Binary Dice Notation and Omnia

Further thoughts on "Binary Dice Notation" have been continued in Omnia Pro Omnibus as I work out how to present the rules of Omnia:

• "Simplifying Game Notation"
• "Alternative Game Notation"
• "The Continuing Story of Game Notation in Omnia"

News at 6-Sided: D6 System: Second Edition on Kickstarter

The crowdfunding project for D6 System: Second Edition is, in fact, live on Kickstarter at this moment. Gallant Knight Games provided a glimpse of the long-awaited second edition with the publication of Zorro: The Roleplaying Game. This, I predict, will be one of the greatest universal role-playing systems yet.

The D6 System: Second Edition Kickstarter project ends 15 August 2024.

News at 6-Sided: D6 System: Second Edition Coming Soon

Gallant Knight Games has announced that a Kickstarter project will be launched soon for D6 System: Second Edition, the rules of which were previewed in Zorro: The Roleplaying Game. This will be a modular core rule book with three choices of cover art. Learn more in "D6 System: Second Edition!"

Reminder to Self Regarding Broken Compass and Outgunned

I am leaving this note here because I have too many physical notes scattered about and I am worried that if I write another one I'll misplace it and fail to do any of the following, which is:

• Figure out the difference between Broken Compass and Outgunned.
• Find out if either are available outside of backing their crowdfunding projects, i.e. are they in any stores, physical or online?
• Find out if anyone outside of playtest groups actually plays these games and, if so, what do they think?
• Assess the odds of the task resolution rules. Do they feel right in play? Are they satisfying?
• Decide whether to back Outgunned Adventure, the "pulp" supplement.

Does anyone reading this have any opinions or insights?

[Edit: I don't think I'll bother with this game. As far as I can tell, they are crowdfunding Outgunned Adventure when they haven't even fulfilled the orders for Outgunned yet. This does not inspire confidence. The fact that their quickplay rules are neither well-written nor well-proofread gives me further pause. Besides, I am more interested in exploring the subject matter of a genre rather than the conventions of a genre as it is portrayed in a single medium (in this case, film), and Outgunned is clearly an attempt to adapt the latter. The novelty is not worth the price or the wait. 2024-05-24]

The Ghost Busters via Ghostbusters: Ghosts

Here are the ghosts of The Ghost Busters as they appear in order of original air date. They have been adapted for The Ghost Busters: A Clever, Courageous, and Strong Role-Playing Game (That Is Completely Unofficial), which is based on Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game.

SPOILER ALERT!

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Big Al Caesar

Power 3
Ectopresence 2
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport
Goal: To steal the Maltese Monkey.

Appearance: Episode 1, "The Maltese Monkey" (6 September 1975)

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Dr. Frankenstein

Power 4
Ectopresence 4
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To transplant the brain of the world's most gullible fool into the body of his Monster.

Appearance: Episode 2, "Dr. Whathisname" (13 September 1975)

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The Monster

Power 2
Ectopresence 5
Special Abilities: Materialize
Goal: To obey Dr. Frankenstein.

Appearance: Episode 2, "Dr. Whathisname" (13 September 1975)

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Sir Simon de Canterville

Power 3
Ectopresence 6
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Immune to the Ghost De-Materializer
Goal: To break his curse of haunting the family castle until he does a brave deed.

Appearance: Episode 3, "The Canterville Ghost" (20 September 1975)

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Harry Albert, Werewolf

Power 2
Ectopresence 4
Special Abilities: Materialize, Transform into Werewolf
Goal: To be cured of lycanthropy.

Appearance: Episode 4, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" (27 September 1975)

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Sophia

Power 3
Ectopresence 3
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Use Crystal Ball
Goal: To cure Harry Albert of lycanthropy.

Appearance: Episode 4, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" (27 September 1975)

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Captain Aloysius Beane

Power 5
Ectopresence 3
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To recruit a crew for his ship, the Flying Dutchman.

Appearance: Episode 5, "The Flying Dutchman" (4 October 1975)

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Scroggs

Power 4
Ectopresence 2
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To obey his captain.

Appearance: Episode 5, "The Flying Dutchman" (4 October 1975)

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The Phantom of Vaudeville (with Elmo)

Power 3
Ectopresence 7
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Immune to the Ghost De-Materializer
Special Vulnerability: Can only be sent back to the Great Beyond by being unmasked.
Goal: To settle a score with rival vaudevillians Slapsy, Maxie, and Nijinsky

Appearance: Episode 6, "The Dummy's Revenge" (11 October 1975)

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Queen Forah of the Nile

Power 5
Ectopresence 4
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object, Use Sun Disk
Goal: To find the sorcerer Simios who can lead her to Spen-Zah, keeper of the secret of immortality.

