by Chris Hodgson

Playtested by

Guy Robinson, Chris Messer, Richard Price, David Lermit, Suzzana Raymond

Seeing a certain Ackroyd/Belushi movie concerning A Blues Band is a must here. If you have seen it , don't worry, musical interludes are kept at minimum although over-use of the soundtrack is recommended. If you haven't seen it this scenario could be a strange and possibly mystical experience.

Because of the somewhat.. epic nature of the climax , this scenario is best played at the end of a long campaign as all those vengeful N.P.C.s can add to over the top mania and destruction at the end . Perhaps the persecuted victims of your players previous exploits had grouped together in a sort of self help group and moved to the quiet town of Landisburg to try and forget their collective trauma. Perhaps the've been biding their time and listening intently to police broadcasts for months. This could be the emotional, cathartic, reconciliation rabid enemies need to become balanced members of society again.

Or maybe not.

Contemporary note* This was written in 1985 when the writer should have been doing better things like enjoying the company of the large number of attractive girls on his Humanities course. Sharp readers will notice a whole range of particularly bitter and frustrated 80's prejudices against the likes of Volvo drivers and Ford Sierra's. Don't email me to ask if ithe distinctly slapstick Ghostbusters RPG is still availabe - it isn't. Incidently the part of Peter Venkman played by Bill Murray in Ghostbusters was originaly written for Jake Blues himself, John Belushi. So there you are. Leave me alone.
F*ckers.

You have been good boys. For some reason Mr Tully has rewarded you with some PR work a long way from New York! Away from the grime and business of New York !. Away from the extreme weather!. Away from the unpleasant natives ! Yes ! Its a promotional visit of .....Chicago.

CHICAGO NOTE* This is purely Hollywood Chicago- full of lousy weather, lousy Italians , lousy cops and stereotype Irishmen with lousy accents. As a rough rule 1 in 9 people in Chicago are on the"take" even if its just from the local Blues Band - unless they are Sean Connery.

O.K., O.K..So far the Chicago media hasn't treated you with much respect, (last news report you came shortly after Nemo the Scuba Diving Badger) treating you as if you were the commercial cash in on Venkmans crew. What ? You?!!? So its been hell all week. Living uncomfortably on GBI expenses at the Chicago Hilton you've had to deal with non-existent reporters and an inexhaustible room service. But no worries. Its Friday. You'll just have to make a fresh start on the Monday.

HEDONISM NOTE* An entire week dodging responsibility in the Imperial suite at the Hilton could be a scenario in itself. The Hilton also has a very strict policy on pets for instance. (Possibly not strict enough- but more about Sparky the Wonder Dog later). If crazed guerilla warfare with the furnishings does break out don't forget the crabby neighbour across the hall who needs his sleep. (See the Superbowl warm-up in the film "Where the Buffalo Roam".)

Assuming they haven't destroyed it - a man visits their room.

BRAINS 3 Remember blues numbers 6

COOL 6 Bargain 9

MOVES 3 Play Keyboard 7

MUSCLE 2 Bash Bible 5

Goal: Serve Humanity

Distinctive Mannerisms : Blind but with a Jedi-like awareness.

Father Charles has been helped out before by Venkmans gang. Just before the Zuul problem Winston and Ray rid his hotel room of a Class 1 repeater. Since then he has provided certain unnamed materials for GBI. But he needs help again, and this time on his own turf. The Sesame St. Orphanage for Ugly Children which he helps run for the church has had a terrible week. On Monday they received a court order to pay $50000 in taxes by June 1st or have the place closed down. But this isn't even the real tragedy.

If the church would let them (which it won't) they could try and sell THE BLACK POTTERY MADONNA OF ST. TESCOE, An Object of Great Occult Significance which is the orphanages’ most prized possession. But even this impossible option is not open to the as the Madonna was stolen Wednesday night! The police, (on "the take" remember) not believing anything that valuable would be kept in the orphanage and fearing some publicity stunt to stop the orphanage closing have invoked the Hitchcock clause and will not interfere.

Father Charles believes the Madonna could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands and asks them to find and return it for the good of their souls.

Now since the Ghostbusters not are being offered any money at all and its not strictly kicking spectres they might refuse. If they do a bright light will shine down through the gaping hole where the windows were and the players immediately get the feeling of a divine presence. Before they get a chance to Vape the Holy Spirit they should realise that this assignment is no less than A MISSION FROM GOD. By accepting this they will no doubt receive supernatural assistance now and in the future. They should be suitably awestruck.

Stress to the players that this assignment should not be refused unless they want to see the top of the Ghost Dice a lot more often. If threats don't work beg. If that doesn't work, halt the game, and present them with a large case of beer. (Player Aid #1) It'll make them more contemplative and they'll need it later.

Father Charles urges haste-if the Madonna can be recovered before the orphanage closes he can try and ask permission of the Pope to sell it to a museum. He might also hint that this item could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. They have only tomorrow.

If they fail BRAINS rolls Father Charles suggests they start looking for clues at the Orphanage.

