PARANOIA

And it's shiny.

Labels: IntSec

One of the new concepts introduced in the upcoming INTSEC rulebook is the Clone Budget. As you know, Bob, all citizens in Alpha Complex are given six clone backups by The Computer, to provide instant replacement in the event of lethal accident, termination, equipment failure, terrorist attack or other.

For most citizens, six is more than enough. For IntSec Troopers, some days six clones don't last until lunchtime. Troopers are sometimes - ok, regularly - assigned missions of staggering lethality. Therefore, in its electric wisdom, The Computer mandates a clone budget for each mission. Fallen Troopers get their clones from this budget, but once the clone budget is exhausted, Troopers must draw from their personal clone allocation.

For example, if a mission has a clone budget of THREE, then the first three deaths are paid for by The Computer. If Bob-B-3 dies, and his replacement clone is paid for out of the clone budget, then he's still on his third personal clone.

It pays to read the small print, of course. The clone budget doesn't apply, obviously, if the Trooper was terminated for treason. It also doesn't apply if the death wasn't 'in the line of duty'.

Who decides whether or not a death counts for the clone budget? The Lead Trooper does. So, if you're gunned down by a nest of Commie Mutant Machinegunners, then the Lead Trooper can decide you died heroically and deserve a free clone replacement... or he can decide that you were suffering from a pre-existing condition that you don't deserve access to the clone budget.

INTSEC Clone Budgets, just one of the many teamwork enhancements coming soon to a mission near you.

Labels: IntSec

As I come to the end of development on INTSEC, I realise that the book really needs something that Troopers can shout at suspects.

There's the US version: "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"

Or the Canadian: "You are under arrest for _________ (charge), do you understand? You have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay. We will provide you with a toll-free telephone lawyer referral service, if you do not have your own lawyer. Anything you say can be used in court as evidence. Do you understand? Would you like to speak to a lawyer?"

Or in the UK: "You do not have to say anything unless you wish to do so, but I must warn you that if you fail to mention any fact which you rely on in your defence in court, your failure to take this opportunity to mention it may be treated in court as supporting any relevant evidence against you. If you do wish to say anything, what you say may be given in evidence."

What should they say in Alpha Complex?

Labels: Community Mission, IntSec

Friend Computer!
At your service, citizen. How may I help you?

I feel uneasy about the rumoured new editions of PARANOIA.
Fear and apprehension are not permitted. Joy is mandatory. If you not experiencing mandatory joy, report for chemical joy enhancement therapy.

Would you mind answering a few questions about the new edition?
Not at all.

I've heard there are going to be three books.
There will now be three core rulebooks in the PARANOIA line. These are the TROUBLESHOOTERS book, the INTSEC book, and the HIGH PROGRAMMER's book. Each of these books is self-contained and focusses on a different way to play PARANOIA.

The 2004 PARANOIA XP rulebo-
ATTENTION! ALL REFERENCES TO A PARANOIA EDITION DENOTED BY A TWO-LETTER CODE ALSO USED BY A CERTAIN WINDOWS-BASED OPERATING SYSTEM ARE TREASON. OR LEGALLY ACTIONABLE, ANYWAY.

Oops, sorry.
A note has been made on your permanent record. Continue with your question.

The, er, 2004 PARANOIA book was all about Troubleshooters. Isn't that the same thing as the new TROUBLESHOOTER book?
The upcoming TROUBLESHOOTER rulebook is indeed a new edition of the basic PARANOIA rules, and so is largely the same as the 2004 rulebook.

What's changed?
The new rulebook is organised to facilitate the core PARANOIA experience of running a mission. Extra support is included for the Gamesmaster. The Treason rules have reverted to the simpler, more direct system used in 2nd edition.

What about the variant playstyles?
The STRAIGHT and ZAP playstyles appear as an appendix in the TROUBLESHOOTER book. HORROR, OVERKILL and HEIST appear in the INTSEC appendix. The contents of the HIGH PROGRAMMER appendix have yet to be determined.

What if I already have the 2004 rulebook. Do I need to purchase the new edition?
No. However, as a long-term PARANOIA fan, you may be interested in the BLACK MISSIONS collector's edition, which includes a CD-ROM of bonus material including interviews with the original designers.

