Help I'm DMing Paranoia
- Whoisthere
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:11 am
- Byond Username: Whoisthere
Help I'm DMing Paranoia
I was asked to DM Paranoia irl.
I never played Paranoia, I never heard about it, I only just now started reading Paranoia XP edition.
I don't have any other materials.
The DMing is to take place in two days, we'll have about 3-4 hours.
Any tips or pointers or whatever?
I never played Paranoia, I never heard about it, I only just now started reading Paranoia XP edition.
I don't have any other materials.
The DMing is to take place in two days, we'll have about 3-4 hours.
Any tips or pointers or whatever?
Sad elegy
Highly suitable for use in funerals
Highly suitable for use in funerals
- TribeOfBeavers
- In-Game Game Master
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- Location: Canada
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Here's a video of people playing it so you can get an idea of the themes, how it works etc.
It's basically Malf AI: the RPG.
Spoiler:
- calzilla1
- Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2016 5:55 pm
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Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Are you playing the new version?
If so spike their drinks with ricin
If so spike their drinks with ricin
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- Anonmare
- Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:59 pm
- Byond Username: Anonmare
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
If the players reference the rules in any way, punish them for it. After all, it's against the rules for the players to know the rules (as long as they admit it rather)
- Anonmare
- Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:59 pm
- Byond Username: Anonmare
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Also make it clear that life is cheap and death is not only expected, but the logical outcome
- Drynwyn
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 5:09 pm
- Byond Username: Drynwyn
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Did someone say... PARANOIA???
I've GM'd paranoia extensively in the past, including for some people who hang around here.
First: Have the players roll the dice. Then, whatever you want to happen, happens.
Second: Set the players up to fail. Paranoia, at it's core, is a game about shifting the blame for your inevitable and catastrophic failure.
Third: If any of the players references the rules, especially as a complaint about you not handling something according to them, kill their character.
Fourth: Enforce "If you said it at the table, you said it in character." For most games this isn't a helpful rule, but for Paranoia, it's great.
Fifth: Don't hurt the players. Make them hurt each other. Give them a reason to hurt each other, and then let them go to it with all their ingenuity.
Sixth: Use the Perversity mechanics; they're great.
Seventh: Make sure the players can't all succeed. By the same token, make sure it's possible for more than one of them to succeed. This keeps things interesting.
Eighth: Very early in a game, put your players in a situation where Following The Rules Of Alpha Complex will very clearly result in a swift and painful death, and so will getting caught breaking them. Make them get their hands dirty.
Ninth: Include a "darkroom"- about 1/3 of the way through the session, after everyone knows their goals and thinks they know other people's goals, and maybe have a few tenuous alliances, contrive to put the PC's in a situation where they can Do Treason and expect to stand an excellent chance of getting away with it.
Tenth: Always limit information (especially about what happens in the darkroom) to what the character would know. And, have people lie to your PC's. Of every 10 pieces of information, one should be completely true, three should be mostly true, four should be "true" from a great distance on a dark night, or bureaucratically true, and two should be catastrophically wrong.
I've GM'd paranoia extensively in the past, including for some people who hang around here.
First: Have the players roll the dice. Then, whatever you want to happen, happens.
Second: Set the players up to fail. Paranoia, at it's core, is a game about shifting the blame for your inevitable and catastrophic failure.
Third: If any of the players references the rules, especially as a complaint about you not handling something according to them, kill their character.
Fourth: Enforce "If you said it at the table, you said it in character." For most games this isn't a helpful rule, but for Paranoia, it's great.
Fifth: Don't hurt the players. Make them hurt each other. Give them a reason to hurt each other, and then let them go to it with all their ingenuity.
Sixth: Use the Perversity mechanics; they're great.
Seventh: Make sure the players can't all succeed. By the same token, make sure it's possible for more than one of them to succeed. This keeps things interesting.
Eighth: Very early in a game, put your players in a situation where Following The Rules Of Alpha Complex will very clearly result in a swift and painful death, and so will getting caught breaking them. Make them get their hands dirty.
Ninth: Include a "darkroom"- about 1/3 of the way through the session, after everyone knows their goals and thinks they know other people's goals, and maybe have a few tenuous alliances, contrive to put the PC's in a situation where they can Do Treason and expect to stand an excellent chance of getting away with it.
Tenth: Always limit information (especially about what happens in the darkroom) to what the character would know. And, have people lie to your PC's. Of every 10 pieces of information, one should be completely true, three should be mostly true, four should be "true" from a great distance on a dark night, or bureaucratically true, and two should be catastrophically wrong.
In game, I play the A.I Firmware, the French cyborg C.U.R.I.E, Aubrie Allen, and the lizard scum Skulks-Through-Maintenance.
- Anonmare
- Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:59 pm
- Byond Username: Anonmare
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Also don't make NPCs behave cartoonishly, except maybe Friend Computer. The PCs and NPCs should be seriously considering Elvis Presley lyrics to be communist propaganda at all times
- CitrusGender
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- Drynwyn
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 5:09 pm
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Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
yes and you shouldCitrusGender wrote:can I play it while drunk as hell
you can even make a drinking game of it-
lose a clone, do a shot
mutant power backfires, take a drink
R&D equipment malfunctions, take a drink
Mandatory Hygiene Test occurs, take a drink of something with a high enough alcohol content to be sterile
In game, I play the A.I Firmware, the French cyborg C.U.R.I.E, Aubrie Allen, and the lizard scum Skulks-Through-Maintenance.
