This is the page for my RTD based on the deliciously horrifying RPG of Paranoia.
In case you have never heard of Paranoia, it is a sci-fi game set in a post-apocalyptic world where an asteroid devastated much of the world. The citizens of San Fransisco built a rabbit warren of tunnels and biodomes several years previously, and migrated inside them to hide from the asteroid. The ageing public administration computer systems, however, did not understand what was going on, and, after digging through a huge amount of Cold War files, decided that the only thing tat could have happened was the Commies attacking the USA. It subsequently declared an emergency state, and put itself into ultimate control of the bunker to prepare the citizens for the imminent Commie Invasion.
However, the massive amount of corrupted, old, and conflicting Cold War Era files has driven the Computer slightly insane, and the bunker complex is now a dystopia, where anyone can be executed for Treason Against The Computer.
Almost everything is Treason.
WELCOME TO YEAR 216 OF ALPHA COMPLEX
All years are 216 according the the computerWELCOME TO YEAR 1 OF PARANOIA
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now that the backstory on the game is complete, let's see about the rules.
The first and most important rule is this:
The normal RTD results are reversed - a 1 is a overshoot, a 2 is a major success, 3 is barely successful, ect.Your characters in this group are Troubleshooters,
backstabbing psychopathsElite agents in the service of the computer. They exist in order to seek out trouble, and shoot it. this trouble might consist of Traitors on the loose, rogue scrub-bots (scrubots), Treasonous Secret Societies, or gangs of dangerous Mutants. Did I mention that all of your characters are mutants and members of secret societies? No? Well, I did now.
Troubleshooters are also members of Service Groups, the giant organizations set up by the computer to manage the Complex. All citizens are members of one of these groups, who compete for funding, attention, and because R&D 'accidentally' blew up their offices. Again.
Housing Preservation Development and Mind Control
aka "HPD&MC"
HPD & MC is responsible for the health and welfare of all citizens. They house, clothe, provide medicines and make sure that everyone is a Happy Citizen. Are you Happy? Happniess is mandatory.
Provide: Medicines and drugs
Common symbol: A syringe with a smily face
High Programmer: Rhee-U-NAA
Technical Services
aka "Tech Services"
If it's broken (which it isn't), tech services can fix it. All manner of devices and weapons can be brought to them to repair. Happily, things don't need repairing often, do they citizen? Of course, even when they do, you never have all the right forms...
Provide: Repairs
Common symbol: A robot carrying a wrench
High Programmer: C#!+-U-NGG
Research and Design
aka "R&D", "The East Wind"
Research and design are in charge of creating new, wonderful devices! These marvels of technology explore brave new worlds and carry out heretofore unknown functions! All troubleshooters should be proud to have R&D's experimental prototypes at their side.If they have a death wish
Provide:Experimental devices, radioactive fallout.
Common symbol: A small cloud in the shape of a mushroom
High Programmer: Zaire-U-NSS
Production, Logistics, and Commissary
aka "PLC"
Production, Logistics, and Commissary provides needed goods and services. These include foodstuffs (Hot Fun! and Cold Fun!), drinks (Bouncy Bubble Beverage!), and clothing (One Size Fits All uniforms!). They also have all the lasers.
Provide: Food! Clothes! Lasers! Everything that fits into a 3m by 3m Standard Packing Crate!
Common symbol: Cracklin' Happy Laser Cereal
High Programmer: Leigh-U-SHA
Central Processing Unit
aka "CPU"
Central Processing Unit ensures that all other service groups in carry out their tasks in coordination with each other. They are essential to the flawless functioning of Alpha Complex. They provide endless amounts of guiding hierarchy. Most significantly they help note potentially treasonous or promotional behavior.
Provide: Records of missions, witnesses of other Troubleshooter's actions.
