TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
                    The Gothic Comix 
                    Roleplaying Game 
   
  By J. “Dregg” Carpio and Ben Morgan 
  © MMVI Chapter 13 Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 
  V0.99β 04/14/06 
  Note: This is a work in progress 
  Please direct any questions to ad1066@gmail.com
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 2
   
  Part 1: Introduction 
   
  Willkommen! 
  Welcome to Spookybeans, the role-playing game of gothic underground 
  comedy comics (wow that’s a mouthful). This game allows players to explore 
  a morbidly funny comic book world in the vein of Tim Burton, Roman Dirge, 
  Jill Thompson, Serena Valentino, and Johnen Vasquez, among others. 
  Spookybeans takes place in Gotham, a large city with a whole lot of social, 
  community, and employment issues. Although the characters in Spookybeans 
  can be from anywhere in or out of the city, the exploits of our creepy kids and 
  adults takes place in a section of the city known as The Hollow, a near-
  suburban neighborhood surrounding a gigantic 200-year old cemetery. Since 
  the 1960’s, this area has become a cultural mecca for trendy hippies, rockers, 
  gang-bangers, punks, and of course, Spookybeans. Life here can be quite 
  absurd with its mixture of people, lifestyles, and the occasional weirdness like 
  vampires, aliens, and yuppies. Ah, variety is the spice of life… 
  Whut’s all this Arr-Pee-Gee nonsense? 
  If you’ve played a roleplaying game before, you don’t need yet another rehash 
  of the explanation of what this is all about. If you haven’t played an RPG 
  before, but your friends have, go get someone in your group to explain it to 
  you. 
  Whut’s a Spoookie-Beeen? 
  Spookybeans are a sub-group of the inhabitants of The Hollow, and even 
  within this sub-group, the diversity boggles the mind. Spookybeans can be 
  goth kids, ex-vampire hunters, alien invaders, fairy princesses, caffeine-
  addicted conspiracy theorists, or very nearly anything else you can think of 
  that’s just a little… twisted. 
  What do I need to play? 
  Surprisingly little. A copy of these rules for a start, of course (or more than 
  one if you don’t like to share); a couple of character sheets, or blank paper if 
  you want to make up your own; some pencils, some dice (or cards, or coins), 
  and a couple of friends. 
   
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 3
   
  Part 2: How to Play 
  Rules 
  For those of you who are used to encyclopedia-sized RPG rulebooks, filled 
  with charts and tables and mathematical formulae, you’re going to be a bit 
  disappointed. The rules for this game are surprisingly simple. First of all, let’s 
  take a look at the character sheet. What do all these things mean? 
  Name 
  Duh. 
  Concept 
  This is your character in a nutshell, what they’re all about. It has a numerical 
  value associated with it, which can be used as a kind of “generic” Thingy (see 
  Thingies, below). 
  Thingies 
  These are the standout features of your character. It’s not necessarily 
  everything your character can do, it’s just what they’re really good at. 
  Thingies range from 1 to 5. Thingy ratings do not correspond directly with 
  any level of competence, they are merely a measure of how relevant those 
  abilities are going to be to the game. 
  Oooh 
  Oooh points are the juice that drives the game. They can be spent during the 
  game in several ways: Oooh can be used to boost skill rolls, to cause 
  Unnatural Coincidences, and to add new Thingies to your character. The 
  primary way you earn Oooh points is by taking Ouchies to turn failed rolls 
  into successful ones. You can also earn Oooh points by doing cool stuff. 
  Exactly what’s “cool” is up to your group to define. 
  Happy-Happy 
  A happy ending for your character. There is also a numerical value; every 
  time you win a conflict, you add 1 to Happy-Happy. 
  Doom-Doom 
  A sad ending for your character. There is also a numerical value; every time 
  you lose a conflict, you add 1 to Doom-Doom. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 4
   
  Character Creation 
  Like most other roleplaying games out there, in order to get in on the action, 
  you’ll need to create a character. This is easier than you might think. So go 
  print up a copy of the handy dandy character sheet, and let’s get started. 
  Some ground rules 
  � No two characters can share the same traits. This means that names, 
  character concepts, abilities, descriptions, whatever items they’re carrying, 
  background, etc, all need to be distinctive. Each character should be a 
  beautiful and unique snowflake.  
  � Each character must be worthy of a story. Why are they here? Make sure 
  they have something to do when it’s their turn in the spotlight. 
   