Appearance: Episode 7, "A Worthless Gauze" (18 October 1975)

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The Mummy

Power 2
Ectopresence 5
Special Abilities: Materialize, Materialize Object, Mummy's Touch (physical contact causes instant mummification)
Goal: To obey Queen Forah.

Appearance: Episode 7, "A Worthless Gauze" (18 October 1975)

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The Witch of Salem

Power 5
Ectopresence 5
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object, Transform, Illusory Disguise, Control Mind, Concoct Potion, Use Crystal Ball
Goal: To have revenge on the descendant of Edward Spencer, Spell-Dissolver of Salem.

Appearance: Episode 8, "Which Witch Is Which?" (25 October 1975)

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Gronk

Power 1
Ectopresence 1
Special Abilities: Materialize
Goal: To obey the Witch of Salem.

Appearance: Episode 8, "Which Witch Is Which?" (25 October 1975)

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Billy the Kid

Power 3
Ectopresence 1
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To round up a gang and rustle cattle so they can get victuals.

Appearance: Episode 9, "They Went Thataway" (1 November 1975)

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Belle Starr

Power 3
Ectopresence 1
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To round up a gang and rustle cattle so they can get victuals.

Appearance: Episode 9, "They Went Thataway" (1 November 1975)

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Count

Power 2
Ectopresence 3
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Transform into a Bat, Classic Vampirism
Goal: To find "donors."

Appearance: Episode 10, "The Vampire's Apprentice" (8 November 1975)

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Countess

Power 3
Ectopresence 4
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Transform into a Bat, Classic Vampirism
Goal: To find "donors."

Appearance: Episode 10, "The Vampire's Apprentice" (8 November 1975)

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Dr. Jekyll

Power 4
Ectopresence 3
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object, Concoct Potion
Goal: To find an ingredient that will eliminate Mr. Hyde.

Appearance: Episode 11, "Jekyll & Hyde: Together, for the First Time!" (15 November 1975)

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Mr. Hyde

Power 3
Ectopresence 2
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To annoy Dr Jekyll.

Appearance: Episode 11, "Jekyll & Hyde: Together, for the First Time!" (15 November 1975)

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The Red Baron

Power 3
Ectopresence 1
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To have revenge against his old enemies.

Appearance: Episode 12, "Only Ghosts Have Wings" (22 November 1975)

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Sparks

Power 3
Ectopresence 1
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To assist the Red Baron.

Appearance: Episode 12, "Only Ghosts Have Wings" (22 November 1975)

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Eric the Red

Power 3
Ectopresence 2
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To find the banner that proves the Vikings discovered the New World and plant it before Lothar the Hun can dispute their claim.

Appearance: Episode 13, "The Vikings Have Landed" (29 November 1975)

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Brunhilda

Power 3
Ectopresence 2
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To find the banner that proves the Vikings discovered the New World and plant it before Lothar the Hun can dispute their claim.

Appearance: Episode 13, "The Vikings Have Landed" (29 November 1975)

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Merlin the Magician

Power 2
Ectopresence 5
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object, Dematerialize Object Goal: To find the trick that will enable him and Gronk to return to the Great Beyond.

Appearance: Episode 14, "Merlin, the Magician" (6 December 1975)

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Gronk

Power 1
Ectopresence 1
Special Abilities: Materialize
Goal: To obey Merlin.

Appearance: Episode 14, "Merlin, the Magician" (6 December 1975)

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Morgan le Fay

Power 6
Ectopresence 5
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Teleport Involuntary Subject, Materialize Object, Dematerialize Object, Use Crystal Ball, Create Smoke
Goal: To trap Merlin and Gronk on Earth.

Appearance: Episode 14, "Merlin, the Magician" (6 December 1975)

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Dr. Centigrade

Power 4
Ectopresence 2
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object
Goal: To transplant a warm heart into the body of the Abominable Snowman.

Appearance: Episode 15, "The Abominable Snowman" (13 December 1975)

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The Abominable Snowman

Power 3
Ectopresence 3
Special Abilities: Materialize, Teleport, Materialize Object, Freezing Touch
Goal: Unknown.

