Paranoia The Underplex.pdf

PARAN O IA

The abandoned tunnel network that interpenetrates Alpha Complex, and all the ways it can kill your PCs

™

The Underplex

PAUL BALDOWSKI, Architect (www.omegacomplex.com)

GREG INGBER

KARL LOW

ERIC MINTON

Additional material and poorfreadnig/

Contractors

DAN GELBER

GREG COSTIKYAN

ERIC GOLDBERG

Original game design & development/

Building committee

IAN BELCHER

Mongoose Publishing RPG manager/

Construction supervisor

CONTENTS

Introduction 2

1. Under construction 4

2. Under population 14

3. Hook, line and sinkhole 38

4. Gear 31

Mission: ‘The One’ 35

Appendix 1: Random Underplex 46

Appendix 2: Overﬂ ow

BETH FISCHI

ANDY FITZPATRICK

ALLEN VARNEY

Editing, layout, graphics/Drillbots

JIM HOLLOWAY

Cover and interior illustrations/Blueprints

ALEXANDER FENNELL

Mongoose Publishing production director/

Struts around wearing fun yellow hardhat

The ‘fortune cookies’ at the lower right of

each two-page spread come from loyal

citizens Paul Baldowski, Karl Low, Saul

Resnikoff, Bart Savenije, Silent, and

Tobias Svalborg, who answered the call

on the PARANOIA development blog ( www.

costik.com/paranoia ). Commendations!

THE COMPUTER

Orders it built; seals it off; repeat

Security Clearance ULTRAVIOLET

WARNING :

Knowledge or possession of this information by any citizen

of Security Clearance VIOLET or lower is treason, dark nasty skulking

subterranean treason of the most deeply entrenched kind

previous editions of PARANOIA .

ILLUMINATI is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and is used by permission.

The reproduction of material from this book for personal or corporate proﬁ t, by photographic, electronic, or other means of storage and retrieval, is prohibited. You may

copy character sheets, record sheets, checklists and tables for personal use.

E-mail questions and comments to Mongoose Publishing at sales@mongoosepublishing.com , or write to PO Box 1018, Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 1DG, UNITED KINGDOM .

On the World Wide Web: www.mongoosepublishing.com .

Published by Mongoose Publishing, Ltd. Publication MGP 6641. Published March 2006. First printing March 2006.

U NDERPLEX

C LEARANCE ULTRAVIOLET

Hey! What’s behind this wall?

Alpha Complex is a huge, multileveled

underground city, a web of supposedly self-

contained sectors. The Computer administers

them as a single massive community. To

maintain happiness and improve efﬁ ciency, The

Computer not only orders new construction;

it also dictates incessant remodeling and

repurposing of existing structures. Service

ﬁ rm contractors also prize efﬁ ciency—that is,

the efﬁ cient funneling of credits from padded

expense budgets to their secret Gray Subnet

accounts. They order their engineers and

bots to build cheap and fast, and if the new

recreation center happens to wall off the only

access to an entire subsector, well....

To improve maintenance efﬁ ciency ratings,

High Programmers delete from The Computer’s

databanks the very existence of blocked

corridors, defunct barracks and derelict

facilities. Then they ensure citizens rapidly

forget the old places ever existed; or, if a

troublemaker displays an unpleasantly good

memory, they ensure citizens rapidly forget the

old troublemaker ever existed.

These thousands of forgotten rooms,

discarded corridors and dusty maintenance

tubes comprise the Underplex. This shadow-

city interpenetrates every inhabited sector, mere

meters away from subsurface transportation

tunnels, INFRARED accommodations and

moderately shielded power generation facilities.

It is a place of escape, of absence, as close as

the other side of that wall. Over centuries, the

Underplex has become a refuge for the lost and

disappeared, the unwanted and unsightly, the

illegal and treasonous.

If you’ve picked up this book expecting a

wizards-and-lizards dungeon crawl, brace

yourself for something more original and a

lot cooler. The Underplex, though ﬁ lled with

monstrous brain-hungry mutants and Old

Reckoning relics, is still pure PARANOIA :

between the slick rocks, covered with

something that looks surprisingly like

last night’s algae casserole. Then the

ﬂ oor seems to disappear beneath you.

A layer of rock falls away, and you drop

with it. As luck would have it, the strap

of your uniform snags on a rock jutting

out of the pit, leaving you dangling

precariously.

