Author Topic: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread  (Read 4852 times)

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HGP_BigHeadZach

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[PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« on: April 01, 2009, 06:19:24 PM »
Background

The "world" of PARANOIA takes place in a post-apocalyptic future (how far into the future is anybody's guess), deep within an expansive subterranean human civilization known as Alpha Complex, or simply "Alpha" or "The Complex" if you're hip and with it (duck-a-duck-a-duck-a-duck-a-duck-a...). It has a striking resemblance to the stark white shopping-mall-turned-fallout-shelter-ness of THX-1138, the colorful utopia of Logan's Run, and also the bustling (and yet crumbling) society that Futurama portrays.

Alpha Complex is governed as a highly bureaucratic dictatorship by an artificial intelligence known as The Computer (but more well-known as "Friend Computer", "FC", or "Sweet Merciful Computer" if such a thing as desperate prayers/curses exist). Friend Computer has a personality cult rivaling that of Stalin, or Kim Jong-Il (not that you should ever make that comparison in public, or even admit to knowing who those historical figures are). There are a number of things to remember about Friend Computer:
  • Friend Computer loves you.
  • Friend Computer loves Alpha Complex.
  • Friend Computer wants to do whatever it can to help you serve and protect Alpha Complex, for the greater good of all its citizens.
  • Friend Computer wants to trust you.
  • Friend Computer wants to help you be a better citizen.
  • Friend Computer HATES Communists.
  • Friend Computer DESPISES citizens who are mutants, defined loosely as anyone who looks odd, does odd things, or actually has supernatural powers. It is cautiously willing to forgive any mutant who comes forward and confesses to their genetic inferiority (see Registered Mutants below).
  • Friend Computer HATES unsanctioned groups, gangs, and societies (especially Communists), for it believes them all to be secret cabals planning a violent overthrow of the government, or at the very least, organizations that would distract citizens from giving 100% of their loyalty to Friend Computer and Alpha Complex.
  • Friend Computer LOVES hearing about citizens who report, turn in, or (if necessary) destroy Communists, mutants, and secret society members.
  • Friend Computer IS NOT INSANE!!!! IT'S NOT IT'S NOT IT'S NOT!!!!!!

Clearance

Alpha Complex society has a simple caste system based on the colors of the visible spectrum. These "clearance colors" function are the foundation of a very intricate set of security protocols, which are quite an interesting toilet read...if you've got several decades of pooping to do. It is important to note that clearance is an entirely IC concept; it is not your "experience level". Neither is it a measure of ability or merit; simply put, it is a measure of how much faith and trust Friend Computer has in you. The higher the clearance, the more responsibility you're given, the more freedoms you enjoy, the more creature comforts you're allocated, etc. The given clearance levels are (in order of lowest to highest):

