Editing Paranoia (role-playing game) (section)

==Reception==
In the Jan-Feb 1985 edition of ''[[Space Gamer]]'' (Issue No. 72), the editorial staff were enthusiastic about the game, commenting "If you're likely to take it personally when your best friend's character plugs ''your'' character from behind, ''stay away from this game''. But if you like high-tension suspense along with a slightly bent sense of humor, ''Paranoia'' is a unique and highly desirable experience."<ref name="SG">{{cite magazine|author=The staff of Space Gamer |date=Jan–Feb 1985 |title=Featured Review: Paranoia|magazine=[[Space Gamer]]|publisher=[[Steve Jackson Games]]|issue=72|pages=12–13}}</ref>

[[Marcus L. Rowland]] reviewed ''Paranoia'' for ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' #65, giving it an overall rating of 7 out of 10, and stated that "I like Paranoia, but I'm not sure that I'd want to run it as a prolonged campaign. It's the sort of concept which works well as light relief from a 'serious' RPG campaign, and will definitely appeal to 'hack and slay' merchants. Dedicated rule lawyers and wargamers will hate it. Overall, a lot of fun for a minimum of three or four players."<ref name="WD65">{{cite magazine| last =Rowland | first =Marcus L. | author-link =Marcus L. Rowland | title =Open Box |magazine=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] | issue =65 | pages =8 | publisher =[[Games Workshop]] | date = May 1985 }}</ref>

In the April 1988 edition of [[Dragon (magazine)|''Dragon'']] (Issue 132), [[Jim Bambra]] thought that the second edition had marked improvements compared to the first edition: "The first edition of ''Paranoia'' promised hilarious fun and a combat system that didn’t get bogged down in tedious mechanics. It soon found a following among gamers looking for something different in their role-playing adventures. Still, a close inspection of the combat system revealed that it was slow moving and cumbersome. The mechanics were hard to grasp in places, making it difficult to get into the freewheeling fun. Now, all that’s changed. The ''Paranoia'' game has been treated to a revamp, and this time the rules are slick. All that tricky stuff which made the combat system such a pain to run has been shelved off into optional rules. If you want the extra complications, you’re welcome to them, or you can do what most people did anyway and simply ignore them." Bambra did express reservations about the suitability of the game for an on-going campaign, saying "It doesn't lend itself easily to long-term campaign play. This game is best treated as a succession of short adventure sessions in which players get to enjoy themselves doing all those despicable things that would spoil a more 'serious' game." However Bambra concluded with a recommendation, saying "As a tongue-in-cheek science-fiction game, this one is hard to beat."<ref name="dragon132">{{cite magazine | last= Bambra | first= Jim | author-link = Jim Bambra | date= April 1988 | title= Role Playing Reviews: Playing it for Laughs |magazine= Dragon Magazine | volume= XII | issue= 132 | pages= 8–9 | publisher = TSR, Inc. | location = Lake Geneva WI | issn= 0279-6848}}</ref>

In ''[[The Games Machine]]'' #3, John Wood enjoyed the "darkly humorous" artwork of the second edition, and complimented the writers for a better-organized set of rules. He concluded, "The new edition is far more suitable for those with little or no RPG experience, and is excellent value for a complete system (just add a 20-sided die)."<ref name="tgm">{{cite magazine|last=Wood|first=John | date=February 1988|title=Paranoid Psychotics|magazine=[[The Games Machine]]|publisher=Enfield|issue=3|pages=80}}</ref>

In his 1990 book ''[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]]'', game critic [[Rick Swan]] called this game "a brilliant, revolutionary RPG ... that defies categorization and stands as one of the most thoroughly enjoyable games of the last ten years." After summarizing the lack of personal freedom under the control of the insane Computer, Swan allowed that "It sound oppressive, but it's all quite hilarious, thanks to the tongue-in-cheek approach permeating every aspect of the game." Swan noted the elaborate rules for character creation and combat resolution, "but they're essentially irrelevant, because the referee is encouraged to make up everything as he goes along." Swan did note that this puts a lot of pressure on the referee. Likewise, he warned that "players used to the rigid structures and cooperative emphasis of traditional RPGs may have trouble with a game this chaotic." Nevertheless, Swan concluded by giving this game his top rating of 4 out of 4, saying, "This is sophisticated, intelligent role-playing at its most subversive, a satiric masterpiece that should delight any experienced player with a taste for the bizarre."<ref name=swan>{{cite book | last =Swan | first =Rick | author-link=Rick Swan |title =[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]] | publisher =St. Martin's Press | date =1990 | location =New York | pages =151–153}}</ref>

In a 1996 reader poll conducted by ''Arcane'' magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time, ''Paranoia'' was ranked seventh. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "For players of games where character development and campaign continuity are a priority, ''Paranoia'' is an absolute no-no. If a character (of which there are six versions - each person in Alpha Complex has six clones) lives through an entire scenario then they're doing well. Hell, they're doing better than well, they're probably Jesus Christ reborn (er, no offence intended, all ye Christian types). Suffice to say that ''Paranoia'' is, and always will be, a complete laugh - it should be played for nothing more than fun".<ref name="Arcane14">{{cite magazine|last= Pettengale|first=Paul|date= Christmas 1996 |title=Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996|magazine=Arcane|publisher=[[Future plc|Future Publishing]]|issue=14|pages=25–35}}</ref>

''Paranoia'' was chosen for inclusion in the 2007 book ''Hobby Games: The 100 Best''. [[Steve Jackson (US game designer)|Steve Jackson]] described the game as "the first sophisticated parody of the basic tropes of roleplaying. Paranoia didn't offer dungeons full of monsters with sillier names than those in ''D&D''. It introduced something scarier... the futuristic tunnels of Alpha Complex, in which all the monsters were human and nobody ever got out. ''Paranoia'' held all of roleplaying, as it was then practiced, to a dark and twisted mirror. Then it [[pieing|threw cream pies]]."<ref name="HG">{{Cite book | contribution=Paranoia | title=[[Hobby Games: The 100 Best]] | last=Jackson | first=Steve | author-link=Steve Jackson (US game designer) | editor-last=Lowder | editor-first=James | editor-link=James Lowder | publisher=[[Green Ronin Publishing]] | year=2007 | pages=231–235 | isbn=978-1-932442-96-0}}</ref>