Game Stats: Ghostbusters 2016 Ghosts

This is post number 20 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.

What’s the first thing you do when you come home from a repeat showing of Ghostbusters? Why, turn to Ghostbusters International Chapter 6 (“Ghostology”) and figure out the game statistics for some ghosts, of course!

Here are the ghosts featured in Ghostbusters (2016), by order of appearance (as best I could remember).

Gertrude Aldridge, Class IV, basement-dwelling murderer

Power 3 Flight
Poltergeist (G)
Slime
Ectopresence 2

Goal: Escape the Basement

Sparky, Class III, electrocuted convict

Power 2 Terrorize
Ectopresence 3

Goal: Catch a Subway Car

Mayhem, Class III, theatre spirit

Power 6 Animate
Flight
Materialize
Ectopresence 5

Goal: Mayhem

Slimer, Class V, nasty little spud

Power 5 Flight
Ectopresence 5

Goal: Eat, Drive, and Be Merry

Slimette
Identical to Slimer’s stats except that she has 79% of his earning potential.

The Flasher, Class III, phantom pervert

Power 2 Slime
Terrorize
Ectopresence 2

Goal: Offend

Ghost Rat Swarm, Class VI, vaporous vermin

Power 3 Materialize
Murphy
Summon Pests
Ectopresence 3

Goal: Chase the Squeamish

Parade Balloon Ghosts, Class VI, creepy 1920s Thanksgiving parade balloons
Examples include Potato Nose Pinocchio, the Strong Man, Uncle Sam, Crazy Rabid Chihuahua, and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

Power 2 Flight
Ectopresence 3

Weaknesses: Sharp objects
Goal: Smother

Ghosts of Times Square Past, Class III, local historical figures
Examples include Puritan ghosts, Revolutionary War ghosts,  gangster ghosts, 1920s ghosts, G-Man ghosts, cop ghosts, 1920s ghosts, 1950s ghosts, showgirl ghosts, 1970s ghosts, and a ghost prostitute. (Thanks to IMDB for the list.)

Power 3 Slime (via slime muskets, tommy guns, pistols, or otherwise)
Ectopresence 2

Goal: Shoot Things With Slime

Rowan the Destroyer, angry loner turned Class VII Metaspecter

Brains 6 Ecto-Engineering 9
Muscles 9 Smash Building 12
Moves 5 Grab 8
Cool 3 Insult 6
Power 12 Control Mind
Creature Feature
Growing
Materialize
Physical Immunity (G)
Possess
Proton Immunity (G)

Weaknesses: Can be pulled into a reversed ghost portal; vulnerable crotch
Goal: Put an End to Bullying (By Destroying the World)

Game Stats: The New Ghostbusters

This is post number 19 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.

I’ve been itching to do this since before the movie came out, and now that I’ve seen it, I can! Here’s my take on how the team from Ghostbusters (2016) would be represented in the Ghostbusters RPG.

Erin Gilbert, Ph.D

Brains 5 Physics 8
Muscles 2 Endure Slime 5
Moves 3 Dance 6
Cool 2 Practice Lecture 5

Goal: Professional Validation

Abigail Yates, Ph.D

Brains 5 Parapsychology 8
Muscles 3 Hold On 6
Moves 2 Swing Proton Glove 5
Cool 2 Convince 5

Goal: Serving Humanity

Jillian Holtzmann

Brains 6 Mad Scientist 9
Muscles 2 Haul Heavy Tech 5
Moves 2 Dual Wield Proton Sidearms 5
Cool 2 Disconcert 5

Goal: Soulless Science

Patricia Tolan

Brains 3 History of New York 6
Muscles 4 Exorcise 7
Moves 2 Run 5
Cool 3 Pretend This Isn’t Happening 6

Goal: Friendship

Kevin Beckman

Brains 1 Remember Own Name 4
Muscles 4 Fill Out T-Shirt 7
Moves 3 Ride Motorcycle 6
Cool 4 Pose For Photograph 7

Goal: Fame

Notes:

  1. I had trouble deciding on Erin and Abby’s Brains Talents, because both are particle physicists yet both are also experts at parapsychology. So I assigned the two skills to the two women semi-randomly.
  2. Erin’s Goal of Professional Validation isn’t one in the game.
  3. Patty’s Goal of Friendship also isn’t one in the game.
Are there any changes you’d make to these stats?

Gaming Soundtracks: Ghostbusters 2016 Score

This is post number 18 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.

