Casting Shadows

For Day 29 of #RPGaDay2020 we are back in sync with the majority of respondents to look at the prompt ‘ride’. For this year’s event, we have chosen to use the written posts here as a journey through a set of sessions of the Ghostbusters RPG from 1986. This has allowed a focus on some core ideas useful in attaining and maintaining the good parts of play from the perspective of the players and/or the player who takes the role of GM.

Yesterday’s post had the ghostbusters finally break into the secret areas of the corrupted R&D facility they have been hired (in pizza) to sort out, with the aid of their new ally, Linda. She – until the evil experiments moved to a stage close enough to completion to fake a shut down, had been a shift supervisor in the facility, and is now a giant mantis creature thanks to the perfidy of the site manager – a man she thought had her best interests at heart. He, a man named Peck, did not.

Today’s entry finds our ghostbusters rushing from the elevators in Area 24 down through rooms and halls to Area 28 where they see the thick coating of ash resulting from Dunhill’s brave use of the tiny and vine-filled escape tunnel back out to the parking lot and their rusty but beloved Ecto-van. Pressing on, they burst into Area 29 where they are somewhat surprised to find… and elevator.

“Where does this elevator go?” asks Stent.

“It goes down,” responds Lemmon, his player’s eyes on me and my directional signal, then ceremoniously pushes the button.

It pings softly and they see the numbers above the door light up to show the car’s progress up from B10.

“I had hoped the B10 would never be built,” mutters Stent obscurely, not realizing that Diego had been a huge Starfleet Battles player in his youth and still rain the game via play-by-post with a global cadre of long-term players.

Diego nodded understandingly.

As they wait for the elevator, Dunhill remarks, “It is kind of like sitting in the frying pan while considering moving to the fire.”

Before anyone can answer, I interject that they can distantly hear the noise of crushing metal and breaking glass from the parking lot.

They all nod and wince, but do not stray from their course.

“If we take out the portal, all of the vines go with it,” Diego says. “No need to burn them all one at a time.”

“But the kids love it!” quips Lemmon.

The elevator arrives, opening with a smooth action of retraction. Muzak sashays out like a teen in powder blue polyester heading to the prom alone.

“…the horror…” whispers Lemmon, sweating like Brando as he recognizes the signature anthem by Nirvana.

“Is it?” asks Gray. “Don’t you think of it as a pointed commentary on the commercialization of rebellion?”

“No! I think of it as muzak!”

“Well… then this ride down to B10 is going to be pretty awkward.”

“I am not sure a man who has not fully investigated musical giants like Huey Lewis & the News can rightfully make such a call, Gray.”

Diego, Dunhill, and Linda squeeze into the elevator.

“Are you two going to ride the next one…?” Dunhill asks with mock sweetness.

“Oh well, whatever, nevermind…” the two men say, and move to squeeze in with the others.

Dunhill holds up one finger before they get in, “Don’t you dare even think of singing any Aerosmith!”

“Gosh… okay, okay… you’ve got me workin’ like a dog for the bossman…” Lemmon begins.

“NO Aerosmith!” the rest shout as the doors close.

Linda clatters to herself.

Only Diego knows that she is singing along.

He doesn’t tell anyone.

Questions: What is the purpose of implying the destruction of the Ecto-van? Why does this happen now instead of earlier or when Dunhill was briefly outside?

Video: later today a video related to this post will be placed below~