Hello! I'm MalkomK, and I'm going to start a play-by-post game of Paranoia! If you don't know what this is, look at the spoiler. Better yet, find and read a Paranoia rulebook.
I'm mostly just making this mission up as I go along, so expect some FUN to be had!
Current player status:
http://typewith.me/KvIYdp0x8zThe rules:
We expect a certain degree of maturity, writing skill (including proper knowledge of grammar and spelling) and sincerity. Players are required to use their common sense. (Which I trust they have.)
Have fun and treat the other players with respect..
For the rest...
- The game will be done in updates. I hope to do at least one every day.
- There's no need to create your character. Just post what you want to do, I'll use your forum name as character name.
- I'm just kind of making everything up as I go along, with a loose use of the Paranoia 5th edition rulebook.
If you don't know what Paranoia is, read this, it's from Wikipedia, mildly edited and spoilered for length. If you have a Paranoia 5th edition rulebook, feel free to read the INFRARED and RED-clearance sections. Remember, any knowledge of the ULTRAVIOLET clearance sections is grounds for summary termination.
The setting is: an immense and futuristic underground city called Alpha Complex, which is controlled by The Computer, a civil service AI construct. The Computer serves as the game's principal antagonist, and fears a number of threats to its 'perfect' society, such as The Outdoors, mutants, and secret societies (especially Communists). To deal with these threats, The Computer employs Troubleshooters, whose job is to go out, find trouble, and shoot it. Player characters are usually troubleshooters, although later game supplements have allowed the players to take on other roles. Frequently the player characters receive missions that are incomprehensible, self-contradictory or fatal, issued equipment that is dangerous, faulty or "experimental" (i.e.: almost certainly dangerous AND faulty), and side-missions which conflict with any other instructions the players may have received. Additionally, each player character is generally an unregistered mutant and/or a secret society member, and has a hidden agenda separate from the group's goals, often involving stealing from or killing teammates. Missions can therefore turn into a comedy of errors as everyone on the team seeks to double-cross everyone else while keeping their own secrets. The game's manual encourages suspicion between players, offering several tips on how to make the gameplay as paranoid as possible.
Every player's character is assigned six clones, known as a "six-pack," which are used to replace the preceding clone upon his or her death. As a result, Paranoia allows characters to be routinely killed yet the player can continue instead of leaving the game. This easy spending of clones tends to lead to frequent firefights, gruesome slapstick, and the horrible yet humorous demise of most if not all of the player character's clone family. The Paranoia rulebook is unusual in a number of ways; demonstrating any knowledge of the rules is specifically forbidden for players (and punishable by the summary execution of their character) and most of the rulebook is written in an easy, conversational tone that often makes fun of the players and their characters, while occasionally taking digs at other notable role-playing games.
About security clearance: Paranoia features a security clearance system based on colors of the visible spectrum which heavily restricts what the players can and cannot do; everything from corridors to food and equipment have security restrictions. The lowest rating is infrared but the lowest playable security clearance is red. The full order of clearances from lowest to highest is Infrared (visually represented by Black), Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, and Ultraviolet (visually represented by White). Within the game, infrared-clearance citizens live dull lives of mindless drudgery and are heavily medicated, and those with Ultraviolet clearance are almost completely unrestricted and have a great deal of access to The Computer; in fact, they are the only citizens that may (legally) access and modify the Computer's programming, and thus Ultraviolet citizens are also referred to as "High Programmers". Higher level citizens, especially those of Blue and above, can demote and or even summarily execute lower level citizens. Security clearance is not related to competence or even authority, though there is often a correlation; clearance is instead a measure of The Computer's trust in a citizen.
There's a list of secret societies, again from Wikipedia:
Anti-Mutant: A hate group who hates mutants above and beyond the social norm. They attack registered and even 'suspected' mutants in dark corridors with lead pipes and funball bats. Their members are constantly trying to ferret out the mutant menace that hides among them, and a good percentage are even more paranoid than the average citizen. Ironically, many of them are actually mutants themselves, but remain unregistered.
Communists: This secret society was formed based on the theory that, if the Computer hates Communism so much, then there must be something to it. Their knowledge of historical Communism is poor, leading to Alpha Complex Communists adopting stereotypical Russian accents and clothing, carrying pictures of Groucho Marx and listening to the 'revolutionary' songs of John Lennon.
Computer Phreaks: Composed of hackers, crackers, computer geeks, and computer game addicts, the Computer Phreaks practice programming in secret — and try to show off how very l33t they are. This can be a very dangerous hobby in Alpha. The line between 'hacker extraordinaire' and 'terminated traitor' is a fine one.