Luckily the players have an entire ectomobile full of new, untested equipment with them. Among then devastatingly expensive pieces of Spengler Science they have been asked to wave at the Chicago Media are:-

***********************

This allows operators to engage and capture ghosts from within the Ectomobile itself!.

Ray had only just finished installing it before Venkman ordered the players to Chicago.

It is completely untested, possibly dangerous and looks flashy BUT YOU ARE NOT TO USE IT. It consists of:-

Turret mounted on the roof and operated from within the ectomobile by an Ghostbuster using Moves this can fire a ghosttrap out to a distance of 40 feet!. (Sadly it will not take the connecting wire with it making it useless as anything but a one shot launcher of broken Ghost Traps.)

This chaotic masterpiece is centred around a 21st century grammar phone funnel mounted on the turret next to the mortar. More surround sound artillery is spotted around the roof. Intended to weaken and paralyse any apparition short of a Metaspectre, this device is a doomed experiment in anti-ghost sonics. It requires one operator using Brains. (!)

Once activated there is one deafening wine of feedback and then a doom laden pause before the Apocalyptic sound of Tom Jones's "Its Not Unusual" is launched in a earsplitting barrage of sound from the car in the vague direction of wherever the turret happens to be pointing. A difficult Brains roll is required to prevent vaporizing any windows in that vicinity and a Very Difficult roll is required to turn it off. A Ghost Result will result in temporary deafness for the operator (role play with hand signals for a game day) and terrifying electrical feed back running through the ectomobile which could have any kind of effect. ("Congratulations... you have decided to clean the car...").

Egon effectively deduced that this particular sonic wave played at very high volume resulted in deep, paralytic shock in most spirits. The fact that it has a similar effect on anything sentient never occurred. If, as a GM, you cannot obtain a copy of this sanity crushing sound then anything in a similar vein will do. (Barry Manilow, ABBA, ). Players might want to play their own music but this requires a Very Difficult Brains Roll to rebuild it, assuming it still works.

Perhaps a secondary, morale boosting music selection exists with a choice of "Ride of the Valkyrie" (topical) or the theme from Mission Impossible (tragic).

Whatever it is, play it loud.

Other stuff-

A large red box with red flashing lights mounted behind the driver. The ultimate in flashy hardware, all it actauuly seems to do is go PING ! at completely random intervals (though a large red "Manual" button can give one ping on order). And it cannot be turned off or tampered with as it seem to be almost indestructible...

Sonar ? No. Psychological Infruriator ? Possibly. Egon Spenglers only answer is its very expensive and he's working on a man portable version.

Rays contribution. A Space Hopper.

Comes in a flashy flat, black box with the name and " A.T.S.P.V.-IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY" on the top in evil letters. As the box is opened the contents inflate immediately.

*****************

An added technical problem in this scenario is the lack of a containment grid. In our campaign a ghost trap will only hold a weak ghost for 24 hours, and if the nearest containment grid is in New York, this can make for an interesting epilogue to the scenario. The players also have at their disposal anything they can rip off from the hotel (fending off a demon with towels and soap will get extra Brownie points) and a wide range of interesting but tacky local souvenirs. Lucky concrete overshoes for instance.

Whichever ghost tome they have will tell them this about the missing object after an easy brains roll:-

"Made by Dario Tescoe, the patron Saint of Mass Produced Artifacts and Strange But Lovable Children,in Genoa in 1791 , the BLACK POTTERY MADONNA is one of the great misused Christian artifacts. Charged with spiritual power it was intended for use by missionaries to help the case of good heathens in hell.

Used in a ceremony over the heathen grave it reputedly proved to heathen relatives that god even cared for ignorant savages in the netherworld - even if they went to hell anyway. Unfortunately the Madonna fell into the wrong hands and became linked with ceremonies bringing spirits back from the spirit world. According to legend, these attempts nearly always failed to produce the desired result, possibly because of the contrived nature of the ritual, which can only effectively be performed each year, at midnight on the 31st of May. PLEASE REFER TO 2ND EDITION ERRATA SHEET."

Yes, this occult book has an errata sheet. Feel free to keep them in suspense for a while by having them find it later or have them leave it in New York. It is significant.

Honest.

"FURTHER NOTES ON THE BLACK POTTERY MADONNA

A recent study of one of the rituals performed in Haiti in 1923 has suggested that the whole ceremony and perhaps the item itself is flawed in some way.(Later descriptions of the Madonnas weight do not co-incide with earlier testimony, suggesting clever fakes may also exist).

One account of a failed resurrection ceremony describes how the Madonna succeeded only in returning the spirit to the sacrificial component of the spell shortly before she was killed.At least 20 different resurrection spells are known to have been written for the Madonna, using pacts with the Great Old Ones SHUG BUBBLEBATH and YEUCH SAUSAGE."

Bad news huh ?

Travelling to the orphanage from the hotel will take only ten minutes. They are met in the seedy downtown street by hordes of cheering children of all sorts of odd shapes and sizes. One for instance is very tall with long yellow hair (feathers ?), a very large nose, eyes like billiard balls and an irritating voice. Another is very hairy and so ill and dirty he appears to be blue in colour, though the big smile he wears compensates for his obvious lack of intelligence and irritating voice. Come to think of it they all have irritating voices.

