Mission: Just Because You're Paranoid (part 2)Let's continue. The first part is here - https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanoiaRPG/comments/s55a9p/mission_just_because_youre_paranoid/
Encounter Four: Let's Put On a ShowThe coordinates listed on the envelope takes the Troubleshooters to a small corridor in MMU sector. Just around the corner is the MMU CPU Data Center, which is cleared for citizens of Blue clearance or higher. Inside the envelope are a page of instructions and a picture of Darth-V-ADR. Give handouts JBYPE3N1 and JBYPE3N2 to whoever's opening the envelope.
Game Stuff: Power Play
Clever players may think of putting on the Indigo robes and using their new "promotion" to get neat gear or abuse lower-ranking citizens. Go ahead, let them. As long as they don't get anything really useful (Indigo-level power armor, for example), let them amass all the trinkets and annoy all the citizens they want. It'll just mean more trouble later.
If the players want something that you won't give, stall them with the usual Alpha bureaucracy (even high-level citizens have to deal with PL&C), or drag in a Violet or Ultraviolet authority to send them off.
If the party has a brain between them, this mission should make them nervous. Still, orders are orders. If they chicken out and return to Ko-V-ERT, kill everyone and try it again with the next set of clones.
Encounter Five: Into the BreachThe entrance to the MMU CPU Data Center is a wide open arch, with lots of Blue, Indigo, and Violet citizens walking through it at all times. Two Blue Vultures guard the entrance. If the players are wearing their robes, they can walk right in without any problems.
The cafeteria is to the right of the entrance. It's not too crowded, so everyone can easily find a free table to sit and wait. Food dispensers along one wall serve all sorts of dishes for free (rank has its privileges), while vidscreens on another wall play assorted entertainment programs. While the players may relax a bit, remind them that they need to keep an eye out for Darth-V.
Game Stuff: Where No Clone Has Gone Before
Depending on your players' mood, they may get curious enough to leave the conveniently-placed cafeteria and explore the Data Center instead. You don't want that, at least not if you're planning to run the encounter with Darth-V as scripted. Here are some ways to persuade nosy folks to stay on track:
Nothing to see. This is a Data Center. The personnel collect data. All sorts of data. Data no one will ever care about. Like "Algae Vat #23256 Mean Temperature", "Freon Levels/Pipe AW-2654", or "Scrubot HFRTSKPOMJ Power Consumption per Picosecond". Let the players find storerooms filled with millions of volumes of such useful information, and they'll be begging to return to the Cafeteria.
Security. Just put some nasty-looking Violet guards where you don't want the Troubleshooters to go. Since they're only (impersonating) Indigo-level personnel, they have no choice but to turn away.
Getting underfoot. The diligent clones here have work to do, and no time to mollycoddle nosy players. Clerks bustle to and fro, operators enter data, and the PCs are in the way. Have an angry Violet manager yell at everyone to get out of his department. Maybe send in a few security guards to enforce the law.
You can't go home again. They want to leave already? Ko-V-ERT/Tee-V-GDE won't think highly of that. And there's all his nifty Warbots, just waiting to be tested...
Encounter Six: Showtime!When you think it's time for Darth-V to appear, read the following:
A surge of people suddenly enter the cafeteria; it must be a meal break or something. There are tall clones and short clones, males and females, Indigos and Violets. Darth-V might be in this crowd, but you can't tell for sure.
Have everyone make an easy Moxie roll. Even if everyone fails (how dumb are these guys?), continue with:
sees Darth-V step through the door! He's a tall, muscular clone, with an emotionless, menacing scowl. Tucked under his right arm is a folder that reads "Program 22-9345".
He walks over to one of the vending machines and begins to get a plate of Hot Fun a la Mode and a cup of Bouncy Bubble Beverage. What do you do?
The folder should attract Vide-O and Al-R's attention, who are looking for computer programs for their secret societies. It's actually a schedule of vidshows, but indulge any erroneous assumptions. Ask the players who's doing what and standing where, then let them go into action.
