Episode 4: Bake the Traitor

Episode Summary

The players are charged, tried, and convicted (not necessarily in that order) for treason. They disrupt some really neat vidshow programming, not to mention their impending execution, by breaking free and becoming fugitives.

Encounter One: In the Slammer

Depending on how the Troubleshooters fared, they may be unconscious, comatose, or merely dazed when they're captured. A phalanx of Warbots and Vulture Warriors drags everyone to HEL sector. No questions are answered, no escapes are possible.

Once in HEL, the players are stripped of all their equipment and tossed into a dim, dank, dungeon. Let them simmer in the dark (literally and figuratively) for a bit. If they get nasty and turn on each other, that should be amusing.

Encounter Two: Hi, Court

When everyone's tired of chasing rats for food and blaming each other for their mess, another crowd of Vultures and Warbots comes for everyone. Read the following:

This is a cue for the players to spill the beans in hopes of saving their skins. It doesn't matter, though, as nothing they say will get them out of this mess. Kill-U-DED does all of the interrogation; the other Ultraviolets, the guards, and the Warbots sit still, glaring at them.

Kill-U-DED is convinced that the Troubleshooters are part of a conspiracy to discredit high-level clones and The Computer (or to splinter The Council, if playing in Alpha Base). Any evidence from the players that prove their innocence is dismissed, while any proof that gets them deeper into trouble is quickly proven true. There is no citizen named "Tee-V-GDE", there is no mission "JBYP", and there are no references to any of them -- in short, everyone's in it deep:

When playing Kill-U-DED, be loud, forceful, and incredibly skeptical. Sneer a lot, yell even more. Making the players panic in the face of certain doom is one of the most memorable experiences in Paranoia; nurture it so they get the full experience. They'll thank you later.

Encounter Three: Charge It

Eventually, the Troubleshooters' guilt is "proven", and Kill-U-DED lists their crimes. From Episode 2, they are charged with possession of stolen R&D equipment, breaking and entering, entry into an unauthorized area, and property damage. If the players went through Episode 3, they also get possession of forged papers, impersonation of citizens of an unauthorized security clearance, possession of unauthorized/stolen items, and assault on high-level citizens. If you want to add more charges, go ahead -- remember any trinkets lifted in Episode 2 and power abuses in Episode 3. Even if they're irrelevant, what's a few extra treason points out of six million? And who's dumb enough to contradict a raving Ultraviolet while surrounded by armed, trigger-happy guards?

Eventually, Kill-U-DED confers with the other Ultraviolets in hushed whispers. He then tells the Troubleshooters that the only punishment possible is summary execution. Their remaining clones will be used as food vat protein, but the active clones will "serve as examples" to their (imagined) co-conspirators.

Encounter Four: Behind The Scenes

Kill-U-DED orders the security detail to take the Troubleshooters away. Read the following:

Everyone is led to a small vault-like room marked "Guest Stars." Inside, iron bars mark off half of the room, forming a cell with an electronic lock. The other side of the room contains a single table and a counter that shows the minutes remaining until air time.

The players are shoved into the cell, along with their personal gear. All of the weapons, the R&D equipment, and the cell's key card are placed on a table on the other side of the room (in other words, out of everyone's reach). The Vultures and Warbots leave, locking it behind them, and the timer starts counting down at 40 minutes.

Encounter Five: Get Me Out of Here!

If your PCs have any sense of sport, they'll try to escape from this deathtrap. The cell itself is fairly sturdy, and will resist any basic attempts to escape. Even so, the players have a fair number of options at their disposal. A few that we've thought of include:

• Mutant powers. Cyke-O can use his telekinesis to grab something useful off the table. Or Al-R can teleport out of the cell and set everyone free (or not). Of course, for most characters, they'd have to reveal their secret mutations first...

• Open wide. The bars are too strong for one character to bend, but several of them, working together, can make progress for someone to squirm through. Adrenaline Control would be perfect here.

• Pick the lock. Any mechanical or electrical engineers in the bunch? Al-R might be able to tinker with his wires and tools. And that LNX Vide-O keeps playing with; lots of useful electronics there...

• Useful items. Let the players get creative. Stage a prison strike and overpower the guard. Or use a utility belt and try to lasso the key -- it worked on The Brady Bunch. If they have a semi-reasonable idea, let them try it.

Encounter Six: Where Do We Go From Here?

Okay, everybody's out of the cell. Now what?

Fates protect children, fools, and Troubleshooters; the vault door can be opened easily from the inside, and there's only one guard idling outside (the Warbots were sent away, and the other Vultures are lounging around backstage). The players should be able to overpower their single guard with sheer numbers and surprise on their side.

What happens next depends on how much of a ruckus they made, and how much of a challenge your crowd can handle. If the PCs were quiet, they can try sneaking away. Or maybe their guard raised a cry before going under, which brings reinforcements.

Escape should be tricky, but possible. The backstage area for Bake the Traitor is bustling with workers and technicians, providing a crowd to hide in and preventing the Vultures from getting a good shot at them. Al-R-GEE's vidshow background can help him lead the others out of the studio; similarly, Cyke-O-PTH can find steam chutes, sewage drains, and other escape routes with his Power Services knowledge.

Give the players a good chase, but eventually let them ditch their pursuers, preferably ending up dirty, disheveled, and exhausted in a derelict building or alley somewhere. Now's the time to start Episode 5.

Too Dumb To Think

If the Troubleshooters are hopelessly pathetic and can't figure out how to escape on their own, read the following:

Yes, it's a bomb. Ko-V-ERT has found out that the players are captured, and decided to kill them now.

The bomb is a sealed black box with an LED timer that counts down from two minutes. It can't be opened, defused or stopped by any means. If they're holding on to it after two minutes, it blows up -- everyone dies, game over. On the other hand, the players can position the bomb to blow the cell or the vault door, then take cover. In that case, everyone survives unharmed and free. Hopefully they can figure things out from there.

Too Dumb To Live

What? Even after all this, your players still can't (or won't) get away?

I give up. Bake the traitors. Have everyone marched out on the stage, surrounded by Vultures, to the glitter of bright lights and the cheers of a bloodthirsty crowd. The host of the show, Let-R-MAN-2, mocking recaps the exploits. Vann-R-WHT-3 assists by periodically displaying their treasonous gear. The crowd cheers, gasps, boos, and hisses on cue.

After their crimes are shared with the loyal audience, each player spins the Wheel O' Doom. He's then fed to the specified deathtrap and executed in a hideously gory spectacle. Be creative and vivid in your descriptions; feel free to make up your own devices. If you need inspiration, try Mortal Kombat II, the Friday the 13th movies, or anything by H. P. Lovecraft.

Now the game is over. Break out the munchies, pat your players on the back, and find a less challenging game for next time. Maybe Toon.