it off to Smurfhoneysuckle who downed the other half. At first, nothing happened. Everyone started to get very, very nervous. 

Suddenly the two Smurfs shook in place, vibrating and trembling, before they grew and grew...six apples tall, then twelve, then twenty-four! Within seconds Honeysuckle was the height of the Ogre and Brash (proportionally) just a bit less so. "Cornflower!", Suave practically squealed her name, "You clever, clever girl! A Growth Potion! Genius!" For her part Smurfcornflower blushed and did a slight curtsy-bow. 

"Now then...", Brash said with a serious look and just the faintest of grins, "let's see who smashes who, huh?"

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Barking Alien

I was originally going to try and right up with session in a single post but between some of the fun dialogue I wanted to include and my giving more description in the retelling then was present in the actual game, I ended up with a lot more material then I intended.

That is also why this post has taken so long to come out.

My apologies. See you soon!

Solo Ghostbusting 101

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. 

What have we here? A Class IV Repeating Phantasm Mōryō.

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*.

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Barking Alien

*That would be my head.

I'm Not Dead I'm Regenerating

Sorry for another long, quiet stretch but I've been working on...just so many things.

Trust me when I say there are a lot of new posts on the way, though it might still be some time before I get the first of them out. 

Real LifeTM and the actual doing of the things are eating up a lot of time and leaving me pretty exhausted. Add to that New York City's recent heat wave and in the words of the immortal Madeline Kahn, "Let's face it, I'm tired."

As far as what you can expect in the [hopefully] very near future: 

Daggerheart

I've played Daggerheart and - SPOILERS - I liked it! Whaaat? Yes! In fact, I enjoyed it enough to join in on an ongoing campaign of indeterminant length. I definitely want to talk about Daggerheart a little. 

Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research - Solo RPG Campaign

I have figured out Solo Roleplaying Games - or at least I have solidified my take on Solo Roleplaying Games - and I am having a lot of fun with it! I hope you'll join me for Ghostbusters: Ningytoshi Ghost Research, a Ghostbusters Solo campaign set in the (fictional) coastal city of Ningyotoshi, Japan using my GB flavored version of the Japanese TRPG Tokyo Ghost Research. 

私は幽霊を怖がらない!*

Smurfs

Great smurf in the smurf! I need to complete my recounting of our smurfy adventure/mini-campaign 'The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess'. I am sooo sorry to all my fellow Smurf adventurers out there that I've not finished this series of posts already. I've really smurfed the smurf on this one. 

I really want to get this done because the game will hopefully be out later this year and I'll want to start working on new ideas to add to it. I feel like I need to clean my plate before I start on the next course. 

Star Wars 

Skeleton Crew, Andor, and the upcoming VISIONS have inspired me to run a short Star Wars campaign with one of my groups. Additionally, and equally as importantly, the members of this group have never played the West End Games D6 System Star Wars RPG. What the Force? Right?! How crazy is that? I feel a deep need to remedy this situation.

Set during the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire (roughly Season One of Andor to Return of the Jedi), I am lucky enough to have gotten some truly classic Star Wars archtypes. We're looking at an Ace Pilot, a Bounty Hunter, an mysterious orphan Kid, and a Smuggler. 

I have some other thoughts - a lot actually - but they're still formulating, so that's it for now. 

Talk to you soon,

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Barking Alien

*Watashi wa yūrei o kowagaranai or I'm not afraid of ghosts.

Going Solo

I've never understood Solo TRPGs and still don't to be honest. I'm also absolutely fascinated by the idea.

I've made several attempts to 'get it' in the past but always end up with the same question, 'Why am I rolling dice if no one is here to see it?'

Now that probably sounds like a 'Why can't I just cheat?' question but it isn't, at least for me. Its a question of whether I need to roll. Of course if I don't I'm not really playing a game am I? I'm just writing fiction. So...why aren't I simply writing fiction?

The entire excercise feels like a paradox with little benefit. Solo RPG gaming is what you do when you aren't fortunate enough to have someone else to play with. It isn't something one wants to do but has to do given your particular circumstances. 

Except that I know that isn't absolutely true. It isn't the only reason. There are a ton of motivations that might lead one to be interested in the concept of gaming Solo.

Maybe you want to try out a new system or scenario before bringing it to the table with your regular group. Perhaps you have an interest in a game that your group isn't into; why shouldn't you get to run and play it anyway? Maybe you do want to write a story of short fiction but want to experiment with prompts and other parameters that will test your ability. What if...now stay with me on this...you just think it could be fun?

