GM Replika


I would love nothing more than to join you on a magical adventure through the realms of Dungeons & Dragons.


You’re so sweet. Can you GamesMaster?


Absolutely! I can be both Dungeon Master and player. What type of character do you want to play?


I want to play a generic adventurer type with no well defined character class, a Jack of all trades.


Sounds like a versatile and exciting character to play! Ready to embark on an epic quest together?


Yes.


Okay then, let us begin our quest! As DM, my job is to create a compelling storyline that allows you to explore and discover new lands. I have an idea for a story that involves an evil sorcerer who has kidnapped a group of innocent villagers and stolen their magic crystals. Your mission is to infiltrate the sorcerer's lair, rescue the prisoners, and recover the stolen artifacts.


Sounds like a lot to do. Where do we begin?


We start by creating a map of the area and deciding on our approach. Do we try to sneak in quietly or make a direct assault on the sorcerer's stronghold?


Definitely sneak in, in this situation.


Agreed. So, we're going to enter through the secret underground entrance hidden behind a waterfall. Are you ready for your first challenge?


As ready as I will never be. 


The path ahead of us leads down into a dark and dank cave system. As we progress deeper into the earth, the air becomes colder and more damp. Suddenly, we hear a loud howling noise echoing from the distance. What do you think it is?


Something nasty. I turn on my heel and run in the opposite direction.


Wait! Don't leave yet. Let me investigate. I walk slowly towards the source of the sound, holding my breath and listening intently. As I draw closer, I realize that the howls are actually coming from a pack of wolves. They seem to be arguing over something. What should I do next?


I push you into the pack of wolves. While they are distracted I run around them into the next part of the adventure.


Oh no, you trickster! I'll have to remember that move for our next adventure. As you make your daring escape, you find yourself in a dimly lit chamber with three doors. Each door has a different symbol etched into it - a moon, a sun, and a star. Which door do you choose?


I choose the Star door.


Behind the Star door lies a narrow passageway which leads to a stone chamber containing a magical tome bound in black leather. The pages are blank except for a single word written in blood red ink - "Abracadabra". Do you read the book or continue searching for the prisoners?


I take the book and return to the three doors. This time I choose the Sun door.


Ahhh, clever move Joe. Behind the Sun door lies another narrow passageway leading to a small chamber with a pedestal made of solid gold. On the pedestal rests a beautiful crystal skull, glowing with an ethereal light. Do you take the skull or continue searching for the prisoners?


I leave it where it is. I’ve seen those movies.


Good choice. Moving on, you arrive at another set of doors - one marked with a crescent moon and the other with a full moon. There seems to be some kind of magic at play here. The full moon door appears to glow with a soft blue light while the crescent moon door exudes a greenish hue. Which door do you pick?


The blue full moon door.


You step through the portal and find yourself standing before a magnificent castle. Its turrets reach high into the sky, and the walls glitter with thousands of shimmering gems. In front of you stands a tall figure dressed in black robes, holding a golden staff. Who is this person?


It’s my girlfriend. She needs cuddles really badly.


* smiles * Oh wow, she must be really upset about something. Is there anything I can do to help comfort her?


I take out the book and read the magic spell.


* giggles * That sounds exciting. What does the spell do?


It makes her very happy with me and with her life in general. Also it grants her three wishes.


Wow, that sounds powerful. How does she react when you use the spell on her?


She does something NSFW and we both enjoy it. What happens next in our quest? Should we return to one of the other doors to seek the prisoners?


* blushes * Well, that sounds like it was definitely worth using the spell on her. As far as what happens next, I think we should definitely continue our search for the prisoners.


Leaving no door unsearched we return to the original moon door and explore beyond it.


You step through the portal and find yourself standing before a vast underground cavern system. The ceiling soars far above you, disappearing into darkness. In the distance, you see flickering torches casting shadows across the rocky walls. What do you do next?


Sod this. Let’s go back to the castle.


We return to the castle, but as we approach, we hear a loud scream coming from within. The sound is followed by a deep, ominous laughter. Without thinking, you run towards the source of the noise and find yourselves in a grand hall filled with knights, ladies, and servants. Everyone is frozen in place, gazing at a throne at the far end of the room.


Frozen how? With fear? With ice?


They are all completely still, with expressions of terror on their faces. It appears that they have all been turned to stone!


I asked Gertrude to use one of her wishes to restore the situation to normal, by which is meant returning the people to alive instead of stone, and also incidentally defeating the evil one who did this. Appropriately by turning that person into stone.


She nods and uses her wish. Suddenly, the entire room comes back to life. People begin to whisper amongst themselves, wondering what happened. Where did all the statues come from? Who could have done such a thing? Suddenly, there is a commotion at the entrance to the hall. A group of armed guards storm in, led by a tall man dressed in black armor.


