# Starting out with Paranoia



## Katana_Geldar (Jul 9, 2010)

Okay, so I have heard quite a lot about this game and am interested in getting it.  So my questions are:

What book/s do I need to get?

How much information do I pass on to the players?

As well as some general tips on running it and getting started. One of my players, who has left my SW campaign, is interested in this as from what I have decsribed it is right up his alley.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 9, 2010)

That information is above your clearance, citizen.




In all honesty, just whatever single rulebook you can get is all you need. I'd avoid the XP version. The old stuff, while the Cold War was going on, is golden.

Basically, if you've got a favorite system, you can just run a Paranoia-style adventure in that system. All the players need to know is: They live in a big underground postmodern complex. The Computer is your friend. The Computer takes care of everything for the citizens. There is a rainbow-color based hierarchy of clearances, with Infrared (black) at the lowest level and Ultraviolet (white) at the top. The PCs are Troubleshooters. They find trouble and shoot it. Trouble is typically traitorous activity, such as belonging to a Secret Society, having a mutant power, or not being happy. Each PC has six clones--The Computer is so generous! Names are typically a given name, their one letter clearance code (none for Infrared, then ROYGBIVU), the three-letter code of their home sector, and then the clone number, like Grumpy-O-MAN-3. 




Now please report for termination. Have a nice daycycle.


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 9, 2010)

The XP one is the one which is more readily available, to be honest.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 9, 2010)

Here's a copy of the one I used.

Also, the Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues is classic, classic Paranoia.


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 9, 2010)

Looks good, but can you handle the rest of my questions? What to tell the players and how different running it is, as I understand everyone is playing against each other.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 9, 2010)

Given that everyone starts out both with a mutant power and a secret society, and that being caught with one is treason, and killing traitors makes The Computer like you and promote you, the players will catch on soon enough. Within a few clones, I assure you.

Don't forget to check your Kafka and Orwell. Get the feel down, and everyone will fall in line quickly.

If anything is going to be a stumbling block, it's going to be sure that the players understand that they won't be winning, and that's okay. Keep it lighthearted.


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 9, 2010)

And from what I have read, it's more of a oneshot than a serious campaign.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 9, 2010)

It can work both ways. The first few games, one-shot. But then you'll find someone surviving an adventure or two. Then everyone gets a bit more paranoid and bureaucratic. Suddenly, you've got a campaign on your hands. One that still ultimately ends in messy, hilarious death, but one just the same.


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 9, 2010)

Thanks.

And keeping the rules from the players?


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 9, 2010)

Once you have the books, there's a (short) player's section that gives the rules you need. 


What your players aren't supposed to know is
[sblock]
there really isn't anything more they need to know anyway. Just make impossible scenarios. Give them trap-loaded equipment that is useless to the mission. Everything there is to be a problem. 
[/sblock]

Here are a couple characters that I and my friends had over the years:

Walt-R-PPK: A fat R&D nerd with a nasally voice who successfully completed all 4,729 cycles of Extreme Vocabulary Processing. Proud inventor of the Reusable Grenade! Simply pull the pin from the grenade, throw the grenade and have it explode, retrieve the grenade with the Kwik-E-Last cord, and stick the pin back in the grenade for next time! Big lover of Infrared Happy Sauce and explosives, he became a troubleshooter when he deduced that the disgusting slop he was being served was a Commie attempt to make him unhappy, so he blew up the kitchen personnel.

They-R-ERE: A surly cook from Procurement, Logistics, and Commissary (official title: Culinary Engineer), he always proudly wore his standard-issue hazmat suit, gas mask, and set of ginsu knives. He spoke with a hard-to-place accent ("Not Commie! Is not Commie!"). He valiantly protected the Alpha Complex stores of Improved Extra-Yummy Infrared Happy Sauce during a firestorm in a nearby kitchen in SUX sector. He then "make special dish, over-easy!" for the denizens responsible for the attack (in Cafeteria 2BU). When all those Commie traitors refused to be happy, The Computer had the cafeteria cleansed. 

Hope this helps!


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 9, 2010)

Somehow, I think they'll like it. I kinda wish I could play, but as I'll be the GM I kinda can't, I guess.


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## Piratecat (Jul 9, 2010)

My favorite game!

