[OT] Anyone who plays Paranoia (especially Piratecat) please respond!

[BiggusGeekus]

Best. Game. Ever.

(at least the Computer says so and the Computer would never lie)

If you have the Dragon magazine CD ROM look for an article called "Treasonus Jive That Will Keep You Alive". It is an absolutely hysterical read that gives Paranoia playing tips.

Running Paranoia is easy.

1) Summon the Troubleshooters before the Computer (or, more accurately, a terminal)

2) Tell the Troubleshooters that there is a problem in RED Sector and they should check it out.

3) Now send them to R&D. Assuming you have a four member group you should give the troubleshooters the following:

* A rocket sled that is a giant rocket duct-tapped to a very old (think Santa Claus) wooden sled.
* Mark V "Super-Citizen" Power Armor (it has enough energy to move forward, pivot, activate its deflector screen, and fire its laser ... but only one at a time. If the player come late to the game you may as well go for it and put a safty feature on the armor. You know? Like a giant red "eject" button on the front?)
* A mega-rocket launcher (roll d20 * 10 for the range every time it fires. The blast radius should be around 10')
* A small teddy bear

4) Next is to go to RED sector. I suggest that they be lead by a seductive local guide "Bette-R" who leads them into a trap before they storm the commie hideout. For grins, have the commies hideout be playing host to one of the player's secret socities.

5) Debriefing! This is where the players stand before the Computer, talk about their victory, and report on the merits of the R&D gear(*).

See? Easy.

BG

* Remeber. Every missions was victorious and every piece of R&D gear is wonderful (and returned undamaged!)

 

[CRG]

Speaking of Mr. Costikyan, I just received a reply to an e-mail I did to him. He says he has reattained the rights to Paranoia, along with another guy named Eric, and they have had preliminary discussions with publishers about republishing it, but no deals have been made, and they are not actively pursuing it. I tried to talk him into making it a D20 product, as I can see mutant powers as feats, etc., working very well, but he said he doens't like the idea of using generic rules.

Hey Paranoia WAS the original D20 game....hell, we could WRITE the damn rules in D20 in like 3 minutes.

Still, its important for:
(1) the players to think the mission is important
(2) for the GM to use the mission only to give the characters something to do while you plot/scheme/execute/demote

 

[Greatwyrm]

To be honest, it's the players that make Paranoia what it is. As a GM, the best thing you can do is explain the following things to everyone:

1. Lying, backstabbing, and being a mutant are all important and expected.

2. You get executed if you get caught doing any of the above and also by arbitrary GM fiat.

3. You get 6 lives. Make the most of them.

If you've got the right group of people, the rest should take care of itself.

 

[Enkhidu]

To be honest, it's the players that make Paranoia what it is. As a GM, the best thing you can do is explain the following things to everyone:

1. Lying, backstabbing, and being a mutant are all important and expected.

2. You get executed if you get caught doing any of the above and also by arbitrary GM fiat.

3. You get 6 lives. Make the most of them.

If you've got the right group of people, the rest should take care of itself.

GreatWyrm's got a realy good point. For my part, I know it's going to be a good session if the party has somehow gotten itself (through absolutely no fault of mine) killed at least once before mission breifing is over.

 

[Number47]

Without backstabbing, it isn't Paranoia. Let the players know that when Computer is angry about something, and it looks like your clone is up, you just might be able to implicate one of your fellow team members. Of course, they will try to implicate you. Eventually, everyone will die of course.

 

[the Jester]

Give all your players individual secret missions from their secret societies or service groups... or both. Make sure a lot of them involve screwing the other pcs. Watch them kill each other.

Use a higher-clearance npc as an example of how to boss lackeys around and send them to their deaths, then promote one character that it happened to and let him be in charge.

FOR GOD'S SAKE USE R&D EQUIPMENT!!! Like the tak grenade (range is 5'xstrength; blast radius is 1000'; disintigrates all living tissue in range) or something...

Reward style and drama; kill boredom at the source (the boring clone).

If your group's got the right idea, they may never even get out of the briefing room. If they almost have the idea, they may get out the briefing room but fail to reach their mission. Kill them for it. If they do make it to their mission, you get to kill them in new and exciting ways.

Use props. In one old Paranoia adventure the briefing officer gave us a large book (a phone book with a book cover on it) and told us to fill out the forms on about six random pages, which he rattled off quickly... within 60 seconds. Who caught the page numbers? You can ask him to repeat it but he berates you first... while the clock ticks. You failed to fill out your forms? Treason points....

Everything's a trap. No, EVERYTHING. Talking to the computer, R&D equipment, the briefing, the mission, getting to the mission, your vehicle, your weapons, the outside, the High Programmers... everything is a trap and the players can't possibly miss 'em all. Oh yeah, and traps are lethal. Not all of them, but most of them. And two in a row that aren't lethal counts as one lethal trap (I call this type of math Paranoiometry).

Kill the bastards. That's why they're there.

 

[s0rn]

I definately agree that you should pick up some of the published modules, they are usually really amusing, and have all the classic Paranoia gags in them. I have most of the 1st and 2nd edition modules (except the crash stuff), and I would also recommend Acute Paranoia, and The Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues (very hard to get a hold of). Other good modules are Alpha Complexities, Vapors Don't Shoot Back, and well..pretty much most of the others. The DOA Sector Travelouge is also a great supplement to look into.
Oh, and the phonebook thing is in Mark IV; god my players just stared blankly at me when when the briefing officer told them to get the forms from it and fill them out. Good things those vulture goons were there with neurowhips to help them understand english.

 

[s0rn]

Oh, I forgot, here are some good online resources for Paranoia:

http://www.paranoia-rpg.com/
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/6333/paranoia/r_and_d.html
http://www.crd-sector.com/


And an adventure someone posted online (not an official one):
http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/closet/Closet.html#JBYP

 

[GravyFingerz]

*BUMP*

 

[Piratecat]

There's nothing left for me to say!

Excellent advice. In Paranoia you really need to think on your feet, to take what the players say and twist it. The first time someone says "Jesus Christ" or "Oh God!" kill their character for possessing treasonous knowledge unless they can wriggle their way out of it ("Err, GOD sector, friend Computer!"). Lordy, I love this game.

The various adventures I wrote have some decent tips in them. You want a copy? Email me at kevin@kulp.org, and make sure you have enough space in your in-box (they're pdfs; figure 1 mb per adventure, including PCs.)