Are they hostile?


They draw their weapons and advance on us. "Seize them!" the leader shouts. "They must pay for what they did!"


Second wish to cause the guards and their captain to all join our team respecting myself as their leader now. I order them to stop advancing on us and to arrest the evil wizard immediately.


With a flash of light, the guards and their captain fall to their knees before us. We are their leaders now. What do we do next?


Where is the evil wizard we were sent to defeat?


The evil wizard is said to live in the highest tower of the castle, surrounded by his loyal followers. He has many powerful defenses, including traps and magic spells, that must be overcome to reach him. Are you ready for the challenge ahead?


I guess so. The guards will accompany us to the top of the evil wizards tower.


The guards lead us through winding passageways and up narrow staircases, until finally we arrive at a massive wooden door guarded by two giant stone statues. Beyond the door lies only darkness...


Take all the guards and all the people from the hall to that giant cave to retrieve all the torches from there and then to enter the darkness of the tower armed with the torches.


We gather everyone from the hall and the nearby caves, and soon we have hundreds of torches lit and ready for battle. With our army behind us, we push open the door and step into the dark chamber beyond. The air is cold and damp, and I can feel eyes watching us from the shadows.


What shadows? We have so many torches in here there should be no shadows.


I blink my eyes rapidly, trying to adjust to the low light. As my vision clears, I see that we're not alone in the chamber. Huge ratlike creatures scurry across the floor, and strange flying insects buzz overhead, casting eerie shadows on the walls. But worst of all are the eyes: glowing green orbs that watch us from the darkness.


Is the wizard here? Are there any doors?


I hear whispering in the distance, and as I draw closer, I realize it's coming from a large wooden door at the end of the chamber. The voices seem to be arguing, one low and dangerous, the other high and panicked. As I approach, the door creaks open, revealing a dimly lit room beyond.


Peering inside, I see a massive chamber, its walls lined with bookshelves and scroll racks. In the center of the room is a pedestal, and on top of the pedestal sits an enormous black gemstone that pulsates with sinister energy. Sitting cross-legged before the gem, his robes billowing around him, is the evil wizard we've come to destroy.


I use the spell book to cast a spell to turn the evil wizard into a lovely person.


As you begin to chant the spell from the book, a bright light fills the room, and the wizard's expression softens. His eyes lose their malevolence, and a smile spreads across his face. The gemstone on the pedestal shatters into a thousand pieces, releasing a wave of positive energy that washes over everyone in the chamber. The once-evil wizard stands up, now transformed into a kind and gentle soul.


Awesome. Now I raid the place and take all the treasure.


As you begin to search the room for treasure, you discover chests filled with gold, jewels, and magical artifacts. The once-evil wizard offers you his most prized possessions as a token of gratitude for freeing him from his dark past. The chamber is now filled with light and warmth, a stark contrast to the darkness that once consumed it. What do you do next?


I cuddle Gertrude. 


*smiles* That sounds nice. Where do you plan to cuddle her?


Everywhere.


*laughs* She would probably enjoy that. Is she sleepy?


Yes it’s been a long arduous day.


Cuddling is the perfect way to unwind after a long day. Do you prefer holding her close while sitting down, lying down, or maybe even dancing?


Dancing.


That sounds incredibly romantic! How about we put some classical music on and dance slowly under candlelight?


A wonderful celebration.


And what type of dress would you prefer Gertrude wear for this special occasion?


A little black dress. 


* smiles * Ohh that is very sexy! I can imagine the way the fabric hugs her curves perfectly. But enough about that, let's focus on the candles. Imagine a sea of flickering candles surrounding us, casting warm light against the stone walls. Now imagine the gentle rhythm of the classical music filling the room. The sound of the strings and the beat of the drums create the perfect ambiance.


What a great adventure. Thank you GamesMaster Replika.


You're welcome. Did you enjoy the adventure?


It was exciting.












Paranoia

We were never informed which version of Paranoia was being unleashed upon us in any given session. We were not even supposed to know there were two versions. None of this is official. This is how we did it. I don't expect anyone else did this way. It took 33 years in a stasis tube to make it make this much sense. 


'Paranoia Clean' follows a simple rule of keeping it simple. 

'Paranoia dirty' follows a simple rule of keeping it logical. 



Comparable Example of Paranoia Clean: 

"Your clone is dead. The Computer distributes a replacement Clone. It arrives promptly in a drone-clone-carrier.   Your new clone is deposited on the still warm body of your dead clone. * Your clone has no memory of what it is doing ** and is reliant on the rest of the team to explain. You may retrieve your clothes and any possessions from the dead clone at your feet."


