If you ask me, Flanagan, there's a lot of very peculiar blokes on this beach: Ghostbusters: Spooks in the Library

A typical library-dwelling Type VI Free-Roaming Vapor creeps up on an unsuspecting Ghostbuester

"Can you hear me?"

This is the report of a game of 7TV2 played - because of the Coronavirus situation - as a solo game. 7TV2 isn't designed for solo play, so this was a bit of an experiment (but please do take a look at Kieran Mulholland's excellent solo scenario rules which you can get hold of free from the Crooked Dice web site - these are well worth a go). I'm grateful to other members of the 7TV2 Facebook group for thoughts on how solo 7TV2 might work, and have shamelessly appropriated some of their ideas.

"Mr Venkmann, are you listening?"

Playing solo is reliant on having a mechanism for the opposition - in this case the mysterious paranormal forces opposing our heroes the Ghostbusters - that ensures that they behave in an appropriate yet not entirely predictable manner. The mechanisms devised for this particular game are outlined in the Special Rules described below.

Peter Venkmann jolts abruptly back to the real world. The girl on the other end of the line had such a great voice. It wasn't his fault he'd gotten distracted, and carried away with thoughts about what the rest of her might be like. He was only human, after all.

"Yes, er... Miss...?" he stumbles.

"Are you sure there isn't anyone else there I can speak to? You seem very preoccupied," she continues.

"Ahem!" he coughs, waving Spengler and Stantz away from the phone. "Absolutely not. I have your full attention. Please continue. "

THE CASTS

The Ghostbusters:

The four Ghostbusters [Co-Stars, 6 points each]

Timmy's sister [Scared Bystander, 1 point]

TOTAL 25 points

The Ghosts:

The Spirit of the Book [Star, modified The Bell Witch, 10 points]

2-6 Class VI Full-Roaming Vapors (Spooks) [modified Ectons, 4 points each]

Possessed Little Timmy [Extra, 1 point]

TOTAL 19-35 points

Cards for the above created using Jorge Robles' magnificent 7TV Studios Casting Agency website. pdfs of the cards downloadable here.

The cards

"Well, there's not much more to say," she concludes. "As I explained before, my brother Timmy was in the library again today, but this time it was different. I couldn't distract him away from his reading, and when I tried... Well..."

"I understand," Venkmann says, his attention distracted again, "So maybe you and I can meet up tonight, say 8pm, to discuss it all? I know a really cosy restaurant with private booths where you and I can get to know each other..."

Egon Spengler, who is straining to hear the conversation, pulls the receiver away from Venkmann while Ray Stanz squeezes between, pushing Venkmann away from the phone.

"What was he reading?" Spengler asks, concerned.

"So there is someone else there," she replies. "Well, of all the..."

"I apologise for my hormonally overactive colleague," he states, frankly. "Please answer the question."

"I don't know," she complains. "It's the same book Timmy's been reading since Thursday nearly two weeks ago. As I said, I went to get him because it's his birthday and we were going to have a special party, but he didn't respond. And then that strange man, dressed like an old monk, told me to go away. And then I saw the ghosts. I called the police, but they didn't want to know, so I called you."

"How old is your brother?" Spengler continues.

"What? 13. He's 13 today. What has that to do with anything?"

Spengler and Stantz, despite fighting off Venkmann, lock eyes. "Auspicious," they both simultaneously declare. Venkmann stops fighting.

"It matters a great deal, Ma'am," Spengler continues. "Your brother is 13 today. It's Friday 13th. He's in the occult section on the 13th floor of the library on 13th Street and he's been reading a strange book for 13 days. I don't think that's just coincidence. Wait there, we'll meet you in 13 minutes..."

SYNOPSIS

The Ghostbusters have been called by a frantic young woman who has explained that her (much) younger brother has been reading something inappropriate in the library. He's actually got hold of a copy of the Necronomicon from which he has summoned an ancient evil that true to form has started the process of summoning a much greater evil to the City. It's a familiar situation to the Ghostbusters, but one that requires prompt action. Little Timmy is under the control of the Spirit of the Book, helplessly chanting and conjuring up creatures. So far the Type VI Full-Roaming Vapors he's summoned are more of a nuisance than anything else, but give him enough time and it can only get worse - much worse. Only the Ghostbusters can save New York. Again.

