Paranoia - "Training Day"

[Kitmarch]

Right, to start a brief summary of Alpha Complex and what you'll need to do for character creation.

---

The Computer is your Friend!

Paranoia is set in a future ruled by a well meaning but deranged computer.

The Computer is happy. The Computer is crazy.
The Computer will help you become happy. This will drive you crazy.

Being a citizen of Alpha Complex is fun. The Computer says so and The Computer is your friend.

Many traitors threaten Alpha Complex.
Many happy citizens live in Alpha Complex. Most happy citizens are crazy.
Which is more dangerous - traitors or happy citizens?

Rooting out traitors will make you happy. The Computer tells you so.
If you are not happy, The Computer will use you as reactor shielding.

Being a Troubleshooter is fun. The Computer tells you so.
Do you doubt The Computer, citizen?

Troubleshooters get shot at, stabbed, mangled, incinerated, poisoned, stapled, blown to bits and accidentally executed.
This is so much fun, many Troubleshooters go crazy.
You work with many Troubleshooters. They all carry lasers.

Aren't you glad you have a laser too? Won't this be fun?

Stay alert! Trust no one! Keep your laser handy!

---

May I be of assistance?

Sure. Why don't you tell me how this game works?

I'm sorry citizen, that information is not available at this time.

Huh? Most games are really eager to teach you the rules.

Not this one. In Paranoia you don't know the rules. You don't know who your enemies are. You don't know how your equipment works. You're never sure why you're doing anything. One thing you do know: everyone is out to get you.
Ignorance and fear; fear and ignorance. These are your watchwords.

Uhhhh.... it says something about a computer.

In Paranoia you play a Troubleshooter in service to The Computer. Trust The Computer! The Computer is your friend! You are The Computer's trusted agent and protector of Alpha Complex, The Computer's underground city of the far future.

Why am I a Troubleshooter?

You turned a friend in for treason. The Computer had him executed for betraying Alpha Complex. The Computer rewarded you for your loyalty.
Now you root out traitors and apprehend or execute them. You uncover corruption among The Computer's servants and turn them over to Internal Security. You find trouble, and you shoot it.

What's a 'traitor'?

A traitor is a malevolent human citizen who has betrayed his friend The Computer, Alpha Complex, humanity and life as we know it. You must unmask and destroy all traitors. Watch out! Traitors are everywhere!
Mutants are traitors. These genetic freaks have uncontrollable abilities the selfishly use for their own advancement, rather than to serve Alpha Complex. You must subdue or eliminate them.
Members of secret societies are traitors. In organisations unsanctioned by The Computer they conspire irresponsibly to undermine the good order of Alpha Complex. You must destroy them.
By the way..... you are a mutant, and a member of a secret society. You are a traitor.

Wait, I'm a traitor?

That is correct. Your fellow Troubleshooters would be eager to unmask you as a traitor and execute you. You work with many Troubleshooters. They all carry powerful weapons.

Let me get this straight. My job is to hunt down and kill traitors. I work with other people who have the same orders. They all want to kill me?

Not quite. They all want to kill traitors. They don't know you're a Commie Mutant Traitor. Yet.

If they find out?

They'll apprehend or kill you, as any right thinking citizen would. Of course, if you convict them of treason first, The Computer will have them executed and you may survive. Note though, that false accusations of treason are themselves treason.

So I want to prove they're traitors before they can prove I'm a traitor. If I don't, I die?

Precisely. Dead traitors cannot testify to their own innocence, or to your guilt. It is convenient to be the last troubleshooter on your team left alive.
The good news is, Troubleshooters get routinely shot, stabbed, mangled, incinerated, poisoned, blown to bits and occasionally stapled, so you have many opportunities to ensure your teammates meet their just end.
Stay alert! Trust no one! Keep your laser handy!

..Are you sure this will be fun?

Certainly citizen! Fun is mandatory. The Computer says so and The Computer is your friend. Do you doubt The Computer? Doubting The Computer is treason.

Uh! No, certainly not! If The Computer says fun is mandatory, then this will certainly be fun. Only a Commie mutant traitor could believe otherwise.

Excellent. You're getting the idea. As a sign of its trust, The Computer promotes you to security clearance RED. Welcome to PARANOIA.

[Kitmarch]

Character Creation[/b]

First, get a copy of the Character Sheet from here.

