Paranoia

[SixthDeclension]

My gaming group has an odd tendency to get absolutely dumb, so I started looking for a game that could cure my woes. I stumbled upon Paranoia. The rules involved dont look complicated at all, a solution to my more lazy players. It gives you lots of options and ways to keep you interested. It LETS you kill each other. The thing is, I have yet to buy it.

Do you have any experience with the game? How much would you pay for it and would you suggest it?

[Prime32]

I have a very small amount of experience, but it's enough to get the basic idea.

First, the players are not allowed to know the rules. You are encouraged to punish them in-game if they do.

[SixthDeclension]

Oh! Thats even better!

[Kai]

I demoed Paranoia at GenCon a few years ago with Meg and Josh and a few others and had a great time. I think that they have played more since so might chime in when they are back from being at GenCon this year.

All we as players got was very basic information...who we were (Happiness Officer, etc.), who we were secretly supposed to be helping, and who we secretly supposed to be trying to get killed. Josh had more since he was 'running' the game. Whenever someone was killed their clone would pop out of the nearest clone chute and on the adventure would go.

I've heard that the game is very GM intensive for what that's worth.

[Kari]

I've played it... once. (Was fun as hell, too.)

However, given the nature of the game, unless it's seriously the sort of schtick your group adores, it can get old fairly quick. A fun diversion for a week or three, but not something to take up full time, really.

[Caelic]

Paranoia, in all its incarnations, is better as a one-shot game than it is as a serious campaign game.  I've seen it run as a bleak, Orwellian campaign, but generally, it shines as Orwell-Meets-Warner-Brothers.

[Marco]

I played it once in like 1990 or so as a one shot. We had a blast. I pretty much agree, great for a one shot not set up for an involved campaign. 

[tarbrush]

I played it as a PbP for about 6 months, and it was frickin' hilarious.  I can't see it working as a campaign either, cause there's too much fuck-your-buddy stuff in it, but it is great if you want to screw over some fellow PCs.  Ah, good times

[Zeke]

It's a great "party" style role playing game. It was more relevant during the cold war, but it's still wicked awesome.

[Peaboo]

I love Paranoia, but.... Never played it. I think it's a better read than anything that can be used for a long term campaign. (Depsite the campaign pack.)

[SixthDeclension]

Any other experiences with the game?

[Josh]

Any other experiences with the game?

The game is actually somewhat tricky to run well.  The best way to learn is to play it at a convention.