Paranoia Mandatory Bonus Fun! Card Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction to PARANOIA
• Overview
  • How to Win
  • Contents
• Getting Started
  • ALPHA COMPLEX 101—Being a Troubleshooter
  • Explaining the Troubleshooter Card
  • Explaining Security Clearance Cards
  • Explaining Mission Cards
  • Explaining Action Cards
• Sequence of Play
  • 1. Mission Determination
  • 2. Deal Cards
  • 3. Card Play Phase
  • 4. Mission Debriefing Phase
  • 5. Internal Security Investigation Phase
• Card Play Phase Expanded
  • Optional: Play Anytime Order
  • General Card Play Phase Notes
  • ALPHA COMPLEX 101—Cloning
• General Rules
  • Death of a Team Leader
  • The End of the Game
  • 'It's Just a Game'
  • Re-Shuffles
  • 'May'
  • Strategy
  • Customer Health & Safety Notice
  • ALPHA COMPLEX 101—Loyalty and Treachery
• Examples of Play
• Common Terms

Introduction to PARANOIA

In PARANOIA you don't know the rules. You don't know who your enemies are. You don't know how your equipment works. You're never sure why you're doing anything. One thing you do know: Everyone is out to get you. Ignorance and fear; fear and ignorance. These are your watchwords.

A traitor is a malevolent citizen who has betrayed his friend The Computer and seeks to destroy The Computer, Alpha Complex, humanity and life as we know it. You must unmask and destroy all traitors. Mutants are traitors. Members of secret societies are traitors. You are a mutant, and a member of a secret society. You are a traitor.

Your fellow Troubleshooters would be eager to unmask you as a traitor and execute you. They all carry powerful weapons. They all want to kill traitors. They don't know you're a Commie mutant traitor. Yet. Troubleshooters routinely get shot, stabbed, incinerated, mangled, poisoned, blown to bits and occasionally stapled, so you have many opportunities to ensure your teammates meet their just end. Stay alert! Trust no one! Keep your laser handy!

As a sign of its trust, The Computer promotes you to Security Clearance RED. Welcome to PARANOIA.

Overview

This is a card game where you, the player, take the part of a Troubleshooter—an agent of The Computer. Each game consists of a number of hands. Each hand represents one 'Mission'. Some Troubleshooters will die on the Mission because of cards played on them. Some Troubleshooters will die during the post-Mission Debriefing because they have accumulated too many Treason tokens. In most Missions the majority, if not all of the Troubleshooters, will die. But for the survivors—undeserved glory and increases in Security Clearance and life expectancy can all be achieved! You may even be able to win the game…

How to Win

Keep playing hands of cards until one Troubleshooter loses his 6th clone. At that point the highest Security Clearance Troubleshooter wins. In the case of a tie, the Troubleshooter with the least number of Treason tokens wins. If they are still tied, both Troubleshooters win.

Contents

• 1 Rulebook
• 150 Cards, consisting of:
  • 1 Team Leader Card (to designate the Team Leader)
  • 8 Troubleshooter Cards
  • 22 Mission Cards (called the 'Mission Deck')
  • 37 Security Clearance Cards (used for keeping track of your Security Clearance)
  • 82 Action Cards (called the 'Action Deck')
• 156 Tokens, consisting of:
  • 54 Wound Tokens (used for keeping track of your Wound total)
  • 54 Treason Tokens (used for keeping track of your Treason total)
  • 48 Clone Tokens (used for keeping track of your clones)

Both the Mission Deck and the Action Deck include two blank cards. Do not shuffle these in with the rest of the decks when you play. These cards are provided so that players may create their own Missions and special Actions.

Getting Started

1. Give each player a Troubleshooter card.
2. Each Troubleshooter takes 6 Clone tokens and places them below their Troubleshooter card.
3. Put the remaining Clone tokens, as well as the Treason and Wound tokens, in the center of the table so players can grab them as needed.
4. Choose a Team Leader. This can be done by random die roll or, more appropriately, by having the game's owner proclaim himself Team Leader. The Team Leader is immediately promoted to ORANGE Security Clearance and draws an ORANGE Security Clearance card, placing it above his Troubleshooter card. They also place the Team Leader card next to their Security Clearance card, where everyone can see it.
5. Each Troubleshooter that isn't the Team Leader draws a RED Security Clearance card placing it above their Troubleshooter card.
6. Shuffle the Mission cards as one deck and the Action cards as another deck. Once thoroughly shuffled, place the two decks in the center of the playing area. Place the unused Security Clearance cards into another pile—these do not need to be shuffled.