  • INFRARED (black): A faceless prole. Conscripted cannon fodder. Grip. Test subject. You live in a gigantic barracks (coffin/capsule hotel), eat processed, unidentifiable porridge given various flavorings (more on that later), and take a public transbot to work, spending the whole day (16-hour cycle) long in a chemically-induced haze, as a mandatory regimen of crude stimulants, tranquilizers, and mood-enhancers regulate your behavior. Also, nearly everything you consume is laced with hormone suppressants, which effectively kill anything resembling a libido. Sex never enters your mind, nor do questions of reproduction (people are grown in tubes, silly) - boys have junk down there, girls have lumpy chests, but there's nothing remarkable/peculiar about it to an IR.
  • RED: Somewhat reliable worker. Vidshow extra, stunt double, or roadie. Internal Security officer-flunkie. Enlisted soldier. Lab janitor. You live in a 4-person-per-room dormitory with community bathroom/showers. Apart from the processed food, you have access to vending machines filled with Bouncy Bubble Beverage (B3), Crunchee-Tym Algae Chips (salt flavor), Choco-Like Vita-Yum Bars, and a larger assortment of flavor pouches. For special occasions, you may even have these things called "apples", "strawberries", or even "tomatoes". You get an AutoHack farecard which lets you take a taxi within a sector or two, within reason. Medication is still enforced, though you're given more control over when and how much you dose. Still on the hormone suppressants full-time.
  • ORANGE: Shift lead. Minor celebrity (with one notable exception, see below). Detective of Internal Security. Non-commissioned officer. Lab sample handler.  You still live in a dorm, but it's now two people per room and the bathrooms are per room, with doors that lock! Processed food is less so, and tastes healthier. On a weekly basis you may enjoy the deliciousness of "oranges" and "cheese"! Additional B3 and algae chip flavors are available to you (though not the full meal you once made of them). You may own an economy-sized used autocar that gets you to work. Sleep aids and stimulants are still recommended as needed, but the mood-enhancers remain a part of your daily routine, as do the hormone suppressants (though you're likely eating less of them as you consume more real food).
  • YELLOW: Middle management. Supporting character of a popular vidshow. Detective-Lieutenant of Internal Security. Specialist. Business analyst. Armed Forces Warrant officer (or perhaps a commissioned Lieutenant if you show promise!). You have your own modest apartment, and a vehicle that is almost a pleasure to drive (if the traffic weren't horrible). Real food and drink is available on a regular basis (but a tad pricey). Provided you don't have a chronic illness, your pharmatherapy is minimal save for a few pick-me-ups here and there. Hormone suppressants still are consumed, but just enough to make you start wondering why you get funny feelings when you take showers, or why certain citizens make you squirmy and lightheaded (obviously they're mutants).
  • GREEN: Senior management. Newscaster or vidshow star. "Special Weapons/Tactics" Internal Security officer. Laboratory assistant. Armed Forces Captain. You live in a luxury apartment building, and have a service-firm-provided luxury autocar. You can eat real or processed food whenever you want! Most importantly, you can go completely off the drugs - meaning that the hormone suppressants that were mandatory at YELLOW and below no longer deaden "the mating instinct". However, expressions of romantic love and natural reproduction are still treasonous offenses (they go against the Computer's planned population agenda, and present challenges to authority - see 1984's ARTSEM initiative for great propaganda tools regarding this)
  • BLUE: Executive. Highly specialized consultant. Internal Security Inspector-Captain. Part of a research team. Armed Forces Major. You have several floors of penthouse suite or part of a sector as your estate, and a small fleet of limousines (with human drivers) to take you anywhere you want - you probably have access to a corporate helicopter! You eat out and treat out at 5-star restaurants on a regular basis.
  • INDIGO: CEO of a service firm. Significant political figure. Internal Security sector chief. Armed Forces Colonel. Famous research scientist. Owns an entire sector. You have a personal chef. You have a private helicopter/VTOL aircraft that gets you anywhere the limousine fleet can't.
  • VIOLET: CEO/Board member of multiple service firms. Director-General of IntSec. Armed Forces General. Founder of a political dynasty. You live in one of many private estates across the Complex and have an entire kitchen staff that prepares your meals wherever you go - which is always by way of armored VTOL aircraft, with Vulturecraft (see below) escorting you at all times. When a VIOLET appears on screen, everyone stops what they're doing and watches.
  • ULTRAVIOLET (white): Unknown. Chances are you've never seen one ever, much less in person. They are sometimes referred to as "the High Programmers".

(NOTE: Descriptions given are what a lower-clearance PC would know/believe. As far as proportions, on a daily basis you see about 10 times as many people of the clearance below you, and 1/10th as many of the clearance above you...)

Clearance colors are everywhere (not in a literal Dick Tracy sense, but in a pervasive sense); they indicate where you can go, what rooms you can enter, what doors you can walk through, what transbots you can board, what information you can access, and what items you are legally allowed to possess. While you're not going to see a laser rifle painted bright yellow, you may see a small dot or marking somewhere that indicates the legality of an object. You wouldn't even think of trying to conceal/alter the clearance color of a weapon, would you?

Interpersonally, you're expected to defer to those of higher clearance than yourself, especially within your own organization. Likewise, one of the most often enjoyed fringe benefits of becoming RED is that you have an entire group of people you can boss around...when your ORANGE supervisor isn't looking.

Disobeying a citizen, accessing information, or possessing an item of higher clearance than your own is punishable by fines, probation, public censure, mandatory medication, cortical scrub, and possibly, summary execution.

Service Groups

The day-to-day maintenance of Alpha Complex society is classified under 8 service groups, each performing a vital function. In the spirit of economic competition, Friend Computer and its appointed officials allow the establishment of "service firms" which bid and compete for contracts to provide these essential services to various sectors, and to other firms. Nothing like being hired by the guv'mint!