I have a ton of good Paranoia resources for you; I'll link them later when I'm not using my phone.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 9, 2010)

Also, feel free to change up the basic premise. I can't speak to XP, but the Second Edition was still very much Cold-War America in feel: the greatest traitors were the Commies, secret societies included groups like Death Leopard and the First Church of Christ, Computer Programmer. In a more recent version of the game, for example, I had the Ultraviolets declare that the name of their color is White, and so all their names went from George-U-BSH to George-W-BSH, Barack-W-OBM, etc. Lots more information was available on the WWW, short for (Censored) White (Censored). You might find that a change here or there could skewer a local political problem cleanly.


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## ced1106 (Jul 9, 2010)

The Paranoia rulebooks do an *excellent* job setting the stage of the game. If you haven't read the GM advice, it's one of the best roleplaying advice I've read. 

Tips:

* Tell your players that you're going to run Paranoia. Ask *them* to tell the others what the game is about. They'll probably tell the other players what dire horrors await them. Use them, since they'll be even more dire than what you originally planned.

* Don't hesitate to ad-lib a scene or use a player not in the scene to play an overpowered NPC. The player will relish the opportunity to be drunk with power, yet he won't imbalance the game because the NPC will walk off the scene when you're done with it.

* Get some bric-a-brac from around the house and stick it in a large manila envelope marked "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL RESEARCH MATERIALS". At the research debriefing, hand out the envelope to one of the players. If and usually when they open it, begin the debriefing by saying, "Please do not open the sealed envelope until given permission to do so. Opening the envelope without permission is treason."

* Come up with your own shticks and running jokes. Besides the envelope, I'd add a scene where a cloud of poisonous gas was slowly pumped into the Troubleshooter's room "to encourage them to attend the debriefing", an innocent-computer terminal with an on/off switch in a suspiciously recessed hole, and the climactic ending where *every* adventure I ran ended at the same time, melting down Alpha Complex in an apocalyptic mess.


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## Crothian (Jul 9, 2010)

Paranoia XP is a good book with easy to understand rules and fun to read.  Give the players the basics of what a utopia Alpha Complex is and how good and trustworthy friends computer is.  Explain the security clearence colors, that mutants are traitors that should be shot on sight, and that anyone in a secret society is a traitor and also should be killed.  Then give them each a character that is part of a secret society and a mutant.


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## Piratecat (Jul 9, 2010)

I love Paranoia 2nd edition, but I think they did a great job with XP. You'll have a fine time running it. 

This thread has two 2nd edition scenarios I wrote for Paranoia, Adventures in Clonesitting and Welcome Wagon; feel free to pillage. 

For Doc_Klueless's hilarious story hour of Adventures in clonesitting, the best example of Paranoia play I've seen, click here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/attach...02-paranoia-story-hour-request-para-story.doc

There's some good general advice in this thread.

Overall, you only need the core rules. Ignore most of the finicky detail that's written in the rules; you don't need 95% of it!


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## ST (Jul 9, 2010)

I'm a huge fan of XP. It gives you all the tools you need to run Classic/Zap! type games, along the mold of the older versions, but also supports less absurdist, more dystopian style. ("Yossarian gets a job at the Ministry of Truth").


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## Umbran (Jul 9, 2010)

Katana_Geldar said:


> And keeping the rules from the players?




Paranoia tends to blur the lines between player and character just a smidge - the rules beyond the little section of the book specifically written for the players are Ultraviolet clearance.  Showing knowledge of them is admitting treason, and is grounds for summary execution.

The only game I know where the GM is told straight out that if any player gets into a rules-lawyering argument with you, just kill their character outright.  _ZAPZAPZAP_, smokin' boots, next clone, thank you! 

Really, the players don't need to know the rules, unless it makes it easier for you.  Really, you don't need to _use_ the rules (see above, they can't argue with you!) unless they make it easier for you.

I used to help run 24 hour Paranoia sessions with a dozen and more players and three GMs.  We made food appropriate to the setting (ugh!).  Great times.


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## the Jester (Jul 9, 2010)

Katana_Geldar said:


> How much information do I pass on to the players?




Instead of information, give them impossible tasks with no way to achieve them, misinformation, lies and instructions to assassinate one another from their secret societies.

