How do you like your Paranoia - hot or cold?I’ve GMed a few games of Paranoia so far and I’d like to share my experience so far. I’m also really interested in how you play Paranoia too, so please share!
How did you get into Paranoia? What were you hoping for, and did it deliver?I first heard of Paranoia from the Space Station 13 community. I’m actually a huge fan SS13 - it has an insane amount of depth. Even after 100 rounds, a plethora of roles, areas and mechanics remain unexplored. Every round is packed with unpredictable events and usually ramps up to an insane and chaotic game state, all in this small fascinating world brought to life by the players. This is the sort of vibe I strive for in my games of Paranoia. I imagine each session to be like a round of SS13 but intertwined with many different elements from multiple editions of Paranoia. I absolutely love Paranoia, and like any other RPG, it is flexible and can easily be modified.
Paranoia is the perfect roleplaying game for me. The Computer says so and I agree.
How silly do your sessions get? Have you ever had any players who just didn't get it or didn't like how you played Paranoia?My sessions are rather absurd, bizarre, wacky and may even seem, frankly, random. I love my Alpha Complex and rules to be unpredictable and ever-changing. From 1-10 on the Goofy ???? scale, my sessions fluctuate from 1 to 10 constantly.
It’s a rollercoaster. That is the experience I guarantee when you sit at my table. But... of course, humans being humans, we're all different and have differing perspectives on what makes fun... fun. Some players may find this type of humor to be too obnoxious or childish, while others love being able to let out their inner-child and jump into the sandbox again.
That being said, experienced Paranoia players seem to find my way of GMing distasteful... In almost every instance, they were disappointed because I didn’t play by the book and my idea of Paranoia was completely different from theirs. My Paranoia has evolved to become a game of its own. Contrarily, almost all of the new players (some even new to roleplaying) I’ve introduced to Paranoia had a blast and were eager to play again. I enjoy playing with new players more because they don't know what to expect and they always bring a fresh experience to the table.
The less they know, the better.
Are your adventures long?Paranoia is perfect for the one-shot session format, but I usually have a hard time condensing it all into one session. Plus, it’s hard to find a group that can maintain a consistent play schedule. And I also love playing with new victims (oops - I meant players!).
Perhaps it’d be nice to get to debriefing for once... I’m working on that too. On the other hand, it doesn’t bother me too much as long as the players are having fun exploring and interacting with my world.
It’s all about the journey, right?
Do you prepare your adventures/mission in any way?I have a list of NPCs, events and missions for my sessions and sometimes I'll pluck something from these lists. However, I enjoy winging things and that's usually how I play. I've even had some sessions without any actual mission assignments because the players were having too much fun doing other things. I love being able to bring that absolute "sandbox experience" to my table, though it can prove difficult to manage. It's quite the juggling act, but I'm getting better at it.
It's all practice, and the will to improve.
Do your characters die often?The XP edition insists on three different ways to play: Zap, Classic and Straight. My games fall somewhere between Zap and Classic (but zap-leaning). The Game Master says that player’s characters are dispensable, so it must be true.
I've had players that take things personal and feel they've been treated unfairly. I'm not a villain. I want everyone to get their moment to shine, and also die. I also try to make it clear that death is imminent from the jump. That being said, I haven't had any PCs lose all of their clones yet - and to be honest, I'd prefer not to inconvenience any player by having them reroll a new character.
Death is inevitable. Death is fun. Therefore, Death is mandatory. The sooner my players realize this, the better.
What are some of the more bizarre moments to occur in your Paranoia games?I've had so much fun these past sessions so far, more than any other game I've ever played really. From fighting a janitor who believes he's the chosen one to a crowded elevator fights in the dark to having double-agents, triple-agents and double reverse quadruple agents infiltrating the secret society, Illuminati (with a player being the leader, oblivious to this all), to players creating rivaling food review groups on Alphabook and guest starring as judges on a new Holovision show called "Commie Cooking"... that's literally about cooking commies...
"I'm detecting exceptionally high levels of fun, Citizen."
That’s all I really have to say! (
Do I get some kind of award for this? Maybe an Official Commendation for 2nd Longest Reddit Post, or something? No? Aw. Well... I hope I made Friend Computer proud, at the least.)End status report.
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