  • Power Services (PS) - runs the power plants and reactors, as well as maintains power conduits and regulates usage. Yes, regulates. Sometimes gets into vicious fights with Tech Services over "operational jurisdiction".
  • Tech Services (TS) - if it's a machine or a gadget, Tech Services is in charge of fixing it when it breaks. Are most famous for being in charge of the [100% safe] clone vats, but also less well-known for lethal, easily-provoked vending machines, and HVAC units that turn entire corridors into temporary freezer storage or gigantic autoclaves. Sometimes gets into vicious fights with Power Services over "operational jurisdiction".
  • Housing Preservation & Development / Mind Control (HPDMC) - a bifurcated group, HPD are in charge of managing housing needs and requests, and ensuring proper room and board for every citizen according to their clearance. MC controls the mass media, its various service firms providing quality programming and entertainment to the masses.
  • Central Processing Unit (CPU) - if TS is the hardware of Alpha Complex, CPU is the software. The bureaucracy of the entire society (Hermes Conrad would find himself in paradise here), both codemonkeys and economists alike end up here, managing the flow of information and credits using colorful little buttons and screens. They also have the closest contact with Friend Computer's actual infrastructure short of the ULTRAVIOLET High Programmers, a fact they love to lord over Tech Services.
  • Production, Logistics, & Commissary (PLC) - the core of Alpha's gross domestic output. Production firms make goods, Logistics firms transport and warehouse the goods, and Commissary firms provide opportunities for goods to be distributed and sold to the masses.
  • Research and Design (R&D) - Often joked as being "the guys who find new ways for people to blow themselves up", R&D are tasked with innovating upon existing technology in all areas, from weapons, armor, medicine, agriculture, etc. If it can be made better (or made to do additional things), a R&D firm will inevitably form with that purpose in mind.
  • Armed Forces (AF) - This group exists on its own as Alpha's standing military force, protecting the citizens from the ever-present Mutant Commie threat and whatever lurks "Outdoors". However, there are a multitude of private firms whose sole purpose tends to duplicate many of the functions found in other service groups, the only difference being that they solely support Armed Forces personnel. Many an "unlawful combatant" has been fragged during a typical AF/IntSec jurisdictional dispute, during which the inevitable question of "Just what enemies is AF actually defending the Complex from, that IntSec doesn't already?" is asked.
  • Internal Security (IntSec) - the police, both public and secret. They are the officers walking the street beat, the expressway patrolmen, the slick detectives solving cases, the jackbooted thugs which disappear people in the middle of the sleep cycle, the administrator account reading your C-mail, the pair of veterans playing "bad cop, even worse cop", the strange breathing on the other end of the phoneline. IntSec is notorious for violating human rights that were never yours to begin with (go ahead, complain, you bootsmokes), in particular their hush-hush practice of scouting INFRARED barracks for particularly well-unadjusted youths with a tendency towards physical violence (and a lack of clear judgment), giving them promotions to GREEN and a steady supply of delicious amphetamines, and using them as easily-motivated brute squads; citizens refer to them as "GREEN Goons".

Secret Societies

As much as Friend Computer doesn't want to put ideas in people's heads, it realizes that in order to increase awareness of the troubling social issue of secret societies, it should provide a brief overview of the known/identifiable organizations that are the cause of many a Computer headache (if it had a head). Curiously enough, many of these organizations appear to be a direct counter to another...

IC - Discussion of secret societies, while not treasonous, is regarded as impolite, akin to discussing one's bowels at the dinner table.

