Paranoia (roleplay)

Paranoia is a comedic RPG, set in a dystopian future. Designed by Daniel Seth Gelber, Greg Costikyan, Eric Goldberg and Ken Rolston Paranoia was first published in the United States by West End Games in 1984. It is influenced by works set in dystopia, such as for example 1984 (by George Orwell), Brave New World (by Aldous Huxley), Brazil, (by Terry Gilliam), or A Clockwork Orange (by Anthony Burgess).

In 1991 Paranoia was translated and published in Spanish by the now-defunct Barcelona publisher Joc Internacional.

Overview

With a crazy game pace, this game features flexible rules that are intended to encourage player action and initiative. Since its appearance there have been approximately ten different versions of the game. The latest version, released in 2004 (ten years after the fifth) was initially called Paranoia XP (After the famous operating system). It was necessary to edit a second version called Paranoia XP Service Pack 1 in which the errors that had been detected were corrected. Later, due to legal problems, its name had to be changed simply to Paranoia. This new version presents three game modes:

• Zapin which the game lasts no more than an hour, and in which the Master It has to be terribly evil.
• Classic, which is the mode that allows common games Paranoia (from 3 to 6 hours).
• Straight, or also called "field mode", in which you can play several sessions like any other game, decreasing damage for treason and adding a method to buy clones and go beyond the initial 6.

Gameplay

The objective of the game is mainly for everyone around the table to have fun, both the master and the players, so at all times the manual encourages breaking the rules in after the fun Just because a weapon works that way once doesn't mean it will work the same way the next time. The game system is practically hidden from the player, so the player cannot complain about the supposed abuses of the master. At every point, the manual explains that the master is always right, and that if a rule is too complicated, or for some reason it doesn't seem right to the master, the master you can delete it.

Giving 3 bulletproof vests, 50 lighters and a protocol robot for a group of 8 people in a strike mission is common in this game. And if one complains, it is treason, since you are insinuating in some way that the Computer Friend has a wrong judgment.

This game can be defined as "unconventional" due to its peculiar relationship between players who are encouraged to fight among themselves, betray and betray themselves to the Computer, the chief entity of the Alpha complex, place of residence of the characters.

The original idea of this game is to remove the most common guidelines in role-playing games. A character doesn't usually last very long. Nobody learns and abuses the rules because the game master can change them at will. Sessions are usually short (2-3 hours). There is a whole system to encourage fun by encouraging originality.

Game system

The game system of the first editions of Paranoia used 20-sided dice and the character sheets included various abilities classified according to their usefulness in the game.

Settings

The game is set in the Alpha Complex, an immense underground city controlled by The Computer, a schizophrenic artificial intelligence system, which was programmed to ensure the happiness of its inhabitants, happiness that is mandatory. His action protocols include summary execution at any sign of abnormality in his "perfect" society. The problem is that all citizens have at least two reasons for treason: belonging to a secret society and having mutant power. In addition, the same computer gives contradictory orders that, if not fully complied with (which is often impossible), are also grounds for treason.

History of the Alpha complex in Paranoia XP Service Pack 1

After World War III, in which first world countries end up destroying each other, the other surviving countries manage to create the self-styled "Age of Peace" and a truly world government develops for the first time. With the passage of time, cities became more and more computerized. Among them is the basis of the Paranoia: The Alpha Complex stories.

The Alpha complex is a nuclear shelter, located underground in the former US, and used after World War III. There are other similar systems, such as the Alpha Prima complex, with which it was connected.

In the year 2097 a planetoid is detected that will collide with the Earth. All the complexes are focusing their tasks on saving themselves from the imminent impact, those who can leave Earth and many build a refuge in Des Moines (Iowa, USA). In Russia, an ancient poorly deactivated missile without a nuclear warhead is activated. The database of the Alpha complex was being transferred to the refuge at that time, so the only explanation he can find is that of a Communist invasion. Coinciding with the collision of the planetoid, the Alpha complex is isolated from the other complexes. Their reports conclude that the Alpha complex is the only place in the world with survivors of the nuclear war. In the restoration of communications, the Alpha Prima complex tells the Alpha complex to reopen: The attack had been nothing more than a mistake. But the Alpha complex sends an ultimatum to the Alpha Prima complex, asking it to show its "Source Code" to be able to check if there are any viruses or Communist code inside. Because the source code for the Alfa Prima complex was developed by a mega-company that monopolized the market and supported closed source code (guess no company?), he flatly refused, so each complex successively accused the other of treason, and the other complexes ended up isolating the Alpha and Alpha Prima complexes. From this moment the computer continues to maintain its inhabitants and preserve them from the attacks of the supposed Communists, mutants and traitors.

