Editing Paranoia (role-playing game) (section)

==Publication history==
Six editions have been published. Three of these were published by West End Games — the 1st, 2nd, and "Fifth" Editions — whereas the later three editions (''Paranoia XP'', the 25th Anniversary edition and the "Red Clearance" edition) were published by Mongoose Publishing. In addition to these six published editions, it is known that West End Games were working on a "Third Edition" — to replace the poorly received Fifth Edition — in the late 1990s, but their financial issues would prevent this edition from being published, except for being included in one tournament adventure.

===1st edition===
'''1st edition'''{{efn| {{ISBN|978-0-87431-025-2}} }} was written by [[Greg Costikyan]], Dan Gelber, and [[Eric Goldberg (game designer)|Eric Goldberg]], and published in 1984 by West End Games. In 1985, this edition of ''Paranoia ''won the [[Origins Award]] for ''Best Roleplaying Rules of 1984''.<ref name="origins 1984" /> This edition, while encouraging dark humour in-game, took a fairly serious dystopian tone; the supplements and adventures released to accompany it emphasised the lighter side, however, establishing the freewheeling mix of slapstick, intra-team backstabbing and satire that is classically associated with a game of ''Paranoia''.

===2nd edition===
[[File:Paranoia2nd.jpg|thumb|Cover of 2nd edition]]
'''2nd edition,'''{{efn|{{ISBN|978-0-87431-018-4}} }} credited to Costikyan, Gelber, Goldberg, [[Ken Rolston]], and Paul Murphy, was published in 1987 by West End Games. This edition can be seen as a response to the natural development of the line towards a rules-light, fast and entertaining play style. Here, the humorous possibilities of life in a paranoid dystopia are emphasised, and the rules are simplified.

====Metaplot and the Second Edition====
Many of the supplements released for the Second edition fall into a story arc set up by new writers and line editors that was intended to freshen up the game and broaden roleplay possibilities. Players could travel in space and time, play in a Computerless Alpha Complex, or an Alpha Complex in which Computer battled for control with other factions. Some fans criticized the change to the default narrative. {{Who|date=July 2014}} Second edition supplements can generally be divided into four eras:
# Classic: No metaplot.
# Secret Society Wars: Introduced in ''[[The DOA Sector Travelogue]]'', and supported by a series of ''Secret Society Wars'' modules. Individual missions can be run in the Classic format, but running themes and conspiracies persist from book to book.
# The Crash: Detailed in the ''[[Crash Course Manual]]'', and supported by the ''Vulture Warriors of Dimension X'' series of time-travelling modules. Adventures occur in a fractured Complex in which there is no Computer, possibly as a result of the Secret Society Wars, possibly not.
# Reboot: Detailed in ''[[The Paranoia Sourcebook]]'', and supported by a few modules and supplements. The Computer returns, but does not control all of Alpha Complex. Plays as a hybrid of the other eras, with players free to choose sides.

==="Fifth" Edition===
[[File:Paranoia fifth.png|thumb|right|Cover of Fifth edition]]
'''"Fifth Edition"'''{{efn| {{ISBN|978-0-87431-171-6}} }} was published in 1995 by West End Games. It was the third edition of the game released; two editions were skipped as a joke, and possibly also as a reference to the two major revisions to the game released during the lifetime of the Second Edition with the Crash Course Manual and the Paranoia Sourcebook.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} It has since been declared an "un-product"{{efn|compare with "[[unperson]]"}} by the writers of the current edition, due to its extremely poor commercial and critical reception. Almost none of the original production staff were involved, and the books in this line focused less on the dark humor and oppressive nature of Alpha, and more on cheap pop culture spoofs, such as a ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' parody. It had a lighter and sillier atmosphere and fans and more cartoonish illustrations.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}

In his introduction to ''Flashbacks'', a compilation of ''Paranoia'' adventures from the West End Games era, Allen Varney details the management decisions which led, in the eyes of many, to the decline of the ''Paranoia ''line, and cites rumours that the line saw a 90% decline in sales before West End Games went into bankruptcy:

<blockquote>Art director Larry Catalano left West End in 1986. Catalano’s successor fired (illustrator) Jim Holloway and brought in a succession of increasingly poor cartoonists. (Writer/editor) Ken Rolston left shortly thereafter for unrelated reasons. In Ken’s wake, developers Doug Kaufman and Paul Murphy in turn briefly supervised the Paranoia line. After they too departed, editorial control fell to—how do I put this tactfully?—people with different views of the Paranoia line.<ref>{{cite book
 | title = Paranoia: Flashbacks
 | last = Varney
 | first = Allen
 | isbn = 1-904854-40-0
 | publisher = Mongoose Publishing
 | page = 2
 | date = 28 February 2005
 }}</ref>
</blockquote>