You don't have to use it, but it saves me from having to explain the layout. If I don't mention a section, you don't need it yet.


Clones and Security

Two essential ingredients of Alpha Complex life.

The Computer long since replaced standard reproduction on a more efficient and less icky cloning process. In addition it follows good computing processes and makes backups. Therefore, every citizen has SIX clones. If (when) a citizen dies, their next clone is activated. This has the useful side effect of prolonging player participation past about 2 minutes, real time. ;D


In an effort to fight Commie Traitors, a rigid system of colour coded security clearances is in effect. All citizens start at Infrared, which is represented by black. It moves up through the colour chain of ROYGBIV, finishing at the hallowed UltraViolet (represented by white) level, at which citizens are trusted to modify the very code of The Computer.

Security clearance does not represent competence. It represents The Computer's trust in a citizen. And in a place where The Computer may fry said citizen at any moment on grounds of treason, there is no more valuable commodity. Higher clearance citizens get all the perks; authority, better living quarters, personal belongings, real food, etc. Infrareds (80% of the population) hotbunk in crowded halls, eat reconstituted vat slime and are kept perpetually drugged to keep them happy.


For the purposes of this game, you start as an Infrared.


Name

Alpha Complex Citizens follow the following approved naming convention

[Given name]-[clearance initial]-[home sector]-[clone number]

Infrared citizens don't have a clearance initial.

Home sector is a three letter designation, which can be anything you like.

You have 6 clones, 1-6. If by some unfortunate circumstance you should die, your next clone is defrosted and rolled out in short order. The wonder mem-o-max technology ensures that nearly all the memories of the previous clone are uploaded to the new one before dispatch.



Example: An infrared citizen, Kit-MCH-1 is promoted to clearance RED for services to Computer and Complex. Later on, Kit-R-MCH-1 is betrayed and executed on the orders of Comm-I-SAR-4 for possessing the treasonous "regeneration" mutation. She is replaced by her clone, Kit-R-MCH-2, who may or may not be already plotting revenge on her "friends" for getting her killed.



Gender

Unimportant. Since The Computer instituted the practice of cloning citizens, the old icky biological practices (expressions of revulsion are permitted here, but not mandatory) have been abolished. Every citizen receives massive doses of hormone surpressents in all foods. Overt expression of Female/Male behaviours indicate either treasonous avoidance of said supressents, or a treasonous mutation which counters them.



Skills

You have six skills: Management, Stealth, Violence, Hardware, Software and Wetware.

You can either: Make each one 7, distribute 40 points between the skills, or roll a D20 for each (for rolls under 4, the skill rating is 4). Making all 7s is easiest, so that's what you're going to do for this one.

Higher the number the better. I'll be rolling a D20 against this, trying to score equal or less (with modifiers).




Specialities

Specialities are used for specific tasks. If you do not have a rating in the speciality, you use your skill instead. If you DO have a rating, it is used, even if it's lower than the skill.


You have a vital speciality in Energy weapons, which is Violence +4 (so with Violence 7, Energy Weapons is 11)



Optionally you may pick up to six common specialities. Each one gives a rating of Skill+4. For each common speciality taken, you must take a compensating weakness in another speciality for the same skill. The rating for this is 1.

Example: Kit-R (violence 7) takes a speciality in Unarmed Combat (11) and a weakness in vehicular combat (1).



Notes:


Demolitions: This skill is treasonous below clearance GREEN.
C-bay: Relates to using Alpha Complex's online auction site
Hacking: Treasonous below clearance GREEN
Operating Systems: Treasonous below clearance BLUE
Bioweapons: Treasonous below clearance BLUE
Outdoor life: Most citizens know squat about the Outside.



There are slots for six Narrow Specialities, one in each skill. These refer to doing very specific things to very specific things / people. Don't take these now, ask the nice GM if you can create them when needed. Narrow specialities give a +6 bonus to the skill, and no weakness.

Example: Kit-R has the Narrow Speciality "Get free food out of dispenser 4271-2", giving her a +6 bonus to her Hardware of 7, for a total of 13.




Service Firm

Normally you'd roll for one. But this time you're all working for Production, Logistics and Commissary: Food Vat Control (probably THE worst job in the complex).


Pick one Common Speciality (+4) for your service firm. There is no corresponding weakness, and you may stack the bonus with an existing speciality (but NOT modify a weakness).