Game Stuff: MMU Data Processing People
Darth-V-ADR-5: Nasty clone in charge not to be messed with. Assorted High-level Clones: Background fodder
Mutation: Telekinesis Mutation: Various
Secret society: Illuminati Secret society: Various
Weapons: Force sword (12E): 15 Weapons: (One of the following)
Violet laser (8L): 13 Blue/Indigo/Violet Laser (8L): 11
Armor: Battle Armor (All8) Slugthrower w/AP shells (10AP): 13
Tactics: Kill impudent clones who get in his way. Unarmed (5I): 9
Armor: Reflec over Kevlar (L5P4)
Tactics: Stop intrusive Troubleshooters
Ko-V-ERT had hoped that Darth-V would be too confused by the chaos to do anything before they escaped. He's wrong. Darth-V is no dummy; when a clone he's never met shoves a big bag of credits into his hands, he reacts loudly and violently. "What th--? Stop them!" is my favorite line, but go ahead and use your own.
Everyone else in the cafeteria should immediately go after the Troubleshooters (High-level clones don't live to earn high levels by traveling unarmed). With a little luck, the players will find themselves in the middle of a riot.
Let's see what we have here: the Troubleshooters are in a room filled with armed high-level clones. Outside is a large corridor filled with even more armed high-level citizens, not to mention assorted Vulture Warriors nearby. The players are outnumbered, outgunned, and have only low-level Red and Orange armor to protect them (they're wearing robes, not reflec, and the robes are vidshow props anyway). Sure, their lasers are Indigo, but they'll run out of rounds long before they run out of opponents.
Can you say "massacre," boys and girls? I knew you could.
The PCs should be shot like the proverbial fish in a barrel. When everyone and their clone successors finally recover, they find themselves in Episode Four.
Episode Summary
The players are charged, tried, and convicted (not necessarily in that order) for treason. They disrupt some really neat vidshow programming, not to mention their impending execution, by breaking free and becoming fugitives.
Encounter One: In the SlammerDepending on how the Troubleshooters fared, they may be unconscious, comatose, or merely dazed when they're captured. A phalanx of Warbots and Vulture Warriors drags everyone to HEL sector. No questions are answered, no escapes are possible.
Once in HEL, the players are stripped of all their equipment and tossed into a dim, dank, dungeon. Let them simmer in the dark (literally and figuratively) for a bit. If they get nasty and turn on each other, that should be amusing.
Encounter Two: Hi, CourtWhen everyone's tired of chasing rats for food and blaming each other for their mess, another crowd of Vultures and Warbots comes for everyone. Read the following:
You are dragged through a maze of twisty passages, all alike. Eventually you are shoved through an unmarked door, where you find yourself in the bottom of a large curved amphitheater. The Warbots and Vultures form a ring around your group, their weapons pointed in your direction.High overhead, behind a large podium, sit three Ultraviolet clones. The one in the center is a burly male who looks like he eats traitors for breakfast, and he starts yelling. "All right, vatslime! I'm Kill-U-DED, and we want answers! Who are you, what's your plan, and who do you answer to? Talk or fry!"This is a cue for the players to spill the beans in hopes of saving their skins. It doesn't matter, though, as nothing they say will get them out of this mess. Kill-U-DED does all of the interrogation; the other Ultraviolets, the guards, and the Warbots sit still, glaring at them.
Game Stuff: Kangaroo Court Members
Kill-U-DED-4: Judge, jury, and executioner Dispassionate Ultraviolets (2): Watch the traitors squirm
Mutation: Regeneration Secret society: Various
Secret society: Illuminati Weapons: Ultraviolet laser (L8): 9
Weapons: Ultraviolet laser (L8): 17 Armor: Ultraviolet robes (I2)
Armor: Ultraviolet reflec (All4) Tactics: Sit quietly and let Kill-U-DED do his job.
Tactics: Yell and sneer a lot. Catch commies in lies.
Vulture Warriors and Warbots: Lots and lots of them
Weapons: Indigo laser (L8): 14
Armor: Indigo battle armor (All7)
Tactics: Glare at treasonous players. Waste 'em if they misbehave.
Kill-U-DED is convinced that the Troubleshooters are part of a conspiracy to discredit high-level clones and The Computer (or to splinter The Council, if playing in Alpha Base). Any evidence from the players that prove their innocence is dismissed, while any proof that gets them deeper into trouble is quickly proven true. There is no citizen named "Tee-V-GDE", there is no mission "JBYP", and there are no references to any of them -- in short, everyone's in it deep:
Kill-U-DED: "What kind of a pathetic story is this? You expect us to believe that this 'Tee-V-GDE' authorized your acts?"
