31daysof

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.

The New Ghostbusters Premiere

This is post number 15 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.

The new movie is out today! (Or, if you’re in Hollywood, it was last Saturday. Or if you’re at my local theater, it was yesterday.) This is my favorite image from the Hollywood premiere:

Eric Charbonneau / AP

I can’t compare with that one, my wife did get this shot of my son and me (and Slimer)…

A superfan behind us (who nearly squealed at every cameo in the movie) asked me after the movie where I got my Ghostbusters buttons. I got to proudly tell her “at the mall where I saw Ghostbusters…in 1984.”

I’ll write up my impressions of the new movie later, but for now just let me say I liked it enough to write some game content for it before 31 Days of Ghostbusters is over.

Have you seen it yet? Do you plan to? If you have, let’s keep this a spoiler-free zone!

Ghostbusters: The Next Generation

This is post number 14 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.


(Today’s post also appears on Gnome Stew, the best damn gaming website anywhere. I’m posting it here for continuity, but I suggest you read it on Gnome Stew. It’s prettier there.

Ghostbusters: The Next Generation)

The Ghostbusters RPG (which we talked about recently) may be dearly departed, but it lives on in spirit. Elements from Ghostbusters have made their way into later games, either in the form of game mechanics, philosophy, sense of humor, or subject matter.

Here are some of the games that were either inspired by Ghostbusters or that enable you to bring similar themes and activities to your gaming table. In some, you bust the ghosts; in the others, you ARE the ghost. Please note that we can’t cover every ghostly game, so if we didn’t mention your favorite, please sing its praises in the comments!

Ghost-Busting Games

InSpectres

“Battle the forces of darkness and try to keep your business afloat in a world of ghosts, demons, vampires and IRS agents.” – Memento Mori Theatricks, 2002

The introduction to InSpectres tells us that the game is loosely based on two things: Ghostbusters and reality TV shows. Like Ghostbusters, InSpectres is a rules-light design: a character has four skills and one unique talent; everything is driven by a few 6-sided dice; and the whole shebang is contained in one 80-page digest-sized book. It’s also got ID badge character sheets and “Cool dice.” The reality TV angle comes in with the game’s use of Confessionals, which are mini-scenes in which one player gets a moment to address the “camera” individually. One of my favorite things about this game (which I’ve repurposed for my Ghostbusters campaign) is the franchise dice concept, providing a pool of dice that the group can earn and any individual can spend.

Green’s Guide to Ghosts

“So you think strapping a nuclear reactor to your back and waving a proton-thingamahoochie around makes you a ghost hunter? Think again!” – 12 to Midnight, 2005

Green’s Guide to Ghosts is a ghost-hunting setting book for Savage Worlds. (A version for d20 is available, too.) The book is presented and narrated by Jackson Green, a professional ghost hunter who tells it like it is. Green’s Guide aims for coverage that is thorough rather than minimalist (not that this is a problem, considering Savage Worlds isn’t overly complicated), and offers a comprehensive selection of ghost hunting rules, equipment, and character abilities. One unique thing about Green’s Guide to Ghosts is its use of seances; in addition to providing rules for holding one in-game, Green’s Guide also gives the GM advice for staging seance scenes in real life. I’m also fond of the book’s comprehensive lexicon of paranormal terms, from ABE to Zener Cards.

vs. Ghosts

“Whom do you call when things go bump in the night? Ghost hunting with vs. Ghosts will make you feel good!” – Fat Goblin Games, 2016

This is by far the newest game in the list, because it came out just this week! vs. Ghosts is a rules-lite ghosthunting game featuring five attributes, a simple character sheet, and a Ghostmaster. Sounds like just what we’re looking for! Based on vs. Monsters—an even shorter product created as part of the 24 Hour RPG project—vs. Ghosts also features ghosthunting gear, ghost rules, and a well-illustrated section of sample ghosts.

You’re-The-Ghost Games

Wraith: The Oblivion

“Do you listen to the voice inside your head telling you to just let go? Or do you still fight, still love, still feel the passion that won’t let you rest?” – White Wolf, 1994

The fourth game in White Wolf’s World of Darkness, Wraith let players cross over to the other side and play as ghosts. Like the other World of Darkness games, Wraith provided character choices that encompass different types of fictional representations, so your ghost might the kind who can possess people, or haunt a location, or manifest physically, or enter the dreams of mortals. A unique element of Wraith is the fact that each character has a Shadow, which is the dark side of that character, controlled by another player!

Orpheus

“What if you could die and return to your body, to live again?” – White Wolf, 2003

Orpheus was another World of Darkness game, published after Wraith, though the Orpheus line was designed as a limited release of six books. Player characters in Orpheus could be ghosts, or they could instead be living people with the ability to enter the spirit world. Players in this setting use their spectral abilities (which are reminiscent of those in Wraith) to investigate and confront ghostly threats.

Geist: The Sin-Eaters

“Death is a door. You are the one with the key.” – White Wolf, 2009

(OK, sure, this section is looking pretty well dominated by White Wolf Games. What can I say—they clearly have a leaning in that direction! And so do at least a few Gnomes…Martin wrote a preview of Geist back in the day.)

After White Wolf rebooted their World of Darkness in 2004, they published another take on the ghostly experience called Geist: The Sin-Eaters. Players are not exactly ghosts; they are the titular Sin-Eaters, and each Sin-Eater is spiritually tied to a ghostly being called a geist (an aspect of death). I like the fact that in Geist your character’s cause of death has a mechanical effect, such as the type of geist that’s drawn to you, and the kind of powers you can use. Like its older brothers, Geist had powers aplenty, plus atmospheric details like fetters and ectoplasm and haunts. Geist was a limited-run series, consisting of the core book plus a Book of the Dead.

Beyond

“Can you resolve whatever holds you back before Entropy steals your name?” – Stew Wilson, 2013

The record for “ghostly minimalism” (surely that’s a thing?) has a new champion in the form of Beyond, a two-page pay-what-you-want RPG. (And one of the pages is the character sheet!) As you might expect out of such a length, Beyond is strongly story focused. The game rotates the role of GM (called “Entropy”) between players, changing every scene. The to-the-point rules include a dice pool of red, white, and blue six-siders plus a list of simple but classic ghostly powers. There’s not much story guidance here, but if you and your players like taking a basic idea and improvising off of it, this game is a spooky place to start. (Er, spooky in a good way.) And if two pages is just too much reading for you, the designer also offers a lite version of the game called Unfinished, weighing in at 150 words.

Have you played any of these ghostly games? Or do you have others to recommend? Are you running a new (or old) Ghostbusters inspired game using another system? Let us know below!