MongooseMatt
First Post
Hi guys,
It is finally here. After years on the sidelines, Paranoia is back. It is new, expanded, revised – it is Paranoia XP!
Written by Paranoia-Guru Allen Varney (ably assisted by Greg Costikyan, Eric Goldberg and Aaron Allston) and illustrated by Jim Holloway, Paranoia XP will at once feel comforting to those who long for the ‘good old days’ of Paranoia and yet still provides new chuckles, new giggles and new frighteners for the new millennium.
Never heard of Paranoia? How to explain. . ? Well, it is a darkly humorous RPG set in the far future. Mankind now lives in Alpha Complex, governed by The Computer. The players take the part of Troubleshooters, citizens dedicated to serving The Computer and rooting out the evils of Alpha Complex, be they mutants, secret societies or rogue service groups. The problem for a player is that he IS a mutant, he DOES belong to a secret society and his service group probably is rogue. The same is true for all the other players. In addition, player co-operation is not encouraged in Paranoia. In fact, it is downright unproductive. Backstabbing, false accusations and rigged terminations are the order of the day. Add to this that The Computer will assign you missions that you have almost no chance of actually completing and the scene is set for some intense paranoia round your gaming table.
There are many RPG books on the shelves these days sporting various licences on their back pages. Paranoia XP is no different, but we moved the licence to the front page. The End Citizen Licence Agreement For Alpha Complex Usage. It will put you in the right frame of mind, if nothing else.
The Player’s Section (designated security clearance Red) gives players a brief run down on what it means to be a Troubleshooter, the different styles of Paranoia XP (Classic, Straight and Zap, as decided by the GM) and how to create a character. There are virtually no rules in this section. Players don’t need to know the rules. Only causes problems between themselves and the Games Master. And that really isn’t the point of Paranoia XP.
There is a run down on treason and commendation, two factors a Troubleshooter must balance very carefully. Service in the name of The Computer is rewarded but the chances are that you will bend a few rules along the way (okay, that is putting things mildly).
A quick solo mission and some tips on successfully surviving as a Troubleshooter (for more than 10 minutes game time) round off the Player’s Section. We are now into the Ultraviolet clearance territory of the Gamemaster’s Section. Proceeding beyond this point for players is treason.
Being a Paranoia XP GM is an art, not a science and there are plenty of hints and tips on how to get it right, from creating the right atmosphere and the treatment of players, to devising scenarios that will never be completed and portraying The Computer in the best manner possible.
There are some rules scattered about here and this is where the stats of all the weapons in the game, from laser pistols to cone rifles, can be found. You know, the kind of things that players have no business jotting down on their character sheet.
The next section, the Sourcebook, is also clearance Ultraviolet. This is the setting of Paranoia XP and Alpha Complex. Kind of. There are no maps. No population figures. No god-like characters (aside from The Computer, of course). None of this really matters in Paranoia XP. As Games Master, you will make it up anyway. . .
However, this section will tell you what life is like in Alpha Complex, depending on your security clearance, how the economy more or less works, plus provide guidelines on how to handle characters with more ‘unique’ skills and talents. The Service Firms (now in private and commercial hands!) are well detailed. This is also where the secret societies lay, from Anti-Mutant to the Sierra Club. In short, everything a Paranoia XP GM needs to bring mandatory happiness and joy to his players.
The rulebook winds up with a mission (just to show you how it is done), plus plenty of charts and tables you will gleefully ignore, especially when the Paranoia XP GM’s Screen hits the stores a week after the book.
Paranoia XP is priced at $39.95 and will be available in all good games stores and book shops next week.
It is finally here. After years on the sidelines, Paranoia is back. It is new, expanded, revised – it is Paranoia XP!
Written by Paranoia-Guru Allen Varney (ably assisted by Greg Costikyan, Eric Goldberg and Aaron Allston) and illustrated by Jim Holloway, Paranoia XP will at once feel comforting to those who long for the ‘good old days’ of Paranoia and yet still provides new chuckles, new giggles and new frighteners for the new millennium.
Never heard of Paranoia? How to explain. . ? Well, it is a darkly humorous RPG set in the far future. Mankind now lives in Alpha Complex, governed by The Computer. The players take the part of Troubleshooters, citizens dedicated to serving The Computer and rooting out the evils of Alpha Complex, be they mutants, secret societies or rogue service groups. The problem for a player is that he IS a mutant, he DOES belong to a secret society and his service group probably is rogue. The same is true for all the other players. In addition, player co-operation is not encouraged in Paranoia. In fact, it is downright unproductive. Backstabbing, false accusations and rigged terminations are the order of the day. Add to this that The Computer will assign you missions that you have almost no chance of actually completing and the scene is set for some intense paranoia round your gaming table.
There are many RPG books on the shelves these days sporting various licences on their back pages. Paranoia XP is no different, but we moved the licence to the front page. The End Citizen Licence Agreement For Alpha Complex Usage. It will put you in the right frame of mind, if nothing else.
The Player’s Section (designated security clearance Red) gives players a brief run down on what it means to be a Troubleshooter, the different styles of Paranoia XP (Classic, Straight and Zap, as decided by the GM) and how to create a character. There are virtually no rules in this section. Players don’t need to know the rules. Only causes problems between themselves and the Games Master. And that really isn’t the point of Paranoia XP.
There is a run down on treason and commendation, two factors a Troubleshooter must balance very carefully. Service in the name of The Computer is rewarded but the chances are that you will bend a few rules along the way (okay, that is putting things mildly).
A quick solo mission and some tips on successfully surviving as a Troubleshooter (for more than 10 minutes game time) round off the Player’s Section. We are now into the Ultraviolet clearance territory of the Gamemaster’s Section. Proceeding beyond this point for players is treason.
Being a Paranoia XP GM is an art, not a science and there are plenty of hints and tips on how to get it right, from creating the right atmosphere and the treatment of players, to devising scenarios that will never be completed and portraying The Computer in the best manner possible.
There are some rules scattered about here and this is where the stats of all the weapons in the game, from laser pistols to cone rifles, can be found. You know, the kind of things that players have no business jotting down on their character sheet.
The next section, the Sourcebook, is also clearance Ultraviolet. This is the setting of Paranoia XP and Alpha Complex. Kind of. There are no maps. No population figures. No god-like characters (aside from The Computer, of course). None of this really matters in Paranoia XP. As Games Master, you will make it up anyway. . .
However, this section will tell you what life is like in Alpha Complex, depending on your security clearance, how the economy more or less works, plus provide guidelines on how to handle characters with more ‘unique’ skills and talents. The Service Firms (now in private and commercial hands!) are well detailed. This is also where the secret societies lay, from Anti-Mutant to the Sierra Club. In short, everything a Paranoia XP GM needs to bring mandatory happiness and joy to his players.
The rulebook winds up with a mission (just to show you how it is done), plus plenty of charts and tables you will gleefully ignore, especially when the Paranoia XP GM’s Screen hits the stores a week after the book.
Paranoia XP is priced at $39.95 and will be available in all good games stores and book shops next week.
Oops, I suspect that information was classified. I must report for termination at once.