The Ghostbusters must stop the ritual before Great Cthulhu appears. They gain bonus victory points for saving innocent bystanders.

The Ghosts must delay the Ghostbusters long enough to let Great Cthulhu loose in Manhattan.

SET-UP

The game takes place on a 3x3 table depicting the 13th floor of the public library on 13th Street, which other than the lift and a couple of small rooms is an open area filled with bookshelves. In one corner is the lift, while opposite is a small open area with a reading desk at which little Timmy is sitting chanting from the Necronomicon. In order to break the ritual and save the day, Timmy needs to be reduced to 0 health at which point he will pass out. Timmy counts as a member of the Ghosts cast for the purposes of generating plot points but can do nothing other than read the ritual, and cannot be activated.

The Ghosts begin the game in defined start positions as described below. The Ghostbusters begin the game in the lift.

The 13th floor of the public library on 13th Street: Starting positions

And from a different camera angle

SPECIAL RULES

Gadgets:

Only the Ghostbusters cast has gadgets.

Countdown Deck:

There are 3 cards in each Act. As with the Rules for Solo Play, only the Ghostbusters turn Countdown cards, and they may not chose to turn over two. Neither side can Steal the Scene.

Objectives:

There are various different objectives for the Ghostbusters to claim:

Bystanders - when a member of the Ghostbusters cast comes into base contact with a Bystander they are automatically claimed as an objective and the Ghostbusters immediately receive 1 plot point. The Bysnader model remains on the table. From this point on, whenever the Bystander model moves, it will move by the most direct path possible towards the lift, but will not move within 6" of any model in the Ghost cast. When the Bystander model enters the lift, it has escaped, and the Ghostbusters cast gain another 2 plot points.
Symmetrically Stacked Books - when this special objective is claimed using a Special Action the Ghostbusters cast gain 1d6 plot points.
Ectoplasmic Slime - these are not objectives, but can be removed by spending a special action when in contact, and this is rewarded with one plot point (see Ectoplasmic Slime below).

Deployment:

The Ghost cast models are initially placed as follows:

Little Timmy is at the table reading from the Necronomicon
The Spirit of the Book begins the game adjacent to Little Timmy
Two Spooks are present at the beginning of the game and are placed randomly within the library. To determine their starting positions, divide the table into 36 x 6" squares, and determine the square in which to place each Spook by rolling two dice. The Spooks cannot begin the game in the lift.
Place five innocent bystanders (librarians, readers) randomly within the library in exactly the same way as the Spooks, except they can be placed in the lift if you're really lucky with that roll.
Place one special objective (a pile of symmetrically-stacked books) randomly in the library.
Roll 1d6 and place that many piles of ectoplasmic slime randomly around the library.

Roll for initiative as normal

Plot Points:

In a variation from the Rules for Solo Play, in this game the Ghost cast does generate plot points at the start of their turn. Additionally, they gain one further plot point for every three piles (rounded up) of ectoplasmic slime that is deposited around the library.

During their turn, the Ghosts spend plot points for the reasons listed below only, and in the order of priority set out:

The Spirit will spend * to use its Star Quality Horrific Visions whenever more than 3 opposing models are within 4".
Remove up to one status from Little Timmy;
Remove up to one status from the Spirit of the Book;
Remove up to one status from each Spook;
Models of the Ghost cast with the Invulnerable Special Effect will always use this if there are sufficient plot points available. They never spend plot points to add extra dice to this roll;
If at the end of their turn the Ghost cast has at least 8 plot points, they spend 8 plot points to summon one additional Spook, which appears in a random location (determined as during deployment). After (including the Spooks that start the game on table) a sixth Spook has been summoned, the Ghost cast will instead attempt (at the same cost in plot points) to summon Great Cthulhu.
Finally, Timmy can spend excess plot points left at the end of the turn when summoning Great Cthulhu (see below).