Frank-R: Phew, that was lucky. Anyone got

a ten-foot pole? Haha! Okay, guys,

help me up, will ya? [Silence, except

for the faint rustles of exchanged

notes.] Guys? What are you doing?

Just throw me a line or something; I’m

not sure I can get a handhold down

here. Guys?

GM: The light above you flickers and

dwindles. You hear footsteps receding.

You hear someone say what sounds

like ‘mutie traitor’—then you see six

piercingly bright shots of red laser

ﬁ re hit the ceiling of the cavern. You’re

hanging alone in the dark. You hear a

faint rumbling sound overhead. What

do you do?

into range of a squad of trigger-happy Vulture

Warrior scouts, with not a handy INFRARED

in sight.

Before we launch you headfirst into the

depths, here’s an overview of what you get in

The Underplex :

Q 1: Under construction

Like Alpha Complex bureaucracy, the Underplex

has depths few would willingly choose to trawl.

This section details the setting’s many levels.

The Tranz : A chaos of derelict tunnels,

tubes and ducts—a dangerous transition

to the environs below.

The Dungeon : Purposely sealed holding

facilities intended to imprison the worst

genetic anomalies and bioengineered

monsters.

The Underplex : Forgotten rooms, lost

sectors and Old Reckoning habitats

that twist like an Escher illustration

in, around, and among the inhabited

portions of Alpha Complex.

The Deeps : Natural caverns, narrow

tunnels and water-slick pitches that

reach far down into the Earth’s crust.

Q 2: Under population

Underdwellers—residents of the Underplex—

see Alpha Complex as a source of ready-made

goods and raw materials. Alpha Complex

citizens see the Underplex as a menace and

security breach. This section outlines the status,

views and objectives of the Underdwellers, as

well as those of Alpha Complex service groups

and secret societies.

Q 3: Hook, line and sinkhole

Tools for handling the Underplex setting

using the PARANOIA rules, or what passes

for rules. This section includes notes on

handling Tension in a security-lite environment,

recruiting Troubleshooters into UNDER

(Underplex Navigation, Defense, Exploration

and Recon) teams, and survival in a naturally

hazardous environment.

Q 4: Gear

Items designed to assist those venturing into

the Underplex. Old Reckoning archaeological

ﬁ nds. Stuff!

The Underplex is a fresh setting for

PARANOIA missions, an uncompromising

environment of trigger-happy troopers, brain-

hungry mutants, and Dark Rooms so dark they

should have big neon signs ﬂ ashing ‘All-You-

Can-Commit Treason! Here! Now!’

Like Alpha Complex proper, the Underplex is

an overwhelming labyrinth ﬁ lled with indifferent

neighbors and unforgiving opponents. But our

inspiration was not the dungeon crawls of

other (non-fun) roleplaying games; instead,

we looked to the modern ‘urban inﬁ ltration’

explorers, the intrepid folks who break into

sewers, abandoned factories and the like just

to see if they can.

(Not that we have anything against

dungeons! We heartily recommend the

64-page PARANOIA mission collection

Collapsatron, which includes an updated

version of Ken Rolston’s brilliant 1987 fantasy-

RPG parody Orcbusters .)

Troubleshooters in the Underplex rapidly

discover that escape from The Computer’s

crazed oppression can, in certain respects,

suck. Though the bright and hygienic corridors

of Alpha Complex make covert activity a

headache, at least in an emergency they

might grab a passerby as a convenient human

shield. In the Underplex, they can ﬁ nd plenty

of places to have a private meeting with their

FCCC-P contacts; but they might as easily walk

GM: You’re standing at the open mouth of a

dark cavern. Water cascades down the

walls, gathering in dark pools. In the

shadows at the back of the chamber

you half-glimpse something moving…

perhaps the very traitors your mission

requires you locate.

Frank-R: Wow, this rocks! PARANOIA in a

dungeon... it’s like the old days. I bet

we meet Randy the Wonder Lizard!

So, who wants to be the magic-user,

huh? I set out across the cavern with

my laser drawn.

GM:

[Takes notes, rolls dice.] You step

gingerly through the puddles and

PARANOIA: The Underplex

I NTRODUCTION

G ETTING DOWN

Q Mission: ‘The One’

The Underplex works well for either an

occasional side trip or an extended campaign.

This campaign kickoff mission, ‘The One’, takes

the Troubleshooters into a few proximate parts

of the Underplex.

