Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gradine" data-source="post: 7831844" data-attributes="member: 57112">Rules and ReadabilityBoth "What a Troubleshooting Fool Believes" (henceforth "Fool") and "Torpor" fall within the 750 word limit. Both are well edited and well structured. Well done on both fronts.Adventure Flow & PotentialThis is my subjective "what did I generally like/dislike about the adventures" section of the judgment. I'll start "Fool". "Fool" gives us useless equipment, impossible demands, enforced backstabbing, and payoff that, when it comes at all, is incredibly, pointlessly stupid. In other words, "Fool" provides the quintessential Paranoia experience. Paranoia, by its very nature, provides built-in hooks (Master Computer has a job for you!) and stakes (Master Computer will kill you for doing anything wrong. Or for doing most things right) and complications (your secret society wants you to accomplish X, hopefully without Master Computer or your teammates/rivals finding out and killing you). The structure of the adventure leaves a little to be desired; wander around Alpha Complex until a robot literally named DEUS EX shows up to provide a map, and the musical geniuses behind "Maneater" pick a fight. However, the complications and on-the-nose references are fun and fitting, the puzzle at the end is actually pretty clever, and I've already covered the payoff. It's a shame there wasn't more room for a little more guidance on the briefing and de-briefing, which are always some of the best scenes in a Paranoia adventure. Overall, however, this is a really great adventure that shows off what the system does so well."Torpor" is, likewise, a classic take on a classic genre, in this case, the "scary monster in a spooky space station". It ticks all of the usual boxes wih gusto: an android that cannot be trusted, inhuman monsters stalking the vents and ducts, and the station itself acting out of malevolence. It's like Aliens meets 2001: A Space Odyssey. Very fun, very hectic stuff. My main concern here is that while the hook and stakes are perfectly fine on their own, I worry that they may end up working against each other. The sort of unscrupulous band of mercenaries that would take a job to investigate an illegal mining station going dark also seems less likely the sort that would stick their necks out to stop an evil entity on their own. This would still be fine if "escape" was almost as difficult a goal as "heroics", but the line calling out Czerentoag not going out of their way to stop them I think diminishes that somewhat. Or maybe if their failure in some what more directly impacted them rather than second-hand stories meant to simply give them shame. Ultimately, though, this is as fantastic an adventure as "Fool", especially if the PCs are putting in the extra effort to figure out how to stop the creature, especially since there appear to be multiple ways to accomplish that.The IngredientsOnce again, it's looking like this is probably going to come down to the ingredients.Bleeding MoonOne thing "Fool" does well is tie its ingredients together in such a way that several elements are pulling double duty. It's a clever way to incorporate ingredients together. Unfortunately, I don't really get the sense that the moon is "bleeding". At least not in the sense that Czerentoag does in "Torpor". That alone makes it a better ingredient usage; tying it directly to the main antagonist of the adventure makes it all the stronger.Lifeless DollAdmiral BERN-I is "Fool's" lifeless doll, and its status as such is the exact sort of idiotic twist that makes Paranoia adventures so unique. That the Troubleshooters have to "Weekend at Bernies" with it around Alpha Complex lest face the wrath of Master Computer (and the fact that everyone else has to play along too) makes it an even more fun complication. Meanwhile CZ-4 in "Torpor" plays a pretty central role as Czerentoag's main avatar on the station (at least until it begins to Rise). Both are cleverly utilized ingredients that are key pieces of their respective adventures.Forbidden LibraryThe Forbidden Archives versus the Encrypted Archives. Both are clever uses of the ingredient, but I have to give the point to "Fool" here; its Archives are a little more central to the adventure, and their nature as Forbidden a bit more of a complication in the lives of the Troubleshooters (ie, they're not even supposed to know about the Archives).Missing Puzzle PieceIn "Torpor" this is the missing piece of the drill. As a macguffin that drives not just the plot but the motivations of both CZ-4 and the PCs, not to mention that the PCs have to make a tough decision on whether to keep it hidden or use it to try to kill Czerentoag, it's a pretty solid use. It just doesn't match the "Puzzle" aspect as used in "Fool". The Pink Moon is an actual puzzle piece, and it ultimately serves as more than just a video-gamey insert-key-in-lock item, as the Troubleshooters need to figure out that the "Pink Moon" is pulling double-duty for both the Pink Heart and Blue Moon spaces. In any other type of game a puzzle relying on that kind of meta-gamey esoteric breakfast cereal knowledge would be frustrating and kind of awful; once again though it kind of fits Paranoia perfectly.Master of the SeasI'll admit this was a tough ingredient, and it seems like this was a struggle for both entries. I'll give the slight edge to "Torpor" though; using "seas" as a metaphor for "space" helps Czerentoag fit the ingredient pretty well. In "Fool" BERN-I's status as an "Admiral" is ultimately pointless (though admittedly hilarious, given Alpha Complex is an underground facility). Also, this was a perfect opportunity for Captain and Tennille or Commodores reference that went wasted.Manufactured ChaosHere, "Fool" gets the edge again, though it cheats a little to get there ("Manufactured Chaos" could almost be considered Paranoia's subtitle). The Secret Societies here provide most of the impetus for the chaos: each Troubleshooter is given a different motivation or responsibility to ensure the mission's success/failure, and while that's a feature of any Paranoia adventure, it's played up to amusing effect here. I have a bit more trouble parsing where the Chaos in "Torpor" is, and how exactly it's being Manufactured. My best guess for its intended use is the awakening of Czerentoag, and as a "failure" condition that's not a bad use for an ingredient, but I would have liked it to be a little more clear the kind of chaos a fully awake and released Czerentoag is likely to create.In ConclusionThese are both great entries; they both do a really good job with the ingredients, and both are filled with a lot of potential for ending in a lot of different ways. I think, ultimately, "Torpor" is a slightly better adventure on balance, but "Fool" does slightly better on the ingredients.[SPOILER="The Judgment"]Ultimately, "Fool"'s lead in ingredients edges out "Torpor"'s lead in overall design. Again, this is was an extremely close match that very easily could have gone either way.Mortal Plague, you've not only won these twice, but both times you steamrolled over me to do it. So I have no business giving you any Iron DM advice. You know what you're doing, and it shows. "Torpor" was a really great entry that just had the misfortune of coming against a slightly greater entry.As it is however, I say congratulations to lowkey13 for making it through the next round! Keep up the great work![/SPOILER]Bring on Match 4!</blockquote>

Verification