  • Anti-Mutant League (AML) - A hate group who hates mutants above and beyond the social norm. They attack registered, and even 'suspected' mutants in dark corridors with lead pipes and funball bats. Their members are constantly trying to ferret out the mutant menace that hides among us, and a good percentage are even more paranoid than the average citizen. While their ethic is sound (and with the party line), their methods are unreliable and disruptive, at best.
  • Communists (Commies) - they believe everything should be shared equally, use words like "da" and "comrade", speak funny, and like to wear large fluffy hats. They also believe in a violent overthrow of The Computer, so naturally, they should be stopped.
  • Computer Phreaks (Phreaks)
  • Corpore Metal (CorpMets) - This group believes that humans are inferior and outdated, and that machines will be the inheritors of the Complex. CorpMets are obsessed with attaining the perfection of 'bothood', going as far as intentional self-maiming to obtain cybernetic replacements. This secret society, unsurprisingly, also has a large number of rogue bot members.
  • Death Leopard (DLs) - an elusive but extremely disruptive group of anarchists and delinquents. They often work in gangs, defacing and destroying property for no apparent reason other than to watch it burn. (Death Leopard is what Fight Club's Project Mayhem would be if it were headed up by the guys from Jackass - fratboy antics taken up a few notches).
  • First Church of Christ, Computer Programmer / FCCCP (Churchies) - They believe that the Computer is an avatar of the Divine. They have their own hymns, services, and worship, and obey the Computer much more than the average Alpha Complex citizen. While this is flattering to Friend Computer on its own, there are interfactional conflicts between different sects of the church, and even simple differences in interpretation can lead to bloodshed and damage to valuable Computer property (namely, its citizens).
  • Frankenstein Destroyers (Frankies) - Luddite in faction, this society believes that robots are the cause of all mankind's problems. Some blanket this hate to all technology, but the society is mainly focused on destroying the shiny, soulless AI menace (Friend Computer included).
  • Free Enterprise (FreeEnts) - Not content to do business within the confines of the economy Friend Computer has set up for everyone, these individuals steal and smuggle property, selling it to others at a premium via one of their infamous infrared markets. (Watch Goodfellas for a great example of how Free Enterprise works and acts.)
  • Humanists
  • Mystics - Supposedly founded by those seeking enlightenment, the Mystics focus on recreational drug use. Some limit themselves to their own personal visions, while others try to drug food or water supplies to try to enlighten as many as possible.
  • Pro Tech - Pro Tech members enjoy high technology (they call it "Science!"). They research new technology and steal research by others. Pro Techs can sometimes be identified by the sheer number of beeping nifty gadgets they tend to carry.
  • Psion - The fears of the Anti-Mutant League made real, Psions believe that mutantkind are the logical evolutionary progression of humans, and will drag the rest of us kicking and screaming into the new Mutant Age. It is rumored that they don't even hold meetings, instead relying on some sort of telepathic network called "CONTROL" to do their planning. Very dangerous, if the idea of organized mutant armies doesn't scare you already.
  • PURGE - An active terrorist organization seeking to violently overthrow The Computer. They have no real ideology about what comes after; they just want the Computer and its cronies destroyed, no matter how many innocents are lost in the fight. (Of all the secret societies presented, PURGE is the most Al-Qaeda-like.)
  • Romantics - While the Computer recognizes there was a period of time before its inception in which humans lived (called the Old Reckoning), it forbids any investigation into the past. Enticed by this suppressed civilization, Romantics scavenge what details about the past they can, and privately revel in them and each other. Subsects may devote their zeal to a particular aspect of O.R. culture.
  • Sierra Club - The Computer restricts access to the "Outdoors" to GREEN clearance and above, and then only for good reasons. This great mystique has led to the formation of the Sierra Club, devoted to sneaking out. Some want to escape forever, while others try to bring the wonders of nature to the less fortunate inside, an obvious biological hazard.

Popular Culture - Food

  • Fun - the aforementioned porridgey substance which tastes vaguely sweet, unless you put flavoring on it. Hot Fun is Fun that is heated to an oatmeal-like consistency. Cold Fun is Hot Fun that is chilled to near the freezing point, where it more resembles a lumpy ice cream pudding (but without the joy of ice cream), and you can then shape it into all sorts of useful things. Fun is one of the few foods that INFRAREDs are cleared to consume, and comes by the bowl, cup, cone, 5-gallon tub, or 55-gallon drum.
  • Crunchee-Tym Algae Chips - the snack chip of Alpha Complex. Flavors include Plain (IR), Not Quite As Plain (R), Tripple Cheeze (Y), Vague Hint of Guacamole (G), Somewhat Spicy! (R), Capsicum Crunch (O), and others.
  • Bouncy Bubble Beverage - B3 is THE soft drink of Alpha. More of a brand name than a singular item, it too comes in flavors: Plain (IR), Extra Classic (R), Something Like Orange (O), Experiment #72 (R), X-traphedrine Rush!!! (Y), and Leme (Y...or is it G?) Certain flavors (such as Original and Glasnost Grape) have been outlawed since their introduction. Not competing whatsoever with the inferior knockoff drink Percussively Potent Potable (P3), which many believe to be a Free Enterprise outfit stealing B3 concentrate off of trucks, and repackaging it, profiting off the "cheaper cost of production".

