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Paranoia XP: you WILL have fun citzen

Started by Rift120, September 07, 2005, 03:09:24 PM

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Rift120

Warning the following information is rated security code Red, if you are a infrared citzen and reading this, please report to the termination booth immediatly.

Paranoia XP is now loading. ENjoy this Roleplaying system, as it is much more fun. All other Roleplaying systems are non-fun. Only mutant commie Traitors enjoy other non-fun RPs. Your not a traitor are you citzen? Good, now enjoy this review of Paranoia XP. Remeber Happiness is Mandatory Citzen. THe Computer is your friend.

Its BAAAACCCKKK. The <S>evil and Sadistic</S> wise and all knowing GM's favorite game Paranoia. Back and updated for the new millenia. I was pondering trying to snag a Warcraft book at my local hobby store when I spotted this lovely little Gamebook (and several of its expansion packs). After buying and then <s>foolishly</s> wisely telling friend Draco about its existence, I was then ordered to produice a review.

Paranoia XP is as mentioned above a remake of the classic Paranoia game system. WIth several additions to make things more fun for the players. This includes revamped systems, Service firms,Spam loaded directly into your brain via viruses in your food, identity theft (Literally snag a ME card and you BECOME that person), and other fun goodies. Most of which the Player only knows vaguely, for hteir own good. Knowing to much is treason after all.

The book itself is divided into four sections. a Player section, a GM section, SOurce material, and a single adventure campaign.

First the Player section.

This is fairly simple, it is full of amusing explanations and set ups, with literally no useful game ruel information whatsoever. This is fine, as it explains in the first few pages. Parnoia players have the most fun when they have no clue as to whats going on, trusting in the BEnevolant GM to see them safely through the adventure (alright Draco stop smirking, we can hear your smugness through our moniters)

Still the player section is a fun read and does pose some interesting vague information of use and other things of great amusment.  My personal favorite is the little 'what if a traditional Role palying game was run like Paronia?' blurb.

There is also vague mentions of various additions to the Paranoia world, and how it fits with the prior Paranoia system (It doesn't, all prior PAranoia products are treason and never occured... RUmors of things like hte great Computer crash are commie propganda and knowledge of such thing is grounds for immediate termination). THere are also some playing tips presented in the manner of a fellow Clone telling you whats what. For example one suggests you ALWAYS have your equipment guy examine your expermiental weapon, that way <S>when</S> if it blows up, its obvious the equipment guy was a sabetour who damaged your weapon into self desturciton and not your fault whatsoever. beyond that there are only four things of real value in the players section.

1. Is the description of the three types of Paranoia game syouc an play. THere is of course:
A. Zap style games- this is the sterotypical Paranoia game. No justification needed, commies and cartoonish obstacels everywhere. Chances are you won't even make it to the briefing room before you lose all your clones.

B. Classic (AKA rapid fire slapstick)- this is not quite as frantic as Zap. You'll need some justification for turning your teamates to ash for being commie traitors. Still a lot of silly comedy, chances are you'll lose a clone or two getting ot hte breifing room. Unliekly you'll last more than 2-3 missions

C. Straight (AKA DARK)- now this is a new one. Rather than slapstick mayhem, the tone of this is dark orwellien COmedy. YOu may go *Gasp* whole missions wihtout dieing, but be prepared to deal with ridiciously convoluted bueacracies, needing actualy prove *forged or otherwise* of other teammates and NPCs being commies, said proof mysteriously vanishing depneding ont he clearance level of the perosn your accusing, etc..etc. Needless to say this verison lends itself ot long campaigns.

2- PErveristy points. Youc an gain several free by adding charcter tics (AMusing traits that have little to no effect on gameplay *Such as your charcter sings out the opening to 'oklahoma' everytime he is offered a bouncy bubble beverage) at the start and gian more by amusing the GM during play. THe advantage of PErversity points is you can spend them either for physical privilages (Extra slice of pizza anyone? Or perhaps the coveted chair next to the GM, all the easier to pass notes to.) or during the game, using them to adjust die rolls of either your own or the GM or your fellow Troubleshooters for good or ill.  Of course the GM may decide your pervesity poitns spent mean nothing if he so chooses, but why would sucha kind being do something like that? Its not like hes TRYING to get you killed right?

3-Clones- one of the biggest advantages of XP is the new clone system. WHile you do still start off with the standard  6 clones. in XP you can actually purchase MORE clones and keep the <S>deathtoll</S> fun rising all the time. Of course after the first six clones you may experince genetic drift and redneck syndrome. Also you have to be careful in that new clones are expensive, and while you can take out a loan to buy them if you get into debt deep enough ina percentage compared to your living allowance than you will be erased from the system. How deep is to expensive? I'm sorry citzen but you don't have the clearance to access that information.

