Minireview: War On [Insert Noun Here] (Paranoia)

[War On [Insert Noun Here]](amazon:1905850603) is a short campaign for Paranoia, parodying the U.S. “War On Terror/Drugs/Whatever”. In fact, the book is dedicated to George W. Bush, for “advancing the cause of paranoia worldwide”.

The basic plot goes like this: there is a glitch, and the Computer decides that it’s under attack. Since it’s not quite sure who or what is actually attacking, it quickly forms a brand-new entity (Department of Complex Operational Defense) to combat this brand-new deadly threat. Guess who gets to head this department? That’s right, the PCs! Unlike most Paranoia adventures, this one sees the PCs actually get promoted… way above their abilities or means. No, this is not a good thing for the PCs, but this is Paranoia. “Good things for the PCs” is not on the menu.

It’s a pretty amusing scenario, and firmly in the “Classic Paranoia” playstyle. There are lots of bad puns, parodies of real-life events, and unlikely events & antagonists (giant mutant flesh-eating slugs, anyone?). I liked the fact that it does something a bit nonstandard (promoting the PCs) and turns that event into a nightmare, in true Paranoia fashion.There are also some fun jabs made at corporate life and marketing, in general.

On the minus side, as (unfortunately) so usual for a Mongoose book, the proofreading is a bit lacking. Typos here and there, and more seriously there is at least one pre-gen PC writeup completely missing. The Paranoia forums have a fix, however, so don’t let that put you off buying the book – it is pretty good, despite minor faults. […]

Minireview: Mandatory Mission Pack (Paranoia)

The somewhat misleadingly named Mandatory Mission Pack is actually a collection of various NPCs, places and events to use in generating encounters etc on the fly in a Paranoia game. There’s a list of various briefing rooms, briefing officers, hallways, secret society orders, etc. Some of them are so-so, but most are wonderfully bizarre and fun. In any case, it’s a fairly thin book but also a cheap one, so pretty good bang for the buck here.

Together with this and some of the other “random mission blender” stuff in earlier supplements, you could probably run a Paranoia mission with minimal prep time. Of course, the main use for this is as an “emergency idea resource” for those times when the players do something unexpected and you’re having problems with coming up with something suitably cool on the fly. Just say “wait a sec”, run to the bookshelf, pick a random item from the relevant section, and you’re good to go. Well, in theory at least. […]

Minireview: Big Book of Bots (Paranoia XP)

Despite the title, the Big Book of Bots isn’t all that big. But it is about bots (i.e. robots) in the Paranoia game world. Up to now, these helpful machines have been mostly tools for the GM to cause (helpful and friendly) diversions for the PCs. In this case, “helpful” usually means “stupid and/or obstructionist” and “friendly” means “lethal and/or homicidal”. What this book provides is both an expanded listing of new and old bots (with skill listings), and a system for creating bot PCs. The Computer knows that you’ve always (secretly!) wanted to roleplay a scrubbot. Well, now you can! As an added bonus, bots can’t be traitors (according to the Computer), since they don’t have free will (according to the Computer) and are programmed to always look after the good of Alpha Complex (according to the Computer). Your reality may vary.

On the downside, it’s a fairly thin book and the editing & layout are slightly shoddy in places. On the plus side, it does have some fun extra crunch on bots and even includes a bot-centric adventure. An “ok” minor expansion book; not a must-buy by any means but contains some fun and/or useful stuff for the game. The system by which bots gain skills (via memcards) does lend itself to some evil ideas, if you happen to be an evil-minded GM. Not that any Paranoia GM would be that. […]

Minireview: The Underplex

The Underplex is a compact Paranoia supplement which details the “spaces in between” – the abandoned corridors and levels that lie between, under and over all the inhabited areas of Alpha Complex. As such it’s a fun and natural idea, and quite useful as a place where secret society meetings could sometimes take place… and also as a shortcut between point A and B, where nasty and lethal thing C is blocking the usual route. Naturally enough, it also serves as an excuse to throw new hazards in the PCs’ direction. Where do all the hungry & dangerous mutants live? Why, in the Underplex of course!