===Unreleased West End Games Third Edition===
Following the unfavorable reception of the Fifth Edition, West End Games began planning a new edition of the game, which would be released as the "Third Edition". Pages from this planned edition were exhibited at [[Gen Con]] in 1997<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.costik.com/weblog/2004/02/paranoia-returns.html |title= Paranoia Returns
 |access-date = 2007-01-17
 |date    = 2004-02-19
 |last     = Costikyan
 |first       = Greg
 |author-link  = Greg Costikyan
 |work        = Games * Design * Art * Culture
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080612082821/http://www.costik.com/weblog/2004/02/paranoia-returns.html
 |archive-date = 12 June 2008
}}</ref> — two years after the release of the Fifth Edition. Due to West End Games' financial problems this edition was never completed. In an interview in 1999<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=731
| title = Pyramid Interviews: Scott Palter
| access-date = 2007-04-24
| last = Haring
| first = Scott D.
| date = 16 April 1999
| publisher = Steve Jackson Games
}}</ref> [[Scott Palter]] of West End expressed hopes that the Third Edition would be published that summer; however, he also disclosed that court proceedings had been begun by the original designers in order to reclaim the rights to the game. The designers did succeed in purchasing the rights to the game, putting an end to any possibility that the final West End Games edition would be released.

A single adventure has surfaced which contained a summary of the Third Edition rules.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.tasteslikephoenix.com/articles/tubes.html
| title = Down the Tubes
| access-date = 2007-08-28
| last1 = Hepler
| first1 = Chris
| first2=Jennifer |last2=Brandes
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070828035939/http://www.tasteslikephoenix.com/articles/tubes.html |archive-date = 2007-08-28
}}</ref>

===''Paranoia XP''===
[[File:Paranoia XP.png|thumb|right|Cover of XP edition]]
Following the bankruptcy of West End Games, the original designers of ''Paranoia'' banded together and purchased the rights to the game from West End in order to regain control of the line. The designers in turn granted a license to [[Mongoose Publishing]] to produce a new version of the game, with the result that ''Paranoia XP'',{{efn| {{ISBN|978-1-904854-26-5}} }} written by [[Allen Varney]], [[Aaron Allston]], Paul Baldowski, Beth Fischi, [[Dan Curtis Johnson]] and Greg Costikyan, was published in 2004. In 2005, [[Microsoft]] requested that the 'XP' be removed. As such, the name was shortened to just ''Paranoia''. This edition of the game received a much warmer critical reception, and also sold well.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

This edition introduced three different styles of play, with some game mechanics differing between the various modes to support the specific tone being sought after:
* '''Zap''' is anarchic slapstick with no claims to making sense and little effort at satire. Zap represents ''Paranoia'' as popularly understood: Troubleshooters who open fire on each other with little to no provocation. It is often associated with the "Fifth Edition". Best for a one-shot game of Paranoia.
* '''Classic''' is the atmosphere associated with the 2nd edition. Conflict within Troubleshooter teams is less common and less lethal. Good for a one-shot game of Paranoia, but still suitable for an ongoing campaign.
* '''Straight''' represents a relatively new style. This is more serious and focuses more on dark, complex satire. Players are punished for executing other characters without first filing evidence of the other character's treason; this encourages slower, more careful gameplay and discourages random firefights and horseplay. Poor for one-shots, good for an ongoing campaign.

Primary designer Allen Varney, in the designer's notes, explained that his aim with the new edition was to return to the game's roots whilst updating both the game system and the satirical setting to take account of twenty years of game design progress. In both the core rulebook and the ''Flashbacks'' supplement — a reprint of classic adventures originally published by West End Games — Varney was highly critical of West End Games' handling of the product line in its latter days. In a posting on RPG.net he explained that the point of including the three playstyles in ''Paranoia XP'' was to counteract the impression that "Zap"-styled play was the default for ''Paranoia'', an impression which had in part been created by the more cartoonish later supplements in the West End Games line (as well as "Fifth Edition").<ref name="Allen">{{cite web
| url = http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=5660435&postcount=5
| title = Sell me on Paranoia 5th...
| access-date = 2010-03-31
| author = Allen Varney
| date = 27 April 2006
}}</ref>

In order to distance the new edition from the less commercially and critically successful aspects of the West End Game line, and to discourage new players from wasting time and money on what he considered to be inferior products, Varney additionally used the designer's notes to declare many West End products, including the "Fifth Edition" and everything published for the 2nd Edition after ''The People's Glorious Revolutionary Adventure'', to be "unproducts" — no longer part of the game's continuity, and not recommended for use with the new edition. An upshot of this is that much of the poorly received metaplot established late in the West End Games line, from the Secret Society Wars to the Reboot and beyond, was disposed of. Varney has explained that this is due mainly to his distaste for the direction the metaplot took the game line in, a distaste he asserts is shared by the game's fan community.<ref name="Allen" /> He has also stated that he personally has little affection for the "Zap" style,<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=3627058&postcount=4
| title = Sell me on Paranoia 5th...
| access-date = 2010-03-31
| author = Allen Varney |website=forum.rpg.net
| date = 5 March 2005
}}</ref> and therefore may have given it short shrift in the main rulebook, although later supplements for ''Paranoia XP'' did provide more support for Zap play.

