Over the course of several weeks, I’m showcasing the various ghost-punching organizations you’ll find in the Ghost Punchers RPG. Previously, we’ve looked at Singular Security, the Order of the Sacred Shield, and the Circle of the Ebon Star. This week, we’re going a bit meta as we check out the Ghost Spotters Network.
The Ghost Spotters Network is a loose, Internet-based community of amateur paranormal investigators. Using various forums and social media, its members exchange notes, requests for help, vile insults, and pictures of cats. Amid the usual drama and flame wars, the investigators collect reports of hauntings around the world, often with audio and/or video evidence.
Like many such communities, the Network has no single inception date. Rather, it evolved out of several smaller groups, many of which claim to be the original Ghost Spotters.
Nor does it have any real organization. Members earn status in the group by investigating local ghost hot spots and reporting what they discover. Of course, they also earn status by claiming to investigate such things while merely spinning their weird tales from the safety of their parents’ basements. Experienced ghost punchers know to take Ghost Spotter reports with at least a grain of salt.
Most members of the Network have no supernatural abilities. Some of those who do got into punching through the Network, which encourages local like-minded investigators to meet up and teach each other their ghost-hunting techniques. Other mediums use the Network to find leads on ghosts in need of punching. Even those who disdain amateurs dabbling in their domain recognize that clueless noobs can still occasionally spot a ghost.