The book contains ideas on how to populate these “uninhabited” areas and also presents an “adventure seed” on the same subject. This is by no means a “must have” book for Paranoia, but neither is it bad. Sure, you can and should just invent most of this stuff yourself… but getting extra ideas is rarely a bad thing. […]

Minireview: WMD

One of the best things about the new edition of Paranoia, in my opinion, is the addition of the “Straight” gameplay style. For those unfamiliar with it, it’s simply a tweak of the Paranoia world and rulset in which you can (gasp!) actually survive some missions. Instead of instant execution you get faced with bureaucratic penalties and other (mostly) nonlethal stuff if you screw things up – and because there often is no way to survive a Paranoia mission other than by screwing up… well, it helps that your players don’t go through five clones per game session. The “straight” mode encourages gameplay more like Brazil and 1984, instead of the more slapstick “Classic” style in which you shoot first and ask questions only if forced to.

WMD is a collection of four “Straight” missions, and it’s fantastic – one of the best supplements so far for the new Paranoia line. While all four missions are very good, the first one is perhaps the best simply because it’s actually quite disturbing and horrifying, all the while giving rewards to the PCs. The mission is named “Hunger”, I won’t spoil anything else about it here. Except that it ties in with a certain historical “Great Leader” – who may have been more of a monster in actual reality. This is easily the grimmest and least funny Paranoia mission ever published… and I say that as praise, it shows how far the “Straight” style manages to push the Paranoia envelope. Oh, there is humor here, but it’s pitch black.

I gather the original intent of this collection was to have all four missions be titled “WMD”, since they all feature something with those initials. In one of them, it actually is a Weapon of Mass Destruction, of the good ol’ “leave a huge smoking crater” variety. In the others, it’s stuff like a Wireless Memory Downgrade, or Lobot WMD-1, or something else. In all cases, the “WMD” spells serious trouble for the PCs. Hey, it’s Paranoia!

The other missions are also very cool and varied. One of them is extremely clever, and all are quite complicated… as always, read them through a few times before trying to run them. I’m hesitant to mention any details of the missions here, since it’s very hard to do so without spoilers. There are dangerous (or not) robots, dangerous VIP visits, confused personalities, suspicious High Programmers… and yes, that one big WMD that may go boom.

I’d happily run any of the missions here, there is no filler in this bunch. If you’re looking for a high-quality set of adventures for Paranoia in the “Straight” style, this book has what you need. Highly recommended. […]

Minireview: Alpha Complex Nights

Alpha Complex Nights is a fairly new book for Paranoia XP. It’s a collection of three new adventures, all written by Gareth Hanrahan. I’d say it’s a very good – with some minor disclaimers.

All three adventures share two elements: they all contain a non-standard twist, and they are all quite complicated. Complicated in that they all actually have a back story, and there’s a lot to keep in mind when running them. That complexity also makes them quite interesting, so it’s a some-good-some-bad feature. The twists add to the interest factor.

The first of the bunch is Spin Control, which features the need for the Troubleshooters to control the “truth”. While always being an important survival skill in good ol’ Alpha Complex, here it becomes a mandate. There are also zombies. Yes, zombies. Lots of them. Of the brain-eating kind. Yes, that’s the twist. Sporks also feature heavily. The whole thing is insanely complex, quite funny, and very good.

Second up is My First Treason, where the Troubleshooters… aren’t. Aren’t Troubleshooters, that is. Instead, players play “junior citizens”, fresh from the creche and straight into school (or what passes for it in Alpha Complex). There’s a lot of Harry Potter spoofing going on and lots of opportunities to stab people in the back, blame others, and try to survive. Situation normal, in other words. While good fun and a nice twist, this is possibly the weakest of the three – though that is mostly due to the high quality of the other two.

Last up, there’s Sweep Of Unhistory, where (due to a fairly unlikely plot gimmick) the Troubleshooters get re-cloned time and time again… each time further in the future. While staying quite “normal” in the beginning, the whole thing degenerates into an insane version of The Time Machine, with lots of jokes and references thrown about in all appropriate directions. Alpha Complex where the Commies won (sorta)? Flying Alpha Complex sky fortress? No computer, just lots of slaves and coconuts? Giant mutant cockroaches? All here. It’s a lovely time travel spoof and great Paranoia adventure, rolled into one. Keeping up player interest through the zillion possible futures may be a challenge, of course.

All that is based on how the things read, of course – they sound like lots of fun, but the proof is in the play, as always. […]