Joyfully filling the road as they are ,an average Drive or Moves roll is needed to avoid hitting one of them, but as these are tough street kids failure will only result in a few months in hospital. Having got inside the orphanage they are met by a legendary nun refered to as The Penguin.

Disapproving Nun with Shady Past.

BRAINS 4 Scathe 8

COOL 3 Avoid questions about Past 7

MOVES 2 Wield Cane/Umbrella 5

MUSCLE 2 Bash Bible 6

Goal : Serve Humanity

Distinctive Mannerisms : Wears a monocle and uses a long cigarette holder to stir her hot milk. Everything she says sounds like a warning. Oddly reminiscent of Burgess Meredith . Unknown to all she was once a famous male criminal called Arnold Cobblepott, who eventually grew tired of crime and changed sex to live the life of a nun. The Penguin very much disapproves of Science in the spirit world but as the Ghostbusters are all good catholics ( of course they are) she will tolerate them. She shows them to the chapel and explains that on Wednesday night at approx 21:00 three men entered the orphanage wearing black uniforms and carrying Lugers. The only one brave (read stupid) to put up any resistance to them was the orphanage hero and destined to be mega-star - Sparky The Wonder Dog.

They are introduced. Bouncy and enthusiastsic, Sparky makes Lassie seem like Oppenheimer. Make him especially irritating because at the end he is presented to the team as a gesture of thanks. The local media love him already , marvelling at his uncanny intelligence (read luck).

Once forced upon the ghostbusters no interview will be without its compulsory questions about the welfare of the peoples hero. At last a superstar in their midst. A campaign all in itself, Sparky can make just checking out of a hotel seem like A Bridge Too Far.

Canine Peoples Hero

BRAINS 0 Apparently understand life and death messages 5

COOL 6 Act more intelligent than Amoeba 9

MOVES 3 Bark Meaningfully 6

MUSCLE 2 Carry Baby 5

Goal:Serve Humanity

Distinctive Mannerisms: Eats, humps and dumps on anything at the worst possible moment.

The Penguin informs them that before escaping with the Madonna the Men in Black were attacked by Sparky who managed to rip the pants of one of the villains. Using the pants themselves as clues is somewhat difficult as The Peoples Hero and Childrens Friend subsequently ate them. Luckily a clue dropped from the pocket of their Leader in the struggle. A receipt . For 20 brand new pairs of jackboots !. The shop concerned , "Nazis-R-Us", is located on the other side of town. Residual PKE readings of surprising strength can be found in the cabinet were the Madonna once rested. Having aggravated the Penguin the players will hopefully follow up their lead. Try and waste their time on the journey over- if your campaign has no irritating sub-plot to catch up with them , try this one ;-

This requires a character with the goal Sex. One of his great close escapes was almost exactly a year ago when he found himself engaged to the daughter of a powerful Mafia boss. He doesn't remember ?. Well , he was very drunk. The upshot was that he just didn't turn up for the wedding. Jilted her at the altar. And yes, she does coincidently look very much like Carrie Fisher.....

Brains 3 Hair styling 5

Cool 2 Ambush 5

Moves 3 Use infantry support weapon 6

Muscle 2 Carry infantry support weapon 5

Goal: Vengeance

Distinguishing Characteristics: Beautifully manicured fingernails and an uncanny resemblance to a character from Star Wars.

Thanks to her father she has just about every lethal man portable weapon of mass destruction available. Despite her skill in using them however ,they are on a Mission From God and are only ever reduced to stumbling out of annhiliated scenery. She will not damage the ecto-mobile however as her one bit of romance with the character occurred on its rear acceleration couch. (Back seat).

Although initially using hit and run tactics she will eventually try and engineer a face-to-face confrontation. Luckily she is liable to melt in such a situation , depending on wether the player can talk his way out of such a situation...

Worth a reminder here is that the laws of probability themselves are slanted in the players favour. Normal to impossible actions are made normally but really silly stunts especially in cars have a very good (G.M.s discretion) chance of succeeding. Bottom line is of course if its funny its feasible.

In addition the players might also realise in the course of their chaos that the local police are having a hard time catching up with them- Don't give the police a chance to work off their hopefully growing grievances until the end. If the ghostbusters are being careful start with a wrongful speeding ticket and go from there.

Nazis-R-Us is in fact a very camp shop. At the counter today are Arnold and Gervaise.

Leather men shop assistants

Brains 2 Remember "Grease" 3

Cool 1 Not be embarrassed 6

Moves 3 Mince 8

Muscle 5 Look Butch 9

Goal: Fame

Distinguishing Characteristics: Hitler mustaches and leather gear.

While Arnold spends ages searching through till receipts looking for the transaction and trying to remember where they were working that day Gervaise will complement the players on their uniforms, ask where they're from, "get much R n' R ? - coz there's this place we know.." etc.