Common symbol: An alpha
High Programmer: Vera-U-NKA
Power Services
aka "Power Services"
Power services provides power for the entire complex! This difficult work typically involves them standing around large poles drinking Hot Fun for many hours a day. They also are in charge of reqisitioning large vehicles and devices. Power services members tend to be early risers. The other services are jealous of the funding Power Services gets, but by common pact they leave them alone, due to the fact that they are the only ones who have a clue how to actually maintain the creaking, outdated technology. And even PS only know what to do by rote. It is rumoured that there is one citizen who understands everything to do with the reactor systems, but vigiourously denies this treasonous knowledge. His name is SCOTT-Y-USS
Provide: Big Devices and Vehicles
Common symbol: A glowing bulb
High Programmer: Leigh-U-RIN
Internal Security
aka "IntSec"
Unfortunately, not all citizens of Alpha Complex are Good and Loyal (on pain of death). It has been said that a few might even be corrupt followers of the Dark Computer. But not for long, with internal security around to take care of them. Their treasonous behaviour is Being Watched, even now. Other service groups are obviously hotbeds of treason, which is why IntSec spends vast resources infliltrating them. (Intsec officers dread being assigned to root out treason in the Hot Fun Processing Plants)
Provide: Security for all Citizens. And Termination Vouchers
Common symbol: The eye that's watching you now
High Programmer: Gary-U-MAR
Here is a list of the major secret societies in Alpha Complex.
Displaying knowledge IC of any of this information is highly treasonous, as your companions will assume you are a member of the society. Everyone knows the names, though.
Death Leopard
Aims: Smash things! Have party!
Enemies: FCCCP, Free enterprise
First Church of Christ Computer Programmer
Aims: The computer is god come again! Worship the computer!
Enemies: Death Leopard, Phreaks
Note: This society is tolerated by the computer to a degree. many Infrareds openly wear FCCCP badges.
Computer Phreaks
Aims: Break virtual stuff. Make the air-con deliver tranquilisers. Trap High Programmers in their fortresses. Hack things. Drink soda.
enemies: FCCCP
Commies
Aims: This society was created by disgruntled citizens who decided that if the Computer hates communism, it cant be so bad after all. Alph They know nothing of actual communism.
Enemies: Everyone, Free Enterprise
Free Enterprise
Aims: Make money. Racketeer. Extort. Smuggle.
Enemies: Death Leopard, Commies
Anti-mutants
Aims: KILL ALL MUTANTS! MUTANTS ARE SCUM!!! The irony of course being, that your PCs are all mutants.
Enemies: Mutants, FCCCP
Other Secret Societies may be encountered, but these are the ones your Troubleshooters can belong to.
All you PCs are mutants. Displaying evidence of a mutation is treason. However, if you like, you can Register your mutation. The Computer, in all It's benelovent glory allows mutants who confess their treason to live. They can therefore use their mutant power without having to hide it from their eagerly loyal teammates.
Hypersenses.
Bonus: When you focus really, really hard, your senses go into overdrive. you hear people alking from afar, sense bugs walking across your uniform, smell the unwashed commie sneaking up behind you.
Negative: You roll a dice to see how effective the hypersense is. If you roll a 1, you get exactly what you were looking for - and nothing else. If you get a 2 you get a perfect image of what is going on. 3, you get what you need to know, sort of. 4-5, you cannot focus enough, and on a 6 you are overcome by the intensity of your senses.
Adrenaline Rush
Bonus: When you really need to, you can flood your body with adrenaline, overriding all the biological protocols your body builds into itself to prevent damage, making you superhumanly strong.
Negative: Roll dice. On a 1, you over-stretch yourself and pass out from exhaustion early nothing happens and yo fall asleep for 2 rounds. a 2-3 is a success, but next round you gain a Wound. 4, you gain 2 wounds and succeed. 5-6, you gain a wound and fail.
Telekinesis
Bonus: You can move things - WITH YOUR MIND! This is very, very useful potentially - pulling triggers in the briefing room, pins out of grenades, ect.
Negative Roll a dice 1-2, you succeed without penalty. 3-4, you succeed, but there is obvious evidence of your interference - glowing light, a trail of sparkles, etc. Your lifespan after that is probably about one round. 5-6 you fail. Loser.
If you guys think I should add any more, just suggest them.
In Alpha Complex, Everything about your status is decided by your Security Clearance. Clearance follows the light spectrum, going in order from Infrared, the worthless unwashed masses, to Ultraviolet, the mighty High Programmers. Citizens of higher rank must be obeyed by those of lower ranks. Failure to follow these orders is treason. In the Complex, everything is colour-coded according to who is allowed to touch it - even the floor. any citizen may go into an area or use an item of a lower rank, but doing the same in a higher-clearance area is, again, treason.
