31daysof
Game Stats: Ghostbusters 2016 Equipment
This is post number 22 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.
As we expected, Ghostbusters (2016) saw the return of some familiar equipment. The Ghostbusters used a PKE meter to track down spooks, strapped on proton packs to zap ‘em and grab ‘em, and finished the job with a trusty ghost trap (now in Pringles-like cylinder form). As an added bonus, though, the movie also gave us some new toys to enjoy. I’ve detailed them below, along with suggested stats for the Ghostbusters RPG. (Thanks to commenter Rick Lmire for suggesting this post!)
Proton Box (tether only)
The prototype of the proton pack, this device had more limited range, power, and portability than later versions. As a result, the proton box is only capable of tethering ghosts, not damaging them. Additionally, the operator must be attached to the box via a grounding collar, and she cannot maneuver the device without the assistance of a teammate.
Ghost Chipper (Muscles + 1 vs target’s Ectopresence)
Who needs a trap when you can suck in a ghost and grind him into quivering ectoplasm? That’s the specialty of this little marvel. Tougher ghosts might be able to resist the chipper’s pull, so you might ask a teammate to wear such a spook down with a few proton blasts first.
Proton Glove (+1 Moves attack die)
This small but potent cylinder is worn on one hand and allows the wearer to deliver a melee proton attack using Moves (or Muscles, if your Ghostmaster allows it). The Glove’s attack is not limited to melee, either—it can punch a short distance away, as well.
Proton Grenades (Roll Moves to hit; success subtracts 2 from the Power of each ghost in short range)
Guaranteed* not to harm the living, these grenades disrupt ethereal entities—from a safe throwing distance.
* Guarantee void in this state.
Dual Proton Sidearms (Requires 5+ in Moves + Appropriate Talent; deals double proton pack damage)
Holzmann’s favorite toy (well, one of them) comes in the form of two retractable sidearms attached to either side of a proton pack. They require a bit of skill to use effectively, but if you pull off a finishing move with these bad boys, it’ll surely earn you some extra Brownie Points—or at least a bonus to your next Cool roll.
Swiss Army Knife
What DOESN’T it do?
Nutcracker (automatically cracks any nut; 16.6% chance of overload and explosion)
This highly experimental piece of technology may look like a laser bear trap, but it’s actually a shell removal system for especially reticent nuts.
Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal
This seminal work by Ghostbusters founders Erin Gilbert and Abby L. Yates contains the authors’ early theories on the paranormal—theories which they proved true in the field. The book is available in hardcover, on Kindle, and as an audiobook. Ghostbusters could reference Ghosts From Our Past for clues relating to topics such as basic ghostology, the history of ghost-hunting, and how to conduct a metaphysical examination.
A Glimpse Into the Unknown: A Journey Into a Portal: Catching Sight of the Other Dimension: Discovering the Undiscoverable: A Curiosity Piqued and Peaked
The follow-up book by Gilbert and Yates covers what they experienced and learned during the formation of the Ghostbusters. Up-and-coming Ghostbusters might reference this book for information about the ghosts of New York, Rowan the Destroyer, and running a Ghostbusers franchise. The audiobook version read by Kevin Beckman is NOT recommended.
Did I forget anything important? Let me know in the comments!
Adventure: Disco Inferno
This is post number 21 in the series “31 Days of Ghostbusters,” a celebration of the franchise’s return to the big screen.
Summary
The Ghostbusters are hired to cleanse a job site under construction—a new ice skating rink—of an unusual phantasm: a man who is an obvious throwback to the 1960s or ‘70s, and is disco dancing in the middle of the ice. Our heroes are able to trap the spook with no trouble—but the next night, the spirit is back, along with a second disco-era anachronistic phantasm. Every day the Ghostbusters trap the ghosts at this site, they only add to their problems the next day. It becomes obvious that other means are required to take care of this particular infestation.
On their third extermination visit to the site, or whenever they make themselves enough of a nuisance there (such as by asking the ghosts a lot of questions about why they are there), the Ghostbusters trigger a spectral transformation. The entire site takes on its appearance from an earlier day—a discotheque, complete with lighted floors, mirrored walls, and a huge disco ball dangling from the ceiling. The place is packed with ghostly dancers! Everyone in the place is dancing (to Bee Gees music, no less) except for one: a figure who approaches the Ghostbusters.
This figure is Melvin Zebub, Satan’s nephew. Melvin explains that this is his uncle’s domain (his uncle Bill), and politely asserts that he will permit no more disruption of its daily routine. He explains that this place is no mere job site, nor any ordinary discotheque; rather, it is a purgatory for damned souls who died while tainted by the foul touch of the Seventies. Indeed, this spectral disco is technically a part of Hell itself. Melvin shows the Ghostbusters a Purgatory Contract that proves it.