Appearance: Episode 15, "The Abominable Snowman" (13 December 1975)

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The Ghost Busters via Ghostbusters: Doorways to the Great Beyond

In The Ghost Busters, the ghosts always enter the world of the living via a local cemetery. In addition, in the episode, "Dr. Whatshisname," Dr. Frankenstein explains to the Monster as they Teleport from the abandoned castle on Batwing Lane to the cemetery, "It is a bother to have to keep coming back here in order to materialize my laboratory equipment, but this is the Doorway to the Great Beyond." From these two facts, we can formulate the following rules for The Ghost Busters: A Clever, Courageous, and Strong Role-Playing Game (That Is Completely Unofficial):

Doorways to the Great Beyond

When ghosts enter the world of the living, whether by willing Teleportation or by being summoned, they must enter through a Doorway to the Great Beyond. Such Doorways are typically located in cemeteries or other sites of concentrated paranormal activity.

Certain ghosts have the special ability to Materialize Objects (usually to continue their work toward their Goal), but excessive use depletes a ghost's Ectopresence. In order to replenish their Ectopresence, they must return to a Doorway to the Great Beyond and tap into its psychokinetic energy reserves. Any materialized objects disappear when the ghosts who manifested them return to the Great Beyond or are otherwise banished, sent back, or trapped.

The Ghost Busters via Ghostbusters: Ghost-Busting

If, in an alternate universe, The Ghost Busters television show were adapted into a role-playing game similar to Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game, perhaps entitled The Ghost Busters: A Clever, Courageous, and Strong Role-Playing Game (That Is Completely Unofficial), the rules pertaining to ghosts and the busting thereof might look something like this...

Without exception, the ghosts that appear in The Ghost Busters are corporeal, having bodies that occupy physical space. They are opaque, they can touch and be touched, and they have the limitations of movement their former physical bodies had in life—they walk, use doors, and can even trip. The one ghostly Special Ability most or all of them share is Teleportation. Every ghost that appears singly (or the more powerful ghost in a duo) can Teleport itself and a ghostly companion using its Power. Short range Teleportation (line-of-sight or in the general vicinity) is a difficulty of 5. Medium range Teleportation (anywhere outside the general vicinity) is a difficulty of 10. Long range Teleportation (to and from the Great Beyond, perhaps) is a difficulty of 15 or 20. Sometimes ghosts appear of their own will; sometimes they are summoned by mortals. Regardless of the means of their manifestation, most ghosts try to avoid being sent back.

The primary tool in a Ghost Buster's Ghost Kit for dealing with supernatural entities is the Ghost De-Materializer. Looking something like a camera with an antenna and two handles jutting out horizontally on opposite sides, it can be aimed in the approximate direction of a ghost and activated, which causes the ghost to de-materialize from our natural world and re-materialize in the Spirit World, the Great Beyond, or wherever else it is supposed to spend its afterlife. In game terms, the Ghost Buster would use the Moves Trait or the Aim Ghost De-Materializer Talent once a ghost is cornered. The difficulty is the same as for ranged weapons: 5 for point-blank, 10 for normal, and 20 for long distance. If the Ghost Buster beats the difficulty, one ghost is instantly de-materialized. If the Ghost Buster rolls twice the difficulty or more, two ghosts are instantly de-materialized. If the Ghost Buster rolls three times the difficulty or more, three ghosts are instantly de-materialized. And so on. As you can see, the Ghost De-Materializer is a powerful weapon, but it is completely useless against certain ghosts that require unique methods to banish them. (Whether these de-materializerproof ghosts would be vulnerable to a proton pack is left to the Ghostbusters' experimentation and the Ghostmaster's discretion.)

The Ghost Busters via Ghostbusters: Characters

In 1975, a live-action Saturday morning television show called The Ghost Busters debuted (nine years before the unrelated movie coincidentally called Ghostbusters). Produced by Filmation, it starred Larry Storch as Spencer, Bob Burns as Tracy, and Forrest Tucker as Kong (collectively known as Spencer, Tracy & Kong, Ghost Busters). Spencer was a zoot-suiter, Tracy was a gorilla, and Kong was the one in charge.

The three of them worked in a dingy office on the tenth floor of a building that was presumably shaped like the Flatiron Building (considering three of the walls had an exterior ledge).

To receive their Ghost Buster assignments, Kong would send Spencer and Tracy to a general store across town (with Tracy at the wheel of a 1929 Whippet) to retrieve it in the form of an audio tape concealed in a random object, which, after playing a message from someone named Zero, would self-destruct in usually five seconds.

Invariably, their mission was to intercept a ghost or two and send them back to the Great Beyond. The ghosts were drawn like magnets to the same cemetery every week, and they would inevitably decide to take residence in what they called a castle (which is confusing because it resembled a castle from the inside, but its exterior appeared to be a creepy mansion).

Dispatching a ghost typically involved zapping it with the Ghost De-Materializer, but occasionally it required fulfilling other conditions specific to the ghost.