4-Solo mission- this is a VERY brief adventure that you the player can play with nonelse but a sheet of paper and pencil.  its set up similar to a choose your own adventure book and helps give newbies a sense of hte Paranoia lifestyle.  be careful this mini-adventure is covered in 2-3 pages, so you may spoil it yourself if you just readchoice block by choice block, instead of following hte instrucitons at the end of each choice block.

GM section.

WARNING the following  script is for LEVEL ULTRAVIOLET CLEARANCE ONLY, If you are not of ULTRAVIOLET level clearance than to read this is TREASON. Report to termination booth immediatly.

Ah the GM section, where you learn how to run such a game. OR maybe not. THe first thing mentioned in the GM section sets the tone. You the GM are GOD for this game. WHat you say goes, period. No rule lawyers, no saving throws, no nothing. DOn't want a charcter to hit a NPC, then he doesn't Even if he rolls a natural 1, he misses because you say so. Rules don't apply, you MAKE the rules and break them at your slightest whim.

In fact you are encouraged to kill off 'rule lawyers' and whiners often to get this point across.

BAsically the GM section is mostly a series of suggestions and advice on how to run the game. But the advice is VERY good. It covers everything, including a rule system to work with when its convient for you. Also provided are suggestions on how to handle common scenarios, even going so far as to give verbal examples of such scenarios in each of the 3 styles of gameplay.

More importantly are the suggestions and reminders on how to be a good GM. In a game like Paranoia where you are the ultimate in authority, you also have a high level of responisblity. Your job is to guide your <S>victims </S> through Alpha complex. Howeveryou have to make it fun, furhtermore your main goal is not to kill off the players. Rather it is to kill off hte players, while makeing them think that your not hte one out to get them, but hte other trouible shooters are the root of the problem. Either through their actions or bribery (And yes GM's as gods you CAN accept bribes from your players).

Also included are several suggestions on how to handle obnoxious players (Whoops the scrubbot accidently triggered the laser cannona nd hit you int he head, your dead and it will take several hours to get your next clone to the party..go sit int he corner while you wiat will you?), Note passing (Esseintial to Paranoia, but time consuming especially with private chats. INcidentally IM's are very useful for this game).

Also includign are NUMEROUS usggestions on how to ramp up the tension among players. Be it a accidently overheard conversation (Told to the player in private naturally), a sudden interuption in a mission to do a job for a charcters Service firm, secret societys, or just wrinkled old men under two feet tall (The most dangerous ones of all), and how even success or failure can go wrong in spectacular ways. (Example roll a twenty means you hit the commie traitor in the leg, where he proceeds to fall over the balcony into the open trialer of a speeding lifter full of fluffy pillows on its way to medic center all the way across complex, with VIolet clearance concerning traffic.)

THere is also some meanignless junk concerning attributes, skills and modifers, weapons armor, and treason tables. but really as <s>god</s> GM do you really need all that?

Source material

Okay heres the real fun stuff, that you can read just for a chuckle. INcluding are mutant abilities and how they can blow up in you face, b ut this is basicallyt he same as the old Paranoia so we'll skip it.

Service firms are new, as Friend computer decided a economy was neccessary to defeat the commie threat, which of course is almsot defeated. Each service firm ranges from the possibly useful (Such as setting up security cameras around Alpha complex, now if htye could just get the right sized cables....) to the familer annoyances (There is a Survey firm, remember the 'would you like to take a survey' skit from animaniacs?), to the ridiciously beaurcratic nonsense (There is  a service firm dedicated to makeing sure you make your bed properly every day).

Each service firm is accompained bya  brief description as to what they do, as well as subtle hints as to how you can use them in gameplay to <S>torment</S> enhance your players gaming experince.  

And of course there is the secret societies, of course you never would join sucha  society right citzen? Even if you were told to stop by the third alge chips machine in section 3-b and order the purple chips for instructions, you would not obey as that would be treason. Still for your education there is a brief description of various secret societies (There is also a expansion pack which goes into greater detail of secret societies as well). OF course knowledge and possesion of such things is treason and makes you subject ot immediate termination.

The full range of societies are there from the 'church of the computer' (Friend Computer is our savior) to the 'Illuminati' (What? we don't exist.. you must be mistaken... here look into this laser barrel and we'll correct your delusional views.) to my personal favorite the ROmantics (You knwo the people who keep histroy alive, like how in the 1990's Frodo defeated Lord VOldermort in New york and then went on to save christmas for Whoville)

So as you can see Paranoia XP is the FUN RP of the season. Friend computer says so, and friend computer can never be wrong right? Rember the COmputer is your Friend. Now report to termination booth C for unauthorized access of material.

Dracos

Please use BB tags, Rifty.  They're at the top of the posting window in case you forget them.

I can't say I've ever touched a Paranoia game...nor seen much reason to.  It seemed a bit too...wacky and tended towards death gm syndrome, as was seen with the one instance of it here.

Dracos
Well, Goodbye.