If you read the previous spoilers, you may have noticed some odd names. This is because of how the naming system works in alpha complex.
Take Anne-R-KEY-2 for example. What this name means is that her name is Anne, her SECURITY CLEARANCE is Red, she is form KEY sector (Alpha complex is divided into Sectors, each the size of a small city. Use any Three letter combination you want.) and she is on her second clone. ("Clone?" I hear you ask? in Paranoia, everyone is a clone. Because of the high failure rate (death rate), the computer makes clones in batches of 6. they are completely identical and depending on where a mission is taking place, may arrive within minutes of their previous clone's death.
This is because making a new PC everytime you get destroyed is Not Fun. Paranoia is Fun.Generally, the idea is to make some awful pun.
See:
- Pepp-R-MNT
- Libb-R-TEE
- Sam-R-AYE
- Ect
In addition to their starting equipment, Troubleshooters can requisition more equipment, such as Cone Rifles and Tanglers and Surface-Air Missile batteries. The request will be either approved or denied by a long chain of bored bureaucrats. It may be lost in transit. The PLC clerk who got the order might have misread the print and sent you something else. Possibly something highly valuable and lightyears beyond the recipient's clearance.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CHARACTER SHEETSTEMPLATE:
[Name] [player name]
Service Group:
Secret Society:
Mutation:
Registered?:
Possessions:Red laser pistol, Red jumpsuit, Crunch-E-Tyme algae snacks.
Credits: 100
Ann-R-Key-1 [Wolfchild]
Service Group: Research and Design
Secret Society: Computer Phreaks
Mutation: Telekinesis
Registered?: Yes
Possessions:Red laser pistol, Red jumpsuit, Crunch-E-Tyme algae snacks.
Credits: 100
Powe-R-FUL-1 [HFS]
Service Group: Power Services
Secret Society: Free Enterprise
Mutation: Hypersenses
Registered?: Yes
Possessions:Red laser pistol, Red jumpsuit, Crunch-E-Tyme algae snacks.
Credits: 100
Clair-R-TEA-1(Yes, I very proud of that) [Scrapheap]
Service Group:Research and Design
Secret Society:Commies
Mutation:HypersensesI mean, I don't have a mutation.
Registered?:No
Possessions:Red laser pistol, Red jumpsuit, Crunch-E-Tyme algae snacks.
Credits: 100
Secu-R-DAY-1 [Vagel7]
Service Group: Internal Security
Secret Society: Free Enterprise
Mutation: Hypersenses
Registered?: Yes
Possessions:Red laser pistol, Red jumpsuit, Crunch-E-Tyme algae snacks.
Credits: 100
Bigg-R-MAN-1
Service Group: Housing Preservation Development and Mind Control
Secret Society: Anti-mutants
Mutation: (adrenaline rush) I hit things really hard sometimes, but that don't mean anything y'hear?
Registered?: I don't have anything that NEEDS registering....so no
Possessions:Red laser pistol, Red jumpsuit, Crunch-E-Tyme algae snacks.
Credits: 100
- 1: Crunchetyme Algae Chips
- 3: Tin of Boot Polish
- 2: Bouncy Bubble Beverage
- 10: Bucket
- 50: Bullhorn
- 2: Cold Fun Self-Sealing Pack
- 25: First-aid kit
- 10: Flashlight
- 50:Gas mask
- 2: Happiness energy Bar
- 100: Gas Torch
- 5: Official Teela-O-MLY Picture Mirror
- 25: Personal Hygiene Kit
- 12: Pillow
- 1/m:Synthecord
- 25:Poncho
- 25: Smoke alarm
- 20: SuperGum
- 25: SuperGum Remover
- 25: Thermos
- 5/m: Velcro Tape
If I have totally forgotten something important, just say.
STAY ALERT! TRUST NO-ONE!
KEEP YOUR LASER HANDY!
Author
Topic: Roll To Be Friends With The Computer: I hope you kept the Reciept. (Read 7723 times)