Corpore Metal: Corpore Metal members believes that humans are inferior and outdated. Machines are the wave of the future. CorpMets are obsessed with attaining the perfection of 'bothood', going as far as intentional self-maiming to obtain cybernetic replacements. This secret society, unsurprisingly, also has a large number of rogue bot members.
Death Leopard: Their motto is "live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful set of 6 corpses." Death Leopard is into loud music, explosions, and parties. They are not so much a coherent secret society as a collection of gangs. There are frequent wars within the society, but they will usually band together to deal with outside threats — if only to get back to settling their turf wars in peace.
First Church of Christ Computer Programmer (FCCC-P) (also referred to as The Assemblers of God in some editions): They believe that the Computer is God. They have their own hymns, services, and worship, and obey the Computer much more than the average Alpha Complex citizen. While secret society membership is still against the law, the FCCC-P is generally ignored, or only given a punitive slap-on-the-wrist. There are interfactional conflicts between different sects of the church, and even simple differences in interpretation can lead to bloodshed.
Frankenstein Destroyers: This Luddite society believes that robots are the cause of all mankind's problems. Some blanket this hate to all technology, but the society is mainly focused on destroying the shiny, soulless AI menace.
Free Enterprise: In earlier editions Free Enterprise represents capitalists in The Computer's more communist society. With the increasing amount of authorized capitalism in Paranoia XP, Free Enterprise has become a pseudo-mafia organization, sometimes adopting stereotypical Italian accents. Free Enterprise runs the Infrared markets in Alpha Complex.
Humanists: The Humanists are aware of just how flawed Alpha Complex is ... at least to some degree. They realize the Computer is insane, and strive to make Alpha Complex a better place for people. They do this by installing hidden backdoor codes in The Computer, reprogramming rogue bots to serve humanity, and planning for the day when they rise up and restore power to the people. That day is just around the corner — and has been for centuries; the Humanists never seem to get much done, as the society is bogged down by process, meetings, and committees.
Illuminati: The Illuminati is a secretive organization whose goals are so well hidden that most members don't know them. No one knows what the goals of this society are, or even how it goes about them. Members may be given orders as simple as 'deliver this', or 'kill him/her', or as unfathomable as 'Take the cap off the pen in the briefing room XLJ11, and dispose of it down the trash chute in X corridor'. Most Illuminati also pose as members of another secret society, in order to keep their true society a secret.
Mystics: Supposedly founded by those seeking enlightenment, the Mystics focus on recreational drug use. Another example of an un-society, there is no grand Mystic goal. Some limit themselves to their own personal visions, while others try to drug food or water supplies to try to 'enlighten' as many as possible.
Pro Tech: Pro Tech members enjoy high technology. They research new technology and steal research by others. Pro-techers can sometimes be identified by the sheer number of beeping nifty gadgets they tend to carry.
Psion: Psion is the pro-mutant group. They believe mutants are superior beings. Heavily run by the 'Controls', a separated and hidden network of telepathic mutants, Psions seek to pave the way for a better, brighter (mutant-run) future.
PURGE: PURGE is an active terrorist organization seeking to violently overthrow The Computer. They have no real ideology about what comes after; they just want the Computer destroyed. In previous editions, PURGE was as slapstick as all the others. In XP, particularly Straight-style games, PURGE is a terrorist organization, out to destroy the hated Computer no matter how many innocents are lost in the fight.
Romantics: Enticed by the forbidden lore of the "Old Reckoning" (the days before Alpha Complex and the Computer), the Romantics scavenge what details about the past they can. However, due to the suppression of this information, their information is rather flawed, and different sects focus on different aspects of the past.
Sierra Club (referred to as Seal Club in some editions): The Computer restricts leaving Alpha Complex to Green clearance and above, and then only for good reasons. So, aside from Troubleshooters who may be sent into the great Outdoors, almost no one in Alpha Complex has seen so much as a blade of grass. This great mystique has led to the formation of the Sierra Club, devoted to sneaking out. Some want to escape forever, while others try to bring the wonders of nature to the less fortunate inside.
The 1st Edition also included secret societies such as Spy For Another Alpha Complex and Programs Group (Programs Groups being the personal agents and spies of the High Programmers at the apex of Alpha Complex society).
That's probably all you need to know. OK, here goes.
Our story begins with a group of RED clearance clones in a large and spacious hall. The floor and walls are shiny RED, indicating that you are cleared to be here. At one end is a door; at the other, a large monitor. On it is the words, "LOADING. PLEASE WAIT."
There are a couple of vendobots zooming around the hall, stopping to drone advertisement messages. "Eat Crickley's Algae Chips! The most nutricious, delicious food for Red Clearance Clones!" Everyone is feeling quite hungry.
What do you do?
Author
Topic: MalkomK's Paranoia Game - Mission the First (Read 9709 times)