ALPHA COMPLEX 101—Being a Troubleshooter

The Computer has promoted you from your previous INFRARED Clearance to your new and exciting RED Clearance. Your new Security Clearance signifies The Computer's benevolent trust in you. To review, The Computer's system of Security Clearances follows the colors of the electromagnetic spectrum: RED, your current clearance, followed in ascending order by ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO and VIOLET. INFRARED is below RED, and ULTRAVIOLET (the clearance of the illustrious High Programmers) is above VIOLET. The higher a citizen's clearance, the more deeply The Computer trusts that citizen.

Higher clearance means greater responsibility; it also brings benefits. Citizens of higher clearance are not necessarily more knowledgeable or capable than you. They have advanced solely because they selflessly served the greater good and earned The Computer's trust. Admire, respect and defer to higher-clearance citizens. Failure to defer at all times is insubordination and may be treason.

If you serve The Computer well, you will earn its greater trust and thereby advance in Security Clearance. Aspire to advance! Failure to aspire may be considered insubordination.

Explaining the Troubleshooter Card

• The Troubleshooter's name.
• The Security Clearance track: A handy reference for checking who is above and below your current Security Clearance.
• A Troubleshooter's current Security Clearance card is placed above their Troubleshooter card.
• A Troubleshooter's Treason tokens are placed to the left of their Troubleshooter card.
• A Troubleshooter's Wound tokens are placed to the right of their Troubleshooter card.
• A Troubleshooter's Clone tokens are placed below their Troubleshooter card.

Explaining Security Clearance Cards

Example (BLUE Security Clearance card):

• Your Security Clearance is higher than RED, ORANGE, YELLOW and GREEN Troubleshooters. (Summary of which Security Clearances are beneath you.)
• Your Security Clearance is lower than ULTRAVIOLET, VIOLET and INDIGO Troubleshooters. (Summary of which Security Clearances are above you.)
• Hand Size: 7 cards.
• Maximum Wounds: 5 Wound tokens.
• Maximum Treason: 5 Treason tokens.

Hand Size is the number of cards dealt to a Troubleshooter at the beginning of a Mission; Maximum Wounds is the number of Wound tokens it takes to kill the Troubleshooter; Maximum Treason is the number of Treason tokens it takes to make them a Traitor.

Explaining Mission Cards

• The Mission card's title.
• The criteria that must be fulfilled in order to complete the Mission.
• What will happen during the Mission Debriefing phase if the Mission is successfully completed (Success).
• What will happen during the Mission Debriefing phase if the Mission is not completed (Failure).
• Missions where the criteria is 'Survive until Mission Debriefing' do not have Failure sections.
• Some Mission cards also have Special sections, which detail specific rules or quirks that apply during that Mission only.

Explaining Action Cards

• The Action card's title.
• The options a Troubleshooter has when playing this card. Note that only ONE of these options may be used when the card is played. Other possible options on Action cards are Play Anytime and Play on Yourself.

Sequence of Play

Each Mission is composed of the following 5 phases:

1. Mission Determination

The Team Leader turns over the top card of the Mission Deck so everyone can see it. This card represents the current Mission.

2. Deal Cards

The Team Leader (or a lower Security Clearance Troubleshooter of his choice) deals every Troubleshooter cards from the Action Deck. The number of cards you receive is determined by your Hand Size, as indicated on your Security Clearance card. The Team Leader also receives one bonus card. Place the rest of the Action Deck in a pile in the center of the table.

3. Card Play Phase

At the start of this phase, the Team Leader plays or discards an Action card from his hand. Cards can be directed at yourself, other Troubleshooters or the Mission. Thereafter, starting with the Troubleshooter to the Team Leader's left and moving clockwise, each Troubleshooter plays or discards one Action card. The Card Play phase ends:

• the moment a living Troubleshooter runs out of Action cards (even if this happens during someone else's turn).
• whenever the Mission is complete the Team Leader can end the Card Play phase at the start of his turn.
• whenever the 'Abort Mission' Action is played.
• whenever there is only one Troubleshooter left alive.
• whenever a Troubleshooter loses their last Clone token.

