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This is a reading review of the InSpectres PDF. I got my copy from DriveThruRPG, which sells it as a bundle of two files: a print-friendly version designed for folding and binding (i.e., in two-up format with non-sequential pages) and a conventional PDF version (with bookmarked chapters) for reading on screen.
Overview
InSpectres is a no-prep comedy RPG, designed for casual play. The idea is that you will create characters and then dip into the game when you are in the mood, rather than running it as a sustained campaign or as a one shot. It's very much in the story game vein, with light rules and almost no setting fluff.
The players take the role of a group of paranormal investigators who delve into strange happenings. The rules aim for lighthearted comedy adventure, so think Ghostbusters or Scooby Doo rather than The X-Files. One person will be the GM, but in the interests of keeping preparation to a minimum, the players can make statements about the game based on the results of skill checks. For example, if a player rolls well while researching a haunted house, the player rather than the GM decides what information is discovered. "In a microfilm newspaper archive, I find a story about a grisly murder at the old Johnson house." Most of the time, the players will have at least some input on what happens in the story, with GM acting as a facilitator / antagonist rather than a director.
Starting A Game
A new game of begins with the players creating characters. Each character gets a background and a talent (both made up by the player rather than chosen from lists), then divides points between four very general skills: Academics, Athletics, Technology and Contact (social skills). The table then creates a franchise of the InSpectres paranormal investigation company, describing its size, location, and staff. The rules are quite light, so crunch-wise this is just a matter of dividing some points between four dice pools that pretty much correspond to the character skills.
The players can state anything they like about the franchise. Perhaps it has a electrical spirit confinement chamber in the basement and an Italian coffee machine in the breakroom. Players who mention anything about the franchise's facilities or equipment make a technology check, with failures resulting in a wacky flaw in said equipment. The confinement chamber releases spirits during power failures, and the coffee machine is haunted!
Once the characters and the franchise are sorted out, there's a one-off interview phase. Typically this will be the GM conducting job interviews to hire the characters. Someone suggested adding hired PCs to the interview panel as you go along, which sounds like a lot of fun. Everyone will get hired in the end, so this is just a chance to get to know the characters and maybe give them specialist roles.
A Typical Session
A typical game session is a self-contained mission, with a standard structure. First a client calls the InSpectres franchise with a supernatural problem. In keeping with the no-prep ethos, the GM is given four tables to roll 2d6 on, which will result in an (adjective) (person) calling about a (phenomenon) happening at a nearby (location). For example, if the GM rolls 2, 4, 8, 10, a (horny) (student) calls about a (strange light) coming from a nearby (park). The GM now has an instant plot hook: the student takes a date to the park, they go into a secluded area to smooch, when suddenly, they are surrounded by eerie lights!
Next, the PCs investigate the happening. Maybe they do some library research, or they take some readings from their gadgets. In any case, the players will end up moving the story along: "This omega radiation reading suggests that the lights were caused by a gateway to another dimension!"
After that, they gather their experimental ghostbusting gear (making Technology checks to see whether it has Paranoia style quirks), defeat the villain, and clock out. All in a day's work. This standard structure gives the players and GM a template for what is expected from each scene. If it looks like it's going to be difficult to get something necessary or hilarious out of a scene (e.g. because the players keep flubbing their rolls to research a haunting), a player can cut to a confessional.
The Confessional
Once per scene, a player can pause the game and a give a reality TV style expository speech to camera that adds an element to the plot. "We didn't know it at the time, but the horny student's date was actually a creature from that other dimension, trying to lure him into the portal. It came as quite a shock when she transformed before our very eyes!"
The rulebook suggests setting aside a comfy chair for this, a la Big Brother. It's also a good idea to have the other people at the table respond like a hyped up studio audience, with lots of over the top gasping.
Crunch
The system is a simple d6 dice pool, with dice contributed by a character's relevant skill, background, and talent, possibly supplemented by dice from the franchise pool. The highest die is used as the result, with higher numbers being better. Regardless of the roll, the player has an opportunity to help to describe some aspect of the result (which may be the outcome or a consequence or just some colour narration).
As the players have quite a lot of input in how the plot unfolds, the GM's role is mostly an antagonistic one, throwing in villains and obstacles on the fly so that the challenge of the game is nicely balanced with the players' narration. Mechanically, this takes the form of stress, which works a bit like sanity loss in Call of Cthulhu. A character in a stressful situation has to make a sort of saving throw or lose points from his or her skills.
After the mission is complete, characters can restore lost points by taking a vacation or spending some pay.
Conclusion
InSpectres is an approachable comedy game that is ideally suited to pickup play. It would also be a great game to play with kids, due to its familiar subject matter and emphasis on creativity.
As a game for grown-ups, how well it works for your group is likely to depend on how willing the players are to participate in narration and confessionals. Story games types will be fine, but if you're a traditional D&D type group looking for a comedy game, you might run into trouble here. A good GM can make this easier for shy or bewildered players.
The InSpectres double PDF ZIP file is a mere ten bucks from DriveThruRPG and IPR.
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Posted Fri Nov 12, 2010 1:45 am