Katana_Geldar
First Post
Somehow, I think they'll like it. I kinda wish I could play, but as I'll be the GM I kinda can't, I guess.
Starting out with Paranoia
InVinoVeritas
Adventurer
Also, feel free to change up the basic premise. I can't speak to XP, but the Second Edition was still very much Cold-War America in feel: the greatest traitors were the Commies, secret societies included groups like Death Leopard and the First Church of Christ, Computer Programmer. In a more recent version of the game, for example, I had the Ultraviolets declare that the name of their color is White, and so all their names went from George-U-BSH to George-W-BSH, Barack-W-OBM, etc. Lots more information was available on the WWW, short for (Censored) White (Censored). You might find that a change here or there could skewer a local political problem cleanly.
The Paranoia rulebooks do an *excellent* job setting the stage of the game. If you haven't read the GM advice, it's one of the best roleplaying advice I've read.
Tips:
* Tell your players that you're going to run Paranoia. Ask *them* to tell the others what the game is about. They'll probably tell the other players what dire horrors await them. Use them, since they'll be even more dire than what you originally planned.
* Don't hesitate to ad-lib a scene or use a player not in the scene to play an overpowered NPC. The player will relish the opportunity to be drunk with power, yet he won't imbalance the game because the NPC will walk off the scene when you're done with it.
* Get some bric-a-brac from around the house and stick it in a large manila envelope marked "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL RESEARCH MATERIALS". At the research debriefing, hand out the envelope to one of the players. If and usually when they open it, begin the debriefing by saying, "Please do not open the sealed envelope until given permission to do so. Opening the envelope without permission is treason."
* Come up with your own shticks and running jokes. Besides the envelope, I'd add a scene where a cloud of poisonous gas was slowly pumped into the Troubleshooter's room "to encourage them to attend the debriefing", an innocent-computer terminal with an on/off switch in a suspiciously recessed hole, and the climactic ending where *every* adventure I ran ended at the same time, melting down Alpha Complex in an apocalyptic mess.
Tips:
* Tell your players that you're going to run Paranoia. Ask *them* to tell the others what the game is about. They'll probably tell the other players what dire horrors await them. Use them, since they'll be even more dire than what you originally planned.
* Don't hesitate to ad-lib a scene or use a player not in the scene to play an overpowered NPC. The player will relish the opportunity to be drunk with power, yet he won't imbalance the game because the NPC will walk off the scene when you're done with it.
* Get some bric-a-brac from around the house and stick it in a large manila envelope marked "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL RESEARCH MATERIALS". At the research debriefing, hand out the envelope to one of the players. If and usually when they open it, begin the debriefing by saying, "Please do not open the sealed envelope until given permission to do so. Opening the envelope without permission is treason."
* Come up with your own shticks and running jokes. Besides the envelope, I'd add a scene where a cloud of poisonous gas was slowly pumped into the Troubleshooter's room "to encourage them to attend the debriefing", an innocent-computer terminal with an on/off switch in a suspiciously recessed hole, and the climactic ending where *every* adventure I ran ended at the same time, melting down Alpha Complex in an apocalyptic mess.
Crothian
First Post
Paranoia XP is a good book with easy to understand rules and fun to read. Give the players the basics of what a utopia Alpha Complex is and how good and trustworthy friends computer is. Explain the security clearence colors, that mutants are traitors that should be shot on sight, and that anyone in a secret society is a traitor and also should be killed. Then give them each a character that is part of a secret society and a mutant. 
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
I love Paranoia 2nd edition, but I think they did a great job with XP. You'll have a fine time running it.
This thread has two 2nd edition scenarios I wrote for Paranoia, Adventures in Clonesitting and Welcome Wagon; feel free to pillage.
For Doc_Klueless's hilarious story hour of Adventures in clonesitting, the best example of Paranoia play I've seen, click here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/attach...02-paranoia-story-hour-request-para-story.doc
There's some good general advice in this thread.
Overall, you only need the core rules. Ignore most of the finicky detail that's written in the rules; you don't need 95% of it!
This thread has two 2nd edition scenarios I wrote for Paranoia, Adventures in Clonesitting and Welcome Wagon; feel free to pillage.
For Doc_Klueless's hilarious story hour of Adventures in clonesitting, the best example of Paranoia play I've seen, click here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/attach...02-paranoia-story-hour-request-para-story.doc
There's some good general advice in this thread.
Overall, you only need the core rules. Ignore most of the finicky detail that's written in the rules; you don't need 95% of it!
Paranoia tends to blur the lines between player and character just a smidge - the rules beyond the little section of the book specifically written for the players are Ultraviolet clearance. Showing knowledge of them is admitting treason, and is grounds for summary execution.
The only game I know where the GM is told straight out that if any player gets into a rules-lawyering argument with you, just kill their character outright. ZAPZAPZAP, smokin' boots, next clone, thank you!
Really, the players don't need to know the rules, unless it makes it easier for you. Really, you don't need to use the rules (see above, they can't argue with you!) unless they make it easier for you.
I used to help run 24 hour Paranoia sessions with a dozen and more players and three GMs. We made food appropriate to the setting (ugh!). Great times.
the Jester
Legend
Instead of information, give them impossible tasks with no way to achieve them, misinformation, lies and instructions to assassinate one another from their secret societies.
The players should NEVER know the rules in Paranoia, and if they ask a question, you should ask them, "What is your security clearance, citizen?"... followed by, "I'm sorry, that information is not available at your security clearance." Then pull out some paper and scribble a few treason points down for the pc in question.
Obryn
Hero
I recommend the XP version. It's very good, very readable, and has very simple rules. Also, it's easy to get a hold of and readily available.
The included adventure, Mr. Bubbles, is frankly among the best Paranoia scenarios I've seen. It's really that good; my players have never had as much fun. It has just enough material for one long or two medium-length sessions.
If you like that, there are two books of classic adventures re-released for XP, too, incuding the aforementioned Yellow Clearance, Black Box Blues. I have a soft spot for ... crap, the one where you're babysitting a gigantic killer vehicle/robot. That's a fun one
As for campaign vs. one-shot... Well, just like with Call of Cthulhu, the expectation is that you'll tone things down for a long-term campaign. The XP book gives great pointers for this, with the "straight" game style. I'm personally more of a fan of the Classic, one-shot style, but YMMV.
-O
The included adventure, Mr. Bubbles, is frankly among the best Paranoia scenarios I've seen. It's really that good; my players have never had as much fun. It has just enough material for one long or two medium-length sessions.
If you like that, there are two books of classic adventures re-released for XP, too, incuding the aforementioned Yellow Clearance, Black Box Blues. I have a soft spot for ... crap, the one where you're babysitting a gigantic killer vehicle/robot. That's a fun one
As for campaign vs. one-shot... Well, just like with Call of Cthulhu, the expectation is that you'll tone things down for a long-term campaign. The XP book gives great pointers for this, with the "straight" game style. I'm personally more of a fan of the Classic, one-shot style, but YMMV.
-O
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