  Overview 
  1. Name: Make it a good one. 
  2. Concept: Sum up your character in one simple phrase. Examples: Living 
  Dead Girl, Rivet-Head, Cute Robot, Exiled Alien Invader, Amateur 
  Conspiracy Theorist, Escaped Mental Patient, Hardcore Biker Dude. 
  3. Thingies: Every character has certain things they’re good at, or known 
  for. Come up with anywhere from one to three abilities for your character. 
  You have the option of leaving slots open in order to develop them in-
  game. If you come up with a Thingy that could just as easily be covered 
  by your Concept, you’re just wasting a slot. Examples: Superhuman 
  Strength, Won $100,000 on Jeopardy, Once Killed Someone with a Spoon, 
  Knows a Guy Who Knows a Guy, Carries a Baseball Bat, Army of 
  Adoring Fans. 
  4. Allocate up to 15 points among your Concept and your Thingies. Each 
  ranges from 1 to 5 (least relevant to most relevant, respectively). 
  5. Whatever points you have left go into Oooh. 
  6. Happy-Happy: Come up with a good ending for your character. 
  Examples: “Cameron goes on to develop car that runs on water, and sells 
  the idea to Ford for a small fortune”, “Three years later, Nikki wins first 
  place in the Miss Teen USA pageant”. 
  7. Doom-Doom: Come up with a bad ending for your character. Examples: 
  Vampire hunters catch up with you, Army of zombies drags you down, You 
  get expelled from high school, Daddy cuts up your credit cards, “He was 
  never heard from again.” 
  8. Both Happy-Happy and Doom-Doom start at 0. 
  9. Come up with a description, background, and other stuff of interest. 
  10. If you are an accomplished artist, draw a picture of your character, or if 
  you’re a talentless worm, get someone else to do it. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 5
   
  Dice 
  The way the dice work in this game is very simple. Spookybeans is designed 
  to work with any kind of dice you might have lying around. They don’t even 
  have to all be the same type, so feel free to mix d6’s with d10’s and d20’s; it’s 
  all good. The reason for this is that when you roll the dice, all you’re looking 
  for is odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, etc), which we call Skulls, and even numbers 
  (0, 2, 4, 6, etc), which we call Glooms. This flexibility extends to other 
  randomizers as well. If you don’t have any dice handy, you can flip coins, in 
  which case heads are Skulls, and tails are Glooms. You can even use a deck of 
  playing cards, in which case black cards are Skulls, and red cards are Glooms. 
  Conflicts 
  Most of the time, when a player states that their character is doing something, 
  it just happens, as in: “Cameron ties his shoes”; “Nikki walks into Zippy 
  Mart.” However, there will often be times when a player’s narration of events 
  will be challenged by the GM (or even another player). This is where the 
  Conflict system comes in to play. 
  Conflicts happen whenever characters are locked in epic struggle for the fate 
  of the universe. Or for when people are simply trying to fling lunchboxes at 
  each others’ heads. Or for when people are trying to humiliate each other with 
  snide comments and catty remarks. You get the idea. 
  Most RPGs would call this the combat system, but since ours is designed 
  around some slightly more abstract concepts, it is flexible enough to handle 
  nearly any kind of conflict, whether physical, mental, social, or some other 
  situation where two players have agendas that run counter to each other. 
  Besides, there’s usually a lot less actual combat in this game than most others. 
  How does it work? 
  1. The first thing you have to do is to determine the stakes of the conflict. 
  What happens if the player wins? What happens if the player loses? 
  Usually, this will be pretty self-explanatory: If Bob wins the conflict, 
  Cameron gets away from the security guard. If the GM wins the conflict, 
  Cameron gets nabbed. If Alice wins the conflict, Nikki rips into her hated 
  rival in front of the whole club, and everyone laughs and marvels at her 
  sharp wit. If the GM wins the conflict, Nikki makes a fool out of herself. 
  This is a time for open discussion among the group. If you don’t like the 
  stakes as stated by the other party, now’s the time to speak up. This step 
  goes on as long as it has to for everyone to be absolutely clear on how 
  everything’s going to go down. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 6
   
  2. Once the stakes are set, the GM needs to determine everyone’s starting 
  Tar (as in “Getting the ____ beaten out of you”). Tar is a measure of how 
  long you’re willing to carry on in a conflict. When you’re down to 0 Tar, 
  you lose the conflict in a manner appropriate to the type of conflict. Tar is 
  determined by the scale of the conflict, which among other things is 
  mainly a function of pacing. Here’s a handy dandy chart: 
   
  Scale of the Conflict 
  Starting Tar 
  Indy and the sword guy in Raiders 
  1 
  Sketchy 
  3 
  Moderate (default) 
  5 
  Detailed 
  7 
  Roddy Piper & Keith David in They Live 
  10+ 
   
