GBI Boston

Ghostbusters

My general philosophy on the die rolling in this game...do what you need to do, be as outrageous as you need to be, and we'll play it out in a truly cinematic fashion. Bottom line: don't sweat it too much, you will be hauling unlicensed particle accelerators on your backs, there WILL be property damage.

Characters

Jack C. Hudson

Alex Schnider

Tommy Kerrigan

Dr. Mitchell Knight, PhD.

William "The Jury" Peers

Important People, Places and Things in Beantown

SAD

Special Actions Division. Officious Bastards. Those guys had their fingers in everything throughout the city, from Drug Busts to Domestic Violence, from Mafia to UFOs, from simple Jaywalking to Capital Murder. If it happened, sooner or later, SAD showed up.

Lieutenant Krompsky

One of Boston's finest, a female officer whose hair was pulled back in such a severe bun that it threatened to pull the skin on her face backwards and, of course, not a single strand out of place, her uniform trousers and top is always immaculate in appearance. Lieutenant Margaret Krompsky always seems to be the first of SAD to show up, the officious bitch. One might almost suspect that her continual appearance at Ghostbuster calls might be...coincidence?

Sample conversation with Lieutenant Krompsky

"Little girl, are you in charge here? Are you in charge of THESE INCOMPETENT MORONS?!"

Orange Taxi Service

One of Boston's local taxi services, their motto is, "Anytime, Anywhere". And they usually deliver.

Max Durnham

A former NYC Cabbie present during the rampage of Gozer, Max is not only the stereotypically unflappable, cigar-chomping smartass taxi driver, but he's at least a minor fan of the GBI team, even if he did retire to Boston with his cab, only to become the focus of the first GBI-Boston team's deific encounter...

Moishe's Occult

Located in the basement of a near-tenement, Moishe's Occult is renowned amongst a particular subculture of, if they don't have it in stock, they're able to get it. Moishe himself is seemingly never in, and the place doesn't have an answering machine. Moishe, that old Jewish gentleman, is reputed to claim that artificially recording devices frighten away the spirits. However, the person that always seems to be in is Yanya, Moishe's long-suffering, under-tall wife of over sixty years who seems to be the only person able to not only put up with the ever-absent Moishe as well as his odd little business - and with over seven decades in America, neither she nor Moishe has lost their Yiddish accent or its Russian undertones that date back from the early days of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Sample conversation with Yanya

"No, no, no, no, Moishe took the car, he didn't say where he was going, he didn't take a taxi, if I want to go to the market, I have to take a taxi, and we don't have a dog, but there was someone talking about dogs today, yes, he bought a bag, that's right, and he didn't even barter, Moishe's getting soft in his old ag, that cost eight dollars and Moishe let him walk for only ten, it was worth fifteen at least!"

Boston Metropolitan Philharmonic Pops Symphony Orchestra

The local, internationally known orchestra, conducted by Mr. William Johns, the famous composer.

William Johns

William Johns is the conductor of the Boston Metropolitan Philharmonic Pops Symphony Orchestra, and is the well-known composer of modern classics and movie themes, like the wildly popular Space Wars saga. His entry into the field of Ghostbusting came when the GBI-Boston team were called to control spirits let into the world by the performance of Massa Di Requiem Per Shuggay at the Metropolitan Opera House.

The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra House

Located downtown, several blocks south of City Center.

Ghostbusting Done Right

The Ghostbusters Guide to Spud Definition

Class I: These are undeveloped forms, insubstantial and difficult to see. Interaction with environment is limited and enigmatic (e.g., spectral lights, voices and sounds, ectoplasmic vapors, etc.). Simple application of a proton pack beam is normally effective.

Class II: Manifestations focused in this time and space, Class II ghosts and up can physically manipulate things in this world. These forms are vague, inconsistent, or incomplete (e.g., floating sheets, ghostly hands, animated lips, etc.) Althought a proton pack beam is normally effective, some Class II ghosts have the capacity to return attacks.