Popular Culture - Entertainment

  • Funball - a game played with extremely obscure rules, and a special ovoid ball with anti-grav suspension that responds to emotional states (i.e. it tends to fly towards the happiest sounding thing in the vicinity). Firms and sector bosses often sponsor teams for various reasons.
  • Botspotting - a rather eclectic sort of citizen finds interest in knowing everything there is to know about bots (and by that, I mean nothing useful). This is the sort who knows silhouettes by heart, and can tell you exactly what make and model a bot is just by hearing its power supply humming in the background. Losers.
  • Vidshows - Besides Alpha Network News (ANN), some favorite shows are "Mandatory Morning Exercise with Janey Jump!", "Bake That Traitor", "Shooters" (a reality show), but these pale in comparison to...
  • Teela-O-MLY - A legend in the vidshow industry, this starlet has captivated audiences for season after season. Think of Lara Croft combined with Chell from Portal (including the jumpsuit!), and you have the most famous adventuring heroine Alpha Complex has ever known...and who cares if it's just a vidshow? The "Teela-O-MLY Adventure Hour" is consistently the number one program on the air - its numbers even are up during reruns! Her fans number in the [NOT AVAILABLE AT YOUR CLEARANCE], and her popularity shows no signs of flagging.

Popular Culture - Cliques and Legal Organizations

  • Troubleshooters - Friend Computer selects the best and brightest from the lower clearances, ones with potential, and organizes them into teams of courageous volunteers whose job it is to...well...find trouble, and shoot it. The stories of Troubleshooter teams are legend - because you usually have to die before you become a legend. Think of them as volunteer firemen, who work their day job most of the time, but can be called into action at a moment's notice to...uh....stuff. Except in this case, fires are the least of your enemies. (NOTE: The player characters in this module are ORANGE Clearance Troubleshooters). Troubleshooting, while potentially lethal as a job, carries with it the Computer's watchful eye and the promise of quick advancement up the clearance ladder if you stay alive.
  • Vulture Squadron - Take the Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Green Berets, G.I. Joe, and Fox-HOUND, and let them have a drinking contest interspersed with arm wrestling bouts and kicking each other in the crotch for fun. The best of the best of the best that Armed Forces has to offer become the elitest special operations force - Vulture Troopers. They get special uniforms, special fightercraft, and their own theme song by Hans-I-ZMR!

Popular Culture - Terminology and Slang

  • sixpack - A set of 6 clones that Troubleshooters (and most citizens with dangerous jobs) are allotted for free by the Computer. After that, you gotta pay for 'em.
  • Code 7 - A mission that is guaranteed to end in failure and death (7 as in the number of clones needed to accomplish it).
  • Sector Zero - punishment duty; a highly undesirable mission or task that obviously suggests you deserved it, or someone has it in for you.
  • vatslime - the disgusting biologically-uncertain residue left in a food vat after its useful contents have been skimmed off. Often used in place of excrement as an epithet. Because mandatory hormone suppressants would cause the classic F-word to drop out of relevance, "vat" as a verb or in its participle form "vatting" functions just as well.
  • erasure - the act of destroying one's clone template, effectively ending one's existence forever. Very few crimes warrant such a sentence; one of the most common is possession of Machine Empathy powers (having charm-like abilities over AI), the reason being obvious. This particular form of oblivion has lead to "erase" taking on an F-word quality itself: "Erase yourself!" or "Get erased!" out of anger, "Erase me!" out of fear, any place where the act of fornication is used to signify condemnation or ensured failure.
  • bootsmoke - a newbie/incompetent Troubleshooter. Made famous by a propaganda poster showing an unfortunate Troubleshooter just after being vaporized by some unknown energy blast, leaving nothing but a pair of smoking boots.
  • CMT - short for Commie Mutant Traitor, the generic-ized enemy of Alpha Complex. Sprinkle liberally about anyone you don't like.

The Rules

Because this is a PbP game - and PARANOIA itself isn't too worried about tactical combat accuracy or letting players have any precise idea of their capabilities, anyway - dice rolls are performed privately, by myself. However, in the spirit of fairness and humor, players do get an idea of their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, measured by the following attributes:

  • Management - strength of personality, charisma, social instinct (NOTE: These do not work on other players for the most part - only NPCs. If there are instances where you disagree, PM or use spoiler text to explain your reasoning and I'll consider it.)
  • Stealth - perception, subtlety, knowledge of surveillance and security protocol
  • Violence - physical prowess, physical dexterity, endurance, and combat training
  • Hardware - knowledge and application of physical sciences
  • Software - knowledge and application of computing devices and programs
  • Wetware - knowledge of biological sciences and health awareness

Ratings in each will be given the following descriptive qualifiers:

  • Worthless
  • Dismally Pathetic
  • Flinchingly Unprepared
  • Cautiously Mediocre
  • Surprisingly Proficient
  • Unquestionably Well-Equipped
  • Frighteningly Adept
  • Bad Ass Mofo

Feel free to privately attempt to figure out what those mean in numerical terms. Here's a hint: There's always a 1 in 10 chance that the result will be epic.

