Welcome to Alpha Complex, citizen.
What is Alpha Complex? Alpha Complex is where you live. It is where everyone lives, an unimaginably huge warren of tunnels, vaults, and city-sized underground domes. At least 80% of the population are not even aware the world Outside exists ( and would be executed if they did), and far fewer ever venture forth on scouting runs for the ever-present Commie Threat.
So who am I? You are a Troubleshooter. This is a
highly prestigious elite job, assigned to those who have shown
loyalty and dedication to the Computer, followed by brevet promotion to Red clearance. It involves bold action and nobility in service to the Complex, hunting down the Communists, traitors, and mutants who would undermine the Complex.
Red? In Alpha Complex, everything about your life is determined by your Security Clearance, which is based on the color spectrum, from Infrared (black)
through to Ultraviolet (white). Infrared citizens live, work, and die in
glorious utopia , while Ultraviolets live in... uh... Also Utopia But More Desirable? Do not ask questions.
You mentioned a computer? The Computer is your friend! The Computer is the omnipresent and all-powerful overlord of Alpha Complex. It controls (through It's proxies) every aspect of a citizen's lives. When the Computer says jump, citizens jump. Even if the traitorous hostage-taker is shouting for them to get on the ground. You will do as Your Friend The Computer says, or the Computer will clean your clock, understand?
Glad to get that sorted out, citizen. This game is based loosely off the PARANOIA roleplaying game (The old one), published by West End Games. It is a wacky, zany mess of mutant powers, secret societies, horrifyingly over-large guns used in enclosed spaces and, of course, The Computer. The idea behind this game is simple - Be fun, and succeed. Be boring, and you're dead.
So, you were boring and now you're dead. NO NEED TO WORRY! Your Pal the Computer has foreseen this, and all citizens of Alpha Complex are produced as a series of Clones. Six, to be precise. Identical copies with identical personalities too! (And identical mutations and secret societies, but your characters don't know that!) After that, it's new character time.
The main objective of the game is to survive the missions you've been sent on (hard), complete your secret societies' demands (harder) and survive crossfire, accidental or otherwise, from your fellows (hardest), all without committing enough treason to be summarily executed by The Computer and it's loyal pals. (Even harder).
On top of that, you have to survive the GM, who unlike every other RPG, is malevolent instead of benevolent.(Dance, monkies)
That's more or less it.
First things first: DO NOT POST YOUR SHEETS IN THE THREAD
Second: REALLY REALLY DON'T
If your co-players can see your sheet, they can plan and strategise for when you open fire on them with a secret pocket plasma cannon. PM them to me, and I'll send you back the sheet you can show off.
Name
In Alpha Complex, all names are composed in a certain way, for example: Roy-G-BIV-3 (also a good example to remember which clearances outrank you).
The Roy part is just a name - it can be anything, from Bert or Jacob to Libb or Ann.
The bit in the middle is your CLEARANCE. This will be Red when you make your character.
The part at the end is always a 3-letter string of letters, which shows the Sector your character is native to. Choose this freely.
The number: This is your clone number. It's the number of the clone you're on. A -1 is a perfect record, while a Troubleshooter on -6 is on the brink of permanent retirement.
When choosing your name, remember to try and make some cheesy pun, like Pepp-R-MNT or Sam-R-AYE
Stats
These stats decide how good you are at stuff. To determine them, you roll a 3d6 for each. After that, you have 6 points to split between them(You cannot increase a stat above 18 in character generation or by more than 3). You can also train in 3 specialties, like Lasers (You all start with this for free) or Thermonuclear Gatling Cannons. Don't be any vaguer than "Laser weapons" though, or your training may be denied, and you won't get it back (probbably). This gives you a set bonus to using that skill of +2. This stacks with your modifiers from the stat.
At 12 in a stat you have +1 modifier. At 15 you have +2. At 18, you have +3. At 21 you have +4, and so on. This is for opposed rolls.
The stats are
AGILITY: running fast, lifting weights, doing a flip, running away faster than Suck-R as the communists flood from the sewers. Also melee weapons.
DEXTERITY:Punching someone, shooting someone, or undoing the catches around the hatch with a rogue scrubot bearing down on you.
ENDURANCE: Not falling over after climbing some stairs, or taking a bullet.
CHUTZPAH: Like charisma, but without the charisma. Lying, fast-talking, bargaining, bribery, and vitally, Bootlicking (The most important skill of all!)
MECHANICAL:Fixing stuff. Also, fixing stufff. If specialising, pick a type of stuff to fix. Be creative. You know you wanna put a training into maintain(Nuclear Power Rods). Also covers demolitons, which you'll use way more
POWER: For not melting your eyes out when you use your mutant powers.
Mutant powers
Mutants are a dangerous threat to the complex, hated and feared by all. Many missions involve shooting mutants, as being a mutant is punishable by death. (Unless you register it, in which case bully for you, Designated Scapegoat). Did I mention you're all mutants? Every single one of you has a treasonous power. Don't let anyone catch on.
Roll 1d10 to determine your power'
1:Teleport: Teleport at will or when in serious danger. Clothes are a "sometimes". Will eventually teleport you naked into an Ultraviolet Internal Security board meeting.