Meanwhile, out in the street, Christians Against Deviants have begun a demonstration closely covered by the T.V news crew that have been ignoring the team all week.

Eventually Arnold will deduce that the transaction was performed by the Manager himself, Mr Kelso, who is currently on vacation. Just as the team are on the way out however Gervaise will remember that Mr Kelso arranged to have dinner/lunch (whatever the time is) at his brothers very exclusive restaurant- The Leningrad Cowboy ( complete with live band). Alternately he could be at home with his paranoid Bette Davis of a Mother , who'll be convinced that the Ghostbusters are in some way official.

Assuming the Ghostbusters get to Mr Kelso without too much attendant havoc threats will be needed before he reveals that the boots were indeed ordered by a group calling itself The National Socialist and White Peoples Party. Their address?. A disused ballroom called the Empire just outside Landisburg in Illinois.

Now to preserve the chances of The Race Against Time on the 1st of June you might have to delay the Ghostbusters, preferably having them arrive at midnight, just before the Nazis do the dirty deed. Maybe they press the wrong button in the Ectomobile ("Congratulations. You have decided to clean the inside of the car. 10..9..etc") or perhaps the Machine that Goes Ping just stops working.

If you want to stray unpredictably into the plot of the film you could have Mr Kelso warn ominously that Landisburg is watched constantly by the Nazis and that they go in disguise....as musicians. Co-incidently on that night Landisburgs night spot- "Bobs Country Bunker" awaits a Country and Western band called "The Good Ol' Boys" who will unfortunately arrive at 23.00 - an hour and a half too late.. ( Needless to say they could also go as the Leningrad Cowboys - another silly film - if the idiocy level needs to go up another level of magnitude ).

If the Ghostbusters decide that dressing up is beneath them (or more likely beyond them) but decide they want to scout around for info in the Country bunker you have the chance to play out that D&D bar scene you know so well.

1. Suspicious Entrance. Through swinging doors. Terrifying liberal eating rednecks all turn round, hideously deformed and twisted... I'm not saying there's much in breeding around here but even the pit bulls have club feet etc...

2. Ask the barkeep for a drink. "Milk" could provoke a barfight - which is inconsistent with scouting.

3. Choose music on juke box. Ice Cubes’ famous country ditty "COP KILLER" (an unfortunate supply error) could also produce the above.

4. Break the ice by telling a joke- "Whats the difference between a country girl and a walrus ?... Ones got a mustache and smells of fish and the other one's a walrus !" (Perhaps not).

5. Interrogate the barman. Needless to say this is futile. He is the last person told about anything and still thinks Nixon is president. If questioned about the old haunted ballroom on the hill will point to a man drinking on his own in the corner. "Thats Hank the Librarian - he did some work for the new owners".

6. Man Sitting Drinking in the Corner. Cowboy boots, stetson, Chaps (cowboy flares) and tiny spectacles on the end of his nose- Hank Herman has spent weeks sitting in that corner waiting for his Mission From Godot , sorry , God. As the town literate he was given the job of checking local libraries for a certain book just in case the new owners of the ballroom couldn't find it at the Miskatonic. As the Nazis copy of the Mumbojumbicon was aparently 70 years overdue and the "New England Faggots" wouldn't let them take anything else out it was just as well Hank found a copy of the book in question , especially as they needed it by midnight tonight.( And yes , of course its a 1st Edition without errata). He doesn't remember seeing any Madonnas at the ballroom but knows they,ve been hiding something recently.

If they're nice to him or if they just by him a drink he'll add that there are about 100 Nazis in total led by a very confused guy called Gerry, who was until Thursday a nobody but since then has developed an outrageous German accent and a nasty habit of spinning his head 360 degrees while spitting pea soup.

He also might reveal that the safest way in is via a tunnel that can be reached by following a nearby storm drain. Nazis ?. Naaahhh . They're just ordinary country folk who like dressing up. They mean no harm. Except to Jews, Blacks, Catholics ,City-folk, Vertebrates etc.

MEANWHILE.... On this very night, with the power of the Madonna the Nazis intend to bring the spirit of the Fuhrer back from the dead.(Eat your heart out Chaosium). Helping them is the restless spirit of Hitlers chief adviser on the occult - Herman Plenck - who was run over by a tank in 1942 and returned on Thursday night to aid the Nazis by possessing lowly Gerald Wagner.

Plenck himself is quite a force, making the quarter finals of Earths Sorcerer Supreme in the 30's before recognising his real talent lay in the sadly more subtle path of Tea Magic. It was while perfecting a particularly arcane and refreshing strain of Earl Grey just outside Stalingrad that he met his appointment with Fate, or to be more precise, a T-34.

Fanatical Nazi occultist (Deceased)

Power 2

Special Abilities : Possess, Animate Object, Control Mind, Zip

Ectoprescence 5

Goal: Serve the Fuhrer

Distinguishing Characteristics: Very flat.

His unwitting host has become head Nazi in the meantime on virtue of "his pure Aryan speech" (he's got the best accent).