  Conflicts can also be used to resolve single actions, such as “Cameron 
  attempts to jump three garbage cans on his skateboard.” In such cases, 
  simply set Tar to 1 for each side, or if Tar is omitted, assume it to be 1. 
  3. During the conflict, the participants each make a series of rolls to reduce 
  the other’s Tar, until one side or the other is beaten into submission 
  (literally or figuratively), or unless some other outside force intervenes 
  (like chunks of the Mir space station falling from the sky). The process for 
  this is as follows: 
  4. The player starts by finding the most relevant Thingy (or Concept) for the 
  task being attempted. If more than one Thingy is relevant, take the highest 
  one. If the player has no relevant Thingy, better spend some Oooh. Nyah. 
  5. The GM will determine the Adversity of the task, which is a measure of 
  how hard they want the player to work to beat the roll. It usually ranges 
  from 1 to 5, but can go higher if the GM decides to be a jerk. 
  6. The player can spend Oooh points to boost their roll. 
  7. The player grabs a number of dice equal to the relevant Thingy, plus any 
  Oooh points they decide to spend. 
  8. The GM grabs a number of dice equal to the Adversity of the task. 
  9. Everyone roll the dice! Huzzah! 
  10. Whoever get the most Skulls wins the roll. 
  11. If the player failed the roll, they can accept the failure, or they can opt to 
  take an Ouchie. 
  12. An Ouchie reverses the number of Skulls rolled by each side for this roll 
  only. The player narrates the details of the Ouchie. The GM will award a 
  number of Oooh points based on how severe, embarrassing, painful, or 
  amusing the Ouchie is. Each new Ouchie must meet or exceed the award 
  of the previous Ouchie. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 7
   
  13. If Tar was set to 1, then go to step 18. Otherwise… 
  14. Subtract the loser’s Skulls from the winner’s, that’s how many successes 
  the winner has. 
  15. Subtract the winner’s successes from the loser’s Tar. 
  16. The GM narrates the results of the action for this roll. 
  17. Repeat Steps 4-16 until one side or the other is reduced to 0 Tar, or 
  something else intervenes that renders it a moot point. 
  18. The conflict ends in a manner outlined by the stakes. 
  19. If the player wins the conflict, they earn 1 point of Happy-Happy. 
  20. If the player loses the conflict, they earn 1 point of Doom-Doom. 
   
  Simple Conflict Example #1: Cameron really needs to hack the school’s 
  computer to fix his grades. Cameron’s Concept of Computer Hacker will do 
  quite nicely. Bob grabs 5 dice. The GM sets Adversity at 5. Cameron’s low on 
  Oooh, otherwise he would spend some. Everyone rolls. Bob rolls 3 Skulls, and 
  the GM rolls 2. Result: Cameron comes home with a A- in Chemistry, and Bob 
  adds 1 to his Happy-Happy total. 
  Simple Conflict Example #2: Bob wants Cameron to make a jump shot from 
  the 3-point line. Cameron is not all that athletic, and thus has no relevant 
  Thingy, so he decides to spend 3 Oooh. The GM sets the Adversity at 3. Bob 
  rolls 3 dice, getting 2 Skulls. The GM rolls 3 dice, getting 3 Skulls. Result: The 
  ball bounces off the rim and flies back across the gym, and Bob adds 1 to 
  Cameron’s Doom-Doom total. 
  Longer Conflict Example #1 – The Hot Dog Eating Contest: Burnout has 
  entered a hot dog eating contest; first prize is a $100 gift certificate for The 
  Keeper’s Den. Fortunately, one of Burnout’s Thingies is Metabolize Anything, 
  so he’s way ahead of the other contestant, a pudgy kid named Clarence. 
  Burnout will be rolling 4 dice, while Clarence only has 2. The GM sets 
  everyone’s Tar at 5, and the conflict begins. First round: Burnout gets 3 
  Skulls, Clarence gets 2, so Clarence’s Tar is reduced by 1 (5 to 4). Burnout 
  gets a nice solid lead. Second round: Burnout gets 1 Skull, and Clarence gets 
  2, so Burnout’s Tar is reduced by 1 (4 to 4). The kid manages to close the gap. 
  Third round: Burnout gets 4 Skulls, and Clarence gets 1, so Clarence’s Tar 
  gets knocked down another 3 points (4 to 1). Burnout puts the pedal to the 
  metal, and is way out in front. Fourth round: Burnout gets 1 Skull, and 
  Clarence gets 2, so Burnout’s Tar is reduced by another 1 (3 to 1). Burnout 
  slows down a little, and the kid wastes no time. Fifth round: Burnout gets 1 
  Skull, and Clarence gets 2 again, so Burnout’s Tar drops by 1 again (2 to 1). 
  The kid’s catching up. Sixth round: Burnout gets 2 Skulls, and Clarence gets 
  2, so no one loses anything (2 to 1). They’re neck and neck now. Seventh 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 8
   
