The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Ghost Dog is a stand alone RPG by GOO based on the film of the same name created by Jim Jarmusch. In it, Forest Whitaker stars as Ghost Dog, a mafia hit man who lives by the ancient Samurai code of Bushido.

I don't think I've seen this unlikely a licensed RPG since Species (wait. Forest Whitaker starred in that, too. Get me Ken Hite on the phone!). But, in the capable hands of David Pulver and John Phythyon, it works.

Ghost Dog is a busy book. Aside from being an adaptation of the film to an RPG format, it's also the first game I'm familiar with explicitly designed to be played as a one on one campaign (GM/Player). DC Heroes had adventures that allowed players to alternate (I owned a couple of them, but never got to play them).

The rationale for this sounds very good. Personally, I've been pretty much gameless for three years, due to the difficulties involved in co-coordinating a half dozen people with lives.

Games that consist of one player & a GM aren't unknown; most of the situations I've seen them in have been husband and wife. This is just the first time I've seen an RPG that purports to be designed for that purpose. It is a very good idea; a lot of the best stories deal with the lone figure

The campaign advice for running a one on one game isn't quite complete, and is probably the weakest part of the game book. I don't see too much for playing single player/GM that we haven't been told (or figured out) a hundred times. It doesn't cover the fact that most RPG situations have backup built in (the other PCs), which won't be there in a solitaire GM/player situation.

The game book itself is very well put together. It gives us a very detailed summary of the film (which may remove a few of the film's surprises, but you don't really watch a Jim Jarmush film for the plot), the complete Tri-Stat system as adapted for use in the Ghost Dog (or any modern crime) setting.

Character Creation is still simple, being a matter of dividing up character points into three stats (hence Tri-Stat. Clever, eh?) and character advantages. After that, you have 20 skill points, spent to buy various skills.

The high point of the game is the World of Ghost Dog. It starts off with a basic description of the setting of the film, describing the unnamed city Ghost Dog takes place in, the settings the various scenes in the film are set in.

The book digs deep into the subtext of the film, exploring the meaning of each sequence of events, and the actions & reactions of each of the characters. One page, for example, describes the four books Pauline, a young friend of Ghost Dog, is reading, and their relevance to the two characters.

Following that, there's a short primer on the Samurai ideal, and a précis of The Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. After that, we get a very meaty description of the Mafia.

This is probably the one section of the book that everyone, game master or player, will be able to use. It's a great description of the Mafia, describing its organization (from mob bosses down to connected guys), how it makes its money and how it takes care of internal business.

This chapter just leaps off the page; the descriptions of Mafia life, and how the organizations are set up feel real. I've always enjoyed mob movies. Goodfellas is probably my all-time favourite in the genre. Ghost Dog's section on Mob Life made me appreciate it all the more. So anything that makes me like Scorsese even more can't help but be a good thing.

So, final judgment? I like the Tri-Stat system, and Ghost Dog shows how it can be used for yet ANOTHER genre, one that's not animated. Gangsta Assasins, Mob Wiseguys? Sounds good for me.

Graphically, the book is fairly flat; it uses photos from the film, of varying utility & appropriateness. When I got the book, I was warned that it was a preview copy, overly dark, but I didn't find any problems with that aspect of the graphic presentation. The end of the book has an ad for the movie comic adaption & soundtrack.

The game's sole drawback will only occur if you use it as a two person RPG. The GM advice doesn't seem to handle the problems that will occur in that situation as well as it could.

Aside from that, it's a tip top RPG supplement. Now I have to go see the darn movie. Crud. Now we just have to wait for the Six String Samurai adaptation.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Ghost Dog; The Way of the Samurai
Author: David Pulver, John R. Phython Jr Category: game Company/Publisher: Guardians of Order Line: Tri-Stat Cost: $19.95 ISBN: 1-894535-02-7 Capsule Review by Justin Mohareb on 10/19/00. Genre tags: Modern day	Ghost Dog is a stand alone RPG by GOO based on the film of the same name created by Jim Jarmusch. In it, Forest Whitaker stars as Ghost Dog, a mafia hit man who lives by the ancient Samurai code of Bushido. I don't think I've seen this unlikely a licensed RPG since Species (wait. Forest Whitaker starred in that, too. Get me Ken Hite on the phone!). But, in the capable hands of David Pulver and John Phythyon, it works. Ghost Dog is a busy book. Aside from being an adaptation of the film to an RPG format, it's also the first game I'm familiar with explicitly designed to be played as a one on one campaign (GM/Player). DC Heroes had adventures that allowed players to alternate (I owned a couple of them, but never got to play them). The rationale for this sounds very good. Personally, I've been pretty much gameless for three years, due to the difficulties involved in co-coordinating a half dozen people with lives. Games that consist of one player & a GM aren't unknown; most of the situations I've seen them in have been husband and wife. This is just the first time I've seen an RPG that purports to be designed for that purpose. It is a very good idea; a lot of the best stories deal with the lone figure The campaign advice for running a one on one game isn't quite complete, and is probably the weakest part of the game book. I don't see too much for playing single player/GM that we haven't been told (or figured out) a hundred times. It doesn't cover the fact that most RPG situations have backup built in (the other PCs), which won't be there in a solitaire GM/player situation. The game book itself is very well put together. It gives us a very detailed summary of the film (which may remove a few of the film's surprises, but you don't really watch a Jim Jarmush film for the plot), the complete Tri-Stat system as adapted for use in the Ghost Dog (or any modern crime) setting. Character Creation is still simple, being a matter of dividing up character points into three stats (hence Tri-Stat. Clever, eh?) and character advantages. After that, you have 20 skill points, spent to buy various skills. The high point of the game is the World of Ghost Dog. It starts off with a basic description of the setting of the film, describing the unnamed city Ghost Dog takes place in, the settings the various scenes in the film are set in. The book digs deep into the subtext of the film, exploring the meaning of each sequence of events, and the actions & reactions of each of the characters. One page, for example, describes the four books Pauline, a young friend of Ghost Dog, is reading, and their relevance to the two characters. Following that, there's a short primer on the Samurai ideal, and a précis of The Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. After that, we get a very meaty description of the Mafia. This is probably the one section of the book that everyone, game master or player, will be able to use. It's a great description of the Mafia, describing its organization (from mob bosses down to connected guys), how it makes its money and how it takes care of internal business. This chapter just leaps off the page; the descriptions of Mafia life, and how the organizations are set up feel real. I've always enjoyed mob movies. Goodfellas is probably my all-time favourite in the genre. Ghost Dog's section on Mob Life made me appreciate it all the more. So anything that makes me like Scorsese even more can't help but be a good thing. So, final judgment? I like the Tri-Stat system, and Ghost Dog shows how it can be used for yet ANOTHER genre, one that's not animated. Gangsta Assasins, Mob Wiseguys? Sounds good for me. Graphically, the book is fairly flat; it uses photos from the film, of varying utility & appropriateness. When I got the book, I was warned that it was a preview copy, overly dark, but I didn't find any problems with that aspect of the graphic presentation. The end of the book has an ad for the movie comic adaption & soundtrack. The game's sole drawback will only occur if you use it as a two person RPG. The GM advice doesn't seem to handle the problems that will occur in that situation as well as it could. Aside from that, it's a tip top RPG supplement. Now I have to go see the darn movie. Crud. Now we just have to wait for the Six String Samurai adaptation. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Ghost Dog; The Way of the Samurai