I don't know how this version works, but a big reason for the computer's crazy behavior in the old version was because of the ultraviolet clearance citizens. They are high programmers and can upload instructions into the computer, often times with competing interests from other high programmers. If two ultraviolets don't like each other, and a troubleshooter team is caught in the middle, god help them.

God, one of my favorite one shots I ever played was a Paranoia one shot. We were investigating an email spammer who was sending out junk emails to everyone in the complex. All through the session, the GM would throw little balled up pieces of paper at us while saying "Ding!" at random points in the session. Typical Paranoia shenanigans occurred, and we all went through multiple clones. By the time we reached the guy, he was ready to go on a long motive rant, but my character and another character who reached him just silently raised our guns and shot him, totally flat-faced and weary from the BS. It was hilarious!

Mongoose is planning to Kickstart Paranoia: The Perfect Edition soon. It sounds like they're going to fix the problems with this edition. I'm hyped.

"Maybe I can kill sombody and take their pencil, then I can fill-out my report!" Great review as always Seth!

Jack-d-NPC's designation doesn't match his clearance level. TREASON!

Not commenting is treason... Did I do good Mr. Computer sir?!?!

I always loved how being a mutant, or being in a secret society, was considered treasonous, and how every character started as a mutant in a secret society. Of course the secret societies were usually opposed to one another, so the party started at each other’s throats. It was hilarious madness.

Awh dang, I'd love to finish the video but that level 2 blue team is knocking on my door.

Played it back in the nineties as a one off. The booklet made it plain. The PC's were not expected to make it to the end or even to the outside. The group did make it to the outside, but not the end. It was an hilarious game session. The different ways in which the computer could screw with a player. The inventive ways the players could troll the computer. The computer is your friend. You are a loyal citizen. RIGHT!?

By far the best video review of an RPG I've seen so far. Clear, concise, understandable, with a little humor thrown in without the typical over-the-top presentation often taken by youtubers in an attempt to garner attention. Liked and subscribed! I'm off to go watch all of your videos.

Thanks for reviewing Paranoia. We tried to play it when I was younger, but the GM couldn't sell us on it, so we couldn't get past the first 5 minutes. Now, I really want to play this game.

A new Paranoia publisher!? Maybe Christmas magic does truly exist.

These videos make me so happy.

I would love to see you review Tales from the Loop, man. It's another "GM doesn't roll" system, and it's actually pretty interesting.

One of my favorite of your vids. Finally got a hold of this to run for my wife's B-day party. One small correction for anyone looking to pick this up, there is no pass to the left to distribute stat points, as fun as that would be, but there is a pass to the left and mess with your buddy step of character creation.

Great review. I loved the sketches. This works as a simple yet nifty lore video for paranoia. I would have liked for you to describe briefly the basics of the system. That's assuming it's as simple as other games like D&D (roll dice, add numbers, compare to target number).

So much love for Paranoia and I couldn't kickstart the new one fast enough. Excellent review, good sir.

Another triumph! great review of Paranoia Seth :) Thanks for all the fantastic reviews. I can't wait to get my copy now.

Back in the 80s, we ran this without any humour, and it really just becomes an even starker version of Logan's Run

So I was on the fence on whether or not to purchase this edition of Paranoia, and your review convinced me to snag it. You cracked me up! This was a perfect way to review Paranoia.

Definitely curious to see your reviews of some of the scenarios. I ran the first one from the main boxed set and wasn't in love with it, but now that I'm running my own campaign my group is having a blast.

This review is hilarious, great work man. I used to love playing this back in the 80's! :)

Ordered the box set as a holiday gift to myself, I have a few of the older edition books and even though I haven't had a chance to try the newest edition I'm sure it will be a blast.

Great review. Perfect combination of info and fun!

Love your vids Seth!

So I have the anniversary version of this game, which uses the XP ruleset. When I saw that they were doing a Kickstarter to make a new version, I didn’t really think it was worth it because all I had heard of it was they were only going to add a box set with free dice and dry erase character sheets. As of this post, I have just purchased the box set on Amazon and will receive it next week. Your review of the new edition was the deciding factor. Thank you for reviewing it.