- Wyzack
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:32 pm
- Byond Username: Wyzack
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
I played in Dryn's game, it was fun
Arthur Thomson says, "Since there are no admins I would loging with another account and kill you"
Caleb Robinson laughs.
Arthur Thomson catches fire!
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Caleb Robinson laughs.
Arthur Thomson catches fire!
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- delaron
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Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
If in person make sure to print out bullshit reports and have them fill out equipment requests. Half the fun was the bullshit paperwork and the Computers criticisms on its accuracy. Its legit a dick Malf AI mixed with Glados
-------
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I'm not smart enough to meme.
- Not-Dorsidarf
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Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
I seem to recall one of the adventures had a stat block for The Computer, and its listed weapon was "An entire civilisation of bloodthirsty brainwashed lunatics armed with the latest high-megaton personal weaponry"
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- Whoisthere
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:11 am
- Byond Username: Whoisthere
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Did the game, took all of your advice and used it. Thanks people!
Had reports, drinking for failure, drinking as "happy pills", false info, darkroom, filling out trick forms, bureaucracy etc, stirred the plot to make the players work together but secretly set them on each other as much as I could via secret messages to individuals.
Played it so the world and the "main quest" was mostly a decoration for them backstabbing each other, no outright "everything is so dysfunctional you fail all the time", instead "everything is just barely functional and can be easily made to set up the other players".
Was pretty fun. More fun than I expected. Mostly thanks to forms, drinking rule and "Fifth: Don't hurt the players. Make them hurt each other. Give them a reason to hurt each other, and then let them go to it with all their ingenuity".
Not-being-afraid-of-dying I think I failed to implement but whatever.
Thanks again, lads.
Had reports, drinking for failure, drinking as "happy pills", false info, darkroom, filling out trick forms, bureaucracy etc, stirred the plot to make the players work together but secretly set them on each other as much as I could via secret messages to individuals.
Played it so the world and the "main quest" was mostly a decoration for them backstabbing each other, no outright "everything is so dysfunctional you fail all the time", instead "everything is just barely functional and can be easily made to set up the other players".
Was pretty fun. More fun than I expected. Mostly thanks to forms, drinking rule and "Fifth: Don't hurt the players. Make them hurt each other. Give them a reason to hurt each other, and then let them go to it with all their ingenuity".
Not-being-afraid-of-dying I think I failed to implement but whatever.
Thanks again, lads.
Sad elegy
Highly suitable for use in funerals
Highly suitable for use in funerals
- Anonmare
- Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:59 pm
- Byond Username: Anonmare
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Paranoia is best when you give the players a car battery, some jump leads and the instruction that one of them needs to hook it up to their genitalia to open the door.
- Whoisthere
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:11 am
- Byond Username: Whoisthere
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
I'm including that one, definitely. Maybe not genitalia, but something in that spirit
By the way, I checked out paranoia let's plays - the one in this thread and the kikoskia one - I am not sure if players would find them enjoyable. They seem a bit too random, and don't have enough progression? Maybe I'm overthinking it.
By the way, I checked out paranoia let's plays - the one in this thread and the kikoskia one - I am not sure if players would find them enjoyable. They seem a bit too random, and don't have enough progression? Maybe I'm overthinking it.
Sad elegy
Highly suitable for use in funerals
Highly suitable for use in funerals
- DemonFiren
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:15 pm
- Byond Username: DemonFiren
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Paranoia sounds like the kind of game that would make me want to strangle everyone else at the table.
- Whoisthere
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:11 am
- Byond Username: Whoisthere
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Not everyone else. Only the DM. If done improperly (properly?)
Sad elegy
Highly suitable for use in funerals
Highly suitable for use in funerals
- Drynwyn
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 5:09 pm
- Byond Username: Drynwyn
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
Paranoia isn't a game about progressionWhoisthere wrote:I'm including that one, definitely. Maybe not genitalia, but something in that spirit
By the way, I checked out paranoia let's plays - the one in this thread and the kikoskia one - I am not sure if players would find them enjoyable. They seem a bit too random, and don't have enough progression? Maybe I'm overthinking it.
progression makes death sting too much
In game, I play the A.I Firmware, the French cyborg C.U.R.I.E, Aubrie Allen, and the lizard scum Skulks-Through-Maintenance.
- Jazaen
- Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 9:16 pm
- Byond Username: Jazaen
Re: Help I'm DMing Paranoia
If you are dead-set on Paranoia and you want progression you could try the straight mode of play. In fact, there are some interesting straight scenarios in WMD book
I play:
SMAI-Reactivation (SybilAI)
SMAI-Revolutions (BagilAI): Endorsed by Poly, the Parrot! https://twitter.com/Poly_the_Parrot/sta ... 7588301825
Shannah Rader (Sybil geneticist)
Janette Hall (Bagil geneticist)
Also, I'm a Game Admin or something right now. You can tell me how I'm doing here
I seriously hope you don't make the same mistakes I have
SMAI-Reactivation (SybilAI)
SMAI-Revolutions (BagilAI): Endorsed by Poly, the Parrot! https://twitter.com/Poly_the_Parrot/sta ... 7588301825
Shannah Rader (Sybil geneticist)
Janette Hall (Bagil geneticist)
Also, I'm a Game Admin or something right now. You can tell me how I'm doing here
I seriously hope you don't make the same mistakes I have
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