Class III: Anonymous Hauntings. Distinct human form and personality is evident, but former identity (i.e., as a living being) is not established. If established, ghost is reassigned as Class IV. Often difficult to deal with, Class III ghosts generally possess sophisticated means of defense.

Class IV: Identity established. Distinct human form and personality with known identity, such as General Custer or Cleopatra. Economic disposal methods include research into the background of said entity, as well as possible communication with it.

Class V: These are ectoplasmic manifestations of definite but non-human form. Speculation includes the theory that Class V's are formed from emotionally-charged events or as side effects from ritual summonings. (The spud Peter Venkman talks about so much was a by-product of the rituals that a cult held in the Sedgewick basement.) These typically require extensive proton pack implementation to eradicate.

Class VI: Ghosts from lower life forms. A giant penguin was once seen attacking a mugger in Central Park. Later it was discovered that the penguin was a ghost. Unique solutions are often required to handle these entities, including research into habitats, allergies, natural enemies, etc.

Class VII: Metaspectres. Obsessively malevolent, exceptionally powerful, and exhibiting control over subordinate forms, such entities are potentially very dangerous. These are often identified by primitive cultures as "Demons". Entitles which fit this classification include Gozer and Zuul. Neutralizing them is usually a problematical undertaking at best. Most standard procedures are futile. The most realistic plan is to take measures to prevent these things from entering the sphere of influence in the first place.

Specific Ghostly Traits

Free Floating: A ghost that moves about at will, with no regard to buildings, people, or time and space, as we know it. Sometimes just called "free".

Focused: The ghost is tied to the specific locale in which it first appeared and cannot stray from it.

Full Torso: Some ghosts have full torsos, some have arms and legs, and some have no head and the like. Full torso apparitions are relatively rare - many hauntings are indistinct below the chest.

Repeater: May refer to a self-regenerating P.K.E. force (Common with ritually-summoned spooks.) or to a spook with obsessive repetitious behavior patterns (i.e., Always manifesting at a certain place and time). Even when the ghost can be captured or eliminated, some agency continues to produce successive hauntings. Such ghosts reappear periodically until the source can be disabled.

Vapor or Mist: A common but imprecise term, it may refer to a Class I or II entity, or any insubstantial haunting.

Ghostbusters Source and Reference Materials

Fredde’s Big Book Of Occult Lore

Ghostbusters Handbook (by Stafford, Petersen and Willis)

Roylances Guide To Secret Societies And Sects

Spates Catalogue of Nameless Horrors And What To Do About Them

The Leon Zundingers Guide to Magicians, Martyrs and Madmen

Tobins Spirit Guide

Equipment

PKE Meter

Proton Pack

Ghost Trap

Character Generation

Character Definitions

Ghostbusters have four Traits: Brains, Muscle, Moves, and Cool.

Each Trait is assigned a numerical value. The higher number a Trait is, the better a character does when using it. You have twelve (12) points to allot among your Ghostbusters’s Traits. You must assign at least one point to each Trait, and you may not assign more than five points to any one Trait.

Brains: Brains shows how smart your Ghostbuster is. Very smart people (Brains/5 or more) can do calculus in their heads, write computer programs which work the first time they run, and speak foreign languages like a native. Bozos like to watch Lost in Space reruns on TV without realizing its a rerun.

Muscle: Muscle tells how strong your Ghostbuster is. Strong Ghostbusters (Muscle/5 or more) can rip phone books in half, intimidate puny characters at a glance, bite the caps off beer bottles, or throw bureaucrats into the garbage. Weaklings get their tongues caught on postage stamps.

Moves: Moves determines how dexterous and physically adept your Ghostbuster is. Ghostbusters with decent Moves scores are better at shooting guns, catching baseballs dodging or throwing rocks, observing, picking locks, juggling, driving, and creeping a long ledges. They like to flirt, they like disguises and they like to dress up. Maladroits get personal things caught in their zippers.