Ghosts, in general, seemed to be more substantial as they were incapable of passing through solid matter and frequently interacted with physical objects. They could, however, teleport, which they did frequently, and some could turn invisible. Some had unique powers, such as the mummy's ability to transform any mortal it touched into a mummy.

Could The Ghost Busters be adapted to a role-playing game using the rules of Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game? It can! The question ought to be, "Should it?" We'll do it anyways.

Welcome to The Ghost Busters: A Clever, Courageous, and Strong Role-Playing Game That Is Completely Unofficial. (The title makes sense if you've heard the theme song.)

And here are the titular characters...

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Spencer

Brains 2 (Ventriloquism 5)
Muscles 3 (Flee 6)
Moves 3 (Music 6)
Cool 4 (Impersonate Celebrities 7)
Goal: Fame

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Tracy the Gorilla

Brains 2 (Magic 5)
Muscles 7 (Intimidate 10)
Moves 2 (Art 5)
Cool 2 (Prop Comedy 5)
Goal: Fame

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Kong

Brains 3 (Library Science 6)
Muscles 3 (Flee 6)
Moves 3 (Aim Ghost De-Materializer 6)
Cool 3 (Boss Others 6)
Goal: Wealth

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Between the three, they have a jalopy for transportation, a Ghost Kit (including a Ghost De-Materializer), a wide assortment of hats for Tracy, a few books, many filing cabinets, an antique typewriter, an antique telephone, and various art supplies (again, for Tracy).

ZAP!

The GROGNARD Files Interviews Marc Miller

The GROGNARD Files podcast revisits Traveller with special guest Marc Miller in Episode 69. Time to Jump!

Ghostbusters via Tricube Tales: Combat

In a previous article, I explained the challenge resolution rules of Tricube Tales as I thought they might be applied to Ghostbusters. Here, I shall attempt to describe how Tricube Tales resolves combat and how I would apply it to, again, Ghostbusters. Please read the previous article (and the article previous to that) for a better understanding of this one.

In addition to karma, which can be spent to reduce the difficulty of challenges, characters start with 3 points of resolve each. Characters lose resolve (usually 1 point for a failure and 2 points for a critical failure) whenever they fail a dangerous challenge such as combat. Characters whose resolve is reduced to 0 are eliminated from the scene (although they can usually return later with restored resolve) and/or may be given an affliction, which operates as a quirk.

Combat encounters are assigned both difficulty and 2 to 3 effort tokens. If the challenge is lost, the character loses resolve. If the challenge is won, an effort token is removed for each successful die result. When all of the effort tokens are depleted, the enemy is vanquished.

How do we use these rules in the world of Ghostbusters? Perhaps ghosts with 2 effort tokens require one challenge to weaken them with a proton pack and one challenge to maneuver them over a ghost trap. Ghosts with 3 effort tokens require two Ghostbusters to each make a successful challenge followed by a third challenge to slide a ghost trap under them (although maybe a very qualified Ghostbuster could do it alone with a lucky roll). Difficulty will vary, of course, and certain entities may have effort tokens in excess of 3, or they may require more complicated means of disposal. In addition to difficulty and effort tokens, ghosts will, of course, have other (mostly paranormal) abilities. The GM would be wise to exercise these abilities to ridiculous extremes.

Let's look at an example of an encounter between a Ghostbuster and a ghost in need of busting.

Winston Zeddemore
Trait: brawny
Concept: Ghostbuster
Perk: combat expert
Quirk: Ghostbusting novice

Slimer Junior
Difficulty: 5
Effort: 2
Description: free-floating poltergeist

Winston Zeddemore, responding to a call from a local restaurateur, discovers a free-floating poltergeist haunting the dumpster behind the restaurant in question. Priming his proton pack, Winston must make an agile roll. Since his trait is brawny, not agile, but the challenge is related to his concept (Ghostbuster), he rolls two dice. If he wants to regain some previously lost karma, he can raise the difficulty to 6 before he rolls by using his quirk of being a novice at Ghostbusting, but in this example he chooses to roll against the normal difficulty of 5.

With two dice, Winston rolls 5 and 4. The 5 is a success. He hits the target and Slimer Junior loses 1 effort token. The 4 is not a success. He can either roll again and hope for another success (at the risk of failing and losing 1 resolve as a consequence), or he can use his perk of being a combat expert to lower the difficulty to 4, which would give him two successes immediately, bagging and trapping the ghost in one fell swoop.

And that's how I would adapt Ghostbusters to Tricube Tales.

I think.

Playtesting would be in order.