The players should NEVER know the rules in Paranoia, and if they ask a question, you should ask them, "What is your security clearance, citizen?"... followed by, "I'm sorry, that information is not available at your security clearance." Then pull out some paper and scribble a few treason points down for the pc in question.


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## Obryn (Jul 10, 2010)

I recommend the XP version.  It's very good, very readable, and has very simple rules.  Also, it's easy to get a hold of and readily available.

The included adventure, Mr. Bubbles, is frankly among the best Paranoia scenarios I've seen.  It's really _that good_; my players have never had as much fun.  It has just enough material for one long or two medium-length sessions.

If you like that, there are two books of classic adventures re-released for XP, too, incuding the aforementioned Yellow Clearance, Black Box Blues.  I have a soft spot for ... crap, the one where you're babysitting a gigantic killer vehicle/robot.  That's a fun one 

As for campaign vs. one-shot...  Well, just like with Call of Cthulhu, the expectation is that you'll tone things down for a long-term campaign.  The XP book gives great pointers for this, with the "straight" game style.  I'm personally more of a fan of the Classic, one-shot style, but YMMV.

-O


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## ArghMark (Jul 10, 2010)

STEALTH TRAIN!

Redefining 'Stealth'!


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## Crothian (Jul 10, 2010)

That was a fun adventure  I ran it for players new to paranoia and they had no idea what they were doing there more so then normal paranoia games.


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 11, 2010)

Talked about it with the players and they are rather interested, particularly how I said it was a one-off which we could fit into the different game systems the group is playing (4E, Star Wars, Serenity, Hunters...). Won't be for a while yet though, probably not until after I do Tomb of Horrors.


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## amerigoV (Jul 12, 2010)

Umbran said:


> The only game I know where the GM is told straight out that if any player gets into a rules-lawyering argument with you, just kill their character outright.  _ZAPZAPZAP_, smokin' boots, next clone, thank you!




Here is an example

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpgqZ3JoRIc]YouTube - Knights Of The Dinner Table: Episode 7[/ame]


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## WJMacGuffin (Jul 15, 2010)

OK, here's my two cents.

1. Buy Paranoia XP, the Mongoose edition published around 2004. Same flavor as older editions but with a simply d20 roll under mechanic.

2. Run "Mr. Bubbles" found in said book. Great intro adventure.

3. As far as setting, explain the basics that players need to know so they don't lose characters too quickly: Clearance, Troubleshooting, Secret Societies, Mutations, Alpha Complex, The Computer, IntSec, and especially, why it's ok to be a PC killer in this game.

4. As far as rules go, explain the d20 roll under mechanic, using mutations, Perversity Points, six clones, and how the GM is always right. 

5. Play! Laugh! Get revenge!

If everybody had a good time and wants to play more Paranoia, I recommend buying the following books as time/funds permit:

- STUFF and/or STUFF 2 (equipment guides)
- Crash Priority and/or WMD (missions)
- Service, Service (missions, NPCs, and setting info)
- Criminal Histories (character creation add-ons)


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## Thornir Alekeg (Jul 15, 2010)

There is really only a couple of rules that players need to know: 

Your clones _will_ die.  Just roll with it.
Your fellow troubleshooters are your greatest threat as they will surely expose your traitorous behaviors and associations at the first opportunity.

Best play moment I ever experienced was when the party was engaged in a fight with some robots.  One troubleshooter pulled out an experimental grenade he was given.  The rest of the troubleshooters ran away in fear.  When the clone pulled the pin, it exploded immediately, obliterating him.  One of the other troubleshooters, risking life and limb, ran out taking fire from the robots so that he could measure the size of the crater and report back to R&D.


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## Mean Eyed Cat (Jul 16, 2010)

Cool!  I'm glad somebody started this thread.  My group was talking about Paranoia the other day and we want to run a game.  I have the XP version of the game and I sent all my players a pdf copy of the Little Red Book.  

While looking around online, I noticed that Mongoose recently put out a 25th Anniversary edition of Paranoia.  I was thinking about getting the new Troubleshooters book.  Can anybody tell me what the differences are between this book and the XP version?  Also, I see that they put out a GM screen.  What charts does the screen have and is it useful?  Thanks!


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 25, 2010)

Gone to all three of my suppliers and NONE of them seem to have the core rulebook! *grumble grumble grumble*

They do have this and the GM's screen. Will that help?