  round: Burnout gets 3 Skulls, and Clarence gets 2, so Clarence’s Tar is 
  reduced by another 1 (2 to 0). The kid turns an ugly shade of green, and pukes 
  the last 5 hot dogs back onto the plate before passing out under the table. 
  Burnout is proclaimed the champion, and adds 1 to his Happy-Happy total. 
  The Hot-dog Eating Contest 
  Round 
  # 
  Burnout’s
  Skulls 
  Clarence’s 
  Skulls 
  Burnout’s 
  Tar 
  Clarence’s 
  Tar 
  1 
  3 
  2 
  5 
  5�4 
  2 
  1 
  2 
  5�4 
  4 
  3 
  4 
  1 
  4 
  4�1 
  4 
  1 
  2 
  4�3 
  1 
  5 
  1 
  2 
  3�2 
  1 
  6 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  7 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  1�0 
   
  [more long conflict examples here???] 
  That’s it? 
  ‘Fraid so. No initiative rolls, no damage rolls, no weapon statistic charts, no 
  wound effects tables, no average healing times, no chance of death rolls, no 
  blood loss effects rules, no permanent wound effects rules, no area-effect 
  weapon rules, no mass combat system, no experience points, no advancement 
  rules, no scale miniatures rules, no tactical positioning rules, no troop morale 
  rules, no hex grid facing rules, no movement rate comparison charts, no…  
  well, you get the idea. Conflict is supposed to be snappy and quick, and many 
  games make the unfortunate mistake of focusing so much on minute details, 
  they lose sight of the fact that they’re supposed to be fun and exciting. 
  Ouchies 
  Whenever you fail a roll, you can either choose to suck it up and accept the 
  failure, or you can take an Ouchie. This will turn that failure into a success, at 
  the expense of your character’s dignity. Mechanically, this is accomplished by 
  swapping your Skulls with the GM’s for that one roll, and narrating the 
  circumstances that arise that make your character’s life more difficult. 
  The GM reserves the right to veto an Ouchie if they determine that the context 
  of it is inappropriate. Whenever you take an Ouchie, you earn Oooh points for 
  being such a good sport. The more entertaining the Ouchie, the more points 
  you’ll earn (usually 1-5). Because when you take that bus, you get there. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans!
  Page 9
   
  Example: Bob says “Cameron is going to try to bust open a vending machine 
  to get at its sweet sweet candy guts.” GM says “Okay, Adversity 3.” Cameron 
  has a Zen Vandalism of 2, so he rolls 2 dice, and gets 2 Skulls. The GM rolls 3 
  dice, and gets 3 Skulls. Bob decides to try and salvage the situation, and takes 
  an Ouchie to make things more interesting. Final result: Cameron has busted 
  open the vending machine, but in the process, he has attracted the attention of 
  the campus security guard on patrol. Cameron scoops up as many Fun-Size 
  Crunchy bars as he can carry and books out the back door of the student 
  union building. The rent-a-cop gives chase. Bob adds 1 to Cameron’s Doom-
  Doom total, and the GM awards 2 Oooh for a moderately inventive 
  complication. 
  One more thing: each time you decide to take an Ouchie, it has to be more 
  inconvenient/embarrassing/heinous than the last. Exactly what’s worse than 
  what can be made a matter of debate among the group. The best way to 
  measure the severity of an Ouchie is how many points it earns you. Each new 
  Ouchie should either meet or exceed the number Oooh points awarded to the 
  last one. So start off with something small. Don’t jump straight to “… and in 
  the process, he manages to set fire to himself and the whole stage”, because 
  you’ll have to top it next time. 
  Unnatural Coincidences 
  Sometimes, you just need a nice random event. Say hello to the Unnatural 
  Coincidence Roll: authorial and directorial power at its best. A player can 
  declare a totally coincidental event that they, as a member of the audience, 
  would want to see happen (it can even be completely unrelated to their 
  character), spend a number of Oooh points, and roll that many dice (plus 1) 
  against an Adversity pool set by the GM. 
  Example: Bob says “I want an anvil to drop out of the sky on Weird Ernie.” 
  GM thinks that Bob’s antagonism of one of his beloved NPCs has lost its 
  novelty value, and says, “Okay, smartypants, Coincidence Roll, Adversity 6. 
  How badly do you want it to happen?” Bob says, “I’ll spend 5 Oooh.” GM 
  says, “Roll ’em.” Bob rolls 5 dice, and gets a total of 4 Skulls. The GM rolls 6 
  dice, and gets 3 Skulls. The anvil drops, Bob earns a point of Happy-Happy, 
  and Weird Ernie is in for a world of hurt. 
  Now some of you might say, “well, what if we simply don’t spend any Oooh 
  on rolls, but save it up and blow it all on one big Coincidence roll?” That’s a 
  perfectly valid way to play it. Keep in mind that there are basically 3 ways to 
  win a roll: 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 10
   
  1. Actually being good at something so you have a large dice pool to begin 
  with. This is bog standard RPG stuff, and pretty boring in comparison. 
  2. Rolling, failing, and taking an Ouchie to turn it into a success, for the price 
  of having something else inconvenient happen to the character. 
  3. Spending Oooh to boost your dice pool before you roll. 
   
