Rebuilding Paranoia OSS Style

hapwned writes "In the latest Escapist issue, Allen Varney explains how he built the latest version of the Paranoia RPG from the ground up in an Open Source fashion. From the article: 'Fans vetted the playtest rules and contributed lots of material, like coders on an open-source software project. It wasn't really open-source; everyone knowingly surrendered their material to PARANOIA's owners, without hope of compensation. (The blog disclaimer read, 'All your rights are belong to us. No bloody Creative Commons here! Bwahahaha!') But - this is the key point - they pitched in anyway, hoping they would benefit by getting an improved game.'"

Comments

What's the big deal?

[Badfysh]

Microsoft have been doing that for years..

Can't escape this

[Anonymous Coward]

Are we going to get a plug for each new issue of the Escapist? Can we just get a slashbox up and be done with it?

Thanks /. - I got the message.

[iainl]

Is it time for our regular "This week in The Escapist" story, where we find out what they had to say two days after they said it?

Normally I'm not a big fan of the whole "is this news?" whinge, but so far we've had 'news items' about every single issue. I think we've reached the point where those of us who find it interesting are actually reading the issue anyway, aren't we?

Still, it's an excellent mag, so maybe I just just put up with it.

Re:Thanks /. - I got the message.

[cafard]

You have been reported for lack of enthusiasm in regard to news provided to you by the Computer. Please report to the closest termination chamber.

The Computer is your friend.

Paranoia still lives!?

[navarredr]

I still have great love for this RPG that I haven't touched since the 80's.

I will have to dust off my Paranoia box set and 'get ready for some bootlicking!'

Happiness is manditory. The computer is your friend.

Keep your laser handy

[Why's_This_Fish_So_B]

Here's my contribution to the Paranoia RPG: it would, if properly funded, make the ultimate PvP MMORPG setting.

A million excuses to zap each other, an existing premise for 'why I come back to life indefinitely,' and a bulletproof excuse for every game bug: The Computer is insane, did you expect everything to work properly?

Add clones, secret mutant powers, secret societies, lasers, and shake briskly until something explodes.

Re:Keep your laser handy

[Dark_Lord_Prime]

That would so totally rock.

I'm not big on MMO games, but I would gladly fork over my laser and swear fealty to the Computer!

Heck, I'd love a single-player Paranoia Action-RPG, too.

Re:Keep your laser handy

[navarredr]

A Paranoia MMORPG would probably be a lot of fun, but I fear that much of the humor that made Paranoia great would be lost in a 3D game.

I would personally love to see a text based MUD created for the Paranoia world.

Re:Keep your laser handy

[Anonymous Coward]

> I would personally love to see a text based MUD created for the Paranoia world.

There is a Java based client-server application that allow a GM to host internet games for up to six players.

http://www.paranoia-live.net/

Re:Keep your laser handy

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude. An automated after action debriefing with the guys you just went on a mission with, where event triggers in the mission popped optional responses to the interview process, where there was an individual and then group componant, and everyone has the opportunity to lie, and catch others in lies? That could be insanely hilarious. Especially where you can talk to each other live, and cuss each other out for throwing each other under the bus. It'd be like Halo 2 + Survivor, and nothing is unfair because the computer is freaking nuts.

Are you kidding me, that would be the genious idea of all time. It would be multiplayer crack.

Paranoia Has Rules?!

[Chi Hsuan Men]

The way I learned to play (and eventually the way I GMed) Paranoia was to liberally ignore all of the stats, charts, dice rolls, modifiers, and all of the other "technical" aspects of the game.

We had six character templates that were geared to specific "roles", so when the players arrived they would discuss what they wanted to play that night, so we would never have to roll stats. In addition, we would not need to figure out secret societies or mutant powers, as the GM would write those elements into the adventure. Despite the practice sounding restrictive, no one ever did anything as planned, which always caused interesting (often hilarious) results.

By liberally ignoring structured rules and dice, the GM could move the story along as they saw fit, which made pacing a lot more fun. I've been in numerous D&D campaigns where something came up where a character needed to spend extended time with the DM in order to roll for such and such so they can accomplish a certain task. By throwing out the technicalities, everyone was engaged at all times and decisions had to be made very quickly, which completely fit the mood of the game.

As a result of these decisions, it was very easy to indoctrinate new players into the game, because they didn't have to learn any rules, they simply had to get a feeling for the milleu of the game. In addition, any revisions to the rules really didn't matter. All we needed was new content every once in a while (mutant powers, secret societies, R&D gadgets), which could simply be created by the players or GM.

Regardless, I am glad this game is receiving some new life. I cannot express how hard I have laughed while playing this game. Despite its label of "RPG", I would recommend this game to any group of creative friends, as they don't necessarily need to be gamers in order to enjoy it.