Psy-O-PTH: "But we have a recording of him!"
Kill-U-DED: "Bah! Cheap fakes! Give me something substantive!"
Al-R-GEE: "What about this Violet authorization with his name?"
Kill-U-DED: "Computer! When did Tee-V-GDE countersign security authorization JBYP2844?"
Computer: "There is no record of any authorization JBYP2844. There is no citizen named 'Tee-V-GDE'."
(Mark-R-PEN faints)
When playing Kill-U-DED, be loud, forceful, and incredibly skeptical. Sneer a lot, yell even more. Making the players panic in the face of certain doom is one of the most memorable experiences in Paranoia; nurture it so they get the full experience. They'll thank you later.
Encounter Three: Charge ItEventually, the Troubleshooters' guilt is "proven", and Kill-U-DED lists their crimes. From Episode 2, they are charged with possession of stolen R&D equipment, breaking and entering, entry into an unauthorized area, and property damage. If the players went through Episode 3, they also get possession of forged papers, impersonation of citizens of an unauthorized security clearance, possession of unauthorized/stolen items, and assault on high-level citizens. If you want to add more charges, go ahead -- remember any trinkets lifted in Episode 2 and power abuses in Episode 3. Even if they're irrelevant, what's a few extra treason points out of six million? And who's dumb enough to contradict a raving Ultraviolet while surrounded by armed, trigger-happy guards?
Eventually, Kill-U-DED confers with the other Ultraviolets in hushed whispers. He then tells the Troubleshooters that the only punishment possible is summary execution. Their remaining clones will be used as food vat protein, but the active clones will "serve as examples" to their (imagined) co-conspirators.
Encounter Four: Behind The ScenesKill-U-DED orders the security detail to take the Troubleshooters away. Read the following:
Your entourage of Warbots and Vultures lead you out of the amphitheater. After an hour of walking through more twisty, unmarked corridors, you enter through a set of double doors onto a vidshow set of some kind.A neon sign overhead proclaims this to be the stage for Bake the Traitor. As the guards usher you forward, you recognize many of the show's famous features: the Slice-O-Matic, the Centrifuge, the Clone Rearranger, the Ripper, and many more. You've certainly enjoyed watching the show before, seeing criminals turned into red smears, but now all you can think about is how much it's going to hurt from the other side.
Everyone is led to a small vault-like room marked "Guest Stars." Inside, iron bars mark off half of the room, forming a cell with an electronic lock. The other side of the room contains a single table and a counter that shows the minutes remaining until air time.
The players are shoved into the cell, along with their personal gear. All of the weapons, the R&D equipment, and the cell's key card are placed on a table on the other side of the room (in other words, out of everyone's reach). The Vultures and Warbots leave, locking it behind them, and the timer starts counting down at 40 minutes.
Encounter Five: Get Me Out of Here!If your PCs have any sense of sport, they'll try to escape from this deathtrap. The cell itself is fairly sturdy, and will resist any basic attempts to escape. Even so, the players have a fair number of options at their disposal. A few that we've thought of include:
* Mutant powers. Cyke-O can use his telekinesis to grab something useful off the table. Or Al-R can teleport out of the cell and set everyone free (or not). Of course, for most characters, they'd have to reveal their secret mutations first...
* Open wide. The bars are too strong for one character to bend, but several of them, working together, can make progress for someone to squirm through. Adrenaline Control would be perfect here.
* Pick the lock. Any mechanical or electrical engineers in the bunch? Al-R might be able to tinker with his wires and tools. And that LNX Vide-O keeps playing with; lots of useful electronics there...
* Useful items. Let the players get creative. Stage a prison strike and overpower the guard. Or use a utility belt and try to lasso the key -- it worked on The Brady Bunch. If they have a semi-reasonable idea, let them try it.
Encounter Six: Where Do We Go From Here?Okay, everybody's out of the cell. Now what?
Fates protect children, fools, and Troubleshooters; the vault door can be opened easily from the inside, and there's only one guard idling outside (the Warbots were sent away, and the other Vultures are lounging around backstage). The players should be able to overpower their single guard with sheer numbers and surprise on their side.