And if I don't have the 2004 edition...
Then the new TROUBLESHOOTERS book is an ideal entry point to PARANOIA!

Let's talk about INTSEC.
Certainly, citizen. In the INTSEC game, you play members of an elite Sector Security Team. Investigate crimes! Interrogate Commie Mutant Traitors! Keep that Happiness Index up! Meet your Termination Quota. INTSEC is designed for longer-term games with more plot development and intrigue.

That sounds suspiciously like the old HIL Sector BLUES supplement.
HIL Sector BLUES was indeed a significant influence on the INTSEC rules, and parts of the text have been repurposed and included in the new book, but there's lots more than just a rehash of Hil Sector+the basic rules. New secret societies! Surveillance rules! New ways to doom other characters!

How about HIGH PROGRAMMER?
In HIGH PROGRAMMER, you play an ULTRAVIOLET High Programmer. You control different factions and power bases in Alpha Complex. The other High Programmers may attempt to subvert your control - you must prevent this and crush their schemes. You crave the awe and fear of your peers, and must impress them with your culture, wit and social graces while plotting their humiliating downfall.

But what could possibly threaten a High Programmer? Surely there won't be any terminations or treasons in this game!
Ah, but you also have a retinue of servants, bodyguards and hangers-on. These characters are played by the other players when the action focusses on your High Programmer. Elements of your retinue may be terminated.

How does HIGH PROGRAMMER play?
The elevator pitch is Yes Minister with ray guns, but you could also say 'Wodehouse meets Illuminati'.

I have further questions about the new edition.
Please post them in the comments.

Labels: IntSec

Troopers get much, much bigger guns than Troubleshooters, so we need a much, much bigger Collateral Damage table for those unfortunate occasions when a player rolls really badly with a tacnuke shell. Think of it as a Rolemaster fumble table for cone rifles. Suggestions for horrible collateral damage in the comments, please.

Labels: Community Mission, IntSec

The old Hil Sector BLUES supplement gave a list of alert codes for IntSec troopers. Some classic examples:

• Code 56 Stray petbot causing disturbance. Catch and return to rightful owner.


• Code 59 This code reserved for future use.


• Code 61 Berserk bot. Approach with caution.


• Code 69 This code left intentionally blank.


• Code 70 Reactor meltdown. Seal off sector to ensure radiation containment.

We need more codes! Codes that summarise a complex, dangerous situation in a single number, leaving absolutely no room for confusion.

No room at all.
Not a bit.
Never ever.
When a Trooper squad gets a Code alert, they should under no circumstances be confused, misinformed and/or terrified. Failure to respond promptly to a code is Treason.

Labels: IntSec

Ah, the joys of the stand-alone rulebook. The INTSEC book is designed to stand on its own, without reference to the Troubleshooter book. However, no-one wants to see large chunks of text replicated across the two rulebooks, so I'm busily condensing and rewriting the rules down. The chapter on Mutations, for example, takes up 20 pages of the Troubleshooter book, but less than 8 pages of INTSEC.

It's almost like writing rules in Orwell's Newspeak. 'Pyrokinesis doubleplusgood margin incinerate CommieMutantTraitor, plusgood on fire, ungood selfnosefire, doubleplusungood spontaneous combustion.'

Labels: IntSec

Development work on the new INTSEC rulebook has commenced, and so this Famous Game Designer turns immediately to the loyal Paranoia community for support and assistance.

Instead of playing lowly Troubleshooters, INTSEC characters are heroic BLUE-clearance troopers. Now, no-one gets to BLUE without having a few skeletons in the closet. (Not to mention skeletons crammed into the waste disposal unit, or skeletons hastily buried in the food vats.) Therefore, every Trooper has a number of Treacherous Deeds in his past. These deeds may come back to haunt him, or he may be able to use his influence to have the evidence of these deeds erased during play.

We need suggestions for Treacherous Deeds! What have your Troubleshooters gotten away with in the past? What skeletons are in your characters' closets?

Labels: Community Mission, IntSec