Dept. 23 Campaign Planning Form

Inspired by Paranoia™. Tainted with Cyberpunk. Redolent of Judge Dredd, Transmetropolitan, and any number of other dystopian fictive milieu.

Basic Information

Campaign name: Dept. 23

Starting year: 1.1

Genre: Conspiracy

Realistic or cinematic? Realistic cinematic realism.

General theme of campaign: CLASSIFIED

Are there multiple planes of existence? Theoretical physics has long supported the idea, but actual existence of other universes has not been demonstrated. Besides, you have enough things to worry about in this universe, don't you?

Campaign Background

Campaign’s base city, nation, empire, or planet: The City.

Society/government type: Cybercracy (see. GURPS Basic, p. 510)

Control Rating: CR6

Exceptions to general CR: Ordinary citizens (Infrared clearance) are forbidden to own or possess any type of weapons.

Tech level: TL10

Exceptions to general TL: CLASSIFIED

Brief description of important neighboring powers, political/economic situation, etc.: The City is a nearly 150-square mile metropolitan complex located in the middle of a vast desert wasteland. Outside the City the world has become uninhabitable, a combination of war, disease, and environmental devastation having decimated the population and rendered much of the surface hostile to life. Survivors of the destruction long ago located themselves in centralized urban areas that were adapted and refitted over the decades to become self-contained city-states. Citizens are tagged with an identity chip, usually located in the palm of the left hand, which contains personal information, including bank accounts and security credentials.

Information for PCs

Background: Player characters are Troubleshooters, Orange-level agents of Department 23.

Starting point value allowed for PCs: 100

Disadvantage limit (including Quirks): -35

PC races allowed: Human

Starting wealth: $50,000

Starting Wealth levels allowed: 0

Starting Status levels allowed: 0

Starting TLs allowed: TL10

Languages available: English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian. A polyglot of these is spoken among the denizens of the Flats.

Cultural Familiarities available: Alpha Complex, The Burbs, The Flats.

Advantages, Disadvantages, and Skills

Required Attributes: DX 12 [40], IQ 12 [40], HT 11 [10].

Required advantages: Security Clearance (Orange) ("Need to know" access to a broad range of secrets) [10], Legal Enforcement Powers 1 [5].

Required disadvantages: Duty (Troubleshooter), (15 or less (Almost always), Extremely hazardous, Involuntary), [-25].

Required skills: Beam Weapons (Pistol) [2], Computer Operation [2], Criminology [4], Detect Lies [4], Interrogation [4], Karate [2].

Especially appropriate Skills: Electronics Operation (Security), Electronics Operation (Surveillance), Hidden Lore (Conspiracies), Savoir-Faire (Secret Society).

Disallowed advantages, disadvantages, and skills: No supernatural advantages, disadvantages or skills allowed, other than those which may be deemed necessary by IAM.

Appropriate Patrons, Allies or Contacts: Character might have a Contact at his previous mundane service occupation. Or he may have an acquaintance among the COPS or GOONS. It is even possible the character may know someone who lives on the Flats.

Special Abilities Allowed for PCs

Exotic/supernatural traits: None.

Cinematic skills: None.

Unusual Background cost(s) for these abilities: N/A

Legal or social restrictions on these abilities: N/A

Rulebooks and Resources

Rules and Character Creation

GURPS Basic Set 4th edition (standard). For character traits and basic rules.

GURPS Ultra-Tech 4th edition (standard). For equipment and other technological considerations.

Setting and Other Material

Paranoia XP: Service Pack 1, published by Mongoose Games, 2004 (setting)

GURPS Cyberpunk 3rd edition (setting)

See also

• Wikipedia article on Paranoia RPG