Q Appendix: Random tables

The appendix offers tables in the style of the

excellent mission blender (included in the

PARANOIA Gamemaster Screen ). You can

generate areas of the Underplex with a few

die rolls.

Computer been of one alert, focused mind,

it might have remained aware of the world

beneath—but it’s The Computer, you know? So

when it suddenly detects the Underplex, The

Computer reacts with its typical binary-code

equivalents of shock, horror, bewilderment,

paranoia and complete incomprehension. It

believes the Underplex appeared suddenly

and spontaneously, as part of a massive secret

invasion.

The Computer’s drive to deal with the

potential threat of the underworld sends

everyone into a panic, citizens, service groups

and secret societies alike. This is the premise of

this supplement’s kickoff mission, ‘The One’.

Q Old news

On the other hand, you can assume high-

clearance citizens have always known about

the Underplex, and nobody ever told the player

characters about it. The Underplex had nothing

to do with their menial INFRARED work,

and when The Computer recruited them as

Troubleshooters, their superiors gave them only

the barest information they needed to ﬁ nish

each mission. During their latest brieﬁ ng, the

team learns about the Underplex for the ﬁ rst

time, to the brieﬁ ng ofﬁ cer’s utter amazement:

‘…Then we will drop you into the caverns of the

Underplex. What do you mean, “What’s that?”

It’s all around and among Alpha Complex. Big

place, full of tunnels and caves. What do you

mean, “What’s a cave?”’

If you approach things this way, your NPCs

assume the PCs know what’s up (or rather,

down). They react uniformly with frustration

when the team starts asking questions.

Everyone of RED Clearance and higher seems

to know more about the Underplex than the

Troubleshooters.

Q Colorful background

Don’t want to send your PCs into the Underplex

under any circumstances? Fair enough—you

can still mine The Underplex for its plethora

of ideas, characters, mission seeds, service

ﬁ rms and secret society subgroups. Dip in to

amplify a mission or ﬁ nd a catalyst to spark

new ideas. When you generate new missions

using the GM Screen mission blender, swap out

a character or location from the random tables

with one described here. That ought to keep

your smug know-it-all players on their toes.

Using this material

Here we Famous Game Designers suggest a

few different ways to introduce The Underplex

into your PARANOIA game:

Q Breaking new ground

Assume no one’s ever heard of The Underplex.

Your Troubleshooters get to explore virgin

territory. As The Computer puts it, ‘What could

be more fun?’

Actually, various individuals concealed

knowledge of the Underplex for decades,

but nothing stays secret forever. Had The

Going UNDER

So what is the pretext you can use to send

Troubleshooters into the Underplex?

Different groups deal with the discovery of

the Underplex in different ways. Armed Forces

stereotypically goes in with guns blazing and

stereotypically suffers for its gung-ho attitude.

Internal Security designates the Underplex ‘an

external concern’ and chooses to have nothing

at all to do with the place. IntSec elevates

security protocols at all known access points to

ensure nothing external has the opportunity to

become internal. Everyone else looks worried,

confused or guilty.

The Computer, assessing this uncoordinated

action, orders the formation of the Underplex

Navigation, Defense, Exploration and Recon

(UNDER) group. The new UNDER group

will explore, not conquer, the underworld. To

further that objective, The Computer recruits

citizens trained in an appropriately broad skill

base—namely, Troubleshooters. The UNDER

administrators expose draftees to focused

hands-free environmental training: a couple

of grainy videos of Old Reckoning Doctor Who

episodes and a tourist guide to Mammoth

Cave). They give everyone shiny new team

badges and push them towards the nearest

Underplex access point.

Envision your Troubleshooters—primed to

expect both hordes of slobbering, ﬂ uorescent-

green maggots and Old Reckoning cavern gift

shops—as they venture into the darkness, their

lasers ready, trigger ﬁ ngers itchy....

No access

Alpha Complex construction work has all the

delicacy and precision of a sledgehammer.

VIOLET executives somewhere demand

a new autocar showroom or high-class

eatery. BLUE-Clearance think tank members

brainstorm detailed and impractical plans.

YELLOW-Clearance managers review

the plans and hold damage limitation

meetings to ﬁ nd a way to implement the

original request without leveling half the

sector. Then low-clearance sub-engineers

and unquestioning jackobots complete the

physical construction work. What power they

command! They can complicate the lives of

a thousand INFRARED workers when they

brick over a single vital door.

