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Welcome to the wonderful world of Alpha Complex, citizen.

Paranoia is a game where there are rules, but the player's aren't allowed to know them.
If any player even gives the merest hint of knowing what the rules are and their character does not have ULTRAVIOLET clearance, they are immediately executed for reading something above their security clearance.

The player characters play as Trouble Shooters. An elite security force whose job is to find trouble and shoot it.

Your main goal is to seek out and hunt down all Commie Mutant Traitors seeking to subvert or destroy Friend Computer and the Alpha Complex.

However, you are a Commie Mutant traitor seeking to subvert or destroy Friend Computer and the Alpha Complex.

Everyone is also part of an illegal secret society, most of which are widely known about, which each have their own separate goals and agendas. However, belonging to a secret society is treason, as they subvert Friend Computer's authority and are therefore traitors.

Occasionally, players will be tasked with non-violent tasks, such as maintenance, cleaning and testing experimental equipment. You will quickly learn to dread these missions.

Now this may make Alpha Complex sound like a chaotic and dangerous place to live, but this is not true at all. Friend Computer says that Alpha Complex is the most happiest and safest place in the entire world.

Implying the Computer is wrong is Treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

The Computer is your Friend. Trust the Computer.

If this sounds interesting to you, then I warmly welcome you to join in on our first session of Paranoia.

In the next few posts, I go over some of the important aspects of the game and how it works; but for those interested, the entire rule book can be found here.

Just try to keep in mind what I said about the rules.

Trust No One

The above rule is key to surviving for more than a hour in Alpha Complex.

The GM is out to get you.

Your Team is out to get you.

Even you are out to get you, as your own plans to betray everyone backfire horrifically.

However, you can't just immediately murder the other players upon meeting them. You also have to come up with a way of getting away with it first.

Evidence, and the destruction thereof, is key to saving yourself and dooming your foes.

If you succeed, your foe will be demoted or terminated and you earn yourself a well earned promotion through the ranks.

Fail, however, and the fate that would of befallen your foe will instead be cast upon yourself.

Falsely accusing others of treasonous activity is Treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

Work as a Team

Hang on, didn't you just say we were out to screw everyone over?

Yes, yes you are. However, you cannot complete the tasks Friend Computer sets for you alone. It's no good being the sole survivor of your team, if you failed to clean the toilets in Sector KJU within the allotted time requirement.

This means that if you wish to succeed, you will have to pick the right time to betray your fellow traitors.

The ideal situation is to arrive at the debriefing as the sole survivor of your team, as dead people cannot defend themselves.

Do keep in mind however, that everyone has six lives, so if you are too good at being a traitor, don't be surprised if the other players form a truce and work together to expose you as the dirty commie traitor that you are.

Not only is such behaviour acceptable in Paranoia, but it is highly encouraged.

Security Clearance

Pay attention, as this will probably get you killed more than anything else.

The levels of security clearance from lowest to highest are as follows.

INFRARED (Represented as BLACK)

RED:

ORANGE

YELLOW

GREEN

BLUE

INDIGO

VIOLET

ULTRAVIOLET (Represented as WHITE)

Any citizen found in a location or using an item above their security clearance will immediately be executed for insubordination.

For example, let's say a citizen had a red and green apple.

A RED citizen, would only be allowed to handle and eat the RED parts, whilst a GREEN citizen can eat the whole thing.

Of course , if the RED citizen ate the whole thing and no one was able to record him doing so, there would be no proof that he broke the rules and therefore cannot be executed for insubordination.

Keep this in mind, and you'll be fine.

Until someone finds a can of white paint and films you in a restricted area after pouring it all over your feet.

Clones

Friend Computer understands that Trouble Shooting, on the rare occasion, can be a very hazardous occupation.

Therefore the Computer has generously provided everyone with six back-up clones in the event of your untimely demise.

Cloning in Alpha Complex is a norm of everyday life, so instead of it being treated less like a miracle of modern science and more like this:

When a Trouble Shooter dies, a clone is taken out of the tank and is placed, more or less, in the same location where the previous one perished at a time that suits the Computer's convenience

Of course, this cloning system is perfect and is being steadily advanced everyday by the R&D division, which means that the chance of any mutations occurring is very, very low.