After 216 years, life has completely changed in your world. The Alpha complex is led by your best friend, a computer programmed to make all its faithful inhabitants happy. Not being happy is considered treason, and for traitors there is no place. (zapp)

Security credentials

Unlike other role-playing games, which are based on experience levels, in Paranoia there is a very hierarchical system of social classes, to which you go up by way of experience. These social levels are based on how much trust the computer has in you, not how strong or knowledgeable you are. Any object, place or information has its own security credential, in the case of material objects defined by their own color. A slight oversight leads the player to a security code violation, which immediately leads to betrayal points. The levels are distributed according to colors of the visible spectrum of light, including the two extreme credentials that fall outside the spectrum:

• Infrared: 80% of the population, exploited workers.
• Red: those who have gained the confidence of the computer by accusing of traitor their best friend (true or not). Office work, coordination,... Players start at this level.
• Orange: the first level with a little free time.
• Yellow: they are not forced to share room.
• Green: the first minimum "decent" status on the social scale.
• Blue: Less material possessions are allowed.
• Indigo: they have in their service private vehicle with driver.
• Violeta: They own their own subsector.
• Ultraviolet: the High Programmers, with direct access to the core of the computer, and therefore all-powerful.

Mutant Powers

The reproduction system of the Alpha complex is cloning, families of six identical clones are created, five of which remain in reserve in case the first clone perishes. The imperfection of the cloning system means that almost all the inhabitants (at least all the players) have a mutant power. In the first edition of the book they present some powers. It can be clearly seen that the game does not aim at any kind of realism or science fiction, just to bring emotion to the game:

• Adrenaline control
• Electroshock
• Empathy
• Mechanical empathy
• Mechanical intuition
• Mental reading
• Levitation
• Piroquinesis
• Polimorphism
• Precognition
• Mental Ray
• Supermetabolism
• Supersent
• Regeneration
• Sentido de la Burocracia
• Telepathy
• Teleportation
• Telekinesis
• X-ray vision

Mutation is treason.

Secret Societies

Originally, the computer banned the clone association to prevent gatherings of communists it suspected had infiltrated the compound. Such communists did not exist, but soon some citizens saw in these unknown beings their own mission in the complex. Thus, in a few years they had obtained the information to organize the Soviet-style resistance of 200 years before. In addition, a high programmer realized the human need for conspiracy, and little by little other secret societies, secretly organized by the computer, with different harmless objectives, appeared. Over time, others appeared, no longer controlled by the computer. The following are cited in the first edition of the book:

• Antifrankenstein
• Club Sierra
• Communists
• Corpore Metal
• Humanities
• Early Church of Christ Programmer
• Illuminati
• Leopards of death
• Free Company
• Mystics
• Computer hacks
• Protecnos
• Psiónicos
• Purgators
• Romantic

Belonging to a secret society not accepted by The Computer is treason.

Curiosities

• Although the game system is complex enough to be used, the authors themselves recommend ignoring the rules and giving the game director the corresponding decisions randomly.
• The World of Paranoia It is a world full of supposed betrayals, accompanied by a burda and endless bureaucracy, which caricatures other games where only action prevails.
• The Alpha complex, despite pursuing communism, has a large part of its functioning based on communism.
• The computer chooses our family (6 clones), chooses our residence, chooses where we will work and what we will do, however the characters are free to progress if they betray their friends.
• From the beginning the computer abolished all forms of private property to avoid disputes; ironically as it progresses on the social scale possessions are allowed.
• Instead of eliminating the economy, totally unnecessary in this world, every citizen has a small amount of money to buy worthless bananas (such as Sparkling Brebaje or portraits of the famous MADO-N-NNA1).
• The computer is your friend.