It’s easy to introduce your players to

this construction process. Suddenly seal

off access to Troubleshooter HQ, the

PLC depot or their communal dorm. The

characters hear work crews behind hastily

constructed barriers. If they inquire about

the work, offer standard remarks about the

inadequacy of their security clearance. With

a little research, the Troubleshooters can

reach their original destination by making

a convoluted kilometers-long detour. When

the PCs next pass the location, they see

the sparkling displays of an INDIGO-

Clearance autocar showroom or a VIOLET

hair salon.

Whenever the team makes the journey,

emphasize the inconvenient detour.

Drive the problem home by forcing a

Troubleshooter to make a return trip for a

form or forgotten piece of gear. Then, just

when the Troubleshooters have got used

to it, close down the high-clearance outlet

and board up the front. The team knows a

route exists beyond the abandoned room,

but they can’t reach it without entering a

high-clearance area.

Play with the players’ minds. Build

their frustration with seemingly random

construction decisions. Troubleshooters

subjected to this experience might better

appreciate the origin of the Underplex.

I SEE THE NEED TO GET DOWN, BUT I AM BAFFLED BY THE COMMAND TO ‘GET FUNKY’.

U NDERPLEX

C LEARANCE ULTRAVIOLET

1: Under construction

The Underplex has three layers: the Tranz, the

Underplex proper (including the Dungeon ) and

the Deeps .

or falls into waist-deep water holes. Some of it

seems quite livable, at least by RED-Clearance

standards. Lighting varies, but it’s seldom totally

dark. The Underdwellers have installed pipe

shunts to siphon off potable water and runoff

from the food vats—and for dinner, there’s

always rat.

However, the myriad branches and dead-

ends of the Tranz make it almost impossible

for a wayward citizen to ﬁ nd a destination

without a guide. In maintenance ducts and

waste discharge pipes Tech Services meets

an astonishing number of lost citizens,

malnourished, bewildered and sitting in pools

of their own ﬁ lth.

Each service group maintains hidden

networks within the Tranz. Citizens seeking to

use these privately managed tunnels require

appropriate clearance and permissions, but

Underdwellers and secret society members

alike access them illegally. Troubleshooters

who lack the technical expertise to defeat

simple security measures can bribe access

codes from most any ORANGE-clearance

maintenance engineer.

Theoretically, anyone injured in these tunnels

could file a claim against the responsible

service group. However, few could stomach

the bureaucratic wrangling involved. Worse still,

citizens who successfully sue Power Services

or HPD&MC for damages soon mysteriously

suffer repeated shortages of power, food and

oxygen.

Q The ducts

Your average Alpha Complex citizen never

once considers the complex machinery

grinding away in the background to make his

life tolerable. However, technical operatives

and bots work ceaselessly in the background

just to maintain minimal services. For them the

ducts that wind throughout Alpha Complex are

an absolute necessity.

For narrative purposes, standard ductwork

comprises three types— ample , tight and

dead space . Ample ducts allow workers (and

Troubleshooters) to reach vital machinery,

stop valves and safety points comfortably.

Tight ducts allow access without immediate

threat to skeletal structure, but they are

claustrophobic.

Citizens without traitorous mutations can’t

access dead space ducts. Only specialized

bots and fiddly endoscopic tools can get

in there and move about. Characters using

endoscopic tools must roll against either

their relevant Hardware or Fine Manipulation

The Tranz

The jumbled confines of the Transition, or

Tranz, intermingle with all inhabited parts of

Alpha Complex: INFRARED barracks, recycling

sumps, ofﬁ ces, mess halls, vidshow studios,

ULTRAVIOLET mansions, reactor cores and

waste dumps— especially waste dumps.

Passages and crawlways may lie directly

behind any arbitrary wall and between any two

bustling corridors. Citizens pass unknowingly

within meters of scuttling Underdwellers —lost

and forgotten citizens, High Programmer

offspring, grotesque mutants, autonomous

frankenstein bots and rats. Lots of rats. A

Troubleshooter could punch a wall in his

own apartment and discover six startled

Underdwellers. And lots of rats.

Because the Tranz totally interpenetrates

Alpha Complex, travellers may pass from one

to the other easily, sometimes even without

noticing. They can move around the Tranz

without undue trouble, though they must step

lively to avoid third-degree burns from hot pipes

PARANOIA: The Underplex

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