Long-time ''Paranoia'' artist [[Jim Holloway (artist)|Jim Holloway]], called "the master of the fun-filled illustration",<ref name="dragon132" /> drew the cover art and much of the internal art for the game until 1986. His art for the series generally portrays comedic scenarios that capture the essential "deathtrap" feeling of Alpha Complex. ''Paranoia XP'' marked his return to the line as well; he designed every cover of the XP edition, and many books contain both his classic and new ''Paranoia'' art.

While ''Paranoia XP'' kept Communists as the big bad scapegoat in spite of the [[Cold War]] being long over, the updated edition integrates several 21st-century themes into its satire. Troubleshooters carry PDCs (Personal Digital Companions) that are reminiscent of [[personal digital assistant]]s (PDAs) and [[smartphone]]s and can try to acquire gear by bidding on CBay (an obvious pun on [[eBay]]). New threats to Alpha Complex include [[file sharing]], [[phishing]] scams, [[identity theft]] and [[weapons of mass destruction]]. [[Consumerism]] in Alpha Complex has been tooled into its economy and has taken on an element of patriotism, echoing sentiments expressed after [[9/11]] along similar trends. A mission pack released in 2009 titled ''War On (Insert Noun)'' lampoons government initiatives like the [[War on Drugs]] and the [[War on Terror]].

In writing the new edition, Varney, Goldberg and Costikyan reached out to and actively collaborated with the ''Paranoia'' online fan community through an official blog<ref>{{cite web |last1=Costikyn |first1=Greg |title=Paranoia Blog |url=http://www.costik.com/paranoia |access-date=28 August 2021 |archive-date=23 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723020403/http://www.costik.com/paranoia/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and through Paranoia-Live.net.<ref>{{cite web |title=Paranoia Live |url=http://www.paranoia-live.net:80/news.php |website=paranoia-live.net |access-date=28 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407035636if_/http://www.paranoia-live.net:80/news.php|archive-date=7 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_4/25-Player-Prompted-Paranoia
| title = Player-Prompted Paranoia
| access-date = 2009-06-04
| last = Varney
| first = Allen
| date = 2 August 2005
| publisher = The Escapist magazine
| archive-date = 18 April 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090418180957/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_4/25-Player-Prompted-Paranoia
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> In addition, Varney ran an online game, the ''Toothpaste Disaster'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Varney |first1=Allen |title=ParanoiaLexicon |url=http://paranoia.allenvarney.com |website=paranoia.allenvarney.com |access-date=28 August 2021}}</ref> where players took the role of High Programmers documenting the titular disaster in a [[Lexicon (game)|Lexicon]] format. Many ideas established in the ''Lexicon'' game were written into the rulebook. Later, some of the best players and writers from the game and a few other places were formally integrated as the Traitor Recycling Studio to write official ''Paranoia'' material; their first credited work was the mission supplement ''Crash Priority''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.costik.com/paranoia/public_html/paranoia/oldarchives/2004_08_01_blogchive.html
 |title    = Crash Priority (Official PARANOIA Blog)
 |access-date = 2009-06-04
 |last        = Varney
 |first       = Allen
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120114104732/http://www.costik.com/paranoia/public_html/paranoia/oldarchives/2004_08_01_blogchive.html
 |archive-date = 14 January 2012
}}</ref>

In 2006, Varney's fellow ''Paranoia'' writer, Mongoose Publishing employee Gareth Hanrahan, took over as primary writer for the ''Paranoia'' line. During the lifetime of the XP line Mongoose released numerous supplements and adventures for the game. Notable amongst the supplements was ''Extreme Paranoia'', which provided ideas for scenarios based around characters of security clearances Orange to Violet, with premises differing greatly from the standard Red-clearance Troubleshooter concept but remaining thematically appropriate to the game's setting and atmosphere. (This included an updated reprint of the 1st Edition supplement ''[[HIL Sector Blues]]'', which focused on playing Blue-clearance IntSec agents.) The idea of devising new and varied concepts to base ''Paranoia'' adventures and campaigns around would be revisited for the next edition of the game.