See the Card Play Phase Expanded section for more rules and notes concerning this phase.

4. Mission Debriefing Phase

The Mission Debriefing determines which Troubleshooters have successfully completed their Mission.

Sometimes it will be an all-or-none situation and either the whole team will succeed or will fail. Other times only some members of the team will have succeeded. Apply the 'Success' result to the Troubleshooters who completed the Mission successfully and the 'Failure' result to those who didn't follow The Computer's instructions.

If the Mission only has a 'Success' result, it means that merely surviving the Mission is considered a Success! All Troubleshooters at the Mission Debriefing—in other words, all living Troubleshooters—receive the Success result.

5. Internal Security Investigation Phase

During this phase all Troubleshooters who are Traitors are executed. You are a Traitor if you have too many Treason tokens, as indicated by your Security Clearance card. For example, RED Security Clearance Troubleshooters are Traitors if they have 3 or more Treason tokens.

At the end of the Internal Security Investigation phase, any remaining Wound or Treason tokens that a Troubleshooter may have are discarded. Any remaining Action cards are kept, except for those still placed in front of you (such as Noble Sacrifice)—these are discarded.

Card Play Phase Expanded

At the start of this phase, the Team Leader plays or discards an Action card from his hand. Cards can be directed at yourself, other Troubleshooters, or at the Mission. Thereafter, starting with the Troubleshooter to the Team Leader's left and moving clockwise, each Troubleshooter plays or discards one Action card. The Card Play phase ends:

• the moment a living Troubleshooter runs out of Action cards (even if this happens during someone else's turn). Note that Troubleshooters may still play their 'Play Anytime' cards before the phase ends.
• whenever the Mission is complete the Team Leader can end the Card Play phase at the start of his turn.
• whenever the 'Abort Mission' Action card is played.
• whenever there is only one Troubleshooter left alive.
• whenever a Troubleshooter loses their last Clone token. This also signals the End of the Game (see The End of the Game).

When it is your turn, you must play or discard an Action card. There are a variety of Action cards. Action cards can either be played to help complete the current Mission (by being played on the Mission card), or they can be played on one or more Troubleshooters (including yourself).

Each Action card has two or more sections. One will always be the Play on Mission section. Any others will always involve playing the card on one or more Troubleshooters (including yourself). You may only use one of these sections when playing the card. There are four general types of Action card sections; Play on Mission, Play on Troubleshooter, Play on Yourself and Play Anytime.

Play on Mission: All Action cards have this section. When playing an Action card on the Mission card, follow the instructions given here. Cards played on Missions generally add or remove Treason and/or Wound tokens from that Mission.

Play on Troubleshooter: When playing an Action card upon a fellow Troubleshooter, follow the instructions given here. Cards played on Troubleshooters generally add or remove Treason and/or Wound tokens from them, though they can have a host of other effects too! You may also play these cards on yourself unless the card specifically tells you to play it upon 'another Troubleshooter'. You may play Action cards that give you Treason and/or Wound tokens, if you so wish.

Play on Higher/Lower or Equal Security Clearance Troubleshooter: Some cards have separate instructions for whether you are playing it upon another Troubleshooter of 'Equal or Lower Security Clearance' or 'Higher Security Clearance'.

When Playing a Card on a Higher Security Clearance Troubleshooter, you must use the Play on Higher Security Clearance Troubleshooter text.

When Playing a Card on a Lower or Equal Security Clearance Troubleshooter, you may use either the Play on Higher Security Clearance Troubleshooter text or the Play on Equal or Lower Security Clearance Troubleshooter text (but not both).

Play on Yourself: When playing an Action card upon yourself, follow the instructions given here. Cards played on yourself are generally beneficial and remove Treason and/or Wound tokens from you, though they can have a host of other effects too!

Play Anytime: These cards can be played whenever it is appropriate, including during another Troubleshooter's turn. They do not count as your turn. Play Anytime cards can be played on each other.