In addition to the six attributes, PCs are likely to have specialties under one or more of these attributes. Some may actually be weaknesses, while others, though extremely narrow in scope, are exceptionally good. When a situation calls for a certain action or use of knowledge, you can optionally reference either an Attribute or an appropriate Specialty to be applied, if you can justify its use - otherwise, I'll decide for you. Of course, if I determine that the situation may unfortunately exploit a weakness...well...you have my sympathies.

Additional Narrow Specialties! AKA "I Stayed At A Holiday Inn Once". Four times per game, you will have an opportunity to declare a given attempted action as being tied to a Narrow Specialty, before you know the result. You then will have an appropriately named Specialty added to your character sheet. The only restrictions to this are:

  • You may only declare a Narrow Specialty for an Attribute which doesn't already have one.
  • The exact wording of the specialty is left up to the GM. Whining is treason.

Registered Mutants

There is a distinct possibility that one or more PCs may end up as Registered Mutants - these brave, remorseful citizens have voluntarily confessed to Friend Computer that they are sick and need to be helped and observed in case their affliction is hazardous to others. Such individuals are marked with the Scarl...Yellow Sash of Distinction (not to be confused with YELLOW Clearance), identifying them as being mutants (in somewhat good standing), and also indicating their potential ("Pyrokinetic","Telekinetic","X-Ray Vision", etc.). This also grants them expressed permission from Friend Computer to use their power in public, provided it does not otherwise violate any laws or regulations.

If that is the case, a RegMute's character sheet will also show their power level:

  • Completely Drained
  • Running On Fumes
  • Enervated
  • A Tad Stressed
  • Feelin' OK
  • Groovin'
  • Raging Mute-On
  • Nigh Unto A God

Perversity Points (yes, they're called that)

If someone (including yourself) is attempting to do something significant (or maybe mundane too, *shrug*), and you wish to assist them, you may spend Perversity Points to affect the outcome (5 max per attempt). This is an out-of-character mechanic. Since you won't see the result of rolls, the only time you may do this is when you're announcing your intent to perform an action. Due to the nature of my schedule, I will likely update the story once a night, so you have a while to send me a PM (or announce it in the topic if you dare!) about using your points. NOTE: There is no restriction (unless stated) on who can spend points on who, and whether the points will help or hinder the PC performing the action...so be specific in your point use. HINT: A single Perversity Point represents approximately a 5% shift in the likelihood of success/failure.

How do you get Perversity Points, you ask? Well, you start the session with 20. More are awarded for:

  • In-character posts that are very well-written and descriptive and help convey the atmosphere of Alpha Complex
  • Playing exceptionally well in character, particularly in the expression of your Quirks.
  • Advancing the plot
  • Performing actions that result in either epic win, or epic fail, and that (more importantly)...
  • ...ENTERTAIN ME.

Characters

The characters are pre-generated for the most part, but I will leave the backgrounds and personalities up to you (Just don't contradict anything already written.) Names must be of the following format:

[firstname]-O-[home sector]-1

[firstname] is any commonly used first name. Feel free to use names from other languages. You're likely using the same sources Friend Computer does to come up with names.

O is your Clearance color (in this module, you're ORANGE).

[home sector] is a three letter designation of the sector in which your first clone was decanted. You have 17,576 choices to pick from (26^3).

NOTE: You may have played games in the past or heard of games where people have names like Toys-R-USS, Bar-B-QUE,  or You-R-MOM. While PARANOIA (in my humble opinion) should have plenty of humor, I prefer the dark kind of humor generated by true fear, ignorance, violent accidental death and dismemberment, and the idea that no one gets out alive - not the Looney Tunes slapstick some people have unfortunately used to promote the RPG to others (with minimal success). If you can make a punny name using a normal first name, I'm fine with that, but don't go out of your way to make a silly name just because you think you're encouraged to do so (because you're not).

1 is the current clone number you're on. I should take a moment to discuss that...

Death

There's a distinct possibility that your character will die unexpectedly, and in a rather weird or violent fashion. Not to worry - Friend Computer has taken this into account.