Cool: Cool people are bold, brave, and brassy. Cool people have aplomb - they don’t scare themselves into useless activity, and they know their own capacities with a Cool/5, you maintain your pace, even if you show up at a black-tie ball in a chicken suit. On the other hand, a Ghostbuster with Cool/1 calls the FBI when his toilet backs up.

Talents

Next, skills...or in our line of work, Talents. In Ghostbusters, unlike real life, characters can do a lot of cool things and get away with it, usually. Smart folks know lots of stuff about lots of stuff, Strong folks gots lots of Muscles, Quick folks gots Moves, and Fonzie, well, he's got Cool.

If you want your Ghostbuster to have a Talent not on this list, why not talk it over with me first? I'm your friend. You know I am. I'm sure I'll be reasonable about it.

Oh. You get four Talents, one per Trait. If you have a Trait of five (5) or above, you get second Talent for that Trait. Talents are the Trait Level Plus 3 - a Trait of 3 would give you a Talent of 6.

Brains: Here is a short list of Brains Talents: Accounting, Anthropology, Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Bureaucratics, Chemistry, Deduce, Electronics, Electrical Repair, Geology, Guess, Hair Styling, History, Journalism, Library Science, Linguistics, Mathematics, Mechanical Repair, Medicine, Occult, Parapsychology, Physics, Psychoanalysis, Soap Opera Romances, Sports Facts, Zoology

Muscle: Here's a list of a Muscles Talents: Brawl, Break Things, Climb, Gobble Food, Grapple, Intimidate, Jump, Kick Things Over, Lift, Rip Things Open, Run, Swim, Wrestle

Moves: A Ghostbuster could have one of the following Moves Talents: Attract Attention, Balance, Breakdance, Catch, Disguise, Dodge, Drive Vehicle, Fire Weapon, Gossip, Hide, Listen, Make Music, Pick Pocket, Seduce, See, Sleight of Hand, Sneak, Sniff, Strut, Throw

Cool: Here are some Cool-type Talents: Bargain, Bluff, Borrow, Browbeat, Charm, Convince, Fast Talk, Orate, Play Poker, Play Stock Market, Raise Children, Tell Fibs

Brownie Points

Finally, tipping the dice in your favor - you, as new Ghostbusters, each start with 20 Brownie Points. After that, you'll earn Brownie Points as rewards when they succeed at their mission or achieve Goals.

It's nice to get recognition for a job well done, you know?

When the Ghostbusters are doing badly, they lose Brownie points and receive parking tickets, abusive calls from their creditors, and long stays in the hospital.

Brownie Points are more than measurements of how well your character’s doing, however. To some extent, Brownie Points let you rewrite the script - to have your characters attempt incredible feats or bail themselves out of terrible jams.

You spend your Brownie Points to increase your character's chances of succeeding at difficult tasks. For each Brownie Point you spend, you can roll one additional die when your character is attempting to use a Trait or Talent. You have to decide to spend the Brownie Points before your roll; you cannot use them to reroll failed dice.

Brownie Points can also be used to cut down the bad effects when your character is hurt. For example, if he or she has to go to a hospital, each Brownie Point you spend at the time of the accident reduces hospital time by a week.

lf your character does something that is amazingly stupid – that should, by all rights, mean his immediate and permanent extinction – the Ghostmaster can, instead of crushing him like a grape, allow your character to spend Brownie points to avoid the fate he or she so richly deserves.

lf you ever find that you have 30 Brownie points you don't know what to do with, you can buy an additional point to add to one of your Traits (This option is available only if your Ghostmaster agrees).

I don't think we'll get that far - but you never know.

Goals

Each Ghostbuster has a goal: sex, soulless science, fame, serving humanity, or Money. This provides a focus and direction of sorts for the character to follow - Venkman was after sex, Egon, after soulless science, Ray, serving humanity, Janine, her goal was Egon, etc. Pick something that seems to fit where you want to take your character...and we're off to the races!