Run a biweekly drop-in game of Paranoia, the tabletop RPG about life under a cheerfully insane authoritarian regime.

Paranoia is a tabletop roleplaying game set in Alpha Complex, a dystopian underground city controlled by an all-knowing, all-seeing, deeply unstable artificial intelligence called Friend Computer. Players are Troubleshooters: citizens tasked with rooting out traitors, mutants, and members of secret societies. The catch is that every player is also a traitor, a mutant, and a member of a secret society. The other catch is that the rules are classified above the players' security clearance, so knowing the rules is itself an act of treason.

The game is a satire of bureaucracy, authoritarianism, and surveillance. The rules are intentionally inconsistent and unfair. Information is restricted by color-coded security clearance. Forms must be filled out for everything, including requesting permission to fill out forms. Players are encouraged to betray, accuse, and sabotage each other while maintaining enthusiastic loyalty to Friend Computer. Everyone has six clones, because death is frequent and usually hilarious.

This station runs Paranoia in Zap or Classic mode as a series of one-shots, making it easy for players to drop in and drop out without needing to track a long-running story. Each session is a self-contained mission from Friend Computer. The GM prepares (or improvises) the mission, manages the chaos, and keeps things moving.

Sessions happen every other week. Off-weeks are for session prep and for sharing Paranoia-related content in the club's Discord channel. The GM does not need to own the game. MFU can provide the rulebooks and mission materials if needed.

The group caps at 6 players per session (the standard Troubleshooter team size).

Essential skills:

• Comfort running a tabletop RPG session, including improvisation and managing group dynamics
• A sense of humor and a willingness to embrace chaos
• Ability to keep a game moving and fun even when (especially when) things go sideways
• Comfort with dark humor and satirical content about authoritarianism and surveillance

NOT required:

• Prior experience with Paranoia specifically (the rules are simple and the GM guide is excellent)
• Professional voice acting or theatrical performance skills

Operative must provide:

• An account with the digital platform that will host the game sessions
• Preparation of one-shot missions for each session (published or original)
• Between-session engagement in the Discord channel
• Promotion and participant recruitment for the group

MFU will provide:

• Paranoia rulebooks and mission materials, if the GM does not already own them
• An interest form on the MFU website to help identify the best times for the sessions
• A scheduling app on the MFU website that allows people to sign up for each session
• A channel on the MFU Discord server for scheduling, discussion, and post-session debriefs
• Promotion and participant recruitment for the group

You are welcome to use these sources to help you get started:

• Mongoose Publishing's Paranoia page is the official source for the current edition of the game, including rulebooks, mission packs, and supplements.
• TTRPG Factory's introduction to Paranoia walks through how to run a first session for new players, with notes from a GM who has introduced the game to multiple groups.
• No Rerolls' Paranoia paperwork collection gathers printable in-game forms (treason accusations, equipment requests, termination permits) that double as props and table management tools. A form template for creating your own is also available.
• Seth Skorkowsky's Paranoia video review is an entertaining overview of the game, its history, and what makes it work. A good resource to share with potential players who want to know what they are getting into.
• The r/ParanoiaRPG subreddit is an active community for GMs and players, with mission ideas, rules questions, and session reports.

For general questions, you can message your handler through your dashboard, contact @Owlett on Discord, or email info@myflyinguniversity.org.

If you have an idea for a different approach to all or part of this mission, please feel free to reach out before you get started!