For previous Ghostbusters movies, most of us only had access to the soundtrack albums containing primarily pop songs that accompanied some scenes. But not this time! Perhaps realizing that the modern soundtrack listener has developed more sophisticated tastes, the ghostly-music-producers have provided two albums for the 2016 film: one with the the pop songs and one with the score. Woo!

Today I’ll describe the contents of the Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Score) by Theodore Shapiro, the one I expect to be more usable in a roleplaying game.

  1. The Aldridge Mansion. This is a nice, spooky intro which builds in suspenseful creepiness. General purpose usefulness.
  2. The Garrett Attack. Also scary and more action-oriented than the previous track. Contains some eerie horror-movie vocals. Good for a showdown with a ghost or other action scene.
  3. Never Invited. Building action, ending with a hint of danger. Perhaps good for a planning scene.
  4. Distinct Human Form. Creepy and slow at the beginning, then adding hints of awe. Scarier toward the end, then triumphant, including hints of the Ghostbusters theme song. (This was when the Ghostbusters concluded their first encounter with a ghost.)
  5. The Universe Shall Bend. Another creepy beginning, then ominous with the addition of organ music. Back to quiet and suspenseful toward the end, concluding with a scare. Maybe useful during a conversation with a big ecto baddie.
  6. Subway Ghost Attack. Quiet, basic suspense music that builds to full-on action at the halfway point, keeping that up until the end. Good, general purpose action music.
  7. Ghost Girl. Bland, low-key dramatic music. Not spooky or especially useful.
  8. Mannequins. Starts scary, with chimes and strings, with a quick jump scare at the beginning, then at the midpoint, with most of the second half more action-oriented.
  9. Ghost In a Box. A short action piece, good for combat. Includes the Ghostbusters theme briefly.
  10. Dr. Heiss. Starts off like “Ghost Girl,” quiet and unobtrusive. Builds in suspense in the second half, but it’s stil not especially useful for background music.
  11. Ley Lines. Dramatic conversation music! Good for such a purpose in your game, or any scene where the action is starting to pick up. The last 40 seconds or so are more triumphant, including the Ghostbusters theme again.
  12. Pester The Living. Another blend of creepy and suspenseful with a dramatic ending.
  13. I Will Lead Them All. Suspenseful and spooky with a few jump scares.
  14. The Power of Patty Compels You. Calm for the first third, then adding rising suspense through the midpoint and into full action for the rest. Might be useful for kicking off a slow-build action scene.
  15. The Fourth Cataclysm. Full-on dramatic, portentious music (including operatic vocals), fit for a scene of major import. With bonus organ music!
  16. Balloon Parade. High-energy action music accompanied by creepy vocals. General purpose usefulness.
  17. Battle of Times Square. More high-energy action, more optimistic than suspenseful. Play it when the good guys are winning. Concludes with a triumphant rendition of the Ghostbusters theme.
  18. Entering The Mercado. Starts quiet and suspenseful, building up to a big reveal at about 0:40, then getting quiet again. The last 30 seconds are more action-packed. Good for a schizophrenic scene where the mood is all over the place.
  19. Behemoth. Spooky/suspenseful with a hint of building action, leading into ominous vocals. Good for a boss fight (which is fortunate, because that’s what was happening in the film at this point).
  20. Into The Portal. A blend of spooky and action-oriented. Features more creepy vocals. Gets quiet at the midpoint, and ends triumphantly. Good general purpose action music.
  21. NY Heart GB. Brief and triumphant. Use while handing out Brownie Point awards.

Ghostbusters Book Club

This is post number 17 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.

A recent trip to my local bookstore reminded me that it’s a good time to be a Ghostbusters fan. Check out these new books on the shelves!

(I’m tempted to cover the new toys, too, but it’s a little harder to justify those as potentially RPG-related. At least the books have ideas that a Ghostmaster can borrow. Yeah, I’m going with “borrow.”)

Novelizations (2016 Movie)

I’ve found listings for two novelizations—I believe the first is the regular one and the second is the junior reader edition.

Ghostbusters by Nancy Holder. This is the adult reader novelization. I took a look at it in my local bookstore, and it looks appealing.

Ghostbusters Movie Novelization by Stacia Deutsch. I didn’t find this one locally, but it appears to be the younger reader version.

