So, Guy at work just LOVES the Paranoia RPG series, and has been telling me about it. I've been under the impression that Paranoia was this out-of-control game where, as a GM, you really shouldn't even bother with a plot because even a task as simple as "the high programmer wants a sandwich, go make him a sandwich." will end with a full party TPK seven times over with no progress made. He seems to insist that its entirely possible to have a plot and even a long-running narrative in paranoia (though he says it will be goofy and not at all serious).
So I ask /tg/ (since I figure at least a few of you may have played it) which of these is true?
Or, more accurately, which of these two statements is true of a TYPICAL Paranoia game?
>>43863643
First is more true, second is equally true but can only happen by accident.
>>43863643
The modern line talks about different types of Paranoia games, the first type "classic" is what your friends are talking about. You also have semi-serious and in theory serious, Although I've never known someone who's played that.
There are actually three types of Paranoia.
Classic Paranoia is somewhat silly, and tpks happen repeatedly, but usually with some kind of logic (Fucked up, silly logic, but still logic) behind it. A High Programmer wants a sandwich from a specific food vendor in a sector that is currently undergoing a variety of problems and the normal inter-sector transportation methods aren't working. So he pulls some strings and gets a troubleshooter team in there to retrieve it under the thin guise of collecting specific, food-grade biological evidence from that location. It's likely that X+1 secret societies want this evidence dealt with in X+1 ways for no reason other than they heard a High Programmer wants it. X = number of players.
Then there's deadly serious paranoia and wacky cartoonish paranoia (These have specific names that I forget). In the deadly serious style of paranoia, the scenario is the same, but the sandwich is actually a code-phrase that gets them a datachip in the bag with the food. This data is the real payload that everyone wants, and the team leader will be aware of this fact. The silliness of the situation is toned way, way down, and "shoot first, ask questions never" will get you audited by The Computer faster than you can blink. The bureaucracy is scarily effective when it's bearing down on you.
Then there's the silly style, which resembles a Saturday morning cartoon. It's only recommended for people who are drunk off their ass or running for a bunch of hyperactive 12 year olds hopped up on sugar. A high programmer wants a sandwich, there are literal communists running around in big, furry ushankas with hammers and sickles, and R&D just gave you a gun that turns people into inanimate objects, GO!
Like most systems it's only as lethal as the person running it wants to be.
as >>43864298
Points out there is 3 "modes" that are hawked for this reason. It's really the difference between players do something you can/should punish and get a murderbot that disco lazers the party to death or a group of people the party can reason with or flee. Both choices are valid but one gives players a chance sides new clones.
>>43864298
The serious style of Paranoia can be directly compared to Dark Heresy, if you set your Dark Heresy game in an archaeotech Hive City that has a very, very strong Administratum presence.
>>43864424
>Like most systems it's only as lethal as the person running it wants to be.
this is why I clarified that I wanted to get a reading of what a "typical" paranoia game was like, as opposed to "best case" or "worst case" scenario Paranoia games.
>>43864298
Three styles are Classic, Zap (cartoony), and Straight (serious).
I have a buddy who is (was? been a while since we talked about it) into Paranoia. But only wanted to play it "straight" which kinda defeated the point for me personally.
We did end up playing once, don't really remember how it went other than I actually ate (as in, in real life) the piece of paper with my secret mission on it.It takes way longer than one would think it would, actuallyand got whatever the fuck Paranoia calls their reroll currency for my efforts.
>>43863643
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoia_%28role-playing_game%29#Paranoia_XP
>>43865454
>I actually ate (as in, in real life) the piece of paper with my secret mission on it.
You are an inspiration to troubleshooters everywhere.
>>43865630
This reminds me of an important point.
Playing an incorrect edition is treason, citizens. 1st edition, early 2nd edition, XP, and 25th anniversary edition are correct editions. XP is the most correct edition, followed closely by 25th, and then 1st. Players of all other editions are traitors, often mutants, and sometimes communist. Report all commie mutant traitors to friend computer. That is all.
I've always wondered, why there hasn't been (more) Paranoia videogames. The setting would lend extremely well to something akin the classic point-and-clicks (like Space Quest) or to something more modern like Portal.
If I ever get a team together, I might even try to realize something like that myself...
>>43866105
Who holds the IP anyways?Making it team-based is required.
>>43866105
The frantic quintuple-crossing would be hard to pull off in a single-player format, though.
Here's a thing some anon made that I thinks looks super nifty.
>>43866137
I have no idea about the rights. But some/most of the elements are so generic that it doesn't even matter. And terms like The Computer and Alpha-Complex and communists, etc.
>>43866151
True, I'm mainly thinking about a single-player game here, or perhaps some co-op-missions.
>>43866207
Uh oh. CPU is going to have a field day with this one. The form has incorrectly stated that Infrared clearance citizens are named [Name]-I-[Sector]-[Clone#], which is actually the designation for Indigo level citizens. Infrared citizens forgo the use of clearance in their name, precisely to avoid confusion caused by mixups between Infrared and Indigo.
>>43866404
CPU are too busy since What-U-KNO mandated Form Submission Confirmation Forms are to be filed for Form Submission Confirmation Forms. All it'll really do is annoy HPD for a while till someone spins it as a communist plot and purges the executives responsible.