Part time Nazi

Brains 1 See life as Conspiracy 5

Cool 1 Ignore Reality 4

Moves 3 Drive Taxi 3

Muscle 4 Abuse Weakling 8

Goal: Be one of the Elite.

Mannerisms: Looks down his nose at you.

Gerry usually drives a taxi (surprise, surprise) but since Thursday he's been on a Mission From The Fuhrer and so now drives a stolen Porsche.

Largely derelict, there are three ways in .The front way is guarded by two Nazis with SMG's. They all , conveniently enough have the same stats as Gerry so possibly can be tricked.

They are good friends. Good friends for a reason. They share the same secret. No , they don't know Arnold and Gervaise, but they have kept secret from the rest of the guys something that would question their Aryan perfection. They are both tone deaf.

Having got past them the dimly lit lobby beckons. Double doors opposite open onto a room full of at least 100 Nazis but the stairs on either side of the lobby lead up to two balconies which overlook the stage. (Swinging from chandeliers available).

The other way in is round the back , through the toilet windows, but as this is on the second floor a Moves roll is needed to get up the nearby drainpipe. Passages lead from the toilets to either side of the stage. (Optionally you could have Arnold and Gervaise in the toilets at the same time, doing, well,.. whatever).

The sneaky way in of course is through the storm drain. The two Nazi guards here luckily enough are big Ghostbuster enthusiasts and will ask for autographs for their children. They are determined no-one should pass however and unless a particularly clever ruse is used they will have be hit on the head. Although the entrance is only about a quarter of a mile in the ectomobile can only be taken half way owing to the low ceiling. When walking through the dark tunnel Ghostbusters without ecto-goggles must make an moderate Moves roll to prevent falling in the mud and temporarily loosing 1 point of Cool .

The concealed entrance is Difficult to see without ecto-goggles but once through there the Ghostbusters will be in the labyrinth of tunnels that exist beneath every theatre. A Very Difficult Move or See roll will notice the concealed trapdoor that leads up behind the stage. Otherwise they will wander around in the dark until they stumble across a storeroom full of (describe candles to them) fireworks, stored here until the triumphant return of the fuhrer. The ceiling is merely floorboards and the sound of chanting can be heard from above....

The ritual is nearing its climax- Gerry/Plenck stands on stage before a Golden dish on a tripod. Between the legs of the tripod stands the Madonna. Kneeling in front , wearing a red gown , is a Nazi who bears a stunning resemblance to Rocky from the Horror show of the same name. Gerry/Plenck holds in one hand a live chicken and in the other a Nazi dagger. The large crowd in front of him is deathly quiet. (Get the accent right)

Dramatic entrances form off stage or even from the balcony via Errol Flynn stunts are comparatively straight forward but things are more awkward if the Ghostbusters are trapped in the room full of fireworks. The quickest way up is through the ceiling - directly beneath the stage. Proton packs are easily capable of cutting a large hole BUT

1. There a 50% chance of them setting off the fireworks but

2. There is an excellent chance of the ceremony dropping onto them.

In any case , this time the Ghostbusters are just too late because before they can disrupt things ....

At the climax of the chant the Madonna suddenly glows like the sun and a bolt of black lightening bursts through a nearby window to envelope the chicken in energy. Chaos follows. The crowd , most of whom were not expecting anything to happen start to momentarily panic.

In the on-stage confusion the Madonna is thrown and somehow dropped or otherwise hit in such a way that it smashes, revealing a hollow inside stuffed with Kruggerands.(Gold coins). About $50,000 worth .

The Nazi Rocky is still sentient and therefore very confused. The most obvious clue to the state of the chicken is the way it tries to address the audience. If the players still haven't cottoned on have the chicken do the goosestep.

Makes Zuul look pretty insignificant doesn't it ?

Getting out of the Empire ballroom might get quite hectic even without the possible inclusion of The Vengeful Girlfriend and those eager policemen but its nothing to the reception they're going to get in Chicago.

After the predictable verbal opening to the chase, for which the Ghostbuster who remembers receives 5 Brownie points (" Its a 106 miles to Chicago .."etc) we must sadly jump ahead a few hours to dawn. Valuable time has been wasted escaping the Landisburg area. Perhaps it was the necessity of driving through the middle of Bobs Country Bunker that annoyed the police and the Landisburg natives but for whatever the reason everyone that has a grudge against the Ghostbusters (possibly from scenarios long before this one) appears behind them in a car after their blood.

The chase itself it can be resolved using Car Wars rules for real edge of the seat realism - assuming you want to be playing this scenario beyond the end of the millennium. Alternately you can use the rules provided here and produce your own edge of the seat realism.

(Maybe you could play it out in your car- No I'm serious. Just don't try and drive at the same time. Tell your neighbours Tom Jones car parties are the latest thing.)

This is organised as a set of programmed encounters something like those kiddies gamebooks we all got fed up with. As well as the different routes available each encounter has a set of 4 different speeds together with a difficulty level. If the driver exceeds the number with a Moves or Drive roll he takes the indicated damage and causes the indicated effects. If he or she fails the car takes double damage. Each car has structure points , meant to represent the overall strength of the car.