What happens next depends on how much of a ruckus they made, and how much of a challenge your crowd can handle. If the PCs were quiet, they can try sneaking away. Or maybe their guard raised a cry before going under, which brings reinforcements.
Escape should be tricky, but possible. The backstage area for Bake the Traitor is bustling with workers and technicians, providing a crowd to hide in and preventing the Vultures from getting a good shot at them. Al-R-GEE's vidshow background can help him lead the others out of the studio; similarly, Cyke-O-PTH can find steam chutes, sewage drains, and other escape routes with his Power Services knowledge.
Give the players a good chase, but eventually let them ditch their pursuers, preferably ending up dirty, disheveled, and exhausted in a derelict building or alley somewhere. Now's the time to start Episode 5.
Too Dumb To Think
If the Troubleshooters are hopelessly pathetic and can't figure out how to escape on their own, read the following:
There is the loud grinding sound of tumblers falling, and the vault door swings open. Outside, the guard steps aside to let a jackobot pass.
The jackobot walks to the cell, then points to . When you step forward, it gives you a small package wrapped in brown synthepaper. In a quiet voice, the bot says, "A last meal from Tee-V-GDE." It then quickly leaves the room, and the door slams shut again.
The brown package is ticking.
Yes, it's a bomb. Ko-V-ERT has found out that the players are captured, and decided to kill them now.
The bomb is a sealed black box with an LED timer that counts down from two minutes. It can't be opened, defused or stopped by any means. If they're holding on to it after two minutes, it blows up -- everyone dies, game over. On the other hand, the players can position the bomb to blow the cell or the vault door, then take cover. In that case, everyone survives unharmed and free. Hopefully they can figure things out from there.
Too Dumb To Live
What? Even after all this, your players still can't (or won't) get away?
I give up. Bake the traitors. Have everyone marched out on the stage, surrounded by Vultures, to the glitter of bright lights and the cheers of a bloodthirsty crowd. The host of the show, Let-R-MAN-2, mocking recaps the exploits. Vann-R-WHT-3 assists by periodically displaying their treasonous gear. The crowd cheers, gasps, boos, and hisses on cue.
After their crimes are shared with the loyal audience, each player spins the Wheel O' Doom. He's then fed to the specified deathtrap and executed in a hideously gory spectacle. Be creative and vivid in your descriptions; feel free to make up your own devices. If you need inspiration, try Mortal Kombat II, the Friday the 13th movies, or anything by H. P. Lovecraft.
Now the game is over. Break out the munchies, pat your players on the back, and find a less challenging game for next time. Maybe Toon.
Episode Summary
The players are fugitives in Alpha Complex. Surrounded by loyal clones gunning for their heads, they must use their wits to find the true identity of "Tee-V-GDE".
A Note to the GameMaster
Congratulations, Mr. GameMaster. You've now reached the most difficult episode in this adventure for you. It's also the most difficult episode in this adventure for me to write, but that's beside the point.
This episode is difficult because the players are no longer being led by the nose through prepared situations by high-ranking clones or the Computer. Instead, they finally have free will, and can go anywhere and do anything they want. This means you'll have to react to their wants and improvise the behavior and descriptions of characters they meet and the places and situations they wander into.
Don't worry too much. While the PCs have some liberty, they don't have nearly as much as they may think. No matter what a crafty player may think otherwise, there are ideas that just won't work. After reading through this episode, you'll see how to gently nudge your players down the path they should take, into Episode 6 and a showdown with Ko-V-ERT.
You'll still have to improvise some, but if you weren't up to it, you wouldn't be the GameMaster, right? Still, you should read through this episode before running your group through it; a little preparation will go a long way.
Encounter One: Clones On The RunBy now, your players should have ditched their pursuers, and are probably stopping in a hideaway/empty building/sewer somewhere. As they catch their collective breaths, let them know just how much trouble they're in with something like the following:
As you all stop to gather your collective breaths, a loud screech fills the air, making you clutch your ears in pain. It stops a moment later, and the Alpha-wide P.A. system is suddenly booming with the voice of The Computer.