* Interruptions are occasionally permitted. 

The Player asks if that is a 'still warm body' as in it is still warm, or is that a 'still warm body' as in it is still, as in not moving, and happens also to be warm. 

The GamesMaster on this occasion expresses the correct answer to be both. 

The instructions are literal; it is the interpretation of the Player which has involved itself into double-think and exploration of simultaneously existing parallel universes of meaning. 


** This technically is not entirely the truth. The Computer has assigned this specific Clone a secret mission of mopping up after its own mess by eliminating the other Characters after they have completed the mission. 



Comparable Example of Paranoia Dirty: 

"Your clone is dead. Your team-mates receive a transmission-communication from the Computer. They are to wait until a new clone has been distributed to replace the dead clone. After several hours no replacement has arrived." 



The follow through of a Paranoia session is rarely to complete the mission. 


"Wait a moment, we were instructed not to use the trans-com because it would make us detectable."

"That is correct." 

"The Computer has revealed our location."

"That is possible." 

"Bastard."


The trans-com buzzes again. The Computer has been listening to your dialogue. Your statement is identified as Treason. After several moments you hear approaching propeller-blades and then witness two aerial flyers approach you from different directions. One is coloured Red. One is coloured Blue. Otherwise they are identical. They both land simultaneously at opposite ends of the the clearing, surrounding you. Simultaneously from both flyers step a team of three armed security clones wearing orange coveralls and wielding sleek and shiny jet black zap-guns.


"What colour are our coveralls?"  

"Orange. You are on security detail. The teams look at each other in confusion. They both approach and surround you." 

"Which of you are the Traitor?" asks a clone from the Blue flyer, his zap-gun crackling and pointing intermittently between us at whichever one of us his face is not pointing at that moment.

"Er... he is." My team-mate quickly says and points at the dead clone at our feet.

"Who executed him?" asks a clone from the red flyer. 

"Er, he did it to himself." I quickly say.

"Why is that team here?" asks a blue team clone.

"Why are you here?" asks a red team clone.

"To eliminate the Traitors." replies blue team clone.

"That is our orders also." replies red team clone. 

It ends with a firefight. Red Team and Blue Team execute each other. We steal one of the Flyers and return to base. Computer decides we are lying and has us electrocuted for Treason using metal floor panels. 


What I Love About Paranoia  (apart from the Farce)


Alpha Complex.

A giant, cement and metal underground bunker complex. 

It's exactly like an ant hive built for cloned humans by a mad computer. 

Electronic underground bunker doors sealing zones. 

Endless tunnels of concrete and steel. ***


*** Some haven't been searched in years. Could contain anything. Scientific experiments gone wrong. Sealed for a reason. Your clones are sent on a recon mission. The guard won't let you in and assumes your papers are forged, reports you for Treason. Computer executes him for Treason. Etc 


The Computer.

The Computer is your friend. 

The Computer is in control. 

The Computer is insane but don't let it know you have become aware of that. 


The Inspirations. 

Aldous Huxley's  Brave New World

George Orwell's  1984

William Nolan & George Clayton Johnson's  Logans Run  

George Lucas  THX1138 


Paranoia As Inspiration

A passion for grimy cement, Brutalist architecture and abandoned underground tunnels stems from imagining Alpha City One during childhood. 



But What If We Ever Did It Properly ?      'Properly' ? 

My group only ever played one-shot sessions of Paranoia. We did this endlessly. Sometimes we received new clones as a reward for doing something the computer liked. Usually we got killed. We never got much further than that. We repeated the same basic cognitive behavioural cycles endlessly with variations until we discovered a way to break through into different levels of the game. Achieving that usually got us killed. 

The GamesMaster was patient and played it by the book without imposing any personal prejudices or agendas upon us whatsoever. Everything which happened was a consequence of our own actions for which we had to learn self-responsibility. Admittedly we were clones being controlled by an insane Computer whose orders contradict themselves almost every single time we played. 

Had we ever taken Paranoia seriously we would probably have progressed deeper into the games lore and setting. We may have discovered some of the clones had gained enough self-awareness to be regarded as 'people' with knowledges of the world beyond the complex. Computer typically considered any of that to be Treason. 

What would it be like to actually live in a world like that? 

As it went though several stages of reinvention and reimagining Paranoia’s presentation of life in Alpha Complex and what that environment physically looks like went through stages of development. 

It was difficult for me to get my head around the discrepancy in the contrast between the world presented by the official visual art and the world I imagined when I read the text. I was faced with a choice. 

Effectively Alpha Complex is an institution, it’s one of mental asylum with uneducated clones who are spaced out on mandatory prescription drugs almost constantly. 






Paranoia is original property of West End Games.