When members of the Bush administration play Paranoia XP

[Eric Zawadzki]

I don't have any actual play stories to tell, yet, but there's this thing I've been doing for a while where I write about celebrities (usually dead ones) roleplaying together. I bought Paranoia XP a couple months ago because I loved running 2nd Ed. for one-shots. I read the new rules while I was wrapping up one of my fictional games (I have real games, too, but this is a hobby of mine) and couldn't help but wonder which group of people - living or dead - would be easist to imagine playing it.

Our current president and members of his cabinet immediately leapt to mind and stayed there. This is the result of that train of thought. This is the first installment. I'll be posting more of the mission each Sunday.

It isn't supposed to be Bush-bashing. Whether you agree or disagree with the administration's policies, you have to admit that they show exceptional confidence in the face of sometimes overwhelming opposition - a fine quality for a politician, yes, but also an essential quality for a Troubleshooter in Alpha Complex.

Enjoy. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

And another episode is up.

For those of you who haven't been here before, I've taken eight members of the Bush adminstration and made them avid roleplayers. In this particular case, they've decided to play a game of Paranoia XP, using characters more or less named after themselves (mostly because I've had readers complain that they often have trouble remembering whose characters belong to whose players) but have nothing else in common with the real people. Really. The Computer says it is so. Do you doubt the Computer?

I caught a bit of hate from people who think I'm just bashing Bush. I'm not. Gaming amuses me. Paranoia XP amuses me. The idea of members of the Bush adminstration being closet gamers tickles me pink. If you see any similarity between the behavior of members of the Bush administration and a fairly typical group of Troubleshooters in Alpha Complex, you're probably not half the Republican you think you are and need to face the fact that BLUE is, by definition, superior to RED. Thank you for your cooperation.

They're not even the worst gamers I've ever written for Poet RPG. These are. So stop being so, you know, paranoid. Have a nice day!

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 32 is up a day early. I'll try to get the post-session GM conference written and posted for Sunday morning. At your service.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 33 is now up.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 34 is now up. It's shorter because I'm trying to move to a semi-weekly update schedule. There will be another episode Thursday morning.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

"Got a Light, Brother?" is now up. The next episode will be posted Sunday morning. Enjoy.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 36 - "Trust Everything You Read" - is now up. Which would you rather have on a dangerous mission - a crate full of Visomorpain or a crate of slugthrower ammo? I know which one I'd choose, especially if the rest of the team didn't know what was in that crate...

 

[saulres]

Awww... I made a cameo Next stop: Washington, baby!

Lots o'fun, Eric; keep it up!

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Hey, that whole little escapade on Paranoia Live was too much fun to ignore. I figure any Paranoia XP players as hard core as W and company have to at least be lurkers on boards like these, right?

Episode 37 - "We're All in this Together, Right?" - is up. The PCs pretend to be team players while secretly looking for ways to commit treason in the near future. Enjoy.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 38 - "Wait, I Thought We Were in Charge, Here..." - is now up. The Troubleshooters meet the friendly Power Services and Tech Services technicians they're supposed to protect and get stuck sleeping on the floor. Enjoy.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 39 - "Not All Power is Glamorous" - is now up. Don't mock the hygiene officer, especially when he's wearing a vest made of TNT...

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 40 - "Optimism Doesn't Pay" - was posted last night. Ah Paranoia. In what other game does a little power outage result in a firefight?

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 41 - "Shock and Denial" is now posted. Sometimes getting away from the rest of the team gives you a chance to advance your own agenda. Other times, it gets your loner a** killed... Enjoy.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Still very much alive and updating twice a week, Episode 45 - "Hollow Point Welcome" is now up. The PCs won't be on their Primes for much longer. Nothing good ever happens to John-R. Even when you're a BLUE, you can still find ways to commit treason, if you're clever enough...or a Communist. Enjoy.

 

[Eric Zawadzki]

Episode 46 - "Hand Grenade Negotiation" - is now up. The page gets updated twice a week. Previously, this was on Sunday (sometimes Saturday) and Thursday.

After this episode, though, the update schedule will be changing to Tuesday and Thursday. My co-author and I are shooting for daily updates Monday through Friday between this and our short story site.

If you like what you see, bookmark it and come back often. We'll have new content 5 days a week. Heck, bring some friends along. We're proud of our work, and now we're proud to bring it to you five days a week.