You may pick from Chutzpah, Con Games, Bot Ops and Maintenance, Habitat Engineering, Vehicle Ops and Maintenance, Data Search, Biosciences.




Mutant Power

Being a mutant is high grade treason. If you are one, your friendly GM will PM you with details. You may choose to register your mutation (which means you can't be executed for having it) but being a mutant ranks you as a second class citizen, and a good scapegoat when things go wrong. "Bob-R could have prevented it! He has mutant powers after all!"

This is not CoX. Expect your powers to work erratically at best.


Kit-R-MCH-1 was executed when a cut on her hand caused her to grow an extra arm, which was a bit of a give away.




Secret Society

Being a member of a secret society is treason. Internal Security estimates that each citizen is a member of 1.41 societies, though they may be making this up.

Your kind GM will PM you with your society and the Secret Skills you get as a member.

You will take an Uncommon skill, an Unlikely skill (usually useless) and an Unhealthy skill. The latter can get you executed.


Uncommon Skills:
Power Studies, Cash Hacking, Demolition, Cyborging, Alpha Complex History, Haggling, Marital Arts (sic), Drug Procurement, Experimental Equipment Repair, Archival Studies, Survival, Wild Lore.


Unlikely Skills:
Comic Book Trivia, Jargon, Tractor Maintenance, Botspotting, Action movies, Partying, Priestly skills, toolmaking skills, Advertising and marketing, Hobbies, Languages, Meditation, Video games, Gloating, Cooking, Knitting, Music, Birdwatching, Botany, etc.

Unhealthy Skills:
Twitchtalk, Hacking, Propaganda, Bioweapons, Gambling, Programming Skills, Bribery, Forgery, Old Reckoning Cultures, Old Reckoning Drugs, WMD



If a skill already exists from your main skills, the rating is the same. Otherwise roll a D20.



Perversity Points

You get 25. These are used to help modify dice rolls when indicated, and are awarded for good RP and being decisive. Your GM will indicate when perversity acn be used to modify rolls. If permitted, you may use perversity to aid your fellow players. Or screw them over.



Attributes

You're not allowed to know what values these are.

Power relates to the strength of your mutant power (if you have one).

Access defines how well you can "get stuff done" in the Alpha Complex bureaucracy.


These may be drained by using them.


You're all done. Send details or questions via PM to your friendly GM.

I'll work out societies and powers later this evening. I have a long car journey to do first.

[Solar]

*incoming noobery*

Been having a look through this the past 2 nights, trying to work out exactly to do, and failing miserably. If someone would be so kind as to post a dummy-version allready filled in so I can see what to put where, I'd appreciate in Iris sized proportions. And I'm assuming once filled in, I PM it to Plas, keep a copy for myself, and thats it?

[Kitmarch]

Sample:

Pick a name. Kit-MCH-1. Ves-KIT-1. Polo-MNT-1. Robbie-RBT-1 etc.

So for example. Insan-R-TEE-1. (Friend Insan has started at RED clearence. Clearence letters (and your clone number) may change as the game progresses).

Male. Looking at the character sheet linked in the main post, put a big 7 next to the big words Management, Stealth, Violence, Hardware, Software and Wetware. These are skills. Underneath Violence, find Energy Weapons and add 4 to the violence rating (of 7) to get 11.

Optionally, pick up to six of the other specialities (the ones under the big words) and add 4 to the skill rating (of 7). Each time you do this, set one of the others in the same column to 1. Those which you have not modified will use the number next to the big word if you ever use them.

So Insan-R-TEE-1 has Violence 7, Energy Weapons 11, and has chosen to improve Intimidation (a management speciality) to 11 at the cost of Hygiene, which is now 1.


Add 4 to either Chutzpah, Con Games, Bot Ops and Maintenance, Habitat Engineering, Vehicle Ops and Maintenance, Data Search or Biosciences, for your "on the job" training at your service firm.

Insan-R picks Vehicle Ops, adding 4 to his Hardware skill (7) for a rating of 11.
All of Insan-R's other specialties are blank. If his GM asks him to do nuclear engineering, he'll have to rely on his basic hardware skill. When he's required to go through decontam after that, he'll use his Hygiene speciality, which is alas 1.


Moving on to what is usually the back of the character sheet. Go to the PM I sent you about your secret society and pick an Uncommon, Unlikely and Unhealthy skill from the list, based on the information in the PM. Make a note of your society and mutant power (if you have one) and for Gods sake don't tell anyone else.