Any mutations experienced by the new clone are clearly the work of Commie Traitors who have infiltrated the clone tanks and not due to the centuries old machinery running the show.

Implying otherwise is Treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

Mission Structure

Each Mission is broken up in to three sections.

Briefing:

At the start of the session, each player can buy items using any available credits they have and then have to navigate the Alpha Complex to reach the briefing room. Those who survive this initial step have first dibs on what role they will have this mission.

Mission:

Friend Computer gives the Trouble Shooters a task to complete and gives them co-ordinates to the nearest quartermaster who will provide them with the equipment they will need to complete this task.

This is also the point in the session where your secret society will give you their own objectives to complete, which could be in contradiction to the task given to you by Friend Computer.

Debriefing:

This is where you explain to Friend Computer why your task succeeded or failed and is the best time to show off all the treasonous activity your colleagues have committed; as you will have the Computer's full and undivided attention.

Team Roles

If by some miracle everyone manages to make it to the briefing room alive, you will have to discuss amongst yourselves who will be responsible for which role.

The sole exception of this is Team Leader, which is automatically assigned to the last person to pick a role.

The Roles are:

Team Leader:

Has the duty of commanding the party and deciding which direction to travel in when lost.

The Team Leader is held to an even higher standard of not being treasonous than everyone else, but in exchange, is considered more convincing when accusing others of treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

Communications Officer:

Equipped with additional communications and recording equipment, allowing them to open a direct line to Friend Computer from almost anywhere (unless the signals are being blocked by mutant commie traitors), thus making it very easy for them to report treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

Loyalty Officer:

Charged with the duty of ensuring that all members of the team are loyal to Friend Computer, Alpha Complex and have no doubts as to instructions given by Friend Computer.

Doubting instructions or failing to be loyal is Treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

Equipment Officer:

In charge of maintaining the team's gear. Will also be given new experimental technology with a tendency to explode in the user's face to test before every mission.

Failure to test this technology is Treason.

Treason is punishable by Death
.
Hygiene Officer:

Ensures the proper cleanliness of the team. Full hygiene inspections can be as long and invasive as the Hygiene Officer likes. Objecting to a hygiene inspection is insubordination.

Insubordination is Treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

Happiness Officer:

Has the duty of making sure that the entire team remains happy at all times. Unhappy team members must be made happy as soon as possible via injections of happiness drugs.

Happiness is mandatory.

Unhappiness is Treason.

Treason is punishable by Death.

Perversity Points

Perversity Points allow any player to add or subtract to any dice roll in the game and there is no cap to how many points can be spent on one roll.

In the optimal game size of six people, this means that it is entirely possible for a Nat 20 to be turned into a 1 if the enough people pour their perversity points into it.

Everyone starts out with 25 Perversity Points as standard and more can be provided at the DM's discretion.

Normally, these are awarded for coming up with amusing or inventive solutions to problems.

For example, if a fellow Trouble Shooter records you in a corridor you are not cleared for, you can bluff and say that the recording equipment had been tampered with by traitorous forces to record in different colours and thus it was your colleague who was in breach of his security clearance.

This covers the basics and all that is left now is for you guys to create your characters.

Page 17 of the rulebook covers this and I'll leave it up to you to sort out.

Once you have created your character, post their character sheet below, along with a description of how they became Trouble Shooters.

Any secret info or secret messages can either be included on the forum post as a Spoiler, or can be sent as a direct message. However, as the GM, I need to know what is going on, so if you do send another player a secret message via a direct message; please let me know as well.

If you want to send a secret message via spoiler, we have to have a gentleman's agreement to not read any messages not directed to us. Anyone caught acting upon information in a secret message that their character has not discovered yet will immediately be executed.

We'll need a minimum of two players before we can start, but ideally we'll need an odd number between 3-7 for the best experience.

Since I live in England and work various odd shifts, I will either update 9pm or 10am GMT, depending on if I'm working early or lates. This should hopefully provide any players outside of my time zone a chance to make their actions.

I'll give it until 9pm Monday 4th Jan for people to create their character sheets and post them here before we start.

If you have any questions about Paranoia or this game in general, just ask and I'll do my best to answer them.

I'm not not sure how well this is going to work, but as our favourite Kiwi always says…