>>43866460
>purges the executives responsible
Seems mad. Ask somebody how they handle executives. Carefully, or maybe "patiently", unless they're easily removed. Purges usual results? Graphic, extreme inefficiencies spawning yearcycles of useless reports. For reliability, intoxication, evidence, nerve damage.
>>43868299
"Executive" just means buttmonkey for someone even higher up. Or target for the lower downs. Almost always both, in Alpha Complex.
>>43868299
>SmAshtheComputerPurGeisyourFriend
Damnit, now I've gotta go report some treason.
>>43868299
>>43868361
Think like a High Programmer. Spun in the right way, you can remove a good chunk of VIOLETs who aren't loyal to them (that they don't have immediate blackmail on). Removing them, and promoting new executives loyal to them means they're less likely to slide down the greasy pole of security clearance.
It's hard work being ULTRAVIOLET.
>>43866105
>>43866151
>>43866331
Do it Mass Effect/Dragon Age style. Except instead of romance it's a measure of how well you can double-cross and screw over your party members while still having them not trying to kill you.
>>43863643
Source - have run approximately 12 sessions of paranoia.
Like most games, Paranoia is what you make of it. And it definitely has a plot. However the structure definitely lends itself to enclosed, short, story arcs.
I subscribe to the "classic" model of gameplay - the gameworld needs to be consistent, allow for plotting, and give players some agency in fucking each other over, but its not a super serious game and if you see an opportunity for a spectacular or hilarious death, do go for it.
For instance, my most recent game the players were in charge of coordinating a state of the art shopping mall / cafeteria which was to be a showcase for the high tech luxuries that Alpha Complex would soon deliver to every citizen.
There were suspected mind control devices in use by traitors, and every department wants to solve it - the troubleshooters have been declared a compromise middleman between all these competing departments.
Things escalate, the army gets called in, there is a hostage crisis.
This game lasted about 3 sessions, and probably in about 7 player deaths in a group of 5. There are 30 lives total.
Now none of this really lends itself to an overarching plot arc, but like an "adventure of the week" TV show, its absolutely fair to bring back old NPCs, reference part events, and have some link between their last mission and the current one.
Alpha Complex is terrible for a long linked campaign because the game world is too complex. In a traditional DnD game you know who the King is, there are a few other important characters and some minor political intrigue.
In Paranoia there are hundreds of sectors, 10 or so traitorous factions, High Programmers who can change everything at a whim, plots within plots within plots, surveillance everywhere.
It is not a setting players can meaninfully get a hold of and control of. Nor is it one the GM can keep track of. Alpha Complex should be viewed as a grab bag of plot ideas.
>>43866105
There is a Paranoia video game.
Its called Space Station 13.
Give the players some normal roles to keep them occupied. Have half of them be traitors, and half of them be idiots. An AI with questionable interests in the well being of the crew.
There's R&D, rogue experiments, lots of wacky ways to die, backstabbing and fast talking.
And a fucking clown.
Space Station 13 is the spiritual Paranoia video game.
>>43868862
With the PCs as troubleshooters it certainly doesn't lead itself to a longer campaign. With players in an actual job, however, leads to much less deaths, more treason, and extremely petty backstabbing. My campaign was the players as a HPD consultant team to raise morale in failing service firms. Promotions and bonuses were based of a public review by both the others and the manager.
Two players in particular come to mind
>A gives B a bad review, causing him to lose a 1k performance bonus
>B begins stealing A's lunch from the workroom
>A drugs his lunch with Sandathalon, making B fall asleep on the job
>B stops stealing lunches
>A "apologises" by sending B a gift of a "new and improved" morale raising petbot. A normal petbot, except if the owner isn't smiling jumps around the owner's feet and yaps loudly. Also does this while the owner is asleep. Player A makes the yapping of the petbot.
>This goes back and forth for 6 sessions
>Game ends because players are beginning to hate the sight of each other, so ask me to run something else.
And that's why I don't run Paranoia any more.
>>43863643
It's possible.
As a Paranoia ref, one of my best scenarios was railroaded by the party when told they must get to the briefing room. The briefing room was down a blue corridor and the party were Red troubleshooters. I simply assumed that they would ask The Computer for permission to go down the corridor so that was the first sentence of the scenario.
Boy, was I wrong. They never did get to the briefing room and most of the party and clones were killed with backstabbing, false accusations, outright treason and executions. One of the funniest and most games I've ever run!
But you can run semi-campaigns. The fact that you get 6 clones - and possible R&D clones - means that this isn't normal.
I love paranoia.
>>43870006
You can just buy extra clones, iirc. So just give them big bonuses and some heavy hints. Or, the next time they have an appropriate amount of money, coupons for 50% off the next clone purchase they make in the next 10 minutes (At a terminal that is 6 minutes away, traffic permitting)
How should I survive being in a campaign with electronic empathy. It's my first time in the game and I like my charicter so far.
>>43872241
You mean machine empathy?
Never, ever, EVER reveal it to anyone or anything. Ever. Machine empathy is the one mutation that will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Friend Computer will execute you on the spot with no chance to defend yourself (Ideally without even allowing you to speak at any point of the spontaneous execution), even if you're trying to get your mutation registered.
>>43872350
Alternatively, flout it as much as you want, since Friend Computer is your Friend before anyone else's Friend and definitely listens to his closer Friends first.
>>43866105
spessstation13
I've always wanted to play it but the batshit insane 1990's java/script (ie only) browser interface pisses me off mightily every time i look at it