For Example: 'My Better Idea card cancels your Golden Opportunity card.' 'Oh, yeah, well my Bribe card cancels your Better Idea card!'

Play anytime cards can even be played at the moment when a phase, Mission or game ends.

For Example: 'That's my last card so the Card Play phase is over.' 'OK, but before the Card Play phase ends I'm playing Convincing Story to make you a Traitor before we go into the Mission Debriefing phase.'

Optional: Play Anytime Order

Usually, it is enough that Play Anytime cards are simply declared when the player wishes to declare them. An optional rule is to give every player a chance to play a card in response to a card just played in order, rather than haphazardly.

For Example: If Player A just played New Improved Treasonous Activity List, the player to his left is given the first chance to respond with a Play Anytime card. Then the next player to the left is given a chance. Then the next player, and so on.

General Card Play Phase Notes

• Attacking Loyal Citizens is Bad: Damaging Computer property (like loyal clones) is bad. Anytime you give Wound tokens to another Troubleshooter who is Loyal, you immediately receive 2 Treason tokens.
• Dying Action: Troubleshooters who receive their fatal Wound token may play one card immediately as their 'dying action'. They may also play any number of Play Anytime cards. After their dying action, they are dead (see Dying Actions and Dying in Common Terms for more details).
• Exposing Traitors is Good: Friend Computer's faith in you goes up anytime you give another Troubleshooter the Treason token(s) that makes them a Traitor. It means you are working very, very hard to root out Traitors! As a reward, remove 2 Treason tokens from your pile.
• Killing Traitors is Better: Anytime you give a Traitor the Wound token that kills them, The Computer's faith in you goes up even more. Remove all Treason tokens from your pile.

ALPHA COMPLEX 101—Cloning

Because The Computer cares deeply for all citizens, it grows them in clone tanks. Earlier generations of citizens were grown in 'clone families' of six genetically identical siblings, all decanted from the tanks at the same time. Today, thanks to advances in forced-growth cloning technology, The Computer's loyal servants in Technical Services can now produce new clone copies of any citizen at will. R&D's amazing MemoMax technology can copy and transfer the deceased citizen's memories to a new clone with speed and absolute accuracy. As a trusted Troubleshooter you enjoy The Computer's fullest consideration; The Computer has thoughtfully ordered for you five ready backup clones, which are deployed at great speed upon your unfortunate demise, allowing your swift return to loyal, Troubleshooting action.

General Rules

Your Troubleshooter Status card must be kept in full view of the other players at all times. Other players are allowed to know your Security Clearance, how many clones you have left, how many Action cards you have and how many Wound/Treason tokens you have.

You may not trade cards or show other players your cards unless specifically instructed to by a card. You can, however, promise to play cards, lie (or not lie) about what cards you have, make deals, whine, threaten and, when appropriate, cajole. You are under no obligation to keep your promises.

Death of a Team Leader

Team Leaders stay in charge until they die—The Computer has incredible faith in Team Leaders that manage to stay alive! Immediately after the Team Leader performs his dying action, a different Team Leader is selected and promoted by one Security Clearance! The living Troubleshooter with the fewest number of Treason tokens immediately becomes the new Team Leader. If there is a tie, then The Computer is confused and the first living Troubleshooter to the left of the old Team Leader gets promoted.

The End of the Game

If a Troubleshooter loses their 6th clone, proceed immediately to the Mission Debriefing phase. The Troubleshooter who lost his 6th clone, and therefore ended the game, immediately loses a Security Clearance. Resolve the final Mission Debriefing and Internal Security Investigation phase regularly and then determine which Troubleshooter has the highest Security Clearance. That Troubleshooter has won the game! In the event of a tie, the Troubleshooter with the least number of Treason tokens is the winner. If they are still tied, both Troubleshooters win.

'It's Just a Game'

Sometimes you may encounter unusual card play combinations that are not explicitly covered in the rules. When that happens, resolve the issue with a friendly flip of a coin. Hurling said coin at your opponent is not considered friendly.

Re-Shuffles

If, during play, the Action Deck runs out of cards, pause the game momentarily. Shuffle all discarded or used Action cards into a new Action Deck. Then resume the game. If the last card in the Mission Deck is turned over, you can safely wait until the last Mission is played out before shuffling the used Mission cards.