  So if you decide to not spend any Oooh the whole game in order to save it up 
  and then blow it all on a huge coincidence at the end, that's perfectly OK, but 
  you probably had a really hard time getting there. Just make sure that 
  whatever you come up with is worth all those dice. 
  Character Development 
  Most RPGs attempt to simulate characters slowly getting better at something 
  over time. In Spookybeans, characters develop a bit differently. During the 
  course of the game, you will have the opportunity to elaborate on your 
  character’s abilities by making Develop-In-Play, or DIP rolls. Remember, the 
  Thingies listed on your sheet are not the sum total of your character’s 
  knowledge and expertise, they are merely what is relevant to the current story. 
  DIP rolls represent the revelation of already existing, but previously 
  unspecified abilities. In other words, you are rolling for the right to make new 
  abilities relevant. This can be useful in situations where suddenly there is a 
  need for someone with a specific skill, and you can stride in and say, “why 
  yes, I can do that”, and the day is saved. 
  How do you do it, you ask? Simple. Ask for a Coincidence roll, spend a 
  number of Oooh points, roll against the Adversity set by the GM, subtract the 
  GM’s Skulls from your Skulls, and the result is the rating of your brand new 
  Thingy. 
  Example: Our intrepid gang is trapped on the third floor of a burning 
  building, and needs to find a way to get out safely. Alice decides that this is a 
  good time to let everyone know that Nikki is a whiz with tying knots. She 
  spends 6 Oooh, and rolls 6 dice against the GM’s 5 Adversity dice, and gets 4 
  Skulls to the GM’s 2. Alice gets to add “Gets Kinky With Ropes” to Nikki’s 
  sheet, with a rating of 2 (and adds a point to Happy-Happy). Alice can now 
  make a Conflict roll to see if she can tie enough bedsheets together in time for 
  everyone to climb out the window before the floor gives out. 
  In the example above, Nikki didn’t just suddenly learn how to tie knots; she 
  was always good at it, the fact merely hadn’t come up before. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 11
   
  Some ground rules for DIP rolls and adding new Thingies: The rules from 
  character creation still apply; you can’t add a Thingy that steps on someone 
  else’s character, and the new Thingy had better be interesting and 
  entertaining. Also, be prepared to give a plausible explanation of why the 
  ability hadn’t come up before, if there had previously been situations in which 
  it would have been useful. 
  Happy-Happy and Doom-Doom 
  Each character comes factory equipped with two endings for their own 
  personal story; a good ending and a bad ending. At the beginning of each 
  story, the GM will set the criteria for the ending the story. Happy-Happy and 
  Doom-Doom points are accrued by making rolls during the game. Each time 
  you win a conflict, you earn a point of Happy-Happy. However, if you lose a 
  conflict, you earn a point of Doom-Doom. When the story is over, whichever 
  score is higher will determine which of your character’s endings actually 
  happens. If  a player ends up with Happy-Happy and Doom-Doom scores tied, 
  they can roll whatever Oooh points they have left in order to determine which 
  way they’re going to go. If there are victory conditions for the story itself, 
  total up everyone’s Happy-Happy and Doom-Doom, and compare to see how 
  the story itself ends. The result is a Mallrats-type montage at the end of the 
  story, showing what happens to each character. 
   