Ectoplasmic Slime:

One pile of slime is generated on each occasion that:

A Spook moves through a wall or bookcase;
A Spook flees from combat but cannot move through an external wall of the library;
The Spirit teleports back to little Timmy;
A Spook successfully strikes anyone in combat.

The Ghostbusters gain one plot point every time they spend a special action to claim a pile of ectoplasmic slime, which removes that pile of slime from the game.

Note that in this scenario, the Spooks do not use their Ghost Special Effect. Generating Slime as described above offsets this disadvantage and is easier to apply in solo play.

Summoning Great Cthulhu:

This requires the Spook cast to spend 8 plot points and for Little Timmy to make a successful Mind roll. Each time Little Timmy attempts this roll, if they are available, he spends an additional 1d6 plot points to improve his roll. On a success, Great Cthulhu arrives, the Library and a large area of New York are destroyed, and the Ghostbusters cast loses the game.

Movement:

Movement by the Spook cast does not cost Plot Points.

Little Timmy never moves, and never attacks.
The Spirit of the Book does not voluntarily move. It will, however, always attack the closest visible opposing model within range of Little Timmy. If within fight range, it will use its Terrible Scythe, otherwise it will use its Baleful Gaze. If for any reason the Spirit is moved out of contact with Little Timmy's model at the start of its next turn it will instantly teleport back to its position adjacent to Little Timmy. If this happens, the Spirit may make no further action this turn.
Spooks move towards the closest Ghostbuster, ending in fight range whenever possible. When a Spook ends its movement outside fight range but within 6" of an opposing model, it makes a free Scare attack. When a Spook receives any status or suffers any wound, if not prevented (if hit by a neutron lance it is prevented) it will then immediately flee backward 6", passing through shelves or internal walls if necessary. Spooks cannot, however, pass through the external walls of the library. If a Spook passes through a wall or shelf its move ends immediately and if it does not already have the Weakened status, it gains that status, and leaves Ectoplasmic Slime behind (see above). Spooks may not otherwise pass through shelves or walls.

At the end of every turn by each side, remining Bystanders that have not been claimed as objectives by the Ghostbusters move 6" away from the nearest Ghost model. Those that have been claimed as objectives move 6" towards the lift.

VICTORY POINTS

Victory points are assigned to the Ghostbusters cast as follows:

+1 point for each bystander that make it to the lift and escape

+3 points if the Spirit of the Book is removed from the game

+1 point for each Spook removed from the game

-3 points for each member of the Ghostbuster cast removed from the game

-2 points for each bystander removed from the game (that did not escape by the lift)

-80 points if Great Cthulhu is summoned

If the final score at the end of the game is positive, the Ghostbusters can claim the win. If the score is negative, they have lost. If the final score is lower than -50 points New York can be considered taken over by Great Cthulhu, and everybody loses.

AND… ACTION!

The action is best told in a series of photos of the game, so here are a few.

Our heroes cautiously exit the lift

Symmetrically stacked books can mean only one thing

No human being would stack books in this way

Paranormal forces attack as the Ghostbusters are distracted

"Don't cross the streams!"

Ghosts just keep appearing, as if from nowhere

But our heroes continue tpo rescue bystanders trapped in the haunted library

"Get away, you nasty ghost!"

One last spook to get past

Finally, Little Timmy can be seen; and he's in dire need of rescue

What happened in the end? Well, I played the game several times to make sure the balance was about right. The final version that you read here was the closest, and went down to the wire before the Ghostbusters saved the day (with minor casualties). Please do play it yourself if you can and let me know how you get on!

THE MAKING OF…

For those who are interested, the library is made mostly from cardboard boxes. The floor is made from nine cork tiles, while bookshelves are card blocks onto which I have attached images of books on shelves. The Spooks are rubber finger monsters that cost about 50p each and have been painted an varnished a lot to make them a bit firmer, with rather shapeless ghost-like bodies built up below with Milliput. The slime and the book pile are also scratch-built. The Spirit is from CP Models, the sister from Foundry, and all other figures are from the truly excellent Crooked Dice, home of all things 7TV2.