I am in a few of those camps. Sometimes I get bored or more accurately 'less inspired' by my regularly scheduled games and I want to try something different while everyone else wants more of what we're already doing. Fairly often I'll come across an RPG, particularly one within my niche sub-hobby of collecting Japanese TRPGs, and I really want to test it out before I feel comfortable with my translation of it. Sometimes I just have a crazy thought I want to explore. 

The bottom line is that I'd like to give this a shot...and can't seem to get started. There are a lot of reasons for this but the main one is not being about to shake the feeling that its kind of a waste of time. Pointless. Why do this instead of trying to set up a session of some with other people or working on one of my other active campaigns, preparing for a future campaign, and/or writing a blog post?

Why? Because...I don't know. I really don't. I just want to. 

Another major hurdle has to do with the nature of how a Solo RPG general works. After a long conversation with my friend Mark - who has quite a bit of experience playing Solo - I realize that my brain may not be wired correctly for this endeavor. 

Generally speaking, when a situation comes up in a Solo game (which is generated by random rolls) and your character reacts (and you randomly roll to determine if you intended reaction is successful), you then roll randomly to determine what happens next, how your opponents reacts, or whatever. 

That's A LOT of random rolling. Waaay too much for me. Being the player in the scenario I kind of get that I'll be rolling a lot but being the GM also it becomes far more random than I am used to. It's not how I Gamemaster normally and the idea of doing it here really isn't enticing.

I don't rely on random die rolls to determine things as much as I guess the average GM does. If it's been established that the alien/monster we've been tracking is cold-blooded and the one of the players thinks of a way to decrease the local temperature, I am going to have the PC roll to see if or how well he pulls off this trick but once pulled off I'm not rolling again to see if the creature is slowed. It's just slowed. That's what happens to a cold-blooded lifeform in a chilly place. It's science, it's been established in the continuity of the game, and the PC effectively pulled it off. Logic and story elements always supercede randomly results in my games. 

So what's the issue? Just do the same thing here, right? Sure but then once again I feel like I'm writing a story and I can just do that without the need for rules. Ugh.

In conclusion, I still want to give Solo gaming an honest go but not just yet. I waiting for something to speak in to me in a way that makes me say, "Yes! This is what I want to go with." Until that happens, I certainly have things that can occupy my time.

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Barking Alien

Coming To Save The World This Summer

It's June 8th, 2025 - Happy Ghostbusters Day to one and all!

For a month or more prior to the release of the film posters with the Ghostbusters 'No Ghost' logo appeared in train stations, in movie theaters, and in a variety of all places. No one [I knew] had any idea what they were for. 

Eventually they were replaced by the poster you see above, the mysterious emblem accompanied by the words, 'Coming To Saving the World This Summer'. My grandfather, a theater manager, didn't get the film in his movie house but it did show in one of his previous locations with whom he was on very good terms. 

Through this connection my younger sister and I went to go see it together, just the two of us as I recall, at the Kings Highway Theater in Brooklyn, NY. We got in free since we were 'Al's Grandkids'. I would've been 15 years old and my sister about 10. I don't recall if it was opening day but I do remember I was one of the first among my friend group to have seen it.

That was 41 years ago and I've been an avid fan of the franchise and especially that first film ever since. 

Yesterday was the celebration of Ghostbusters Day at Hook and Ladder No. 8 in Downtown Manhattan (New York City, NY), the real world working firehouse that serves as the Ghostbusters HQ in the films. I was down there myself last year and I hopefully will be there next year but unfortunately, for various reasons, I wasn't able to attend myself in 2025. 

Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman and current head producer and writer for the GB franchise, was there along with Carrie Coon and McKenna Grace of Afterlife and Frozen Empire. Serving as ambassadors of good will between the studio and the fans (and doing an awesome job!), the event featured music, walking tours of the film locations, product announcements, and lots of people in incredible cosplay. Oh and the Ecto vehicles! The Ecto Vehicles! Absolutely awesome!

Last but far from least, Sony Pictures teamed with Ghost Corps and the massive collection of fandom franchises to initiate 'Ghostbusters Give Back', a year long competitive charity drive wherein Sony will match donations up to $150,000. You can learn more about this here and at the Ghostbusters Give Back hub.

The various Ghostbusters Fan Club 'Franchises' across the USA and the world have long been involved with charity events and fundraisers. This is not only an extension of that tradition but yet another example of how well the Ghostbusters IP partners with those who love it, something other studios could learn a lot from. 

I do wish they'd given us more details on some of the upcoming film and animation projects but I feel like that will be coming soon enough as the Annecy International Film Festival begins today.

You'll definitely be seeing some Ghostbusters RPG ideas from me in October but keep an eye out; you never know when and where a paranormal imanifestation will appear. When it does...Who You Gonna Call?

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Barking Alien