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## Crothian (Jul 25, 2010)

That I think is the latest version and very much like XP.  I think that is the new core book that is most like Paranoia that people know.


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## meomwt (Jul 26, 2010)

When I ran Paranoia back in the day, the players usually ran a book on how many Clones I managed to kill on the way to the Mission Briefing. 

Another neat tactic to encourage Paranoia amongst players is to pass notes. The notes don't have to say anything related to the game - in fact, it's sometimes better if they don't - but for those people who don't get notes, the tension becomes unbearable...

Whatever you do, don't let them have Tactical Nuclear Hand Grenades...


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## Piratecat (Jul 26, 2010)

This is the book you probably want:

Amazon.com: Used and New: Paranoia (RPG Rulebook)

Can you pick it up used in Australia?


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 26, 2010)

They don't have it in the shop.


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## Shades of Green (Jul 27, 2010)

You can get the latest version of Paranoia directly from Mongoose HERE. They ship world-wide and, from my experience, have very good customer service.


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## Pbartender (Jul 27, 2010)




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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 28, 2010)

Where can I get that?


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## Olaf the Stout (Jul 28, 2010)

Katana Gelder, the book you linked to is the new core rulebook for Paranoia, which was brought out in the last year or so.

If you can get the old one for a cheap price it is still perfectly usable.  If you can't get the old one, I'd just grab the one in your link.

Olaf the Stout


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## Katana_Geldar (Jul 28, 2010)

The one I linked to from Tin Soldier is the one that I can most easily acquire. I sually wait for weeks to get stuff from overseas, ToH not arriving for another month...


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## Katana_Geldar (Aug 2, 2010)

Managed to get it! And it's just as awesome as you guys said it was and can't wait to run it!

Strangely, I planned to run this with pre-genned characters even before I got the rules, and it says in there that this is an option. I'm planning on making more characters than needed, with everything contained in large yellow envelopes that are numbered so I know who has what but they don't. And already I'm thinking of strange combos, a character with service to Internal Security who's also a Commie and an empathic liar. There's also this idea floating around my head of a segway with a machine gun attached to it.

Fun times are ahead.


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## marli (Oct 5, 2011)

The problem I had with paranoia. is I killed off the character too early.
now I cant get my characters to not play Zap
So I am in the process if "reskinning" paranoia.
the players are humans on human run hive city on a blasted planet in the tau sphere of influence in the 40K universe.
the computer is replaced by a a council of 12(still power mad and psychotic)
mutant powers are replaced by Psyker powers
secret socity are replaced by sympathser/spy networks(imperium=commies/ork fanciers=the guys who blow  stuff up/chaos followers=pro-mutant)
drones replace bots.
Toughness replaces macho..etc.
give them a few more wounds.
add another level or damage and its almost like other RPGS.


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## the Jester (Oct 5, 2011)

marli said:


> The problem I had with paranoia. is I killed off the character too early.




In Paranoia, I am not sure that this is a problem at all. I've run Paranoia games that ended before they reached the briefing room. 

Just a couple weeks ago, I ran the Mr. Bubbles adventure from Paranoia XP and _the party actually finished it._


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## marli (Oct 7, 2011)

Oh dont get me wrong! playing zap or classic is good fun.(and with demeted scrubbot, good clean fun)
but they get too zap happy when I try to run a compaign.
the adding 1 wound per endurance and popping in an extra damage level above dead, means players finishing a firefight as a cripple not with a brand now body(meaning dishing out punishment isnt a simple character reboot).

they came into the game with open minds(although they may be starting to suspect theres an orc-like-cru member in there team, haha they just dont know about the church of mohammad the etheareal member, the chaos worshipper and the imperial spy)


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## Primitive Screwhead (Oct 9, 2011)

Just dropping in to share the two best adventures I ran in Paranoia... and neither of these stories do I recall the name of the 'module' I was supposed to be running  

 The first was a game that the team actually completed the mission! One player had a mind control power and set up a blackmail scene of the entire team.. it was very silly.

 The second time the group had their mission briefing and then stood in the hallway and talked... my only rules action was to declare PCs as dead and announce the arrival of the new clone!
  Favorite question and answer from this exchange...

  "Who is your communist teacher?"


  "You are!"


 Ah, the days! Time to go cuddle with Alice through the Mirrorshades


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