Giant Mutated Cockroach

[DontSwallowYourDice]

I'm curious about this oft mentioned, yet never explained in any detail, creature. What exactly are its stats?
For that matter, how does one go about creating non-humanoid adversaries to through against troubleshooter teams? I know that a certain reviled game contains rules for creating monsters. Is there a system for doing so in Paranoia XP? Or is it just more of a slapdash "do whatever you want since you're the GM" mindset?

Also one quick little question. Does alpha complex have any animal or insect life inside of it? Any non-mutated rats, cockroaches, fruitflys or anything like that?

 

[mthomason]

I know that a certain reviled game contains rules for creating monsters. Is there a system for doing so in Paranoia XP? Or is it just more of a slapdash "do whatever you want since you're the GM" mindset?

Pretty much the latter

Also one quick little question. Does alpha complex have any animal or insect life inside of it? Any non-mutated rats, cockroaches, fruitflys or anything like that?

If you want, yes - it's your Alpha Complex

But they don't really exist. Anyone seeing them is obviously hallucinating and probably needs more medication, after all Friend Computer would deal with these things and send something to clean them up if they really existed.

Then again, those Commies are getting in from somewhere. They obviously couldn't originate from Alpha Complex because that would mean implying the decanting process is somehow flawed.. and you don't want to do that, do you?
So, if they can get in, so can other nasty little icky things. Quite how long they'll survive before a scrubot gets assigned to sanitize the area is another thing altogether.

And there's always The Outdoors. If it really exists.

 

[PaulB]

I'm curious about this oft mentioned, yet never explained in any detail, creature. What exactly are its stats? ... Or is it just more of a slapdash "do whatever you want since you're the GM" mindset?

As mthomason said - go with the flow and do what works for your mission. Giant Mutant Cockroaches in old missions always seemed like the sort of creatures you could face off against Godzilla. Monstrous beasties with thick hides. On the other hand, they also seemed to possess an unusual sentience. If you want Troubleshooters to have a chance against them, make it possible to defeat them or offer some convenient achilles' heel.

Also one quick little question. Does alpha complex have any animal or insect life inside of it? Any non-mutated rats, cockroaches, fruitflys or anything like that?

While The Computer does all it can to keep out the critters - if you want some to get inside, let them. I always felt those miles and miles of ducts and tubes demanded a few rats at least...

 

[Allen Varney]

The giant mutant radioactive cockroaches appeared in the 2nd edition PARANOIA rulebook's introductory adventure, "Into the Outdoors With Gun and Camera." They're about the size of a small skyscraper. As I recall, the cockroaches were deeply interested in early 20th Century modern art, especially Picasso and Gauguin. Encounters with the cockroaches were supposed to go along the lines of (1) Troubleshooters see cockroaches, (2) Cockroaches ask Troubleshooters' opinions of 20th Century artists, (3) Troubleshooters fire on cockroaches, (4) Cockroaches regretfully kill all Troubleshooters with one glancing blow.

No, I don't think they had game statistics.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, my goodness, they weren't exactly what I expected.
I asked because I'm writing a mission that I figured would benifit from their inclusion. Perhaps I'll tone them down a bit and only make them the size of a subway car.
I'd be happy to post it once I've finished it, if anyone would be interested in seeing it. I've tentatively titled it, "A Slight Bug in the System."

 

[DontSwallowYourDice]

Well, my goodness, they weren't exactly what I expected.
I asked because I'm writing a mission that I figured would benifit from their inclusion. Perhaps I'll tone them down a bit and only make them the size of a subway car.
I'd be happy to post it once I've finished it, if anyone would be interested in seeing it. I've tentatively titled it, "A Slight Bug in the System."

Darn cookies. I thought I was logged in.

 

[mthomason]

Perhaps I'll tone them down a bit and only make them the size of a subway car.

Of course, the poor intelligence given to your troubleshooters in their briefing could still state they're the size of skyscrapers. They requisition enough firepower to level a small city, end up using the overpowered weapons (they weren't issued anything smaller than a tactical nuke, of course), and end up being reprimanded during debriefing for wasting The Computer's ordinance.

 

[Anonymous]

Troubleshooters wouldn't go into a briefing having any knowledge of what a skyscraper is. For that matter, The Computer probably wouldn't even be too fond of them even knowing what the sky is. Time for a brainscrub!

 

[Clangador]

Troubleshooters wouldn't go into a briefing having any knowledge of what a skyscraper is. For that matter, The Computer probably wouldn't even be too fond of them even knowing what the sky is. Time for a brainscrub!

Perhaps they saw it in some old books.

 

[lastbesthope]

ANd where did they get these books? They don't have security clearance ofr those! :twisted:

LBH

 

[darth_azabrush]

Giant Cocroaches? Pretty tame by my standards. I had an 80foot Bright Red Comunist Teddybear called TEDDYBOTSKI!

 

[Clangador]

ANd where did they get these books? They don't have security clearance ofr those! :twisted:

LBH

I dunno. They wandered out into an old ruined city. Found a stash of old books in a long-forgotten library/storage rooom/broom closet somewhere in the Alpha Complex.

 

[darth_azabrush]

You don't just wander out of Alpha Complex! :shock:

 

[Mark Dunder]

Make the cockroaches small and "white,"

or not.

Or they could all be white with 1 or 0 on their backs,

or not.

Make them able to read minds!

or not.

Well... I play other games sometimes, so I'm not perfect!

 

[darth_azabrush]

In zap every bad guy tends to have a ludicrous Russian accent and furry hat including the cocroaches!

 

[Clangador]

You don't just wander out of Alpha Complex! :shock:

That depends on what you wander into...

 

[darth_azabrush]

Most of the exits to the complex are not fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Clangador]

Most of the exits to the complex are not fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I said: it depends on where it exits to...

Since I have fairly limited (past) GM time in the Paranoiaverse, I don't know what other people have done with the game as far as the outside goes.

 

[darth_azabrush]

Mainly not made it acessible!

 

[Clangador]

Mainly not made it acessible!

I read that there were modules that placed the AC in Boise and San Francisco.