Ecto 1 starts with 100 structure points but cannot reach the highest speed level unless some on the spot (or on the move!) Weird Science modifications are made such as rigging the power plant to run off a proton pack. This has a difficulty level of 25+ . The viability of performing this on the move is up to the GM.

It is possible the Ghostbusters have ripped off some other car. Police cars have the same performance as Ecto 1 but only 75 structure points. They do have nifty radios and sirens however and a potential for causing a great deal of confusion.

Gerrys Porsche, or any other sportscar for that matter, can go as fast as you want but has only 50 structure points.(They don't make cars like they used to) Only the Ectomobile of course has The Machine That Goes Ping. If you wish you could keep track of all the other cars structure points as well if you are a complete numeric masochist (or play Car Wars).

Having been chased by the Nazis et al for most of the night with only Egons lean burn fuel system, The Machine That Goes Ping and good luck keeping them ahead they now reach the outskirts of Chicago - with the police in hot pursuit. Some old grudge (or possibly the fact that the police are of course On The Take ) has ensured that even the National Guard are waiting for them.

The fact that they've probably broken every speed limit in Illinois by now probably hasn,t helped. The radio is full of hatred - "Use of unnecessary force in the apprehension of the Ghostbusters has been approved." But don't worry - they are on A MISSION FROM GOD. Just as well, as the Cook County Assessors Office closes for an extended lunch in an hour!.

About half a mile with Chicago almost in sight ahead the Ghostbusters can see a heavy police roadblock. The road behind is full of police cars ( you seem to have lost the Nazis when the cops started to appear in numbers ). If they are feeling really crazy they can crash straight through . This will cost them 30 structure points and 3 police cars. Go to encounter 2 and then straight to 5.

The alternative is to leave the little road they're on by cutting across a quarter mile of flat countryside , climbing up a steep bank and jumping the barrier to get them onto the Expressway leading downtown.

They have a choice of 3 speeds ( 4 if they have a faster car)

SLOW= +10, Lose 3 Structure points, Roll another +10 Drive or Moves to avoid

being head off.ONE COP CAR ROLLS DOWN HILL.

FAST= +5,Lose 5 s.p., TWO COP CARS ROLL DOWN HILL

VERY FAST= +8 ,Lose 8 s.p., FOUR COP CARS ROLL DOWN HILL ONE FLIES AFTER YOU AND LANDS ON ANOTHER CAR (A NAZI).

INDIANAPOLIS 500= +12, Lose 10s.p., AS ABOVE BUT LEADING CAR LANDS IN AN 18 WHEELER

Remember the "+12" is the difficulty level which must be exceeded by a Moves or Drive roll to avoid taking double the indicated structure point damage.

Here on the Expressway things seem much faster and the cops haven't taken long to catch up. Was that a sign for Downtown ?.

If driving Slow(+15) or Fast(+10) make drive rolls to avoid being caught.If going faster make +5 rolls to avoid hitting something or taking off (Lose 10s.p. Players who drive everywhere at INDIANAPOLIS 500 are optionally subject to relativistic effects. Having them arrive before the scenario starts will teach them a lesson). They now have the choice of staying on the expressway (Go to 3) or taking a quieter route with less cops

Oh dear. The lights have changed. They could stop and hope to fight the cops off but even then they'll be right after them when the lights change. If they go through....

Special Effects

SLOW= Roll +10 to avoid being hit for 5 s.p.

FAST= Roll +15 to avoid 10s.p.(F*%#@ng Volvos )

V.FAST= Roll +5 to avoid being grazed for 5s.p.,ONE CAR DEMOLISHES THE VOLVO

INDY 500= Safe!, 2 COP CARS AND THE VOLVO HIT A GARBAGE TRUCK.

There are certainly less cops around here but isn't there a river on this route ?

Tell the players they are heading toward a small traffic jam and they are being chased by a police helicopter. They pass a sign. MAYOR DALEY MEMORIAL BRIDGE.

Yes, that bridge. The one that surprise, surprise, is currently being raised to allow a river patrol boat underneath. Pursuit is close. If they stop the chopper will be on them.

First they've got to negotiate the traffic. Tell them they're heading toward the cars ahead and must make some nifty manouvers to get past them. Moderate rolls to slow down if they're going fast then a difficult one. Not to avoid taking damage but to avoid losing a (another ?) level of speed when they hit the start of the bridge/ramp !.

SLOW= * Oh dear. See below.

FAST= +10 to avoid 5pts. (Otherwise perfect. Onlookers get out of cars and applaud).

V.FAST=+10 to avoid points. (Overshot, sparks off the front).

INDY 500= * Oh dear. See below.

The chase helicopter calls up a whole fleet of police cars on the other side of the river. Gaining momentum rapidly you go to 5.

There is a slight bang from the rear of the Ectomobile and the covers on those stylish rear fins blow off. Busy chap that Mr Spengler is, he completely forgot to remove that experimental J.A.T.O. ( Jet Assisted Take Off) system that Rays Soviet Space Agency friends installed at great expense. The Ectomobiles computer monitoring system has decided that you're going too slow and need impetuous or if you're going too fast you're trying to reach orbit and its doing its best to get you there. Like I say - Experimental.

