Paranoia Secret Societies

wandmlaw · Oct 3, 2004

While a big fan of Paranoia XP, one criticism is that the secret societies are largely unchanged. I was confident that after so many years, they'd have some great new SS. Having played for fifteen years, we have about a dozen. On animalball we've started an article which describes a few we've successfully used: http://www.animalball.com/features100104.html

Let me know what you think, but if anyone out there has their own homebrew secret societies, let me know.

Keeper of Secrets · Oct 3, 2004

Whereas I can appreciate the desire for new secret societies, (Acute Paranoia had some nice ones) I think that introducing new ones can be slightly problematic. I guess my feeling is that the ones offered kind of cover just about everything you need. However, the ones you listed do look kind of cute.

DMScott · Oct 3, 2004

wandmlaw said:
While a big fan of Paranoia XP, one criticism is that the secret societies are largely unchanged. I was confident that after so many years, they'd have some great new SS.

As I understand it, Allen Varney had to pick and choose carefully what would make it into the main book, and a pile of stuff he wanted to put in didn't make it. I imagine there'll be a bunch of new secret societies in the first rules supplement - as I understand it, an Acute Paranoia-like product is high on the list of what the designers would like to produce and Mongoose would like to publish.

fanboy2000 · Oct 3, 2004

wandmlaw said:
While a big fan of Paranoia XP, one criticism is that the secret societies are largely unchanged. I was confident that after so many years, they'd have some great new SS. Having played for fifteen years, we have about a dozen. On animalball we've started an article which describes a few we've successfully used: http://www.animalball.com/features100104.html

Let me know what you think, but if anyone out there has their own homebrew secret societies, let me know.

Well, the first suplement to Paranoia XP (aside from the GM screen) is the Traitors Manual which has a listing of all the secrete socitites. I'd be suprised if there weren't new ones in there.

Piratecat · Oct 3, 2004

I enjoy trading out the traditional secret socities. These are kind of cool.

Thanks!

Mytholder · Oct 4, 2004

fanboy2000 said:
Well, the first suplement to Paranoia XP (aside from the GM screen) is the Traitors Manual which has a listing of all the secrete socitites. I'd be suprised if there weren't new ones in there.

Traitor's Manual doesn't have any new secret societies, but does have lots of new splinter groups and sub-factions. Really, having a limited number of secret society possibilities makes you _more_ paranoid - 'did he protect that bot because he's a Corpore Metal member...' and so on...

Doc_Klueless · Oct 4, 2004

I've found that the players are soooo willing to slaughter each other without the input of secret societies that a large number of secret societies would just be wasted... though very cool to read and giggle about.

Just another of those "good, but not necessary" things, IMHO I guess.

How have you found the play of Paranoia XP? I'm finally going to have a session of Paranoia the Second Week of November using Piratecat's Welcome Wagon and am contemplating buying Paranoia XP just for the heck of it.

Keeper of Secrets · Oct 4, 2004

Don't forget that plenty of GMs can design their own societies. After all, societies are merely an excuse to whack one another.

fanboy2000 · Oct 4, 2004

Mytholder said:
Traitor's Manual doesn't have any new secret societies,

I'm suprised.

Really, having a limited number of secret society possibilities makes you _more_ paranoid - 'did he protect that bot because he's a Corpore Metal member...' and so on...

Good point.

Don't forget that plenty of GMs can design their own societies. After all, societies are merely an excuse to whack one another.

I'm adding a couple of "super" secrete socities to my game: WotC (role-playing is treason), Cthulhu cultists (cults are treason), and Beta Complex (other complexes are treasonous). Beta Complex is another underground complex that has a friendly rivalry with Alpha. At least, the Beta Complex computer thinks it's friendly.

Cazmonster · Oct 5, 2004

Please report for Termination, Citizen

I love the screwball nature of Secret Societies. Every time I run Paranoia, their antics are at the center of the trouble, the shooting, and well, the troubleshooting. The really screwball ones, like the Correct Politicians and the Flat Earthers are great not just for their beliefs, but because we've all known somebody like them in real life and really wanted to feed one of them a cone rifle shell at close range.

Paranoia Secret Societies

wandmlaw

First Post

Keeper of Secrets

First Post

DMScott

First Post

fanboy2000

Adventurer

Piratecat

Sesquipedalian

Mytholder

Registered User

Doc_Klueless

Doors and Corners

Keeper of Secrets

First Post

fanboy2000

Adventurer

Cazmonster

First Post

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