Insan-R is a member of P.U.R.G.E. and must take Demolition from uncommon. He is recommended to take Gloating and Bioweapons from the other columns, but instead takes Knitting and Bribery.

Insan-R has the hypersenses mutation.


PM Plas with your choices. Insan-R's player does so as follows:

Name : Insan-R-TEE-1
Gender : Male
Skills : All 7's
Specialities : Energy Weapons 11, Vehicle Ops 11, Intimidation 11, Hygiene 1,

Mutant Power : Hypersenses (unregistered)
Secret Society : Purge : Uncommon Skill - Demolition. Unlikely Skill - Knitting. Unhealthy Skill - Bribery.



Insan-R-TEE-1 is allowed to play the game. And is subsequently run over by a tankbot for no good reason.

[Kitmarch]

If you're still stuck, send a PM saying "I'll just use the defaults!", write down your society and power, and I'll do the rest.

If you're really, really stuck, just pick a name.

[Victoria]

And when in doubt, sing. Being in tune is not mandatory as long as you're singing loudly.


Alpha Complex Battle Anthem.
(to the tune of "Glory, glory, Hallelujah")

Mine eyes have seen the coming of another Commie hoard,
If we somehow vanquish all of them, Hot Fun is our reward.
"Please engage the menace, citizen," I hear on my comcord.
My clone keeps marching on!

Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
My clone keeps marching on!

I fire with my laser but the hoards keep coming on,
And now suddenly there seems to be a malfunction in my gun,
So I lob a nuc'lear hand grenade, and then I turn and run.
My clone keeps marching on!

Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
My clone keeps marching on!

The Commies are all vanquished now, and that makes me real glad.
But the mission geiger counter says I took a thousand rad.
So I check with Friend Computer, and It says that's not so bad.
My clone keeps marching on!

Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
Glory, Glory, Hail Computer!
My clone keeps marching on!

[Kitmarch]

Okay, quick guide for starters. I'm kinda winging this "forum" format, so things may change.

Open information shall be posted here. You say something, or say you're doing something and it will be visible to all. Want to be sneaky and relay it via PM to me. GM perog and dice rolls may result in it turning up in the description next time if it didn't work.

You want to plot among yourselves, use PMs.

Right, here we go.

[Kitmarch]

Scene the first

Location: Alpha Complex
Timeline: Year 247 of The Computer. A Twosday.

Life is good.

Chem-LAK, Solar-BTZ, Sparky-JNR and Ves-KIT are four normal, loyal, hard working citizens. After their birth decades ago from the cloning tanks, they spent 14 years as junior citizens, learning essential skills for their upcoming service to Friend Computer. And learning also about the ever present menace of Commies. No one ever quite explained what it was, but they learnt at an early age that "Communism" is a Bad Thing.
At the age of 14, they became regular citizens, and were moved into the FunForAll service firm who produce mircowaveable Hot Fun packs and extruded Cold Fun snack strings for many of the Infrareds who make up over 80% of Alpha Complex's population. The Infrareds, of course, live entirely off the recycled waste products and algae produced in the vats.
They have been joyously serving the computer in the food vats ever since, drifting through the day on a haze of free Happytyme meds. They spend happy evenings watching the Teela-O-MLY show and HPD-MC's motivational broadcasts in the the communal lounge before sleeping in a random bunk every night in the communal bunkroom.

It now lunchbreak and they are all just about to tuck into a delicious bowl of Hot Fun (try not to remember where it came from), followed by a mood-adjustment pill washed down with Bouncy Bubble Beverage. B3 is available instead of water on Twosdays, and this is their favourite day of the uniformly excellent week.


Location: INFRARED communal mess hall.

Our happy citizens are seated around a table near the door. For some reason, no-one else seems to want to sit with them since the sector 73ARS algae tanks overflowed and drowned most of their shift in toxic waste last week and the remainder were executed for sabotage. The PCs were off serving the computer on the vital task of polishing the inside of the overflow pipe at the time.


Suddenly a man wearing a shiny Red jumpsuit bursts into the hall, firing a laserpistol wildly behind him while chanting "Forward the revolution, comrades!". This citizen displays woeful neglect of the 62715th revision of Alpha Complex safety protocols in not looking where he is going, and trips over and falls onto our friend's table. The table, obviously a victim of Commie sabotage, collapses with a crash. Our friends and the newcomer end up in a pile of bodies and broken furniture, liberally mixed with hot fun and Bouncy Bubble Beverage.