Re:Paranoia Has Rules?!

[snorklewacker]

The way I learned to play (and eventually the way I GMed) Paranoia was to liberally ignore all of the stats, charts, dice rolls, modifiers, and all of the other "technical" aspects of the game.

That is entirely the way you're supposed to play it. A player challenging the GM on the rules must have read the rules. The rules are classified Ultraviolet. Instant termination. Since this is the player we're talking about, not the character, the GM doesn't have the player terminated immediately, but arranges for rather unfortunate things to happen, like this:

"Okay, you're right, after much laborious argument, I concede your point. I confess, I rigged that roll. I promise to do everything by the book now. By the way, while your character was standing by, internally raging against pondering the unfairness of life, 100 mutants have moved into position and each one has launched a rocket at you. Roll dodge. For each one. I promise not to fudge."

Re:Paranoia Has Rules?!

[kubrick]

Dice rolls were useful... for intimidating the players, if you made the rolls behind a screen and then made the appropriate noises.

Re:Paranoia Has Rules?!

[dasheiff]

I (along with a lot of other people) helped work on this game with Allen. Like you said though it's weird to think about this game as having very structured rules. In playtesting I wrote out a very clear discription of my session. Allen said, that looks like a very fun game, but doesn't help me test out the rules. He was right of course. It can be a very odd balance to try to maintain.

Of course since the whole book was written in the Paranoia style, just reading the rules (whether you use them are not) helps you understand the game mentality. And it's really funny and fun.

Yes, Paranoia is back

[lysander]

Except, of course, you really, really don't want to be playing 5th edition. You probably want 2nd ed. (which optionally came in a box set) or the new Paranoia XP, which borrows heavily from 2nd ed. There's a cute blurb at the beginning of the XP book that disavows the existance of the fifth edition and its supplements.

Done Before

[MisterMurphy]

Quicksilver did a similiar thing when they were creating Master of Orion 3. The devs drew comments, concepts and mechanics from the community at large through their forum. A not insignificant number of people became honorary, and unpaid, designers. I don't know how much of their design was fan generated, but there was no shortage of intelligent and creative sci-fi buffs helping them make the game.

Of course, then they threw the Elephant out, and it all went to heck. But thats neither here nor there. Point being, a community of fans that has access to a creative work can dramatically aid in its creation.

Has anyone ever actually played Paranoia?

[Ratbert42]

Has anyone actually played Paranoia? It's got a reputation for being entertaining to read but that's about it. I was set to run a game at a con once but we dropped it for some new game at the last minute.

We always found Car Wars funny enough.

Re:Has anyone ever actually played Paranoia?

[MilenCent]

Has anyone actually played Paranoia? It's got a reputation for being entertaining to read but that's about it. I was set to run a game at a con once but we dropped it for some new game at the last minute.

Oh man. You so missed out!

The key to understanding Paranoia (and it took me a failed session and some time to understand this) is that it's a competition. The mission is only a pretext for the players trying to kill each other. Often, missions are impossible to complete.

You can't just shoot the other players however; that's treason. Despite its reputation, not everything is treason in Paranoia BTW, though many things are. Instead, you have to find proof of treason before you shoot. Many times this proof is spurious, or even forged, which naturally is treason itself, but so long as the authorities don't find out about it, you're in the clear.

So in a way, the game is about putting one over on The Man. When The Man is your fellow Troubleshooters, backed by a gigantic totalitarian/capitalist bureaucracy overseen by an omnipresent Computer, it just makes it more fun.

Re:Has anyone ever actually played Paranoia?

[dr00g911]

Paranoia was the greatest RPG I've ever experienced for actual role playing.

The GM is basically encouraged to disregard any and all dice roles, rules, etc in favor of making the story more interesting, or at least to be a serious dick to a deserving player.

All of the players are pitted against each other. Everyone has something to hide, and you're usually put on a completely impossible mission (not D&D Tomb of Horrors-style impossible -- completely, absurdly, unattainable goals), given get out of jail free cards (clones) to do incredibly stupid, but funny, things, and you're rewarded for being the sneakiest member of the bunch. Although the last man standing rarely stays standing very long.

Mechanics aren't the point of the game. Having fun trying to one-up the guys you're playing with is.

This is the game where you're supposed to do all of those things that make a red faced DM open up the heavens with lightning bolts in a D&D game.

All of those one-liners, all of those stupid things (but why can't I pick the dragon's pockets? so what if it doesn't have pockets?)... they're all the focus of this game.

Grand times.

Paranoia XP...

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I the only person who isn't a huge fan of Paranoia XP? Second Edition was fantastic, but the artwork in XP is second-rate at best, and some of the new "rules" make me wonder why they were included. (Toy train capitalism? WTF?)