Will your Ghostbusters make a deal with the devil(‘s nephew)? Will they shoot him and find themselves damned for eternity? Or will they leave and find an easier job?
Ring My Bell (The Job and First Visit)
Reginald Falco, a prosperous-looking businessman, pays the Ghostbusters a visit. (See the Cast of Characters section for details about all listed NPCs.) After offering his card, Falco explains that he is the owner of “Ice Ice Baby,” an ice skating rink that is undergoing construction downtown. Last night, Falco saw “a glowing green man in a John Travolta suit floating across the ice.” He wants to hire the Ghostbusters to “exterminate” the apparition.
Falco has no idea why the ghost is bothering his construction crew, and doesn’t care what it wants. He just wants it gone, and is willing to pay in advance.
On the scene at “Ice Ice Baby Skating Rink,” the PCs easily find the ghost (whose name is Rodney). Rodney dances his way across the ice (a few inches above it, actually), all the while bemoaning his condition. (“Aww, I can’t stop dancin’… help me, man, I’m on fire!”) Rodney doesn’t respond to attempts to communicate. Fortunately, it turns out to be rather easy to trap him; a zap or two from a proton pack and he’s ready for trapping.
Falco pays up happily.
Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now (Second Visit)
The next night, Falco gives the Ghostbusters an angry phone call, complaining that the haunting is not over. His workers spotted another ghost tonight—just before abandoning the job again. If they want to avoid either returning the money Falco paid them or being sued, the team will need to return to the skating rink and try again. (Note that if they check the containment grid, they find no trace of Rodney.)
The second visit to the skating rink is similar to the first, except that the ‘busters encounter two ghosts: Tina and, in a surprising return appearance, Rodney. Both ghosts wail about their predicament and, this time, seem to want the Ghostbusters to trap them and take them away. The team may realize that they’re dealing with at least one repeater here. They can bust both ghosts without much trouble, as before. If, instead, they refrain from shooting and question the ghosts, Rodney is more willing to interact this time. Rodney reluctantly reveals that this forced eternal dance is their punishment. If the Ghostbusters get this information out of Rodney, Melvin manifests to chastise him—skip the next two sections.
Last Dance (Third Visit)
The next day, Falco calls again, irate that the Ghostbusters have not taken care of their half of the transaction. There are still ghosts at the skating rink! They must either complete the extermination or refund the money they were paid!
The third visit to the skating rink presents the PCs with three ghosts: Rodney, Tina, and Derrick. All three beg to be zapped and trapped—but they never stop dancing. Either through skillful questioning that brings the conversation around to this, or by simple impatience on Melvin’s part, the man in charge finally shows himself.
The music gradually gets louder, and more spectral disco dancers appear on (or over) the icy dance floor. The newly manifested crowd parts, and a short teenaged boy walks through and greets the PCs. He says his name is Melvin Zebub, and he is the devil’s nephew.
Jive Talkin’ (Finale)
Melvin explains that the domain the Ghostbusters have intruded into has been claimed by his uncle, Bill (Bill Zebub), and is therefore technically a part of Hell itself. (As proof, he shows the PCs a “Purgatory Contract,” a document that is about a dozen pages of super-fine print. He will let the PCs keep a copy if they wish.)
Melvin goes on to explain that this place is no mere job site, nor any ordinary discotheque; rather, it is a purgatory for damned souls who died while tainted by the foul touch of the Seventies. Then Melvin insists that the Ghostbusters leave and stop trying to incarcerate his prisoners; he is personally in charge of their imprisonment, and has been promised by his uncle, Bill, that he will be given command of more important purgatories if he can prove he has what it takes to be the caretaker of this one.
To resolve this situation, the Ghostbusters can either:
- make a deal with the devil’s nephew (say, agreeing not to bust the ghosts if Melvin will limit their punishment to non-business hours),
- outwit Melvin (such as looking over the Purgatory Contract and discovering that it is valid “until Hell freezes over”—and the Disco is now in the place of a new ice skating rink), or
- something else (like blasting the big disco ball, which may be a focus for infernal psychokinetic energy).
The Setting: “Ice Ice Baby” (AKA Disco Inferno)
Historical details about the Disco Inferno building can be found in a handful of paranormal tomes, such as The Big, Big Book of Haunted Buildings. The other details must be discovered in person.
Historical Details
“Ice Ice Baby” Skating Rink is being built on the site of a failed discotheque called Disco Inferno. Just before midnight on December 31, 1979, the Disco Inferno caught fire and burned to the ground, taking three dozen trapped, screaming disco dancers with it. According to the fire marshal’s report, the cause of the fire was “insufficient ventilation, a total lack of fire extinguishers or sprinklers, a single rusty door serving as the lone entrance and exit, and the fact that the dance floor was made of wood but lined with high-intensity disco lights.” The disco was not rebuilt.