Thank you so much Seth. I've been asking people since the mid 2000s to run this after seeing a KZfaq video. After watching this review, I've decided since it must be experienced, I'll be the one to run it.

I betrayed my friends and became a yellow while they were reds >:) I video taped the stuff they were messing around with (we were in a dead zone and they were blowing stuff up instead of fixing it which was my mission)

Getting a bit late to the party here. Stumbled upon your review by looking for information about the "newest" edition. Very, very well done I have to say. Well spoken, humor, nice editing, clear information and not too long. Thx for this.

I’m imagining Friend computer as a combination of Good Cop from the Lego Movie and Yes-Man from Fallout New Vegas. “Hey, buddy! It’s me, Friend Computer! Do you think you could fill out this survey in the next ten minutes? Remember, fun is mandatory!”

The reason why players of the old game felt the computer was malicious and evil was because of the rules for gamemasters. The rules actively encouraged the GM to act as capriciously and biased as he or she saw fit. When I GMed, I kept the Computer capricious, but not really malicious or evil and tried to keep things humorous...though I did make the PCs actually stand up and do jumping jacks at the game table for my own amusement(I actually got away with it too). I've met others who played the game, who had GMs interpret the rules as the Computer could basical!y act like an assholish prick.

Great review, subbed.. running this in 2 weeks after seeing this

i love your sketches! can't believe i have never played Paranoia in all the years of gaming. Don't tell the computer!!

Awesome video dude. You deserve so many more views on this.

this is a fantastic overview of paranoia, thank you for this

Very nice. I ran games of 1st and 2nd edition Paranoia to review for Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine. I also got my hands on some of the earlier Mongoose Paranoia books for review as well. I always liked the game and it's a lot of fun though I was never quite ruthless enough for the computer (I mean ... helpful). Excellently done, as usual. I love Jack the Troubleshooter. I look forward to your reviews of some of the scenarios.

Fun is mandatory

Clippy and Autocorrect overdrive! That's the perfect way to think of Friend Computer! Awesome video Seth.

I would love to see you review some of the adventures for this game :)

I remember Clippy...because in one of my Cyberpunk settings he achieved self awareness and decided to wipe out humans for how they treated him!

Your commentary about the society also puts me in mind of City Of Ember.

I had a GM that ran Paranoia through CCTV, an old desk intercom, and a dot-matrix printer. randomly surveys would print out during the game and you had a set amount of time to fill them out. "oh, you were involved in combat with communists? the computer is not interested in your excuses. report to the nearest kill-o-matic clinic for recycling. have a nice day." paranoia was always a fun game, up there with Steve Jackson Game's Toon....

This was great! I haven't played Paranoia since 1990ish?... Loved Jac d NPC and his report woes.

I never knew about this game until today, and it sounds AMAZING!

I enjoy your reviews and your lists. Have you thought about just sitting and talking about a game day? just tell us how your game day went, what the adventure was, and what happened, play-by-play or something? I'd watch that.

I rember playing this when it first came out. It had me looking over my shoulder and waiting for the knife in the back. LOL!

Terrific video! Seth and Jack FTW!

this was an amazing video. you are very creative and clear. thanks

It makes me happy to know that Paranoia is alive and well

Also, please review one of the adventures from the book! I've only had a chance to play paranoia at cons, though I've listened to a few play throughs. I'm curious as to how these new adventures stack up.

I have never heard of this system before and now I want to play it.

I want to try this and Traveller now.

You legit got a red dungaree just for this video? LOL. Think I might just get this and run it next year. :)

Gave one of my players some old tech from R&D. Sold it big as a hover stick. It never worked...but he cleaned it off and saw it was a Hoover.

Hilarious review. I played the original and there was much mirth. Among other adventures we played a space mission where for obvious reasons you had to take all your clones with you. Players were executing their own clones for treason and being stupid.

Trust no one... except the computer!

