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(SECURITY CLEARANCE ULTRAVIOLET. READING THIS WILL SPOIL YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE GAME, LEADING TO UNHAPPINESS. FAILURE TO BE HAPPY IS TREASON PUNISHABLE BY SUMMARY EXECUTION)
Layout - The book is of very similar layout to other published Paranoia adventures. Very logical progression, with bold text to be read out to the players. One difference between this one and all the preceding modules however, is the inclusion of GM reference boxes throughout the text. These include things such as details on characters important for that particular scene and descriptions of the maps. Very handy tool during the game itself, which immeasurably cuts down on time spent searching throughout the book for specific details. Binding is standard 48 pages WEG binding, with 2 staples holding the pages together. As per usual in the middle of the book are a series of handouts including maps, pregenerated PCs and other important bots and NPCs.
Episode 1: Which Hunt? - A classic beginning. The troubleshooters are bored. Nothing has happened for several days. All part of an enemy plot to bore Alpha Complex to death (though the PCs are not aware of this). After a brief intro to the true boredom that prevails they finally get their mission alert - to pretend to be Communists in a Vulture Warrior live ammunition firing exercise. They then proceed to troubleshooter HQ where elevator problems ensue, followed by the perilous crossing of a bottomless chasm.
Several clones later they finally arrive at the briefing room, only to have their mission superseded by a much more important one - to kill an invisible Communist trapped in a confession booth. They make their way to the booth and surprise surprise - there is no Commie. In the process of blasting this invisible threat, they inadvertently expose and kill a spy from an enemy Complex bent on the destruction of Alpha. His signal triggers operation Overlord.
On their way back to debriefing they are yet again rerouted to a new mission. This time by a high clearance spy for the enemy complex that needs the PCs to destroy sensitive documents in the living quarters of the traitor they have just vanquished. Off they go, to 'transmit' data back to HQ. In actual fact they begin shredding evidence, digging themselves deeper and deeper into treason.
Episode 2: Raiders of the Lost Arco - After a few hours break the PCs are again summoned to Troubleshooters HQ. After negotiating the deadly elevators/chasm again (all suitably modified for maximum chaos), they are given their new mission - to destroy a Communist outpost outside of Alpha Complex. PLC insists on grossly overequipping the entire team, while R&D insists on the assignment of incredibly dangerous experimental equipments. My favorite is the Traitorkiller - a grenade with a handle and a trigger... :)
The PCs proceed to the outside with no knowledge of their destination. After questioning the natives and killing them, they finally come across their objective. Several tac nukes later and on the verge of victory they are rudely interrupted by a rumble and a looming shadow – the model 425 Mark IV warbot (see Acute Paranoia). This robot the size of a mountain takes no prisoners, and the players flee back to Alpha.
Episode 3: Mark IV, Troubleshooters 0 – Ten minutes into their hard earned half-hour break, the players are summoned for a new urgent assignment. Their mission – to repair the malfunctioning Mark IV before he reaches and destroys Alpha Complex. Following another death defying elevator trip and a quick briefing, they pick up their standard share of experimental equipment and take off on their mission to stop the greatest weapon ever designed by clone. A few clones later they gain access to the robot itself, and what follows is a nice crawl through the interiors of the metal giant, encounters with various agents of the enemy complex currently controlling Mark IV, and finally a climatic showdown in the control room where the PCs must hit a Nuclear Power Exhaust Manifold, blow this thing and go home.
I can’t praise this adventure too highly. The author specifically tried to design situations that would throw the players off balance, such that normal events would turn out to be catapults into chaos and madness, and other suspicious looking sections would turn around and be completely normal (or not). These situations hit the players non-stop, providing a continuous roller coaster ride through the insanity of Alpha Complex. And just when they thought the worst was over, Ed Bolme goes and ups the ante another notch. Even though it was printed 15 years ago, this adventure has not aged in the slightest. It succeeds as a Paranoia adventure because it hits the crux of what a Paranoia game should be: a vehicle for promoting absolute distrust, infighting, fear and paranoia amongst the players – all complemented by non-stop laughter at the utter predicament of their situations.
Now to finish up, let me summarize the good and bad points of Alpha Complexities.
Good Points 1) Fast progression from one chapter to the next. 2) Excellent humor. Non-stop mayhem and endless situations designed specifically to allow less scrupulous characters to take advantage of any kinder/hesitant clones. Just reading the adventure itself is an absolute riot.
Bad Points 1) I can’t think of any. Ok, I’ll try. There is one scene early on in the game that pictures an exchange between two never-to-appear-again characters. That scene was a little bit too slapstick for my liking. Is that enough to alter my opinions on this module? Not quite.
Style: 5 Substance: 5