===25th Anniversary Editions===
In June 2009, Mongoose Publishing announced that they would be retiring the books in the XP line to clear the way for the 25th Anniversary Edition line, revealing a new edition of the rulebook as well as two new rulebooks, one casting the players as higher-clearance Internal Security investigators and one as Ultraviolet High Programmers.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=37965
 |title       = State of the Mongoose
 |access-date  = 2009-06-04
 |author      = Mongoose Publishing
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081227220004/http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=37965
 |archive-date = 27 December 2008
}}</ref> They stated that the ''XP ''material would "maintain a 90% compatibility rating with the new ''Paranoia ''books".<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/news/news_item.php?pkid_news=319
 |title       = Babylon 5 & Paranoia - Last Chance for Books!
 |access-date  = 2009-06-09
 |author      = Mongoose Publishing
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110616200551/http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/news/news_item.php?pkid_news=319
 |archive-date = 16 June 2011
}}</ref>

Each of the three books is an entirely self-contained and playable game: ''Paranoia: Troubleshooters'', ''Paranoia: Internal Security'', and ''Paranoia: High Programmers''. The ''Troubleshooters'' volume presents a slimmed-down version of the ''XP ''rules, the most notable difference being the removal of the Service Firms and the advanced economy of the ''XP ''edition, with the focus firmly on the game's traditional premise of casting the player characters as Red-clearance Troubleshooters. The ''Internal Security'' volume casts the player characters as Blue-clearance Internal Security agents, a refinement of the premise of the 1st edition supplement ''HIL Sector Blues'' (reprinted in the ''XP ''line as part of ''Extreme Paranoia''). The third game, ''Paranoia: High Programmers'', casts the player characters as the Ultraviolet-clearance elite of Alpha Complex society and focuses on the political plotting and infighting that dominates the High Programmers' lives, a premise not dissimilar to the Violet-level campaign ideas presented in ''Extreme Paranoia''.

The ''Troubleshooters'' volume retains the play styles of the ''XP ''rulebook; however, the "Classic" playstyle is assumed by default, with "Zap" and "Straight" relegated to an appendix. Allen Varney, designer of the ''XP ''edition, explained in a posting on [[RPG.net]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=10620759&postcount=23
| title = Re: Paranoia 25th Anniversary Edition
| access-date = 2010-03-31
| author = Allen Varney
| date = 13 July 2009
}}</ref> that this decision came about as a result of the XP edition successfully convincing the wider gaming public that "Zap" was not the default playstyle for the game; since it was now generally accepted that ''Paranoia ''could have a variety of playstyles and each GM would interpret it somewhat differently, it was considered no longer necessary to emphasise the different playstyles in the main text. The ''Internal Security'' volume includes an appendix listing three new styles tailored for the game — "Heist", "Overkill" and "Horror". ''High Programmers'' does not specify playstyles.

===Red Clearance Edition===
The Red Clearance edition from [[Mongoose Publishing]] was announced through [[Kickstarter]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1990654819/paranoia-rpg
| title = Re: Paranoia RPG Rebooted
| date = 28 October 2022
}}</ref> 24 October 2014. In a departure from previous Mongoose editions, RED Clearance Edition utilises a d6-based dice pool system as well as using cards for equipment, mutant powers, secret societies, and combat actions. The base game was primarily designed by [[James Wallis (games designer)|James Wallis]] with co-authors [[Grant Howitt]] and Paul Dean, and released in March 2017. Additional writing for the new edition was initially provided by [[Gareth Hanrahan]], while the first major expansion, Acute PARANOIA, was written by various writers and funded through [[Kickstarter]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1990654819/acute-paranoia-a-box-full-of-treason-and-summary-e |title = Acute Paranoia: A box full of treason and summary executions| date=20 February 2019 }}</ref> in 2018 for an early 2019 release.

=== The All New Shiny Edition ===
Originally known as "Perfect Edition", this edition from [[Mongoose Publishing]] was launched as a [[Kickstarter]] [[crowdfunding]] campaign on 22 October 2022, and released on 22 September 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-22 |title=The New Paranoia is Here - and it is Perfect... {{!}} Mongoose Publishing |url=https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/the-new-paranoia-is-here-and-it-is-perfect.124205/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=[[Mongoose Publishing Forums]]}}</ref> This edition was written and designed by WJ MacGuffin and Keith Garrett.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paranoia Core Book |url=https://www.mongoosepublishing.com/products/paranoia-core-book |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=Mongoose Publishing |language=en}}</ref> It uses a heavily revised version of the Red Clearance Edition rules, removing the card based system that was introduced in Red Clearance Edition, maintaining the d6-based dice pool system, and adding more lore and new features such as "favours".