From: jaymin@maths.tcd.ie (Jo Jaquinta)
Subject: Re: WANTED: 1st Edition Paranoia (and discussion)
Organization: Dept. of Maths, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Distribution: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 08:37:45 GMT

	My god! A serious article on Paranoia! Can we keep it on a
serious level or will the "You're not cleared for that. ZAP ZAP ZAP"
dweebs take the thread over?

In article <1992Aug19.090842.20031@hellgate.utah.edu> summers%asylum.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Jim Summers) writes:
>I have been
>comparing the 1st and 2nd Editions, and find the first edition to be
>much more...well, paranoid.
	I always compare them this way: 1st Edition is Black Comedy,
2nd Edition is Farce. Whereas fans of Laurel and Hardy or the Keystone
Kops may prefer Farce I am one whose tastes certainly run more toward
Dr. Strangeglove and much, much prefer 1st Edition. This was the original
conception of the Paranoia idea and Costykian can carry it off very well.
Just compare his "Cups and Sorcery" novels to the actual Paranoia novel.
I think "Another Day, Another Dungeon" had a much better flavour of
Paranoia than "Alpha Complexities".

>While I am so grossly cross-posting, I would like to ask others who
>have run either 1st or 2nd Edition paranoia what they have found works
>well with their players.
	Well I am a player. I have played quite extensively in a Paranoia
campaign. Don't gasp in shock and horror! It can be done. In the first edition
setting the world is crazy. The Computer that runs society went mad a hundred
or so years ago. Since then society has been in a state of decline. High
programmers who get into their position maintain it by putting hacks into
the operating system making The Computer's behaviour even more loopy (ever
try to patch a neural net?). Things are falling apart.They do not have
the capacity to maintain their own level of technology (c.f. GDW's
Hard Times for MegaTraveller). Petty infighting takes its toll further
accelerating the spinning circle of decline. I see the standard Paranoia
setting as being where the decay begins to accelerate exponentially.
With hormone suppressants physical maturity doesn't really matter and I
see most Alpha Complex power-managers in the 14 to 24 year old bracket
(c.f. Medieval Europe). And when they get to Indigo and can come off the
suppressants you have all these higclearance power-mongerers catching up
on all those years of missed adolescence.
	It can all be rather black and depressing. Thus the injection of
"humour". Look at whose running society. Munchkins. But is this what
the original designers intended? I would say yes. For all the craziness,
most first edition stuff was well though out and vaguely plausable (at
least as plausable as Brazil). Most scenarios had major players that the
PCs never knew about, each with their own objectives. There were actually
reasons for the things they were sent on. Second edition did away with all
that. They kept the crazy missions and no-win-scenarios but removed any
semblence of rationalisation behind them.
	People may consider it a contradiction in terms but I play "serious
Paranoia". It's worth it.
	I'll leave you with some secret society propaganda...

		*_PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD_*

	In the beginning, God/ess looked upon the complex and saw it 
was stamped VOID, without forms. So s/he created _Housing, 
Preservation, Development & Mind Control_. And all of the first 
daycycle they worked and created the buildings of Alpha Complex. 
And God/ess saw it was good and awarded them commendation points.

	On the second daycycle God/ess saw the sectors were blacked 
out. So s/he created _Power Services_ to give it energy and 
_Technical Services_ to give it motion. And all the second daycycle 
they worked and created the life support systems, elevators and 
appliances. And God/ess saw it was good and awarded them 
commendation points.

	On the third daycycle God/ess saw that her children were not 
clothed and needed food. So s/he created _Production, Logistics, 
and Commissary_ to produce and _Central Processing Unit_ to 
co-ordinate and distribute. And all the third daycycle clothes 
were made, the food vats tended and replacement caps for chapsticks
were freely available. And God/ess saw it was good and awarded them 
commendation points.

	On the fourth daycycle God/ess saw the the joy of her 
children had attracted *the Enemy* and that *the Enemy* coveted the 
clothes and food of her children. So s/he created _Armed Services_ 
to fight *the Enemy*. And all the fourth daycycle they rallied and 
set about the defences. And God/ess saw it was good and awarded 
them commendation points.

	On the fifth day *the Enemy* attacked and God/ess saw that *the 
Enemy* had great weapons with which they crushed her children. So 
s/he created _Research and Development_ to produce newer and better 
commodities. And all the fifth daycycle great items and skilful 
instruments were produced. And God/ess saw it was good and 
awarded them commendation points.

	On the sixth day God/ess saw that *the Enemy* had resorted to 
more subtle means and was infiltrating her children. So s/he 
created _Internal Security_ to monitor and watch. All the sixth day 
they rounded up traitors and terminated them. And God/ess saw it 
was good and awarded them commendation points.

	On the seventh day God/ess saw that all the service groups 
had been created. But s/he needed to rest and so to watch over 
creation _ALPHA COMPLEX -- THE COMPUTER_ was created. God/ess then 
gathered together her most treasured children, the _High 
Programmers_ and said "Take _The Computer_ I have given to you and 
program it to serve my citizens. Let it ensure that they are 
happy, that they are fed and that *the Enemy* does not trouble 
them. This I command you." And God/ess left, for a short time, 
and let her programmers create _the Software_.

 	*_HEAR THE WORD OF THE COMPUTER!_*
 	     *_GOD/ESS WILL RETURN!_*
 	        *_ARE YOU READY?_*

--------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------
Jo Jaquinta  ---  jaymin@maths.tcd.ie

Computer:	Friend Citizen, you are accused of being a mutant.
		Do you wish to register a mutation?
Sike-R-PAT:	Er, um, sometimes my hair grows very quickly?
Computer:	Citizen, I register an increased level of stress...

Happiness Does Not Pay! Treason Is Mandatory! Trust The Computer!
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