   
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 12
   
  Part 3: Welcome to the Hollow 
   
  Setting Overview 
  Welcome to the Hollow, Gotham’s home to wayward culture vultures, freaks, 
  geeks, and of course, Spookybeans. Since the early 1800’s, this plot of land 
  was dedicated to housing Slumber Hollow, the city’s largest, and oldest, 
  cemetery. Most of the homes and buildings around this decaying graveyard 
  are reminiscent of the era in which they were constructed, most of which were 
  the shops of stonemasons, undertakers, and florists. The area remained free of 
  life (quite literally) up until the early 1950’s, when the baby-boomers started 
  to build housing in every free plot of land (no pun intended). The Hollow’s 
  heyday was in the late 1950’s, when the housing and tenements were fairly 
  new, and the area around the cemetery was considered suburbia, where only 
  the posh middle class drove their polished cars and housewives conducted 
  neighborhood bake sales. The late 1960’s brought the college crowd into the 
  area, and slowly the social dynamic of the area changed. The baby-boomers 
  began an exodus into the surrounding countryside, and more of the so-called 
  riff-raff moved in. By 1974 the area became a slum, and the only thing to be 
  found in the Hollow was the dead and a collection of hookers, pimps, and 
  junkies. The area remained relatively unchanged through the 1980’s and by 
  the early 1990’s the Hollow was a gang driven war zone. 
  Then came the New Yuppies… 
  The Dot.com crowd found this dilapidated area quite charming, and came 
  running from miles around to buy up the lofts and old buildings to start up 
  their trendy stores and microbreweries of evil. Fashion shops like The Breach 
  and Plantain Union opened their doors the public, franchised java shops 
  started to close down the old beatnik coffee houses and it was not long before 
  everyone had a Moondollars Grande cup in their hands. Popularity, 
  unfortunately, breeds counterculture and with that, the yuppies’ new Eden 
  soon found itself in competition with a series of goth clubs, piercing and tattoo 
  establishments, sex shops, alternative record stores, and the like. A new sort of 
  gang war had begun, but not in the conventional sense. It is now the new 
  millennium, and the glory days of the Dot.com are gone like so much cheap 
  stock. The streets of The Hollow run rampant with counterculture, crime, old 
  hippies, and the last of the bitter yuppies who could not afford to move out of 
  the neighborhood and now have to wipe the thrown eggs off their SUVs in the 
  morning. Just another day in the Hollow… 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 13
   
  Life in “Da Hood” 
  Living around a 200 year old cemetery has its affects on the mind. While 
  some people tune its presence out, others can only sit and contemplate what it 
  truly symbolizes. Outside its wrought iron gates and hideous stone gargoyles 
  lay the broken pavement of the postwar dream. Graffiti and refuse cover the 
  walls and sidewalks, and the loud noises of the city can be heard crashing 
  through the limited silence at all times of the day and night. The homeless and 
  drug addicts crowd the soup lines and missions looking for a hot meal, the 
  panhandlers sit amass on the sidewalks with their huge “Will work for” signs, 
  and the drinkers of imported beer walk the streets with the drinkers of 
  absinthe, trying not to look each other in the eyes. Life in the Hollow is a test 
  in survival of the mind, and with its chaotic nature, life there can be a test of 
  one’s reality. Most of those that live in the Hollow are artists or “power” 
  executives for fortune 500 companies, a very odd mix indeed.  
  Places of Note 
  Below are some sample places in the Hollow that might make a great 
  backdrop to get into trouble in. 
  Slumber Hollow 
  This sprawling cemetery was built at the turn of the 19th century (the gate was 
  constructed in 1801, but the surrounding wall wasn’t completed until 1813). 
  Some of Gotham’s greatest historical figures are laid to rest here, and every 
  once in a while, one of them will get up and walk around for a while. 
  Java-Saurus Rex 
  This is the newest in the line of pseudo counter-culture coffee shops. The 
  Java-Saurus Rex offers over 100 flavors of coffees, teas, espressos, and smart 
  beverages, and a full-blown bakery in the back. To sweeten the deal the owner 
  bought a Wireless Access Point and gives (almost) free Internet access to his 
  customers. It’s the only competition Moondollars has had in this town for 
  nearly 5 years now. 
  Yakuza Danny’s Japanese American Cuisine 
  If you don’t mind the Japanese men in black suits tugging their sleeves down 
  to hide the tattoos, this diner has charm and interesting atmosphere. Set in the 
  middle of a basement billiards hall, Yakuza Danny’s has the best 
  cheeseburgers and veggie tempura in town. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 14
   
  PeePee Sanchez 
  What a concept! A Mexican juice bar and restaurant ran by Mexican masked 
  wrestlers. The only place in town one can get a taco, guava smoothie, and 
  watch an all-out brutal wrestling match. ¿Quien es mas macho? 
  Zippy Mart 
  No one can beat the Zippy Mart, open all night long and stocked with your 
  favorite snack foods and full deli. You can buy milk, cheese, Twonky™ brand 
  snake cakes, and a 24-pack of beer all in one stop. While you're there, gulp 
  down a frozen Flippy drink, guaranteed to give you brain freeze in less than 6 
  seconds or you get another free. 
  Berzerkoid 
  Built in the early eighties, this arcade has not changed much through the 
  times, even the games are still the same. Enjoy classics such as Puck Man, 
  Deflinger, Dig Doug, Marital Kombat, and Monkey King. Fun for children 
  and homeless junkies alike! Ask about a Berzerkoid birthday party and the 
  “Bucket O Tokens”. 
  Suds and Spins 
  Nothing can be more fun than washing your clothes at the “Suds and Spins”, 
  where the music and spin cycles never end. Wash your clothes to your favorite 
  tunes in the Patented “Juke Washers” where the technology of digital MP3 
  players and washing machines combine. 
  The Violet Eye 
  Witches and Voodoo priests look no further for your metaphysical needs, 
  because the Violet Eye has it all. Check out our high quality graveyard dust, 
  pick up a few dozen black cat bones, or marvel at our collection of tarot and 
  spell books. Something for everyone, and every Tuesday is our Faith of the 
  Week day, where we give a 15% discount to our special people. 
  Spank 
  Chains, whips, and leather strips are just a few of the interesting fashion 
  pieces that you will find at Spank. Spank has all your clubbing and sex toy 
  needs in a huge “Goth Emporium” of wall-to-wall spookiness. If you need 
  something for the freak that has everything, or just out for a night of kinky 
  debauchery, Spank has it all. 
  The Keepers Den 
  Need new dice for that special gaming event? New splat book for “Fish-Stick: 
  The Baiting”? Can’t get enough of those “War Hippie” minis? Well, go no 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 15
   
