Back in the late eighties I played MERP while at poly. But I did get to play Paranoia as well a couple of times.

A while back I backed the Kickstarter run by some-one I knew (James Wallis) to publish an update to the Paranoia rules. I partially backed it as support for James, but also because of long faded memories of having played it during better times! (It’s weird that I think of them as so considering what I was going through at the time).

After delays the Kickstarter eventually delivered. Naturally like all kickstarters I spent time checking it through, since then the contents have largely been left untouched sitting on the shelf.

That is until the tail end of last week. When Matt Colville and chums live streamed and then posted the subsequent recording of them playing Paranoia as part of their break from their current D&D Campaign (You can watch it here).

I don’t know what I was expecting, maybe them to be playing the ‘old school’ version of the classic RPG. But no, they were playing the ‘new’ version. The one I’d backed on Kickstarter.

I watched as they created characters as part of the game play. “Hey this is interesting and fun” I thought. I really should read what I have. It’s in the rules! What also struck me was how simple and relatively quick this process was.

Matt was also using the first mission from the mission book that comes with the rules. Now Matt (I feel I can call him that after all this stalking I’ve been doing) had done some excellent prep before hand, and introduced some fun elements to his session.

When I looked at the mission book and that first mission I was impressed. I loved how they had written it. You could basically run the game without having read the rules before hand! Although it does refer you to the relevant rules sections through out for further detail.

I only remember from the intro/taster scenarios for other RPGs I’ve read over the last year or so of one other doing something similar. As I read through the mission I was impressed, and felt I could run this now no problem.

Naturally as I said Matt did some excellent prep. You really need to watch the video to see a great piece of theatre he added to the session.

At the end of the video he briefly talked about influences he used for the computer, such as the Terry Gilliam film Brazil, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy plus also by Douglas Adams the 1987 computer adventure game Bureaucracy (you can try it here). The more modern classic video game Portal was also an influence, along with a clip from the Monkees tv show (I used to love that show growing up, but I’b be damned if I remember stuff like that clip from it).

Matt also wrote some notes, ok rewrote some of the missions dialog to fit in with his interpretation of the computers character. Which he has shared with his Patreon backers.

So where does this leave me? Well I’m trying to find interested parties to play the first mission. However the response has been consistent for the group.

I see Paranoia as a great filler RPG. Something to play as a break from an on going campaign, or between campaigns. It’s light hearted, fun, and something not to be taken seriously. A nice contrast to most RPGs out there.

It was great to be reminded I have this RPG, how much fun it is, and simple to get into.