In-Universe “Nonfiction”

Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal is marketed as the book of the same name featured in Ghostbusters 2016, a book that Erin and Abby wrote together before the events of the film. I love that idea! A quick glance through the book shows that it includes details on Ghostbusting technology, haunted locations, and tips for performing paranormal investigation. I’m looking forward to reading it and seeing if these sections inspire RPG ideas.

Tobin’s Spirit Guide: Official Ghostbusters Edition is a beautiful tome I had to add to my library as soon as I saw it. The idea is that this is an abridged and updated version of Tobin’s Spirit Guide (mentioned in the original Ghostbusters as an essential reference book) with entries written by Ray and Egon. It covers all the main ghosts of the original two films (plus some created for the book), accompanied by beautiful black-and-white art. This book can certainly inspire a few adventure ideas.

Books For Kids

Ghostbusters: Who You Gonna Call is a Little Golden Book for ages 3-7. The publisher, Penguin Random House, calls this a “retelling” of the 2016 movie, and says that it features “favorite moments from the new hit film.” This one comes out on September 13.

The original Ghostbusters are also represented for the young market with Ghostbusters, also a Little Golden Book for ages 3-7, and also releasing on September 13.

Both the above two books will also be combined into a “Big Golden Book,” also called Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters Sticker Fact File has a simple purpose: provide 1000 stickers based on the new movie. I can’t find any info on this one besides the cover, but I really want to see what stickers it contains! Um, for my kid, of course.

The Ghostbusters Super Spooky Activity Book looks similar to the above sticker book, and also promises glow-in-the-dark stickers. (And, as the title suggests, activities.)

Who You Gonna Call? is a Level 3 Ready-to-Read book for ages 6 to 8. As is common for these books, it’s not so much a novelization as an intro to the characters and situations in the 2016 movie, accompanied by lots of photos.

Proud to Be a Ghostbuster is another Level 3 Ready-to-Read book for ages 6 to 8. This one focuses more on how the characters met, became Ghostbusters, and took on their first challenge.

Ghostbusters 2016 Impressions

This is post number 16 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.

I know not everybody is going to love this movie (either because they watch it and it doesn’t work for them, or because they pre-judge and decide they won’t like it in advance), but that’s okay. The new movie doesn’t have to take the place of the original for anyone. The new one won’t hurt your memories or steal your childhood. And there’s a chance that, like me, you’ll end up liking it.

And also like Patton Oswald…

I liked the new Ghostbusters movie. To me, it felt like it respected the original films, both in its inclusion of the original actors in cameo roles and in its fond treatment of the subject matter. It didn’t feel like one of those reboots where they change things from the original just for the sake of changing things.

Other than needing a more unique title, I believe Ghostbusters (2016) is capable of standing alone, both as a film and as a jumping-on point for a new franchise. In no way do I think it is rebelling from its origins, or trying to leave its own history behind, but at the same time I think the franchise is now well-positioned to give us new, modern stories.

I can’t help thinking of another unfortunately-named movie, Star Trek (2009). That film forged a fresh start for its franchise by creating an in-universe alternate timeline to both explain the film’s changes to the Star Trek universe and to allow future movies to leave the original history behind. Ghostbusters (2016) didn’t take that route, but it did similarly work to show respect for the original audience, and now that that initial work is done, future stories can branch off from it and simply be their own thing.

I liked the cast, and their interaction, and I look forward to seeing more of them. (Of course, I already liked all of them from their previous roles, especially Saturday Night Live.) I also enjoyed the supporting actors, especially the original Ghostbusters (in new but still entertaining roles).

Here’s the best compliment I can give to the new movie: it was full of cool ideas. We got new ghost-busting tech, fun new ghosts, a good villain, and good use of paranormal “science.” And the slime…my god the slime. Where the original Ghostbusters featured slime as a background detail and the source of some good jokes, the new one brings it front and center. You’ll see slime in just about every ecto-encounter. For me, that’s neither good nor bad, but notable.

My only real negative, I guess, was that the tone of the movie sometimes veered into Saturday Night Live territory. I’m that show’s Number One Fan, but sometimes comedy that focuses too hard on bodily functions isn’t the best fit for a scene. (I must note that the version of me from 1984, when Ghostbusters came out, would not agree with that sentence.)

But I liked most everything else about the movie. The music was good (I’m looking forward to my CD arriving), the ghosts looked great, I liked the story, and I laughed out loud more times than I could count.

I will always prefer the original Ghostbusters movie, but that’s not my point today. I think the new movie is good, too, and I’ll be able to accept the fact that we’re about to encounter kids who love Ghostbusters—but have never seen the original.