  further than The Keepers’ Den. Your one-stop gaming store conveniently 
  located between a Pizza Shack and comic book store, what more can you ask 
  for? On-premises game tables allow you to try out a game before you buy 
  ($2.00 opening fee required), and every Friday, come down for our sanctioned 
  Serial the Killer CCG tourneys. 
  Kit Shickers 
  Well howdy pardner! Kick off your shoes and mount the mechanical bull for a 
  boot stompin' good time! Kit Shickers offers a playground for the hard 
  working blue-collar worker, with good drink, food, and lots of line dancing 
  for an entertainment starved cowgirl and boy. Try our “Too good to be 
  Italian” Pizza, and our famous “Squeal like a piggy” pulled pork sandwich. 
  Every Friday is our “You might be a hillbilly” night with the comedy stylings 
  of Red Skillet. 
  Lenore’s Demise 
  Twirl and sway the night away to the haunting tunes and driving industrial 
  beats of the Hollow’s alternative scene. Since 1985, Lenore’s Demise 
  (formally Lenore’s Chamber) has been in the forefront of the Goth/Industrial 
  scene with full bar, black candle lounge and brooding suite. Every Tuesday is 
  ½ off ladies’ drinks, Fridays are wine and cheese night, and every Sunday DJ 
  Chippy Syn spins the sounds of the 80’s and 90’s. 
  Shop and Stock 
  The only grocery store where products are stocked while you shop. Shop and 
  Stock has been America’s favorite shopping chain since 1973, with over 100 
  friendly stock boys ready to put something on the shelves as soon as you need 
  it (actual number of employees varies). Bring the family down for free 
  balloons and our special expiration date table where you SAVE, SAVE, 
  SAVE! And remember our slogan… “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it!” 
  Happy Habib’s House of Halaal and Hummus 
  “It’s like Kosher, only Better!” are the famous words spoken by Habib 
  Mohammad Hassan back in 1968 when he opened his small deli in the 
  Hollow. Today Habib’s tradition of the tastiest and most refreshing Halaal 
  meats in the city still is their mission. Besides meat, come sample our 
  hummus bar or try our new Falafel Cream non-dairy dessert treat. Where can 
  you find better than this? Nowhere! Like Habib once said, “Virgins and glory 
  await those who eat Halaal.” 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 16
   
  Drill-Bitz Piercing and Tattoos 
  Looking for that perfect piercing or tattoo? Do you feel the need for instant 
  rebellion, or possibly the need to feel young and trendy? Drill-Bitz has your 
  answer. Come look though our many books of the most creative and possibly 
  painful piercing located under one roof. If one or two holes in your skin are 
  not enough come to the back room where our talented and Licensed tattoo 
  artists are waiting to poke lots of little holes in you and with ink create major 
  works of modern art. Drill-Bitz will have you looking like a top rate culture 
  vulture in no time. 
  Votkatonick University 
  These hallowed halls of higher learning were founded in 1822, and they’ve 
  been molding young post-high school minds ever since, and occasionally 
  sending a couple of them screaming over the edge into the abyss of madness. 
  Just steer clear of the library’s Forbidden Knowledge & Arcane Lore section, 
  and you’ll be fine. Really. 
  Sacred Heart Hospital 
  Sacred Heart was built in 1977, when the old municipal hospital closed down. 
  Somewhere along the line, someone got the idea that the ambulances would 
  be more noticeable if they were painted loud colors, in addition to sporting the 
  usual loud sirens. 
  Danvers Memorial 
  The Danvers Memorial Psychiatric Institute was originally a part of Sacred 
  Heart, but they won their independence in a revolution drenched in red tape in 
  1991. Now the institute plays host to many Votkatonick graduate students;  
  some even as interns. 
  Adventure Ideas 
  Camp Creepy Lake! 
  Welcome to “Camp Creepy Lake” the world’s only teen horror film theme 
  camp. The Spookybeans are mailed a “Free Trip” pass and all end up at the 
  bus stop to head into the hills outside of Gotham. The worse stereotype movie 
  monsters serving stale candy and popcorn staff the rickety bus. The weekend 
  is filled with bad attempts at scaring the characters and trying to make them 
  fear for their lives. Throw in a bit of the Blair Witch Project and any of the 
  10+ Friday the 13th movies to get the feel for the way the various activities 
  should go down at this camp. By the third day the staff should be in fear of the 
  characters! Let the players run free with this scenario, and let everyone pull 
  out all the horror movie clichés. 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 17
   