With shocking suddenness the two solid fuel boosters in the rear fins kick in as

a green head up display flashes across the windscreen IN RUSSIAN. An Impossible Roll on anything the GM seems fit will abort the 10 second burn just after they start the jump. They complete the Jump at V.Fast speed and suffer ejection countdown described below.

If they fail to abort the boosters burn for the full 10 seconds then cut out. Describe a favourite scene from "The Right Stuff". Stars shining dimly through the strangely dark blue sky....etc. The front of the car dips as the Ectomobile goes into a dive and as Chicago appears, slowly, almost serenely over the bonnet and a brief period of weightlessness causes much jollity in the car (watch those parking tickets fly) the automatic ejection countdown begins IN RUSSIAN.

Half way down a message flashes in English warning that ANY ROOF MOUNTED EQUIPMENT MUST BE JETTISONED BEFORE EJECTION indicating a button on the dashboard that will fire roof mounted explosive bolts. When this is pressed a

a muffled bang can be heard from the roof followed imedialty by the message

EJECT SEQUENCE ABORTED

*UNKNOWN DORSAL CONFIGURATION*

The EGES system, installed after the JATO still sits defiantly on the roof. Its ability to sustain damage and yet still be thoroughly inconvenient is demonstrated now as all its functions go completely ape. If the players have already heard its full repetoir play it again at double speed. The only way to turn it off now is physically cut it off the roof with a proton pack. They don't make stupid pieces of junk like THIS anymore.

Before they go splat, Rays parachute braking system saves them and the Ectomobile settles fairly gently onto an empty road heading toward town. The chase helicopter meanwhile takes emergency evasive action and has lost you. Go to 6.

Suddenly you are hurtling along a road beneath an elevated railway- an exhilarating experience until a building site appears in front of you. You must make a 90 degree right hand turn right now !

SLOW= Safe, No effects.

FAST= +5 (On Cool) to avoid skidding, TWO COP CARS SKID AND HIT EACH OTHER.

FAST= +5, Lose 5 s.p.,AS ABOVE BUT FOUR MORE HIT THE FIRST TWO.

INDY 500= +10, Lose 15s.p.(sideswipe), AS ABOVE BUT UP EVENTUALLY INCLUDES OVER 20 POLICE OCCUPANTS ALL GET OUT AND FIRE AT THE RAPIDLY RECEDING ECTO 1 .

Just when you thought you'd lost the Cops a black Porsche pulls onto the road behind you and begins to pursue. A large swastika hangs out of one window and a Luger firing Nazi out of the other. Long range PKE detectors in Ecto 1 might register a periodically materialised ghost. The Machine That Goes Ping will do so if your D6 rolls an unnatural "1". Its Gerry/Plenck. Go to 7

They mean business this time. There is an 18 wheeler blocking the road. If the Ghostbusters are going at least FAST and are prepared to leave 40s.p. of roof behind they can drive underneath. If they do go straight to 10.

The only other alternative is to crash through a line of traffic cones and a sign onto a road thats conspicuously empty. (Go to 8 below) Closely followed by the Ecto-Porsche (which incidently can go under the truck without damage it being A Tiny European Car), Plenck will use his Animate power on the traffic cones causing them to cluster onto the Ecto-mobile and begin devouring it at a rate of one s.p. per round per cone (actual numbers up to the GM). Only way to get them off is to send someone out with a proton pack . That'll keep the passengers busy.

Other suggestions for spicy up things in the car are The Oil Leak (see the film) and The Possession, in which Plenck uses his Zip and possession power to try and gain control of Ecto 1. Yes ! you too can play out your favourite scenes from The Exorcist in the middle of the car! Will they ever get the green vomit out of the upholstery?

But this isn't just any piece of unfinished road. This will eventually be Chicagoes first "Sky-Over", a road that carries its users way over the town centre traffic below. Unfortunately its not finished. This long empty road goes straight up into empty space.

At this point, with the Nazis behind them and the void in front , the Supreme Being will interfere on the Ghostbusters side. No matter what extremely unlikely stunt they try and pull it will succeed (as in the film) but unfortunately the Nazis won't. A spectacular fall from this height will incapacitate Gerry but Plenck will still be around for the final showdown.

If they go back down the road they will have to cross over onto another lane again. They have a choice- one is covered in National Guard troops , the other is clear.... but going the wrong way (To Live and Die In Chicago anyone...?). Go to 9 and then 1 (Wrong way road ) or 10 (National Guard road block).

9 - DRIVING THE WRONG WAY UP A FREEWAY DOWNRAMP.

Wow! Look at all that traffic! All coming right at you! Unless they do one awesome U-turn (one roll at double the indicated difficulty-If they SUCCEED) and start following the traffic out of Chicago (start at 1 again) they must roll 10 times to avoid losing 5 s.p. each hit.

SLOW= +13, FAST= +14, V.FAST= +15, INDY 500= +17.

