This Is A Sad Place, Where Ghosts Live is a mini RPG where you play as a group of ghosts haunting a house, trying to cheer up the residents.

If you’d like to support me you can PWYW for this title on DriveThruRPG or itch.io.

Or you can download a PDF here.

This is a house, where ghosts live.
It houses the living, who are sad.
Their sadness feeds sadness. Their fear breeds fear.
This house has ghosts, who are not sad.
Their successes cause joy. Their failures cause sadness.
Their triumphs instil courage. Their blunders instil fear.
This is a sad place, where ghosts live.

HOW TO PLAY

You are ghosts living in an old house. You cannot remember who you were before, but you know that you were people once.
You can communicate easily with each other, but it is difficult to communicate with the living.
You can exert some control over the physical world, but it does not always go to plan.

Your GM determines the result of actions, controls the Residents, and sets the scenes in which they appear.
You have three types of action for interacting with the material world – APPARITION, POLTERGEIST and POSSESSION.
Every time you attempt one of these actions, roll a d20 and compare the result to the action table.

APPARITION

APPARITION allows you to take form in the physical world.

1 – 3
You appear as a wild, screaming apparition.
————————–
2 REPERCUSSIONS

4 – 10
You fail to manifest.
————————–
Reroll +2

11 – 15
You appear in a vague, spectral form and can make noises, but cannot form words.
————————–
1 REPERCUSSION
1 DEVELOPMENT

16 – 19
You manifest fully for a few seconds in a specific form and can manage a few words.
————————–
1 REPERCUSSION
2 DEVELOPMENTS

20 +
You successfully manifest in a specific form and have full control for a minute.
————————–
2 DEVELOPMENTS

POLTERGEIST

POLTERGEIST allows you to make a noise or exert some control over an object.

1 – 3
You create a loud, frightening sound, or interact violently with an object without control.
————————–
2 REPERCUSSIONS

4 – 10
You pass right through or remain silent.
————————–
Reroll +2

11 – 15
You make a small, indistinct noise or gently move an object, once.
————————–
1 REPERCUSSION
1 DEVELOPMENT

16 – 19
You make a short, clear sound or gain control of an object for a few seconds.
————————–
1 REPERCUSSION
2 DEVELOPMENTS

20 +
You make distinct, clear sounds or gain full control of an object for a minute.
————————–
2 DEVELOPMENTS

POSSESSION

POSSESSION allows you to exert some control over a person.

1 – 3
You move the person forcefully and without control.
————————–
2 REPERCUSSIONS

4 – 10
You pass right through.
————————–
Reroll +2

11 – 15
You gently move the person, once.
————————–
1 REPERCUSSION
1 DEVELOPMENT

16 – 19
You can control the person for a few seconds; they have a confused memory of the event.
————————–
1 REPERCUSSION
2 DEVELOPMENTS

20 +
You have total over the person control for a minute and they consider the actions their own.
————————–
2 DEVELOPMENTS

REPERCUSSIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS

Actions can have REPERCUSSIONS, or offer DEVELOPMENTS. REPERCUSSIONS have a negative impact on the house. DEVELOPMENTS have a positive

When there are REPERCUSSIONS, the GM chooses from the table and explains how the REPERCUSSION unfolds.
When there are DEVELOPMENTS, the Ghost chooses from the table and explains how the
DEVELOPMENT unfolds.
If the REPERCUSSION/DEVELOPMENT allows you to immediately impart SADNESS/JOY or instil FEAR/COURAGE, then you do not need to roll as below in INFLUENCE. The SADNESS/JOY or FEAR/COURAGE is imparted/instilled immediately.

REPERCUSSIONS

Your action imparts SADNESS to/ instils FEAR in one Resident
Your action creates negative influence from one Resident to another
Your action gives -2 to the next roll of a d20 by any ghost
Your action gives +1 to the next positive influence roll for a Resident
Your action gives -1 to the next negative influence roll for a Resident

DEVELOPMENTS

Your action imparts JOY to/instils COURAGE in one Resident
Your action creates positive influence from one Resident to another
Your action gives +2 to the next roll of a d20 by any ghost
Your action gives +1 to the next negative influence roll for a Resident
Your action gives -1 to the next positive influence roll for a Resident

RESIDENTS

You share this house with the living. They are Residents. The house has a number of Residents equal to the number of ghosts +1.
Residents have four attributes – JOY, SADNESS, COURAGE AND FEAR.
JOY and SADNESS relate to the Residents’ lives. FEAR and COURAGE relate to their acceptance of the ghosts in their house.
Each Resident starts with 6 points, spread between each pair of attributes. The maximum for an attribute is 6.
The GM chooses which Residents live in the house. Some examples are given in the table.
When an action imparts JOY to a Resident, move a point from SADNESS to JOY. When an action imparts SADNESS to a Resident, move a point from JOY to SADNESS.
When an action instils COURAGE in a Resident, move a point from FEAR to COURAGE. When an action instils FEAR in a Resident, move a point from COURAGE to FEAR.

INFLUENCE

When an action creates positive or negative influence from one Resident to another, a Resident may impart JOY or SADNESS or instil COURAGE or FEAR in another Resident.
A positive influence imparts JOY or instils COURAGE. A negative influence imparts SADNESS or instils FEAR.
When an action creates positive or negative influence from one Resident to another, the ghost whose action caused the influence rolls a d6.
If the result is equal to or below the influencing Resident’s score in the attribute, then the influence is successful.
If the result is above their attribute, then the influence has no effect. If a Resident’s score in the attribute is 6, then the influence is automatically successful. If a Resident’s score in the attribute is 0, then the influence is automatically a failure.
On a success, move a point in the desired direction for the receiving Resident.

THE END

Your goal is to promote JOY in the house and avoid instilling FEAR.
When all of the Residents have reached 6 JOY, your work is complete and you can pass on to the other side in peace to enjoy your final rest and be reunited with your memories.
If all Residents reach a FEAR of 6, then an Exorcist is called and you are banished from the house. You will remain between worlds forever, with no memory of who you were and no way of passing on to your rest.