Future of the game line

[The Talking Yogurt]

I was very surprised to learn that Gareth Hanrahan was laid off (sorry, “made redundant” :? ) and while I do hope he will be able to fuel new projects of his own... is anyone already planning to take over his job on the Paranoia line?

Since I hear he mostly wrote the three new rulebooks, it seems bound to seriously impact the direction the game was (is?) taking.

 

[Mytholder]

I'm vaguely hoping to grab freelance work on the PARANOIA line, should such work become available in future, but I've heard nothing official on this score yet.

-Gar

 

[MongooseMatt]

Drop us a line, Gareth - we'll sort something out.

 

[Danforth]

Matt, can you tell us yet what sort of books we can expect?

I guess I'm sort of asking whether the new direction of three core books + short adventures has done better for Mongoose than 2004's one core book + detailed supplements + short adventures...

 

[MongooseMatt]

Matt, can you tell us yet what sort of books we can expect?

I guess I'm sort of asking whether the new direction of three core books + short adventures has done better for Mongoose than 2004's one core book + detailed supplements + short adventures...

Too early to say yet (High programmers is only just about to go on sale), but we have a few ideas. Classified ones, of course, but there are ideas. . .

 

[TrippyHippy]

Wasn't one of the ideas mooted to be Yes, Minister? Or did I dream that?

Actually, I was wondering if the Paranoia rules could be used to do:

- a Phillip K. Dick novel (A Scanner Darkly)
- a Hunter S. Thompson novel (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
- The Illuminatus Trilogy
- The Prisoner
- Prisoner Cell Block H
- Kindergarten Roolz (set in a primary education institution).
- Animal Farm

A few thoughts to peruse.

 

[Danforth]

I remember reading there were plans to at least consider the current Paranoia rules for use in other games (a la Mongoose Traveller, and the various flavours of Evolution mini rules) though I'm not sure any specific properties were named. Yes, Minister was named as an inspiration for High Programmer play, I believe...

Not sure doing other SF would be the way to go, Illuminatus play is sort-of covered by Illuminati from Steve Jackson Games, but I like your last two ideas. I have been dabbling with a Molesworth style British public school setting (St. Alphan's Prep) using the Paranoia rules since about 2005, inspired by the rumoured but ultimately unreleased Brave New Complex book of alternative playstyles...

 

[Allen Varney]

For British public-school roleplaying, check The Skool Rools by Phil Masters. For The Prisoner, Steve Jackson Games produce a licensed GURPS supplement many years back. For Philip K. Dick, the existing PARANOIA rules work pretty well, as seen in the title mission in the Straight-style mission collection WMD. For Hunter S. Thompson -- jeez, I'd think you can get the effect just by swallowing a handful of uppers.

The elevator pitch for the new High Programmers PARANOIA rulebook was "Yes, Minister with a higher body count."

 

[PrinceYyrkoon]

Id say the Traveller rules, with a little specific detail would work for Paranoia, though I doubt that this would be a popular decision to have yet another version!

 

[Danforth]

Id say the Traveller rules, with a little specific detail would work for Paranoia

I am surprised by this suggestion From what I know of Traveller it's pretty gribbly, there are entire books devoted to a single type of equipment, and when I played it (only once, and many years ago) the system was fairly involved. Modifiers, accurate maps, that sort of thing.

From this admittedly limited viewpoint, and with all respect for the opinions of others, et cetera, I can't see how in hell it would work for Paranoia I mean, you might know with far greater accuracy what the dice roll you're ignoring would mean... I'm intrigued - why do you think it would work? More generally, do you think it would work better than the current system?

 

[PrinceYyrkoon]

I dont think Traveller is particularly involved to be honest. And I dont want to start a 'Paranoia must use the Traveller rules!' campaign!

I think though, given that Mongoose like to have their systems generic with setting books separate, maybe its a possibility. As it is, Paranoia is a bit of an anomaly in the Mongoose stable, and Im not sure theyve decided exactly what to do with it.

 

[Danforth]

I think though, given that Mongoose like to have their systems generic with setting books separate, maybe its a possibility.

Yes, it would match Mongoose's general theme of reusing systems through multiple game lines. I'm not sure it would be worth their time porting Paranoia over to one of these, though, as it's very much storytelling over rules. If anything, the 25th Anniversary editions promote this view even more than previous ones ("Rules summary: Roll one die and ignore it") and the rules that are there are kind of arranged around this position. Simple, fast, open to player shenanigans (the Perversity system) that - from my personal viewpoint - would be tricky to mesh with the Traveller system as I experienced it.

It's not that I think the Traveller ruleset would be bad for the Paranoia game setting - I'm sure a good GM could make a comedy dark SF game of Traveller work great - more that any change of Paranoia's game engine (for want of a better word) is, at best, going to leave the game the same amount of Fun as it was before, which doesn't seem like a good payoff for the additional work!

As it is, Paranoia is a bit of an anomaly in the Mongoose stable, and Im not sure theyve decided exactly what to do with it.

I know what you mean. I think they've supported it well, mind, and hope they continue to do so, and I wonder if that stated intention of reusing Paranoia's engine for other games is going to go anywhere. Toon? Teenagers from Outer Space? Red Dwarf?

In other news: holy cow, has White Washes gone already?! I thought Blue Line went fast!

 

[Danforth]

So, for the first time in several years (ignoring the great edition changeover last summer), there's no forthcoming books listed for Paranoia. Could just be an artifact of the forthcoming website switchover... or maybe Mongoose are holding station to see what happens with the current crop of books, saleswise.

One of the things I was pleased to see in High Programmers was an evolution of the service firms - i.e. details on the franchises the service groups shop work out to. With Mr. Bubbles being re-released as a standalone book, service firms were the last major "missing piece" from the 2004/XP edition that didn't make it into Troubleshooters or IntSec. What with various details from Service, Service!, The Traitor's Manual, The Mutant Experience and Extreme Paranoia also filtering back into the current edition's core, I guess we actually have a fairly complete game line already.

Of course this logical conclusion of a functionally complete game line in no way puts me out of the market for gribbly worldfluff supplements... in fact I am more likely to buy such things than I am to buy adventures. After 21 years of closely following the line, I am confident in writing my own, or pillaging and reassembling encounters and ideas from adventures past and present.

So I would hereby like to repeat my oft-stated wish for a modern-day equivalent of The DOA Sector Travelog. Not including, I hasten to add, an update of all that jump-the-shark Secret Society Wars metaplot business; instead, something closer to Allen Varney's original vision.

What would everyone else like to see?

 

[MongooseMatt]

maybe Mongoose are holding station to see what happens with the current crop of books, saleswise.

That is basically it - we have tried something new with Paranoia, and we want to see what you chaps think of it!

We have, however, already started talking about new books for the line. Eric and Greg are keen for a new version of Flashbacks (whether it has the same adventures as before or something different is up for debate), and we are also talking to Mr Hanrahan about a possible all new Acute Paranoia, that would span all three games.

Likely looking at 2011 for these, but plans are certainly in the works. . .

 

[greuh]

A "Vulture Flashbacks From Dimension X" ?

greuh, bring back Alice In Mirroshades !

 

[Danforth]

A "Vulture Flashbacks From Dimension X" ?

greuh, bring back Alice In Mirroshades !

First time around, in 2nd ed days, I enjoyed reading the Dimension X book, but it's not exactly... Paranoid, is it? A Dr. Who-inspired chrono-jumping romp with group cooperation, effective weapons and armour, and a helpful mission controller!

 

[Allen Varney]

The line still needs a good Outdoors book. The Sectorbook idea offers many possibilities as well.