(No police. They've learnt their lesson by now.). Having completed that the way to END is clear for you. Even if you have to complete it on foot...

Yes another roadblock, but this one has tanks. There is a small gap between the two tanks but a awful lot of weaponry is armed at the guys. There is an alternative, on their left is an in door shopping precinct. (See 11). If they go for roadblock (Brownie points and stiff upper lips all round) whistle the last post. Mass sounds of weapons being cocked.

Luckily that Supreme Dude is still watching them and if they are going V.FAST or above (slower takes 20 s.p. damage from near misses) every single bullet and shell will miss and strike the car immediately behind. All four wheels and the engine of the car, be it Porsche or leading cop will be blasted off. It will then skid to a blasted halt.

Even if the Porsche is completely destroyed Plenck can materialise in front of the startled soldiers and continue using Zip.

Each round they are in the Mall they must make a difficulty roll to avoid demolishing a randomly determined shop. First roll to see the shop they are hurtling to avoid.

SHOPS TO BE DEMOLISHED TABLE

2 Greengrocers

3 Burger Bar (Fragile. With a Volvo owners club meeting inside.)

4 Cafe

5 Liquor store

6 Malt shop

7 Pet store

8 D.I.Y. store (Full of paint)

9 Drug store

10 High class fashion store (full of dummies)

11 Hardware Store

12 Sex Shop (full of ...well, whatever)

Driving through a shop does 1s.p. of damage.

SLOW= +5, FAST= +10, V.FAST= +15, INDY 500 =+20.

Everything the Ectomobile misses will be hit by 1-3 cop cars and jeeps. Cool characters can grab stuff from the shops as they hurtle through (+10 on Cool). The car will of course be covered in debris anyway. The Ecto-porsche will hit each shop 50% of the time and after hitting three will halt. The only way out is to drive straight through a wall- this will do 20 s.p. damage but will get them on a road straight to the city centre and the Cook County Assessors Office.

Suddenly they are driving across a beautiful pedestrian plaza sending happy -go lucky natives scattering for cover. They pull up outside a large black building with "IRS" conspicuously prominent.

The last Ghostbuster out of the car must imediatly make a +15 Cool roll to avoid slamming the car door. If he fails, and Ecto-1 has taken more than 60 points of damage the heroic vehicle will instantly collapse into a pile of scrap. (With possibly one last pathetic ping from the ever-mysterious Machine That Goes)

Once inside the building the must find the right office. If you are feeling particularly cruel at this point you can put them through the relevant Routine (see GM Book). However bear in mind the police and National Guard right on their trail. Once on the right floor and in the right office they find that Steven Speilberg, working here part-time, is having a lunch break.

STEVEN SPEILBERG

Almost supernaturally successful film Director

Brains 5 Not Get Oscar 10

Cool 3 Cajole Child Actor 8

Moves 4 Drive Steadicam 7

Muscles 2 Carry Wallet 5

Distinctive Mannerisms: Starts every sentence with "Well..."

Mr Speilberg can quickly be convinced to open the office up , but before he can get the paperwork ready the lights suddenly blow out and Plenck suddenly erupts through the floor - carrying a Bazooka.... Luckily he is an awful shot and only a few brownie points a lots of scenery can be lost. Driven mad by vengeance and by being dead anyway Plenck then fights to the end, possibly even using Possess on one of the Ghostbusters (or even Steven Speilberg, who will then go on to make an even better version of "Poltergeist")

With the Nazis safely disposed of the ghostbusters are free to hand over the gold shortly before the forces of Law arrive in heavily armed numbers.

The Orphanage is saved. But the police want blood. If you are determined to follow the events of the film they are headed for the Juliet (as in prison) prison band wether they can sing or not.A large trial is in order at least. They'll have to defend themselves of course (no sane lawyer will touch this case- though Tully might be persuaded after his incredible performance in Ghostbusters 2) but luckily they have all the cute kids and nuns of the orphanage on their side together with Sparky who will ensure a great deal of public support.

The truth is they can't loose the trial, as the Mayor, in the best Chicago tradition is a militant Catholic who is ecstatic that American Weird Science is now serving the Pope (apparently) and has bribed the jury. Not only will they go free they will be invited to set up a local franchise and be presented with a replacement car. As so much of the police force was destroyed in the chase they've decided to sell of the survivors and equip the whole force anew with Ford Sierras (Weird I know but the've got them in Robocop. Yes, the future of American law enforcement lies in plastic jelly-molds).

The presentation of Sparky becomes a big media event ensuring them a tabloid level of half brained media attention until the inevitable "Sparky-the Movie".

If they have the chicken shame on you-she could have become a future arch nemesis in hiding. Using the Aura Video Analyzer will confirm that she is possessed by the spirit of Adolf Hitler, a fact that Egon recommends should be kept secret (if only to keep Mossad off your backs). As to its long term future - Colonel Saunders Uber Alles ?

Finally they are presented with one of the surviving police cars, smaller than Ecto - 1 but with 440 cubic inch cop power plant, cop tires , cop shocks, the works. Only problem is the cigarette lighter doesn't work.