A few months later, construction of a department store was begun, but only a few weeks into construction the project was abandoned. Similar attempts were made a few other times in the next few years, to the same end. There are no records of why these ventures were cancelled (although someone looking for them might hear some rumors from other people in the business). The site has been untouched ever since.
Personal Investigation
The skating rink is about 90% complete. Anyone checking the place out in the daytime sees a warehouse-sized building surrounding an oval ice-skating rink. The rink is already filled with ice, even though the interior of the building itself still looks mostly unfinished, showing exposed metal scaffolding stretching to the three-story-high ceiling, and lots of unfinished woodwork everywhere. There are plenty of tools and construction apparatus around: wheelbarrows, cement bags, nail guns, wooden planks, screws, etc. There is also a zamboni (one of those large ice-smoothing vehicles) parked on the ice.
A visitor at night would see much the same scene, but with a few modifications. For one thing, there is a distinct burned smell permeating the place. If one listens hard, she can hear disco music in the background. But the most blatant difference is the glowing, pulsing, red-blue-green disco lights that shine and flash up from underneath the ice. A glittery phantom disco-ball hangs down from the ceiling, right over the center of the ice. And, of course, there are up to three dozen anachronistically-dressed dancers shaking their booties on the ice (the former location of the dance floor) and in the air above it.
Cast of Characters
Reginald Falco, owner of Ice Ice Baby Skating Rink
Falco is the owner of the haunted skating rink. He was so pleased with the price he negotiated in acquiring the former site of Disco Inferno that he didn’t bother investigating the site’s past. Everything went fine until Falco decided to start working a shift at night to speed up the construction. The night workers quit after one shift. When Falco went to visit the rink at night, he understood why. Being a rather matter-of-fact businessperson, he immediately realized whose services he needed to contract: the Ghostbusters.
Brains | 6 | Finance | 9 |
Muscles | 2 | Intimidate | 5 |
Moves | 2 | Chase Fleeing Worker | 5 |
Cool | 6 | Manage | 9 |
Goal: Money
Tags: Wears expensive Italian suit; has thin gray moustache; speaks in business lingo (words like “proposal, merger, contract, enterprise, manage, plan, mission statement, negotiate, profit,” etc.)
The Disco-Dancing Dead, ghostly inhabitants of “Ice Ice Baby,” a.k.a. the Disco Inferno
The denizens of the Disco Inferno are all Class III focused full-torso repeaters—in other words, they were humans in life, they still look human, and trapping them is only a short-term solution; they will rematerialize in the Disco Inferno the next night.
All the Damned Dancers share the following statistics. Also, they are not too bright, they have the ability to float through the air at walking speed, and they can never stop dancing. The Dancers want to be freed from their torment; they would gladly trade their current living environment for the interior of a ghost containment unit. To that end, they will help the Ghostbusters in any way they can—or taunt the Ghostbusters into trapping them!
Brains | 1 | Use 70s Lingo | 4 |
Cool | 2 | Disco Dance | 5 |
Power | 1 | Flight | |
Ectopresence | 2 |
Weaknesses: Inactive in daytime, Can’t Stop Dancin’
Goal: Escape Disco Inferno
Tags: Groovy 70s speech patterns, endless disco dancing, far-out clothes, funky music that follows the ghost everywhere
Sample Dancers:
Rodney – Stocky, barrel-chested black man in white leisure suit with large lapels and bell-bottoms.
Tina – Skeleton-thin teenaged girl in tube top.
Derrick – Blonde man in his 30’s with afro and big moustache. The top 4 buttons on his shirt are open, showing off lots of chest hair and gold necklaces.
Veronica – Ample-chested brunette in shiny bodysuit and, visibly, no bra.
Melvin Zebub, nephew of Satan and manager of Disco Inferno
Mel Zebub looks to be a nice 12-year-old boy. He is short, has trim, blonde hair, blue eyes, nice posture, impeccable fingernails, and dresses in a spiffy double-breasted navy blue suit. He is extra polite, but will tolerate no mortal who wishes to cross his dear uncle, Bill (also known as Satan).
Brains | 3 | Understand Bill’s Will | 6 |
Muscles | 1 | Intimidate | 4 |
Moves | 2 | Stand on Ice | 5 |
Cool | 2 | Look In Control | 5 |
Power | 10 | Dematerialize Self | |
Invisibility | |||
Murphy (L) | |||
Physical Immunity (G) | |||
Proton Immunity (G) | |||
Summon Pests | |||
Teleport |
Weaknesses: Afraid of angering uncle
Goal: Keep Uncle Happy
Tags: Imperious attitude, shameless name-dropper, speaks properly
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:
- 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.
- Erin’s Goal of Professional Validation isn’t one in the game.
- Patty’s Goal of Friendship also isn’t one in the game.