This week we discuss our play session 
(XP edition) by Mongoose Publishing.
So give it a listen, Citizen. Your friend the Computer says it will make you happy. Happiness is mandatory. You want to be happy, don’t you?
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I think your assessment of Paranoia XP is fair. It is a shame that Mongoose managed to trash a genuinely interesting game.
I originally played the game years ago with the earlier set of rules and there are a few things that you need to understand to get context.
1) XP is just like earlier versions of the game, but with all the expansions in use. Imagine if in the players handbook for DnD it included all the complete books, the forgotten realms book and the Eberron book. That would make it really hard to figure out how to play the basic game.
2) For when it was written Paranoia was a simple game. This was back in the days of second edition DnD. It was actually comparatively uncomplicated.
OK so that being said, here is what you missed. The most important aspects of the game are:
All people with mutant powers are traitors, you have a mutant power. All people who belong to secret societies are traitors, you belong to a secret society. You need to complete your mission, but more importantly you need to keep friend computer happy.
Players are supposed to have sub missions from their secret societies, this will compel them to do things that are not nessasarily what others want them to do.
Characters are also assigned party jobs. Like Equipment guy or happiness officer however, they posses no particular skill in accomplishing that job. Hilarity ensues when a guy with no mechanical skill must constantly bullshit his way out of equipment related problems. Also, the happiness officer can be a real pain. Forcing the rest of the party to act ludicrously happy or get drugged.
The selection of mutant powers is also important. You want the PC’s to be constantly tempted to use their powers, and risk discovery.
The game, when played “right” is actually hilarious to play. The problem lies mostly with the Xp edition.
Thanks for the feedback and the commentary about the XP edition and its smashed together uber supplement status. I’m glad there is a reason that book is so very bloated.
As for the comments upon the mutant, secret society, etc., I was aware of all these elements, but it felt like far too much to keep track of. Any time I took to cover one players occupational hazards (not well described in the book, or so described I didn’t have time to read it) means time I have to make everyone else sit. Sitting is not fun, no matter how mandatory.
The various traitor aspects were played up as well, but this didn’t seem to really help things become funnier. Neither did the party roles really do much for the comedic aspects.
So, if when trying to play the game ‘right’, we managed to get it horribly ‘wrong’, it doesn’t seem to suggest that getting it right is very easy.
So while I am glad to have feedback, I have to humbly disagree with the idea that playing it ‘right’ would have been any better.
I was introduced to the game like this:
GM: Hey Josh do you want to play paranoia? Josh: Yes GM: Here is your character. The front is all of your public things the back is private. Josh: what is Matter Eater? other player: why would you be interested in knowing about mutants, are you a commie mutant traitor. Josh: I know this guy who I think is a mutant and I was wondering what to look for.
The fact of the matter is that the game is a riot and it is fun because of the behavior that emerges from game play.