Our game group is having a spooky blast playing Paranormal Inc.! It's a really good use of Carved from Brindlewood and I especially like how it works GM-less. Honestly I think Brindlewood Bay should be GM-less too using this same technique. It's all very much zero-prep — just pick a mystery and go — and quick playing which works well for us.
The playbooks are great. Our group has both the Skeptic and the Ghost and it's a continual source of comedy that one member of our ghost hunting team doesn't believe the other member is an actual ghost. The Ghost talks through electronic devices and the Skeptic is convinced that they are a hacker.
So far we have played 3 mysteries and for the most recent game we added a new player (now we have 4 players) — it's easy to slot new players in which is great. We plan on doing at least a couple more mysteries as we have come to love our group of odd ball ghost hunters!
The only criticisms I have are:
None of the moves give ideas for what happens on a 6 or lower. We've made do but it would have been nice to have some examples.
The Ghostly Encounters move is a bit wonky. All the other moves play like PbtA in that it is obvious when to use it and how it leads to the fiction. Ghostly Encounters seems more forced. We've used it but it seems more a move that you have to choose to use it and shove it into the story like a block that doesn't quite fit. Interestingly it seems to work a bit better when you relate it to a personal haunting. Not sure how I'd tweak it if we house ruled it. Anyways.
The Intern playbook's moves are missing the narrative flavor of the moves that the other playbooks have. They are also strangely overpowered? Like Coffee Runner, an "automatic 12+ where you act quickly" just makes it too easy.
These are all fairly minor nitpicks for what is great game. Since it's possible to update PDFs here I'd love to see a 1.1 version of this with the errata (linked in the comments here) added to the main PDF. A version 2 with some of the kinks worked out would be awesome too, but I get calling a game done and wanting to move on to other projects.
Anyways thanks for making this! We've been loving it!
There is a good game somewhere inside. But you have to find it yourself.
I played the game this weekend with a couple of experienced players. Overall the experience was okayish. Some of the rules we just didn't understand.
Backpack and character introduction
How do you get things into the backpack? Some characters have moves that generate backpack items but some not.
There is no phase where you establish the background of the characters before the first scene.
In the actual play you have a phase where everyone introduces their character and you create backpack items. I think this phase is missing in the rules.
The ghostly encounter
We didn't geht this move. In the scenario Antenna 8 there are no encounters with actual ghosts. Meaning a ghost of a human that you talk to. Only events like "Time stops for everyone but you, then slowly creeps back to a normal pace." The same for other scenarios. So normally this move will not be triggered. Do the players have to introduce the ghosts themselves? Or is every paranormal event an "interaction with a ghost"?
And how do you handle the question about another character? Is the ghost expected to answer the question? For us the questions didn't feel very natural und didn't fit into the narrative. How is a scene with a ghostly encounter supposed to be played?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Yes, we missed the set up for backpack and characters. There is no hard and fast rule for introducing the characters, but as you do it, each other player adds an item into the character's backpack. We created an FAQ/Errata which you can find here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15PzBY3WpMc6vzCh_SMtV9Lvk9f-DMIejJMApszZ62No/...
Regarding the ghostly encounter, some mysteries have explicit ghosts in either the paranormal events or as NPCs, and some are more vague. As the game is designed to have prompts that are a bit less specific, most groups will choose when a paranormal event is a "ghost" and when it's not. Regarding information about the other character, the player in question would answer the question (so as not to step on any player's agency) but you can think about the ghost as acting as a conduit/accessing their memories/etc.
My partner and I expected a fun little mystery, but we were pleasantly surprised. By the time we reached the climax of Midnight Feast, the story resolved beautifully and we were both deeply moved by the ghosts' fate. Trading off on GM-less prompts allowed us to mutually create, discover, and form connections with each scene, culminating in an affecting, profound, and memorable experience.
Some of the rules can be a little unclear, or rely on assumptions that aren't fully explained anywhere in the text. However, if you're comfortable with improvising and arbitrating rulings as you go, you'll do just fine! The simplicity of the game means it's very flexible, and we quickly reached consensus on a few house rules that rounded off the rough edges (especially when it came to the Backpack and Conditions).
We're both looking forward to playing through more mysteries, and collaborating on writing our own—and I'm even inspired to hack the game for other settings! I appreciate that the author has provided an SRD and open licensing, continuing the legacy of Brindlewood Bay and other indie RPGs.
Junk Noir is now live! Thank you so much for providing the SRD and encouraging aspiring designers like myself. I hope you'll check it out, I'd love to know what you think!
Hi, when rolling on the Theorize move it says "roll plus the number of Clues found, minus the mystery’s complexity". Does that mean that if the complexity is 4, and we found 3 clues, we add +1 to the roll because the 3 of the clues gets subtracted from the 4 of the complexity?
One of the intern's moves refers to being able to use it "once per turn." Do you mean scene or session, instead? I couldn't find a mention of turns anywhere else in the book.
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Our game group is having a spooky blast playing Paranormal Inc.! It's a really good use of Carved from Brindlewood and I especially like how it works GM-less. Honestly I think Brindlewood Bay should be GM-less too using this same technique. It's all very much zero-prep — just pick a mystery and go — and quick playing which works well for us.
The playbooks are great. Our group has both the Skeptic and the Ghost and it's a continual source of comedy that one member of our ghost hunting team doesn't believe the other member is an actual ghost. The Ghost talks through electronic devices and the Skeptic is convinced that they are a hacker.