The reason it felt so weird was because it's a story game not an RPG. Still a great review 👍

I'm not sure if the game was first or not, but it always reminded me a lot of Stanislaw Lem's "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub".

Love the comparison between clippy and friend computer

I've always loved the idea and concept behind Paranoia. It sounds so fun and wonky. Unfortunately my sole experience with actually playing Paranoia was a 3 hour session during a vacation, with both the other players and the GM being people I didn't know at all. It was a really weird and uncomfortable session, and I still don't know if that was because of the system or from playing with total strangers

Paranoia would make an amazing board game if they did it like Wrath of Ashardalon.

Character dry-erase-cards .... I mean... there's nothing that embodies the idea of Paranoia more than THIS...

I off-handedly imagined Friend Computer as sounding like Claptrap a few days ago. Now I can’t stop.

Very nice review.

Commenting as requested by the cortex. Wonderful video computer.

I played the original version. My favorite module was called Hill Sector Blues. Instead of being a Red Troubleshooter, the players were Blue Security Troopers tasked with policing the Complex. They were still f**ked, but you got better and more powerful equipment and weapons.😁

Great review! Any plans to review expansions?

Jack didnt say the computer is your friend, that is treason!

West End Games also had a very detailed Star Wars setting.

Would love to hear your take on Numenera.

9:11 so basically sweepers from the robots movie.

I never roll dice when I run a game. When your players assigned skills amongst each other I laughed hard. The stereotypes were so funny. Especially the Celtic artsy player.

"Red Clearance"? I hope that doesn't mean they wiped the wonderfully ironic Commie references in the new version's dystopia.

Looks awesome

Hands down my favorite rpg. I even have an imaginary Skippy the wonderbot follow me around as I feed it 10000 oval ball bearings.

It sounds interesting, though I am not sure I would run or play it over the original WEG version. Granted, I am a diehard WEG fan but I still think I would be more likely to import some of the ideas from the Mongoose edition over rather than completely switch from the classic.

This sounds awesome

I think the tagline for this game should be "stay alert, trust no one, finish your paperwork."

If you like the dm roll dice try the game Blades in the Dark

Honestly sounds a lot like the Imperium of Man from 40k. 😂 I first heard of this game over ten years ago and instantly wanted to play it. I still haven’t had a chance and really want to. 😢

man i loved this game! one of the best rpg ever

Still waiting for rhose campain storys/reviews.

Ad in Dr. Strangelove, and gaming gold!

Exemplary work, citizen! Have a commendation point.

It is a really weird game and the first run can be disturbing about many things I think the main thing that I've found difficult was making player have secret mission and making them go along the mission.

When are you going to review the campaigns?? Please!! 😁😁

Cmoparing friend computer to clippy is definitely treason

Wait what's Jak's clearance?

Where did Jak-d-NPC-1 get that visor?

All hail Friend Computer!

I am a big fan of The Prisoner, a Secret Agent/Sci-Fi TV series. Would Paranoia be a good fit? The basics of the show are: a top level secret agent quits his job. He is captured and ends up in "The Village" where he is referred to as Number 6. The show is his attempts to either escape or take control of his life.

the setting being called alpha complex means that there may be other complexes in existence. either named with the greek alphabet or the radio initials.

Please look at the expansion. 😀

Did you ever end up reviewing the other paranoia content? I can't seem to find the videos

In the older Paranoia games the computer wasn't considered breaking down, but it was very punitive and I could see some GMs taking that too far. In the older Paranoia games, people would often say, "All hail The Great Computer!" and if others failed to respond in kind, it was treason! In the older Paranoia games, the Ultraviolet level was also called something like a "High Programmer." In older Paranoia games, players could occasionally hack the computer its self. In older Paranoia games, paint was a very valuable resource. I'm looking forward to this new Paranoia version.

"Oh i'm gonna abuse this..."

Shouldn’t that be Jak-R-NPC-01? Guess some one messing around with the naming schemes at the cloning vat again.

Fun looking game I'll try it after Cyberpunk

We all love friend computer and friend computer loves us :D . . . Totally not a Traitor...

Did we ever get that adventure review?