2:Pyrokinetics: Burn baby burn. Don't burn your head.
3:Matter eater: What nuclear hand grenade, officer? *munch*.
4:Telekinesis: Lift rocks, throw grenades, levitate the weapon of your arresting officer, levitate your own brain outta the body.
5:X-Ray eyes: I can see everything maaaaan. (everything subject to terms and conditions)
6:Charm: Oh, officer, you're such a nice person, you don't need to bring me in, surely?
7:Telepathy: THEY'RE IN MY HEAAAD! AAARGH!
8:Fleshmend: It's only a fleshwound! (Unless it isn't)
9: Levitation: Fly, my pretty! Don't get stuck in mid-air!
10:Roll again. If anything but 10, take 10:Energy Field: Create a shield of incandescent light that reflects all radiating energy away. Or, if used wrongly, into the hapless mutant as they boil in their own heat.
Otherwise, take 10: Machine empathy!!!: THIS MUTATION CANNOT BE REGISTERED: You are able to charm and empathise with otherwise cold and uncaring steel robots. Revealing this mutation is grounds for The Computer to immediately order execution. Be careful. The guardbot wont give you a chance to say sorry if it figures out what you're doing.
Secret Societies
Troubleshooters belong to one of several secret societies. This is illegal. They dont really care. To choose your secret society, write it on your sheet, or put (GM choice) to leave it to me. These offer opportunities for lots of gear, info, blackmail, and cash, but get reaal mad if you dont do what you're told to.
Anti-Mutant: Death to the mutants! Even a registered mutant is STEALING YOUR MIND! 'nuff said. (You're still a mutant, have fun!)
Psion: Humanity is evolving, and we mutants are the next step. You can only have this society if you have a "tele-" power.
Pro-Tech: Science is the key to the future. And nuclear everything!
Death Leapord: Blow stuff up. Prank. Be fun. Put fizz-wizz in a High Programmer's shower.
PURGE:SMASH THE COMPUTER! THE COMPUTER SUCKS SILICON.
Corpore Metal: Robots are superior. We must emulate them and place them in control.
Frankenstein Destroyers: Robots are stealing our joooooobs! Break em! Blow 'em up! Program them to blow bots up!
FCCCP: The Computer is quite literally God, and we are It's servants. This one won't get you blasted by Internal Security if you get caught. Probbably.
Computer Phreaks: Hack everything. Turn the Infrared Barracks into a rave. Steal data. Send for alga-pizza.
Free Enterprise: Wanna make a quick buck? A combination of a drug empire, a mafia, and a corporations.
Communists: Looks like the computer aint so mad after all. You're a commie. Nobody knows what communism is any more, but if the Computer hates it, it can't be all that bad? These people spend time practicing russian accents, wearing ushankas, and blowing up major throughfares.
Sierra Club: Citizens of the Complex know nothing of nature. We must prepare them for it's inevitable fall. Introduce these wasps to the air vents to teach them what insects are.
Kit
You start with Red reflec antilaser, a laser pistol, and 2 Red laser barrels. You can requisition more of anything you want at any time in the complex, and it may or may not arrive within the current epoch. Requisitions can be literally anything, from five packs of Cold Fun Happy Time Food to a cone rifle loaded with thermobaric missiles. The only thing is - You're gonna have to justify those requisitions at the end of the mission. So go easy on "five hundred barrels of plutonium". Additionally, the more you want an item, the more likely you'll have to bribe the warehouse staffer to recieve your request before the next ice age.
Get moving, Troubleshooter.
Unfortunately, the Rules are clearance Ultraviolet. You are clearance Red. Therefore, a short excerpt of the rules has been prepared, since you cannot read the Real Deal.
Rules.
When you want to make a skillcheck, be it swinging from a power cable over a food vat, or firing your laser rifle at a fleeing traitor, or even trying to remember what buttons to press on the plasma cannon as the malfunction buzzer screams in your ear, you make a roll on a d20 (Or rather, the GM does). The lower you get, the better. 1 always passes, and 20 always fails. Such is Paranoia. You are attempting to roll beneath a number which is as follows:
(Your stat covered by that action+The bonus from being trained in that skill, if applicable.)
Difficult activities will lower, half or quarter your skill when rolling, however!
Contested rolls, where players are rolling against each other, are different. Simply put, whoever rolls highest (plus modifiers from both stats and training) suceeds in the contest, be it a game of cards or struggling for the self-destruct codes.
There are other modifiers to the rules, much more, but if you want those, your best bet is to look at them online in the real PARANOIA books. Don't let on though - it's treason to know the rules too well!
PLAYER LIST: 6/6
- IcyTea31 - Ga-R-LIC-1
- VoidSlayer - Joe-R-NEY-1
- Pencil_art - Wellis-R-USS-1
- Kassire - Teddy-R-OOS-1
- NAV - Croc-R-DIL-1
- Zomara - Wie-R-DAL-1
WAIT LIST: 1
- Salsacookies - Ian-R-NUM-11
The Clone Family Memorial Center
- BlitzDungeoneer - Blud-R-AIN 1-6. All mysteriously walked into a room where lasers happened suddenly.
Poll
Author
Topic: Re: PARANOIA [dead] - In which the party is on indefinite hiatus (Read 23144 times)