So far we have played 3 mysteries and for the most recent game we added a new player (now we have 4 players) — it's easy to slot new players in which is great. We plan on doing at least a couple more mysteries as we have come to love our group of odd ball ghost hunters!
The only criticisms I have are:
These are all fairly minor nitpicks for what is great game. Since it's possible to update PDFs here I'd love to see a 1.1 version of this with the errata (linked in the comments here) added to the main PDF. A version 2 with some of the kinks worked out would be awesome too, but I get calling a game done and wanting to move on to other projects.
Anyways thanks for making this! We've been loving it!
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
There is a good game somewhere inside. But you have to find it yourself.
I played the game this weekend with a couple of experienced players. Overall the experience was okayish. Some of the rules we just didn't understand.
Backpack and character introduction
How do you get things into the backpack? Some characters have moves that generate backpack items but some not.
There is no phase where you establish the background of the characters before the first scene.
In the actual play you have a phase where everyone introduces their character and you create backpack items. I think this phase is missing in the rules.
The ghostly encounter
We didn't geht this move. In the scenario Antenna 8 there are no encounters with actual ghosts. Meaning a ghost of a human that you talk to. Only events like "Time stops for everyone but you, then slowly creeps back to a normal pace." The same for other scenarios. So normally this move will not be triggered. Do the players have to introduce the ghosts themselves? Or is every paranormal event an "interaction with a ghost"?
And how do you handle the question about another character? Is the ghost expected to answer the question? For us the questions didn't feel very natural und didn't fit into the narrative. How is a scene with a ghostly encounter supposed to be played?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Yes, we missed the set up for backpack and characters. There is no hard and fast rule for introducing the characters, but as you do it, each other player adds an item into the character's backpack. We created an FAQ/Errata which you can find here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15PzBY3WpMc6vzCh_SMtV9Lvk9f-DMIejJMApszZ62No/...
Regarding the ghostly encounter, some mysteries have explicit ghosts in either the paranormal events or as NPCs, and some are more vague. As the game is designed to have prompts that are a bit less specific, most groups will choose when a paranormal event is a "ghost" and when it's not. Regarding information about the other character, the player in question would answer the question (so as not to step on any player's agency) but you can think about the ghost as acting as a conduit/accessing their memories/etc.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks for your answer. I think I got it now. An example for the Ghostly Encounter in your FAQ would probably be helpful.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
A deceptively simple, truly inspiring game!
My partner and I expected a fun little mystery, but we were pleasantly surprised. By the time we reached the climax of Midnight Feast, the story resolved beautifully and we were both deeply moved by the ghosts' fate. Trading off on GM-less prompts allowed us to mutually create, discover, and form connections with each scene, culminating in an affecting, profound, and memorable experience.
Some of the rules can be a little unclear, or rely on assumptions that aren't fully explained anywhere in the text. However, if you're comfortable with improvising and arbitrating rulings as you go, you'll do just fine! The simplicity of the game means it's very flexible, and we quickly reached consensus on a few house rules that rounded off the rough edges (especially when it came to the Backpack and Conditions).
We're both looking forward to playing through more mysteries, and collaborating on writing our own—and I'm even inspired to hack the game for other settings! I appreciate that the author has provided an SRD and open licensing, continuing the legacy of Brindlewood Bay and other indie RPGs.
so glad to hear you are enjoying the game!!!
As I mentioned, I was inspired to create my own game Haunted by Paranormal Inc:
In Junk Noir, you are the voices in the head of a malfunctioning robot detective solving mysteries in a noir retro-future.
It's currently being playtested here: https://jaderavens.itch.io/junk-noir-playtest
Thanks again for your inspiring work! Anyone who hasn't played Paranormal Inc. should check it out.
Junk Noir is now live! Thank you so much for providing the SRD and encouraging aspiring designers like myself. I hope you'll check it out, I'd love to know what you think!
You can find it here: https://jaderavens.itch.io/junk-noir
I’m not sure I quite get “backpack”. Are the things you can have there the stuff on the playbook moves?
Paranormal Inc. is actually my favorite Carved From Brindlewood game and the one that makes me totally get the investigation mechanic.
Checks this one out you guys. It's a real great game.
Go for it! it's a very cool game !! :D
Hi, when rolling on the Theorize move it says "roll plus the number of Clues found, minus the mystery’s complexity". Does that mean that if the complexity is 4, and we found 3 clues, we add +1 to the roll because the 3 of the clues gets subtracted from the 4 of the complexity?
No, in this case you would roll -1. Because it’s the number of clues (3) - the complexity (4).
In order to gain a positive on the theorize roll you must always find more clues than the complexity
Ok, I see. Thanks!
that sounded very confusing and made no sense. would probably help if i played lol
is “taking” a personal haunting different from “marking” one?
No, they mean the same thing.
Marvelous! Thank you! I’m very excited to play this :)
Great game. Love it.
So glad you are enjoying it! Thank you!
Is there a superfluous box in front of the miss result on The Scientist playbook (pg. 39)?
Yes. You can ignore it for now, it will be addressed in the next update!
One of the intern's moves refers to being able to use it "once per turn." Do you mean scene or session, instead? I couldn't find a mention of turns anywhere else in the book.
yes. It means once per scene.