'May'

Some cards use the word 'may' to indicate that you have a choice. For example, the Hand Flamer card says you 'may randomly pick a card'. There are times you might not want to do this, like when this would take the Troubleshooter's last card and end the Card Play phase. Remember, 'may' indicates an option.

Strategy

In general, there are four ways to play a hand:

• Prove someone is guilty of treason and then kill them.
• Kill someone and then justify your actions.
• Set them up to be killed during the Internal Security Investigation phase.
• Duck and cover.

All of the above methods are highly effective (except 'duck and cover', which fails miserably except when combined with the sub-strategy 'encouraging other Troubleshooters to kill each other'). The method you choose will depend on what cards you are dealt.

Customer Health & Safety Notice

Under no circumstances may higher Security Clearance players order lower Security Clearance players to go fetch snacks and then plot their demise while they are out of the room. Similarly, lower Security Clearance players are not allowed to plot the death of the overbearing higher Security Clearance players who ordered them out of the room to begin with.

ALPHA COMPLEX 101—Loyalty and Treachery

Locate and apprehend or destroy mutants. They endanger human genetic purity and must be terminated or enlisted in our great cause. Locate and apprehend or destroy members of secret societies. They are traitors, often terrorists, and must be brought to justice. Traitors have infiltrated Alpha Complex from the lowest to the highest levels. It may surprise you to learn traitors have even been identified on Troubleshooter teams like yours! Be vigilant in guarding against these rare but troubling incidents.

Examples of Play

Example 1:

Play-R: I'm playing Lie... Real Good on Lose-R because no one has played on him yet. Lose-R gets 3 Treason tokens and I get 1 Treason token. Lose-R: Fine. Then I'll play... Play-R: Wait, because I've just made you a Traitor, I get to remove 2 Treason tokens. I've only got 1 so…. Lose-R: But Lie... Real Good only just gave you that Treason token! Play-R: What's your point? Lose-R: Arghhhhhh!

Example 2:

Play-R: Ha! I play Ice Gun 3000 on Lose-R. You get 1 Wound token and have to skip your next turn. Lose-R: Oh yeah, I play New Improved Treasonous Activity List to cancel your Ice Gun 3000 and give you a Treason token. That makes you a Traitor so I get to remove 2 Treason tokens but I've only got 1 so I'll just remove that. Play-R: Wait... I'm playing Spurious Logic to make you take the Treason token New Improved Treasonous Activity List would have given me, which means I'm not a Traitor and you don't get to remove your other Treason token. Ha! That's your second Treason token. Lose-R: Fine, if that's the way you want it. Then for my turn... Play-R: Before your turn starts I play Convincing Story to give you a Treason token. That's your third Treason token, Lose-R—you're a Traitor and I get to remove two of my Treason tokens. Lose-R: FINE! Because for my turn I'm gonna Plasma Cannon your... Play-R: What turn? Convincing Story was my last card. The Card Play phase is over! Lose-R: Arghhhhhh!

Common Terms

Clone = All Troubleshooters have 6 clones, represented by their Clone tokens. Once any Troubleshooter loses their 6th clone, the game ends.

Dead = A Troubleshooter that has died and not yet come back as his next clone. Dead Troubleshooters do not count as having failed or succeeded a Mission that ended while they are dead. Dead Troubleshooters 'respawn' as their next clone after having skipped one of their turns, or at the beginning of the Mission Determination phase, whichever comes first.

Dying = When a Troubleshooter takes a Wound token that equals or exceeds his Wounds Maximum (as determined by their Security Clearance), they are killed. The Troubleshooter may immediately perform a 'dying action'. When a Troubleshooter dies, he loses all Wound and Treason tokens. He discards one Clone token. He skips his next turn, then 'respawns' as his next clone at the beginning of his following turn (or at the beginning of the following Mission Determination phase, whichever comes first).

Dying Action = When a Troubleshooter is killed, he may perform a dying action. This is a single card played from his hand immediately. The card's effects are resolved normally. If this card manages to reduce the number of Wound tokens the Troubleshooters to below his Wounds Maximum, the Troubleshooter is not killed and the hand continues as normal.