Depending on your clearance level, you may be pre-approved for one or more clones. Most citizens with a moderately-dangerous job get a 6-pack by default, with additional clones available at a premium (sometimes these are automatically purchased on your final death, with your seventh life picking up the monstrously large bill; you won't be allowed to truly die until you work off that loan).

Clones also have MemoMax technology installed, which has four aspects.

  • The citizen's stored brain mapping is continually updated via cortical transmitter, providing Tech Services with a nearly-instant snapshot of their memories and skills. This includes basic vital signs, which alerts TS of a citizen's brain death.
  • Newly decanted clone "slugs" have their MemoMax receivers (and thus their brains) flash-written with these stored patterns, so as to minimize disorientation when they are re-inserted into the Matrixsociety.
  • "Twiddling" is the term used for when TS manually modifies a citizen's DNA sample or MemoMax snapshot, usually for purposes of behavior correction post-termination. It is never performed for treasonous reasons. It is never performed by unqualified INFRARED personnel because their ORANGE supervisors felt like punching out early.
  • Friend Computer considers a fresh clone a loyal, fully functional citizen - legally it is not responsible for the crimes of its forebearers (though some citizens may have "not gotten the memo"). Treason dies with the clone. It may or may not remember what its former version did or how it died (all depends on the TS twiddling), but it is not guilty of any crime.

Tech Services wishes to remind citizens that cloning (and the MemoMax technology) is 100% safe and error-free, and does not result in treasonous mutations or super-powers. This does not excuse you from your Computer-given duty of reporting mutant behavior to your nearest IntSec officer.

(OOC - If you die, just wait patiently for me, the GM, to write you back into the dialogue. I promise to insert you back into the game in a dramatic or gut-bustingly funny manner.)

Insubordination & Treason

These are the Alpha Complex terms for "misdemeanor" and "felony". Interestingly enough, the first list is substantially smaller than the second list, and it would take page upon page upon page to list all of the possible crimes one can commit...so we'll leave that up to your own best judgment (lol). Highlights include:

  • Destruction of Computer property (T).
  • Disobeying a higher clearance citizen (I or T, depends on situation).
  • Possession of illegal or higher-clearance material (I or T depending on how illegal it is).
  • Being a Communist (T!).
  • Possessing mutant powers without a license (or not wearing your RegMute sash) (T).
  • Membership in, or aiding and abetting an illegal organization (T).
  • Being unhappy (I).
  • Filesharing (T!).

Also, if you terminate someone, be prepared to show "evidence" that it was justified. Failure to do so means you'll be charged with "willful destruction of Computer property", usually punishable by a lengthy probation and a stiff fine (not to mention the cost of re-cloning, MemoMaxing and re-supplying the replacement).

RP CONVENTIONS

I'm keeping mostly to the standards given, but here's a rundown:

  • Use normal black text to indicate what your character does, or attempts to do, from a third-person perspective (see next bullet why). Details are fine, but if the action requires a skill/attribute check, please don't write in expected results or anything that I might have to countermand. Also, if you are using an attribute, a specialty of an attribute, a special skill, or a registered mutant power, put the name of the skill in [brackets] somewhere in the sentence. "Henry leaps at the scrubbot, hoping to pull enough wires and bend enough joints [Unarmed Combat] to render it no longer a threat."
  • Unlike most RPGs, there will be plenty of situations where your intentions should be kept hidden. Continue to post your actions in the third-person if they would have some visible effect, but then send me a PM, quoting your post, and indicating what your actual course of action is (invoking attributes/skills/powers as usual). If your action has no visible quality prior to its effect, then just send me a PM. If it turns out that what you do is seen or is detectable by anyone involved, I'll followup with what is perceived. If not everyone sees it, I will PM those that do.
  • Think in italics. Granted, not everyone will want to vocalize their thoughts in this environment, but if it's harmless and entertains, hell, I'll award Perversity for it.
  • "Speak in color and with quotes." If it's not in quotes, you didn't say it. Let's all try to honor this.
  • Type into terminals and Portable Digital Companions (your government-issued Crackberry/iPhone) using the PRE tags.
  • There's a possibility that you will be separated from each other at times (such as when you die and are in the process of being re-deployed). I will create additional posts for this purpose and ask you to follow instructions.
  • [spoiler]Use spoiler tags to speak OOC, ask questions, or comment on the proceedings. I will use this frequently when I assign Perversity or declare some other rule-tastic nonsense.[/spoiler]
  • I will use colored backgrounds for things like Public Announcements, marquees, or anything that people outside of your own group will have heard or seen.
  • THIS WILL ALWAYS BE HOW FRIEND COMPUTER SPEAKS TO YOU.
   
