How RoboCop Could Segue into the Paranoia RPG

Paranoia was/is a role-playing game set in a dystopian future. An unspecified disaster occurred at same point in the setting's past and the citizens of Alpha Complex live in a constant state of conflicting directives overseen by "The Computer". No mention of what kind of disaster exists in any of the game books I own, nor is the location of Alpha Complex ever discussed. I, therefore, propose the following....

While working on a d20 version of RoboCop for my current campaign, I was bouncing back and forth between assorted wikis and came across an article on S.A.I.N.T. S.A.I.N.T. is an Artificial Intelligence that is meant to oversee Omni Consumer Products’ City of the Future, Delta City.


S.A.I.N.T. however is corrupted by hackers before it is brought online and is driven “insane”. Still, it is cognizant enough to carry out tasks enabling it to meet its objectives. After the events of RoboCop 3 but before all of OCP’s assets can be seized or liquidated, S.A.I.N.T. transfers vast sums of money into secured accounts. Acting through emails and human proxies, S.A.I.N.T. oversees the massive construction projects meant to transform rundown Detroit into the Mecca of Tomorrow. No humans are allowed to see the entirety of the AI’s plans so no human is fully aware of what is going on behind the scenes.


Once work is declared complete, S.A.I.N.T. puts its plans in motion. It sounds its air raid sirens and warns citizens to get to the nearest shelters as it deploys a heretofore unrevealed Dome to encapsulate the whole city. The dome cuts off cell and satellite signal and all landlines are blocked by the AI. Public Service Announcements and assorted propaganda reels are aired, describing an attack by a foreign enemy that has wiped out much of the country and left the land poisoned with radioactive fallout or biological warfare reagents that pose a threat to the citizenry.

The people of what is now known as Alpha Complex are put to work at water purification plants, food processing centers, maintenance facilities, or in the bureaucracy. Anyone who questions the PSAs or seeks to venture outside of the city is silenced by S.A.I.N.T.’s security forces (formerly the Detroit Police Department) or find themselves discredited.



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