High Programmers for non-paranoia veterans

[locarno24]

Just got High Programmers this weekend - my thought:

a) This is awesome
b) Why am I not surprised this is by Gareth Hanrahan*

Anyway - I've played paranoia before (a bit) but only as a player - more to the point, only troubleshooters-level paranoia.

I was wondering if anyone** had any particular advice for when the first time people are presented with paranoia is at High Programmer level? Does it work? How did you introduce the concepts? I'm sure my lot will have no real problem with the 'evil megolmaniac' concept, but I don't want to start with a massive 'this is alpha complex' monologue....

Actually, almost tempted to try modifying it so it's not alpha complex per se. Anyone ever see the Rik Mayall sitcom Believe Nothing?


* We've been running Secrets of the Ancients**.


** Incidentally, if Gareth-U-HNH is reading this, I am rapidly progressing beyond awe to borderline disgust. You, sir, are awesome at this stuff. Although the offer of a pint if ever in preston still holds good.

 

[Mytholder]

I'm the worst Irishman ever - I don't drink pints.

I'd pitch it as to 'Dr. Strangelove crossed with the West Wing' as to new players.

 

[locarno24]

'Dr. Strangelove crossed with the West Wing'

Nice description. I know at least one of the players is a big West Wing fan, as it happens, so I suspect that'll go down well.

Probably going to use www.readthewords.com for the voice of the computer. Need to get a few random departments put together, first, though. I liked the suggestion about building the folder of departments up through the campaign, but I reckon I want a few dozen ready to go to start with.

Suggestions for suitably bizzare departments from readers are welcome. One thing from the High Programmers book that will definitely be making an appearance is the Committee for Drastic and Unnecessarily Lethal Solutions.

Although I'm tempted to have that actually be the player's working group (being somewhat pragmatic about their likely responses to most of these problems).





That comment about Believe Nothing had me go and watch a few episodes (it's up on youtube). I think it's perfect High Programmer inspiration:

The series will probably even work quite well for the first few crises...

1) Get everyone eating new Even More Genetically Modified Food* by rigging a really difficult quiz show due to a food shortage after retaking a sector from the commies.

2) Following a the confusion of a faked asteroid impact doomsday event**, assassinate a multimillionaire High Programmer in order to buy back your news companies. At the same time prevent an embarrasing story about a senior henchman.

3) Get the computer to declare war on a communist-controlled sector*** and get yourself put in charge of reconstruction****. And switch from metric back to imperial measures whilst you're at it.

4) Due to an administrative error, several spare clones of everyone are running around, having been decanted early. You are, of course, liable for their actions. This could be a problem as they have the same UV clearance as you (and how are your minions supposed to tell the difference?) and know they're liable for termination, or at least re-tanking, once you catch them.

5) A slightly unhinged***** High Programmer has developed an incredibly effective new Happiness Drug. Then he eat his research team, and most of his test subjects. He seems fairly happy about it - or maybe that's just the drugs that were in their systems - but has forgotten the formula in the process. Get him to remember or else recreate it. And please stop him eating the R&D staff at the same time; it's causing a drop in employee happiness.

6) Major scheduling problems throughout the sector are actually due to mutant commie traitors****** having added 30 seconds to each hour in the computer's runtime clock (and hence any clock run directly by the computer, which is almost all of them). And mutant commie traitors******* have started putting small nukes in decadant capitalist luxury wristwatches.


* This being alpha complex, this could lead to just about anything.

** Buying up everyone else's stuff whilst the computer had them locked in the situation room. I can imagine asteroid impact to be an interesting one; it's an honest-to-god end of the world situation which is not due to the commies. Errm...by which I mean...of course it's due to the commies...aahh...guys? A little help here?

*** Not terribly difficult.

**** Which implies making sure the Armed Forces leave something to rebuild from, which is difficult.

***** By high programmer standards. So "wibble-wibble-pants-on-head-crazy" by anyone else's.

****** A high programmer who had good programming skills, a seriously overruning construction project, not enough access available to meet his deadline and a box of old analogue pocket-watches.

******* Possibly actual ones this time.[/i]

 

[IanW]

Reporting for duty High Programmer Locarno Sir !