I recently ran Paranoia, my third time through a very loose scenario that I’d prepared, using my hacked version of the current edition.
All three sessions went well, and I think the most recent attempt was the most successful. I thought it might be worth picking out a few lessons I should take from that.
Amnesia is Great
Yeah it can feel cliched to have the characters wake up in a room with no memory of how they got there, or even the world that they inhabit. Paranoia has the benefit of a setting where that sort of introduction is entirely fitting for a world full of cloning, mind control, and mandatory prescriptions.
A player realising two hours into the game “wait, the R in my name is for Red clearance!” is a much more effective way at delivering setting info than dumping it on them at the start of the session.
Of course there’s a bit of information dumping required, so I do it like this:
Wake up in Troubleshooter Holding Barracks. Voice on tannoy explains memory curation and congratulates you on being volunteered for Troubleshooting.
ID explains:
Name, hint at job, skills
Give char sheet, front side only
Pamphlet dispensed, explaining:
Computer
Service Groups
Secret Societies
Mutants
Go to the briefing room. Take a Mandatory Prescription to aid in memory recall. Make it dangerous so somebody might die, letting you explain how Clones and Wounds work.
Briefing explains:
You can message the Computer secretly through your PocketBot
Test out Treason Flags (punish a volunteer)
Memory starts to fade back. Now peek at secret side of character sheet
Gear and R&D Prototype
Troubleshooter Task
MBDs
Explain YOU CAN WIN THE GAME. Assessment will be based on TMSRR (TT,MBD,SM,RD,Redacted)
That looks like a lot of information, but it’s drip fed to the players as they are exploring their surroundings and interacting with NPCs and each other.
Oh, and the pamphlet is a physical thing that the players can keep in front of them.
Sometimes Too Much is Too Much
Paranoia is built on an iceberg of secrecy, a heap of things the player needs to keep in mind when trying to succeed, some more secret than others.
Mutant Power sits at the bottom of this iceberg and I’ve noticed it’s generally the least utilised part of the character sheets. I think the Service Groups and Secret Societies are such evocative hooks that you almost don’t need the mutant element at all! Strange to say, because it feels like such a core part of the Paranoia concept, but maybe in future sessions I’ll rethink how they work, perhaps having them intrude on play even if the players aren’t actively using their power.
Pregens Make it Work
I don’t think I’d ever play this game with randomly generated characters. The whole game just relies so heavily on that inter-player conflict, so it’s a lot more effective when you can fine-tune those tangled interests for maximum juice.
I keep the physical description down to a small hook. One character is “jacked with tiny delicate glasses”, another notes “sickly complexion, always chewing gum” and I give them a gender neutral name.
Failing... Forward?
Right, I get this is basic advice at this point, but Paranoia is a great game to play if you really want to hammer this point home. For those living under a rock, this is the idea that when the players fail at a task you should apply the impact of that failure in a way that keeps the gaming moving forward. Not pulling punches is especially important here. If it’s a deadly threat then apply deadly consequences and move on.
The characters will face an unfair world full of challenges beyond their capabilities. Clever play can overcome them, but remember that you’ve also got other players working against you. Quite frankly, it’s impossible for the whole group to succeed.
Of course, Paranoia’s famous clones soften the impact of character deaths (though I start my characters a few clones into their bank of 6), but also it’s just a fun world to fail in, and things like treason flags and XP gives a few more straightforward ways to apply failure beyond just damage.
Tone is Everything
Yeah, this whole game is about tone. I prefer the cold, dark dystopia of “straight style” play, where the comedy comes through absurdity and satire rather than puns and slapstick. There were still some silly characters, of course, but then people are often kinda silly.
I tweaked some of the starting skills to reflect this. Skill groups were given names like Management and Drills, with specific skills for Infrastructure, Flattery, Chores, and Wellness. This all helped with the oppressive feel of the world, and hinted at what’s expected of citizens in Alpha Complex.
In my last game we probably used Chores and Wellness more than any other skills, with an especially funny sequence of failures related to trying to clean a corridor. Not many games where mops and bleach can lead to such a memorable encounter.
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