h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: UPDATE: Paranoia: The Computer Game - A2903186
Author: The Apprentice - My Cat Sucks! - U35204

Moved in accordance with new Updating Process at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/RF21

I'm a little bit confused by the way this Entry is presented - it needs to start off with a slightly clearer explanation of what sort of gameplay people get from this game. Is it a text-based adventure, a first-person shooter, or does it have some form of RTS-style control? When was it released, and thus what sort of small mechanical box is required to run it?

Otherwise, the game's plot and background are covered thoroughly and lucidly.

it required one of those old fashioned wood and graphite derived machines to play it - hence I guess the link to the roleplaying entry

Brings back memories of the mayhem we used to cause in the roleplaying club at school.

The thread title is what's misleading Alex. Paranoia is a pen and paper RPG.

I remember running a game where all the players were presented with blank character sheets having been subjected to experimental Insta-Learning Therapy which went wrong and instead wiped their memories... they had to find out whether they were able to do things by doing them.
I also gave them a TacNuke hand grenade which had an area of effect that was exponentially larger than the distance a person could throw it.

so it is! Doh! I never even noticed the thread title - ho hum, wake Icky!

We had tacNukes like that. I also seem to recall one of my characters being a droid with an r&d gauss gun on it which turned out to have an area of effect greater than its range.

Ah. A title change is needed then.

would be more accurate, it isn't a board game.
Or perhaps even the pencil&paper role playing game since you get rpg computer games.

"PARANOIA: The Roleplaying Game of a Darkly Humorous Future" was the games original title IIRC.

not sure my clearance is high enough to know that.

How about - PARANOIA: The Tabletop Role Playing Game. Currently, I have the entry titled - PARANOIA: The Game.

(I didn't realise how the original article had been titled 'Computer Game' until the whole thing got shifted over to Peer Review)



The Apprentice

sounds reasonable.

BTW. I seem to recall there were also other complexes besides alpha complex? (shh!) Or was that just in specific versions or adventures?

There may be. There might not. What's your security clearance, citizen?

The Apprentice

Added a footnote about the possibility of other complexes...

The Apprentice

BLUE, of course.

Any comments on the format? I would note that the unusual capitalisation relates to the style guide of the game itself - so PARANOIA and things like RED Clearance are intentionally presented in that format.

What about the italics where I introduce in-game organisations? Should I get rid of those? It just seemed to add clarity - rather than necessarily following strict house rules.

The Apprentice

seems fine to me and in keeping with the subject. Do updates get subedited? That's where it normally gets the style knocked into shape.

BTW: I did spot a couple of odd wordings when I read it - one perhaps a typo with traorous instead of traitor or something but I can't find it again - now I've read it I'm just reading what I think is there instead of what actually is. Perhaps someone more attuned to correctness than I could have a shufti?

amongts -> amongst
tendancy -> tendency
indisgression -> indiscretion
irrate -> irate
suppressents -> suppressants
adverseries -> adversaries
channeled -> channelled
non-sensical -> nonsensical

Adjustments made - thanks for that feedback h5ringer. Of sub-editing - the intent of updates seems to be that they go forward as 'at subbed standard' with only a cursory check - presumably for offensive or litigious material. So... while I'm a sub, I'm also the only who has done the update here - so, I'm likely too close to make a call on some of my formatting choice.

The Apprentice

I think I'd be tempted to put the blockquote at the beginning into italics.
I'd also consider doing the same thing with the Computer side of the conversation in the Security and You section. Up to you - try it and see what you think

Changed the title to 'PARANOIA: The Tabletop Role Playing Game' based on my own suggestion (as it seems least likely to create any ambiguity or misunderstanding) and hoping that this might get picked up by a Scout (or however the heck these things get picked up now) in the near future...



The Apprentice