"Greetings, citizens. Be on the lookout for the following citizens: Al-R-GEE, Cyke-O-PTH, Kawas-O-CKY, Mark-R-PEN, Vide-O-GME, and Watt-R-FAL. These are armed and dangerous criminals who assaulted a squadron of Vulture Warriors and disrupted a really neat episode of Bake the Traitor. If you see them, terminate with extreme prejudice. We'll hand out big prizes for whoever makes the messiest kill, so have fun. Thank you for your cooperation."(If you're playing in Alpha Base, the idea's the same. The Powers That Be are gunning for the Troubleshooters, and won't be content until they're deader than disco)
That's it; they are now official fugitives. Make sure everyone knows what this entails -- they won't get clone replacements, and everyone in Alpha Complex is turned against them. If anyone's dumb enough to wander out in public after this pronouncement, shoot at him to prove your point. Try not to kill them too quickly, though -- replacements won't come until Episode 7.
What are the Troubleshooters' options? What you want them to do is to get on the trail of "Tee-V-GDE", in hopes that finding him will somehow help save their necks. On the other hand, your players may miss such an obvious cliché solution. Here's how to deal with some of the other bright ideas they may get:
* Peaceful surrender. Yeah, right. It should be clear by now that mercy is out of the question, but some folks may be dumb enough to try this. Greet them with rioting crowds and large-bore weapons. Maybe the players can survive the reception to get other ideas.
* The great outdoors. Leaving Alpha Complex and taking the chances Outdoors is not a bad idea. The problem is that getting out is difficult under the best of situations; with six dangerous clones running loose, all exits are heavily guarded and sealed. Attempts to flee into places like the Wilderness or the Dungeon should also be impossible.
* What are friends for? Someone may try to use their secret society standings to find a hideout or an escape route. While some societies will help a little (see below), everyone recognizes them as a dangerous hot potato and won't want prolonged contact.
* Divide and conquer. Splitting up the Troubleshooters will only make it easier for their pursuers to hunt them down. If the players leave each other, let them see the error of their ways -- when you're outgunned ten-to-one, anyone shooting on your side is welcome, no matter how obnoxious he is.
Assuming they're not fatalistic, the PCs should eventually realize that their only hope is to work together (gasp!) and find out who got them into this mess.
Game Stuff: Fugitive Follies
When your party is getting complacent in their survival, or you just want something to spice up their day, remind them that the combined forces of Alpha Complex are after them with one of these search-for-the-traitors patrols:
Loyal Troubleshooters (4): Cannon fodder after the players. Grounded Vultures (3): Kombat Quik at work.
Mutations: Various Mutations: Various
Secret society: Various Secret society: Various
Weapons: Red Lasers (8L): 11 Weapons: Blue Lasers (8L): 10
Armor: Red Reflec (L4) Cone rifle w/vomit gas (8AP): 9
Tactics: Capture the traitors. Run when things get tough. Armor: Blue reflec (L4)
Tactics: Capture the traitors. Who needs backup?
More Loyal Troubleshooters (8): When in doubt,
outnumber them. All-Mutant Squad (6): Muties are people too.
Mutations: Various Mutations: Adrenaline Control, Electroshock,
Secret society: Various Levitation, Mental Blast, Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis
Weapons: Orange Lasers (8L): 9 Secret society: Psion
Armor: Orange Reflec (L4) Weapons: Orange Lasers (8L): 11
Tactics: Capture the traitors. Call for backup when Armor: Orange reflec (L4)
things get tough. Tactics: Squash the inferior non-mutant traitors.
Still More Loyal Troubleshooters (4): Peace through High-Tech Hitters (2): Right out of a Japanese cartoon.
superior firepower. Mutations: Various
Mutations: Various Secret society: Various
Secret society: Various Weapons: Armored Battlesuit, containing-
Weapons: Green Lasers (8L): 13 Power Gauntlets (7I): 7
Slugthrower w/AP shells (8AP): 9 Green Lasers (12L): 10
Armor: Green Battle Armor (All6) Slugthrower w/slugs (5I): 14
Tactics: Capture the traitors. Call for more backup Flame thrower (7F): 12
when things get tough. Armor: Titanium construction (6L8I6E)
Tactics: Roll over underarmed and underarmored traitors.
Revenge of the Slime Monster: It's not really after them...