Before this regrettable altercation can be resolved, another group wearing Red jumpsuits enters in hot pursuit, waving laserpistols, yelling "treason" and "commie" and similar such. They level their laserpistols at the heap of people, plainly intent on frying the lot.

One of the newcomers yells "Ha! Friend computer, the Commie Mutant Traitor has been aprehended!".
His friends give him looks most unbecoming of happy Alpha Complex citizens, which quickly change to beaming smiles as a monitor drops down from the ceiling. THE COMPUTER is among them! Numerous security guards troop in to arrest the Commie.

Our friends are now staring down the barrels of several dozen laser pistols and a Computer camera.




The camera focuses on our friends and The Computer speaks. "Citizens. Congratulations on your successful neutralisation of the Communist menace!"

One of the newly arrived Reds starts to speak, and the camera turns to her "Citizen Jenny-R, you are 7.8 minutes overdue for your appointment with Power Services, which is 7.89 kilometres away. Please report to your designated assignment zone immediately."
The Reds exit swiftly back through the door and The Computer once more addresses our friends.

"Who among you lead your team in the apprehension of the Communist Traitor?"

((Okay, you're up guys.))

[Solar]

Solar-BTZ beamed up at the camera, pointing at Sparky-JNR "Him, Friend computer!"

[Sparky]

Sparky-JNR beamed at The Computer's almighty almightyness. With a wide grin he gracefully stepped fowards (over the others on the floor) to declare himself the leader of the group at Solar-BTZ words.

"I am the leader, oh Friend Computer. I am happy to say I happily lead my happy group in apprehending the evil Commie so that Alpha Complex can be a happier place for all it's happy citizens."

[Kitmarch]

((Sol & Sparky get 2 Perversity points each. You started with 25 if you've forgotten))

The Computer focuses its camera on Sparky, seemingly ignoring Ves-KIT who seems to be attempting to continue his meal, despite it being spread all over the place.

"Citizen! Your initiative and that of your fellow citizens is most commendable. As a result, you have been chosen to lead next weekcycle's "Alphan's Triumphant" march. Please report to HPD&MC office number "

The Computer is interrupted by the sounds of repeated laser fire and an explosion from the hallway the Red citizens just departed down.

"..... Congratulations citizens! A opening for a new Troubleshooter team has recently occurred. You are promoted to clearance RED. You are directed to proceed under escort to room 714891-DF for sedation reduction and repatterning. Citizen Sparky-R-JNR-1 will assume the Mandatory Bonus Duty of Team Leader for your training mission."

"Won't this be fun?"

[Sparky]

Grinning and clapping slightly, Sparky-R-JNR-1 beams at Friend Computer.

"Anything Friend Computer tells us to do is certain fun!"

Turning round to look at his new team-mates, Sparky nodded.

"Come on team, let's get to 714891-DF! As soon as our escort that Friend Computer said will take us there arrives. Boy, this'll be funfunfun! "

[Ves]

"Indeed Friend Computer, exposing foul traitors to Friend Computer will be fun. I am happy to protect Alpha Complex"

*moves to stand behind Sparky-JNR and await the escort*

[Solar]

Solar-R-BTZ-1 Beamed and nodded, moving to sit on the floor obediently while waiting for the escort team "Friend computer knows all the best ways to have fun!

[Kitmarch]

The Green security guards look at each other. "Training mission? You remember when....?" They then break down into a fit of sblack personing.

They then shoot the Commie cleanly in the back of the head, take each of our newly promoted friends by an elbow and frogmarch them down the corridor, past several body parts and a small blast crater and into a thoroughfare.

They are met along the way by another bemused newly promoted Red citizen (Jake-R) and sent to a room for the drugs to wear off. They haven't eaten yet and are hungry. What is more, missing thier lunchtime meds is making them less happy than usual (irritable). And they haven't had their Twosday Bouncy Bubble Beverage! If they want, they could buy some stuff from a handy vending machine in the corridor outside.

But for the moment, they are all alone in a room. Except for one thing. On the table is an apple. A real, honest-to-computer apple, straight from the high clearance hydroponic gardens.

This is the first time any of them have ever seen Real Food.