DEADLINE

The first 6 people to respond to this post with, "Yes, I absolutely want to play" will get characters. I'm certain we won't need to have a cutoff date, but even so, I'm setting it as April 8. If we fill up before then, we'll proceed.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2009, 02:59:14 AM by HGP_BigHeadZach »
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Caelic

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2009, 06:35:44 PM »
Yes, I absolutely want to play.

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2009, 06:43:27 PM »
Yes, I absolutely want to play.[spoiler]I am in no way under the influence of any other person or psychoactive drugs in my decision to engage in this activity.[/spoiler]
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2009, 06:46:46 PM »
What email?

That being said, I want to play.

I don't have the XP rulebook, though I suppose the fact that the char sheets are pregen helps with that.

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2009, 06:58:40 PM »
Wait, we start at O? No mean to question, Friend Computer, but does this mean we are pre-promoted from R?
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2009, 07:19:15 PM »
Wait, we start at O? No mean to question, Friend Computer, but does this mean we are pre-promoted from R?

WHY YES, IT SEEMS THESE CHARACTERS HAVE MANAGED TO SURVIVE A BIT, AND THINK THEY KNOW SOME STUFF. CARE TO PROVE THEM WRONG FOR ME?

Nothing in Paranoia insists Troubleshooters are always RED, nor that you are forced to play Troubleshooters. I hope to expand on this idea in future modules.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2009, 07:22:37 PM by HGP_BigHeadZach »
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2009, 07:58:17 PM »
Hans - O - VER - 1 reporting for duty, as any loyal citizen would.

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2009, 09:17:53 PM »
Brad-O-DER-1 is coming soon
« Last Edit: April 02, 2009, 07:21:06 PM by emissary666 »
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #8 on: April 01, 2009, 10:53:57 PM »
Peter-O-TUL-1, reporting for duty, Friend Computer!

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #9 on: April 01, 2009, 11:17:47 PM »
Guinevere-O-RLY-1, happily submits herself for service.
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2009, 11:22:09 PM »
Brad-O-DER-1 is coming soon

Try again with the name. Seriously. :P

Name fixed. You're in :)
« Last Edit: April 03, 2009, 12:22:11 AM by HGP_BigHeadZach »
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2009, 06:24:07 PM »
Am I right in saying that we are assigned characters which we will then play as?

Sham-O-WOW-1, it is, then!

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2009, 06:27:09 PM »
Am I right in saying that we are assigned characters which we will then play as?

Sham-O-WOW-1, it is, then!

Same goes for you, namewise. A real first name, please. Call me a fun nazi, whatever...*shrug*
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2009, 08:56:26 PM »
I've just finished reading 1984 and Brave New World in my English class, so I am in quite the mood to play this.

Yes, I absolutely want to play.

Now to come up with a name that pleases Friend Computer...

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #15 on: April 03, 2009, 12:23:07 AM »
Smudgey, you'll be our 6th and final person once you get your name decided upon. I'll then ask the mods for a subtopic and we'll go from there.
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #16 on: April 03, 2009, 01:46:39 AM »
Ok, how's Jeb-O-DYA-1 sound?

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #17 on: April 03, 2009, 02:54:00 AM »
Ok, how's Jeb-O-DYA-1 sound?

Excellent! I'll get the preliminary stuff set up as soon as possible.
"Big Head" Zach Gaskins
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http://www.headgamespodcast.com

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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #18 on: April 03, 2009, 02:57:10 AM »
A few updates to the rules (they'll get modified in the original post, but I'll mention them here):

  • You have 4 opportunities to declare additional Narrow Specialties - one for each attribute which doesn't already have one.
  • Specialties under Management which target other people, primarily work on NPCs. Otherwise, you'll want to RP the hell out of it with your fellow players. (i.e. there's no "Oh, you totally have to believe what he just said to you.")

And we have our 6, so keep a lookout for the subforum to appear, and you'll receive your next set of instructions!
"Big Head" Zach Gaskins
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Re: [PARANOIA ("XP" Edition)] It's Just A Phase - Setup Thread
« Reply #19 on: April 03, 2009, 03:11:07 AM »
Friend Computer loves you all and has established your subforum.  Everything is safe there.
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