RPG Design Patterns

Attribute, Game Master, Generalized Contest, Last Man Standing, Rank, Recycled Fortune (“Conflict Roll,” “Tension Roll”), Resource, Skill, Structured Session, Trauma Gauge

All new characters are Troubleshooters. Troubleshooters are granted “Red” clearance. This is much better than the “Infrared” clearances possessed in their former meaningless pre-game lives and is an indication of how much The Computer trusts the characters in their new meaningless in-game lives.

Questions about character design are of the highest classification level: “Ultraviolet.” Attempting to access information above your classification level is treasonous. Only the Game Master and High Programmers are classification level Ultraviolet. If you are of a lower classification level and are reading this description of Paranoia xp’s Character Makeup, you are obviously a traitor. Kindly proceed to the armory and requisition an XJ7-5 repeating blaster pistol by filling out form G237-9Q/B in triplicate. Once the XJ7-5 repeating blaster pistol is obtained, place the muzzle to your temple and pull the trigger. Failure to comply proves your treasonous nature and is grounds for summary execution. Note: For your protection and well-being, the XJ7-5 repeating blaster pistol possesses a safety mechanism covering the trigger to prevent accidental discharge. Only citizens possessing security level “Green” and above may remove this mechanism, demonstrating how much The Computer values your safety and health. You should always trust The Benevolent Computer.

Since you have read this far, you clearly must have Ultraviolet clearance. Very well. Paranoia xp character stats are generated by the Game Master and are never revealed to players. Characters all have two primary attributes. These are “Access” and “Power.” Power is determined by rolling 1d20. If a value less than 8 is rolled, Power is set to 8. Power is a gauge of the character’s skill in using his mutant power. Yes, all characters are mutants. Yes, mutants are traitors. Yes, it is the duty of all characters to kill traitors, but only if they have sufficient proof of the traitor’s treasonous activities. The Access attribute always starts at 1. It is a gauge of how well the character can “work the system” to get what he needs or wants. It also acts as a form of “Treason Armor” that reduces the harsh punishments meted out for the many treasonous actions the character will undoubtedly perform.

Characters have a resource called Perversity Points. Perversity Points can be spent to improve the odds of success in conflicts. The points are the primary reward of the game because, aside from their money, they are the only points players (supposedly) know about.

Finally, characters have a “Condition” attribute which takes on the values of “Okay,” “Snafued,” “Wounded,” “Maimed,” “Down,” “Killed,” or “Vaporized.” Each of these states corresponds to various detrimental effects which generally involve the inability to spend Perversity Points for a time. The character’s condition thus follows the Trauma Gauge Design Pattern. However, it does not act as a form of hit points because various injuries are not cumulative. If a character sustains two lacerations rated at the Wounded level, the character is still just Wounded. In addition, a character can be Maimed or even Down without having first been Snafued. The only real difference between Killed and Vaporized is the entertainment value.

Attribute and skill rolls are performed by rolling a d20 and comparing it to a threshold. If the roll results in a value less than or equal to the threshold, the roll succeeds. Otherwise it fails. The difference between the roll and the threshold is called the “margin.” The margin determines how well the character succeeded or how badly he bungled his action. By default, the threshold is set to equal the attribute value or skill rank pertinent to the action. However, players can modify the threshold or the thresholds of others by spending Perversity Points, if the GM allows it. Modifications can be both positive and negative.

If one character pits his attributes or skills against another, an opposed roll results. Each side of the contest rolls a d20 against the pertinent attribute value or skill rank used. The side with the higher successful margin wins. If neither side succeeds or the margins are equal, nobody wins. The contest can continue with another roll if the GM deems it so.

Physical attacks of all forms use the “Violence” skill. If such an attack is successful, the target sustains damage according to the type of weapon used. Each weapon has a minimum and a maximum damage value. It also has a “Boost” value. The margin of the attack is divided by the Boost value and rounded down. The result is added as a damage bonus to the weapon’s minimum damage. If this value exceeds the weapon’s maximum damage, the result is set at the maximum damage value instead. Armor can reduce this value.

Contests involving treasonous accusations work in exactly the same way as physical attacks, except the “Management” skill is used in place of the Violence skill. Different kinds of accusations inflict different amounts of “Treason Damage,” which results in various “condition” levels similar in effect to those for physical wounds: “Okay,” “Probation,” “Censure,” “Medication,” “Brainscrub,” “Termination,” and “Erasure.”

As an optional rule, a GM may decide to drain points from character attributes when they succeed in using those attributes. So, if a character manages to use his mutant power, he may lose Power points. To thumb its nose at “justice,” the game suggests that low margins, which result in slight successes, should cost more than spectacular victories. That way, if a character is on a roll, he will continue in that fashion. But, if he achieves only minor wins he will spiral down until he continually fails at everything he attempts. To quote the game text: “…That’s life in Alpha Complex…” Characters recover lost attribute points over time. If this optional rule is used, Power and Access act as Resource Attributes.

Each scene has a “Tension Level,” which determines the odds of someone witnessing a treasonous act. Higher clearance level areas naturally warrant more cameras and more sophisticated monitoring equipment, so The Computer is more likely to observe characters in those areas. Due to this, the location in which a scene occurs determines the tension level, which ranges in value from zero (0) to 20. The higher the number, the more tension exists. So, supply closets, garages, and Red clearance areas warrant low values. Ultraviolet and Computer Core areas demand high values. True to form, the most extensive surveillance equipment is positioned in Alpha Complex’s bathrooms. When a character performs a treasonous action, he makes a contest roll as normal. After the conflict is resolved, the GM compares the d20 roll (without rolling again) to the scene’s Tension Level. If the d20 roll is less than or equal to the Tension Level, the act was witnessed. So, brilliantly successful treasonous acts are almost always observed.

In contests involving more than two characters, all players make contest rolls as normal. The margins determine the degree to which each succeeds or fails in the contest. If the actions must follow a sequence, events are ordered by margin values with the highest margin going first.

The GM awards a “ration” of “Perversity Points” at the beginning of every new scene. They are also handed out to players for being entertaining, for betraying other player characters, for gloating over the betrayal of other player characters, for brown nosing the GM, and for whatever the heck the GM wants to dole them out for. The game text makes the point that the rewards are given to the player, not to his character. So, when a character dies (not if, but when) the player retains the points he has accumulated.