Mutations: Matter eater
Secret society: Lonely Slime Monsters of Alpha, Chapter 467
Weapons: Muck-encrusted arm (8I): 8
Armor: Slimy body (I9E10)
Tactics: Shamble along. Attack any hairless bipeds that give it a hard time.
Encounter Two: Get a Clue
This is the part of the adventure where the Troubleshooters get to play Agatha Christie. While the situation may seem hopeless at first, the players actually have quite a number of options to find the true identity of "Tee-V-GDE". Since we're trying to maintain an illusion of free will here, they'll have to solve this on their own, which means you can't run things in a fixed order. Instead, here are some notes on what the Troubleshooters may uncover.
Candid Camera
Did anyone make a recording of the mission briefings? If so, they can try to match "Tee-V-GDE's" face to those of real citizens. A clear shot of his tongue tattoo, if available, will make things even easier. Vide-O-GME's LNX has the capacity to magnify or enhance pictures, but he's supposed to keep that a secret.
The players also need access to a database of some kind, preferably without revealing their own identities or location. Matching any captured footage with computer records will require a Data Analysis, Data Retrieval, or similar skill roll; modify the difficulty by what information is available.
Little Lost Robot
The Troubleshooters can also trace Ko-V-ERT's identity through his Warbots. Since they are a new model and recently delivered, a search of R&D or Armed Forces records might turn up something, probably buried among other records. A skill roll can help. Friends in Armed Forces, R&D, or PL&C would be useful.
Clones with the appropriate background may try to remember the names of known Warbot developers; this is a Hard Moxie roll for anyone in Armed Forces or R&D, and a Very Hard roll for anyone else. Robot- and technology-oriented groups like the Frankenstein Destroyers, Pro-Tech, or Corpore Metal may also have information about Warbot contractors.
Secrets Between Friends
While the secret societies are not willing to give the Troubleshooters refuge because of the Complex-wide manhunt, some groups may agree to give limited support -- brief access to a computer terminal, information, or supplies. This depends largely on the specific society, the characters' standing with the group, how risky the contact is, and how much "compensation" they can afford.
Scene of the Crime
The most obvious idea is to return to the warehouse where the Troubleshooters got their mission briefings. Ko-V-ERT had to deliver his Warbots to the Armed Forces, so it's empty now and the players can enter without any problems. They won't find anything in the storeroom itself, but attached to it is a hidden Violet-level office, which requires a Stealth or Security roll to find.
The only item in the office is an empty desk and a computer terminal. The terminal has direct, anonymous access to the Armed Forces weapons database, including information like weapon stockpiles, shipping invoices, and research projects. They can use this information to infer Ko-V-ERT's identity through his work. The terminal can be reprogrammed to access other databases with a Very Hard Computer Programming roll.
Balancing Act
It can be very easy for the Troubleshooters to quickly run through this encounter; they check a few sources, make a few skill rolls, get some tidbits of information, and figure out who and where Ko-V-ERT is. It'd also be very dull.
Make the players work for the answers. Computer searches could trigger security alarms. Secret society members can be uncooperative or hostile to the Troubleshooters. Third-hand information can be cryptic or incomplete. Make sure everybody's acting in character; revelation of personal secrets and sheer obnoxiousness should keep them at each others' throats. Throw in more random encounters for the heck of it. If they're tense and edgy around each other, you're succeeding.
As always, adjust the situation to fit the mood of your crowd. If they seem to enjoy slinking around on the run, stretch it out, make it harder, throw out some red herrings. If they're impatient, dim-witted, or just unlucky, give them a few breaks -- the computer terminal in the hidden office beeps loudly (making it easy to find), or a generous clone gives them a big piece of the puzzle (for a price).
After a lot of running about, hiding in shadows, begging for help, and brain power, the Troubleshooters should eventually learn the following:
- "Tee-V-GDE" is actually Ko-V-ERT.
- Ko-V-ERT works in RUR sector R&D, where he's in charge of Warbot development for the Armed Forces. RUR sector is totally deserted.
- Ko-V-ERT hasn't been to his ERT sector residence for several daycycles now. The reasons on his absence is classified. ERT sector is heavily protected.
When your players are ready to meet their maker, head for Episode 6.
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