How does this game play out?

[SpaceMonkey]

I'm wondering how a typical - "classic" - Paranoia game plays out. As I understand it, players are always on the look out for ways to dispose of each other. If that's the case, how does an adventure move forward?

 

[Allen Varney]

PARANOIA's setting, the future underground city of Alpha Complex, offers the Gamemaster unusual setting-specific tools to keep a mission on track. The Computer may look in at any given time and remind the Troubleshooters to stay on point. It may back up this gentle advice with a squad of IntSec police or Vulture Squadron troops. Any random high-clearance citizen can simply order the characters to proceed to Point B posthaste.

If all else fails and the whole mission team kills each other on the spot, the GM can simply have the next bunch of clones decanted at the next scene of the mission.

PARANOIA is also unusual in that the players don't feel motivated to uncover every jot and tittle of backstory or explanation. Things happen; they cope; they try to turn them to advantage. This, too, helps keep missions on track, to the extent that players don't care about the track.

The official PARANOIA development blog has, along its right sidebar, links to a number of "Actual Play" accounts that describe how some missions have played out.