Project Black Hole

 

Despite its heritage and many amusing recollections over cheap beer we have yet to run a single game of Paranioa. To be fair there are a lot of roleplaying games in the world and we are getting through them. In a sense a Paranioa experience can come with a number of expectations as there are so many memories people have given that the game is such an old classic. This tends to mean that there is a lot for a GM to live up to in a sense and it has to come with a certain type of humour - its is the land between supreme irony and slapstick. Its possible that with a well thought out scenario that content will begin to generate itself but I remember my first Paranioa game where I got thoroughly confused and scared to touch anything whilst desperately trying to keep out of trouble. The point is, like trying to hold onto your sanity in Cthulhu, you just have to go with it and given that you are replaced with a timely, if not slightly malfunctional, backup clone, you have nothing to lose. Except your security rating of course. 

Everyone is loyal and everyone is a traitor - no one sane survives in Apha Complex so the only hope is to ride the constant wave of adrenaline as you fight for survival and root out heretics whilst hiding your own treachery. Whilst I have mentioned Paranoia on occasion before its a timey article as Mongoose publishing have release a number of sourcebooks under the Project Infinite Hole boxset designed to unravel physics for keen troubleshooters. As the title would imply The Computer has decided that the introduction of a black hole into Alpha Complex is just what is need to enhance the already blissful and fulfilling lives of its inhabitants. Its a sort of R&D nightmare bundle including The Happy Testing Catalogue and an R&D Mission Book and Service Book for GMs. There is also an R&D deck for handing out items and situations to players although this may be a back end attempt to engage customers in the other card auxiliary bundles.

It may be a case of when the time is right as I don't think I could run a whole campaign; its just too much like watching 20 episodes of the Simpsons al in one go - the humour gland can just get completely squeezed out after a while but I may well be happy to run one as a gap game to fulfill that nagging need need to betray your friends and fiddle with extremely dangerous things you are not authorized to touch.