  "We Gotta Save the Orphanage!" 
  A very simple freeform situation, sure to provide hours of fun. 
  1. Have the players choose an establishment or location in The Hollow that 
  the characters care about. 
  2. Find some way of threatening that location. Examples: City rezoning 
  threatens to shut down their favorite club; their favorite bar loses its liquor 
  license; their favorite convenience store fails a health inspection; the 
  apartment building they all live in goes into foreclosure, threatening to 
  turn them all out on the street. 
  3. Because the players picked the establishment, they are making an explicit 
  statement that their characters care about said establishment. The 
  characters should then band together in an attempt to save said 
  establishment. 
  4. Give them a clear idea of what they have to do in order to save said 
  establishment. Examples: If they can raise $3,000 in five days, they can 
  make the mortgage payment on the apartment building; if they can get 
  their club designated a historical landmark, it can't be shut down. 
  5. Let them come up with their own methods of attaining those goals. 
  Examples: to raise the money to cover the mortgage payment on their 
  apartment building, maybe they get the idea to run a bake sale (or they 
  may try to pull off a wacky bank heist, complete with halloween masks); 
  to save the convenience store, maybe they can get the place super clean, 
  and convince the health inspector to re-do the inspection (or they may opt 
  to simply kidnap the health inspector and 'persuade' him to reverse his 
  decision). 
  6. Let chaos ensue. 
   
  For inspiration, see: The Blues Brothers, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, 
  PCU, One Crazy Summer. 
  Playing Spookybeans in the Hollow 
  The Hollow is meant to be a trendy playground for your Spookybeans to 
  inhabit, and call their own. Mind you, this is not the only setting you can run 
  the game in, but I wanted to give a feeling of my old stomping ground of 
  lower Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, where most of the ideas for 
  Spookybeans was conceptualized. There’s also a healthy dose of Greenwich 
  Village thrown in. The clash of cliques and stereotypes should be the basis of 
  most stories. It’s fun to occasionally send characters on a wild goose chase, 
  but it will be the way they interface with the world outside the Hollow and 
  with other social groups that makes the game fun. Spookybeans is a role 
  
   
  Spo()ybeans! Page 18
   
  playing game of Clique groups, clubbing, subculture, and dark humor. None 
  of this should be taken seriously, and it is a great tool for those who like to 
  make fun of themselves. “Have fun with it” is the main rule of the game, all 
  other rules are in place to no one cheats… yes you know who you are! 
  Notes from the Authors 
  Spookybeans began as the germ of an idea that was posted online back in June 
  of 2004. Since that time, work has progressed (slowly, but steadily) for a year 
  and a half to eventually culminate in the document you are now reading. 
  These are not the complete rules, just a quick outline for play testing purposes. 
  The full version will include rules for creating your own demented characters, 
  lots and lots of nifty artwork, and other assorted goodies. 
  Over the year or so, we’ve come to think of this system as a classic car, that 
  we’re working on restoring, one part at a time. We’re pretty sure we have the 
  engine working well (the basic dice resolution mechanic, which uses pools of 
  dice and all you're looking for is how many odd numbers you get compared to 
  the other guy), and are actually quite proud of the transmission (using Ouchies 
  to turn failure into a success, but with complications. It's almost like Fortune 
  in the Middle... After the Fact). The exterior actually came first. Dregg did a 
  stellar job with the lines of the body. 
  But there's still a lot of work to be done. Right now, There's no upholstery on 
  the seats (selling custom dice, custom band-aids, and other nifty things on the 
  web site), and the dashboard is an absolute mess (the GM advice section). But 
  we’re getting there, inch by inch. 
   
  
   
  © MMVI Chapter 13 Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 
   
   
   
   
         Cuz I’m a hard-core rivet-head gothic freak… 
  Name 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Concept 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Thingies 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Oooh 
   
   
   
   
  Happy-Happy 
   Doom-Doom 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Description 
   
   Background 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Spookybeans/Spookybeans Corebook.pdf