I've never played Paranoia before, but I've heard about it and it seems like a lot of fun. I needed a game for a one-off, so I bought the PDF from drivethru and I'll be running a session soon. Anyone here play? Suggestions? Thoughts? Comments?

(And yes, I know that suggestions, thoughts, and comments are above your security clearance.)

Actually if you're the GM, nothing is above your clearance. My suggestion if you're looking for stuff to do, grab/download/steal/whathaveyou any episode of MST3K. Make the movie into the adventure, and make sure all the snark from Joel/Mike, Crow, and Tom is added in by you throughout the session. And when in doubt, add more explosions and commies.

Mark

I tried it a bit, but unfortunately it was right about the time I crashed from the internet. It seems fun, but it is an entirely different game from what most RPGers are used to, and that can make it very hard to get into. The rules are basically "What your GM says happens." you have almost no control over your character in chargen, backstory and such isn't that important because you don't expect to survive (unless you're playing serious, but I don't know that the game is defined enough for serious), you don't really grow attached to your character, and even more than most other games, you really have to get a feel for the GM and group and what kind of game you're playing exactly. Also, because of the nature of the rules, a good or bad GM totally makes or breaks the entire system.

Personally, I think it is a great setting, and a cool concept, but I don't like the fact that the game is nearly ruleless. It feels unpolished, but at the same time it totally lacks the pains that come with all those rules like loopholes and rules lawyering and power gaming and so on.

Probably the best thing is to make copious use of physical props. I've run one offs from time to time and really props seem to make the game.

Carl

Make sure you give them an impossible task and the almighty tools needed to perform it. Such as a Swish-army knife and a screw driver with I don't know a giant city crushing mecha to take down (I think that actually happend in one of my mates games). Get your tone right and make it "possable" and have a ball.

Basically... let go. The goal is to just go crazy. After a long day of work, turn off your brain, act on impulse. Create impossible missions with inappropriate tools, plenty of backstabbing, a ridiculous premise, explosions, shark-jumping and everything else until, somehow, they succeed (or all die in an amusing fashion). Seems like a good game to drink to.

Yes, this.

I've used...

A T-Shirt with a bulls eye decal on it for the team leader uniform.
A toilet plunger that the sanitation officer had to hold up any time she wanted to speak
a big fuzzy hat and fake mustache for the commie
toy laser pistols
printouts (filled in triplicate) which I would promptly shred when the players handed them to me then demand to see them later on.
When I was speaking as the computer I would crawl under the table and speak through a paper towel roll
bouncy bubble beverage was redbull
Bouncy bubble beverage supreme was Rickards Red
a huge novelty cowboy hat with a fake lens taped to it for our recording officer.
a tickle me elmo (though I can't rightly remember why)
I gave them their briefing once where 90% of the printout was blacked out as classified.

Don't forget! The players are your enemy. I mean, the Communists are your enemy. But any of the players might be a Communist, so they are thus the enemy. Trust no one, no one at all! Not ever the Computer. Failure to trust the Computer is a Class 7A/f misdemeanor punishable by death. Whenever a player asks questions, give inconsistent answers, or inform them that the question is above their clearance, and that by knowing the answer to the question they're committing treason punishable by death, and then tell them anyway.

Have you ever played the card game Mao? It's a lot like that.

Also, it helps if everyone is just a little drunk.

Yeah, this too. Not hammered, but if everyone can reach and maintain that 'happily buzzed' stage of drunkenness the general silliness becomes a lot more entertaining.

This thread is highly treasonous. A lot of information here is way beyond your security clearance! Are any of you sure you aren't commies\traitors\mutants? I'm telling Friend Computer!!!

Although I don't think that rules-lawyering or power-gaming is a problem for this game. Plainly because knowledge of the rules is treasonous (Yes, IN GAME).

Its a clear game of masochism. How much pain can your players take?

Reading through this thread suddenly reminded me of a convention game of Paranoia I ran.

The event actually had little slips of paper to be given out as gear, with words like "+3 Long Sword" and "Invisibility Ring" printed on them.

Note this was at a time where the big popular RPG events at the gaming conventions were of a D&D campaign called "Living City", which recorded adventure rewards like loot and gear on little slips of paper.

I don't think the items in the Paranoia game actually DID anything, but to their credit the players at every table I GMed ran with the concept. I do specifically remember one character getting diced by a motion-triggered laserfield, while screaming at the Ring item "Work damn you! Work!"



-karma