Gaining a Clone = Add one Clone token to your pile. If you currently have 6 Clone tokens, you cannot gain a clone (ignore effects that require you to do so).

Gaining a Security Clearance = Trade your Security Clearance card for the next color up the Security Clearance ladder. If there are no cards available of the Security Clearance you require, you cannot increase your Security Clearance (ignore effects that require you to do so). If you are currently ULTRAVIOLET Security Clearance, you cannot gain a Security Clearance (ignore effects that require you to do so).

Living = A Troubleshooter that is not dead.

Losing a Clone = Lose one Clone token from your pile. Once any Troubleshooter loses their last Clone token, the game ends.

Losing a Security Clearance = Trade your Security Clearance card for the next color down the Security Clearance ladder. If there are no cards available of the Security Clearance you require, you cannot lose your Security Clearance (ignore effects that require you to do so). If you are currently RED Security Clearance, you cannot lose a Security Clearance (ignore effects that require you to do so).

Loyal = Any Troubleshooter with fewer Treason tokens than their Maximum Treason (as determined by their Security Clearance) is Loyal.

Maximum Treason = A Troubleshooter whose Treason tokens equal or exceed this number is a 'Traitor'. A Troubleshooter's Maximum Treason is determined by his Security Clearance.

Maximum Wounds = A Troubleshooter whose Wound tokens equal or exceed this number has been killed. See 'Dying' for more details. A Troubleshooter's Maximum Wounds is determined by his Security Clearance.

Most Loyal Troubleshooter = The Most Loyal Troubleshooter is the one with the fewest Treason tokens. In the event of a tie, the Team Leader chooses who is the Most Loyal Troubleshooter.

Most Traitorous Troubleshooter = The Most Traitorous Troubleshooter is the one with the most Treason tokens. In the event of a tie, the Team Leader chooses who is the Most Traitorous Troubleshooter.

Player = The player who controls a Troubleshooter.

Security Clearance = This is designated by the Security Clearance card that every player has above their Troubleshooter card. Security Clearance determines how important a Troubleshooter is and how trusted they are by The Computer. The higher a Troubleshooter's Security Clearance, the more they can get away with (higher Maximum Treason), the better armor they have (higher Maximum Wounds) and the more options they have (larger Hand Size). The Security Clearance track on the Troubleshooter card summarizes all of this information.

Security Clearance ranges from RED (the lowest) up to ULTRAVIOLET (the highest). A Troubleshooter is considered to be of higher Security Clearance than yourself if his color (ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO, VIOLET or ULTRAVIOLET) is above your color on the Security Clearance track.

For Example: If your Security Clearance is RED, any Troubleshooter with a different color Security Clearance (apart from RED) is of higher Security Clearance than yourself.

For Example: If your Security Clearance is BLUE, any Troubleshooter with an INDIGO, VIOLET or ULTRAVIOLET Security Clearance is of higher Security Clearance than yourself.

A Troubleshooter is considered to be of lower or equal Security Clearance than yourself if his color (RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO, VIOLET or ULTRAVIOLET) is the same as your color, or below your color on the Security Clearance track.

For Example: If your Security Clearance is RED, only Troubleshooters with a RED Security Clearance are of equal or lower Security Clearance than yourself.

For Example: If your Security Clearance is BLUE, any Troubleshooter with a RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN or BLUE Security Clearance are of equal or lower Security Clearance than yourself.

There are 8 RED Security Clearance cards, 7 ORANGE Security Clearance cards, 6 YELLOW Security Clearance cards, 5 GREEN Security Clearance cards, 4 BLUE Security Clearance cards, 3 INDIGO Security Clearance cards, 2 VIOLET Security Clearance cards and 2 ULTRAVIOLET Security Clearance cards. If you are required to change to a Security Clearance for which there are no cards remaining, you stay at your current Security Clearance.

Traitor = Any Troubleshooter with Treason tokens equalling or exceeding their Maximum Treason (as determined by their Security Clearance) is a Traitor.

Troubleshooter = A dedicated defender of Alpha Complex and servant of The Computer. All of the participants in PARANOIA: Mandatory BONUS FUN Card Game are Troubleshooters.