United States of America

The United States of America setting is created by Silent, on the Paranoia-Live boards, taking place in the Present-Day.

Inspired in part by how similar present-day USA is to Alpha Complex, Silent have posted this description on the board:

"Players play as special/covert/black operation agents in the CIA, working for the United States. The reason they signed up is myraid. Maybe they want money. Maybe they want to help out the U.S. keep its power. Maybe they want the thrills of fighting, of knowing stuff that ordinary civilans will never suspect. These secert agents work together in teams, defending the United States of America from its [enemies, like terrorists.

The agents are very active, because they are many enemies of the U.S.A. Sure, you got the terror cells in the Middle East (like Al-Qadia), but you also got the right-wing Milita Movement, the left-wing ecoterrorist legions [Earth Liberation Front], CHINA (Communisut Hackers in North America), spies from enemy nations, the Mafia, etc....Working in the CIA can give people an insight into a world of conspiricy and danger, knowing what others are not meant to know. And, telling others people, those that are not in the CIA, what is going on...is a sure-fire way of getting fired (figureatily and literally).

[This, by the game, gives the GM a bit of leverage in giving his missions. If he wants to protray the U.S. in a good light, of really having the best interests of the world at heart, the GM can put in missions where the players fight off purely evil and dangerous people. If the GM wants to shake up the campagin, he can put in missions that comes up with interesting moral questions, like helping a military coup, arresting protesters, and such. If the GM really is a conspiricy theorist buff, he can make sure that the players encounter the occiasional Roswell.]

The players are told to be careful of these enemies of the U.S.A. After all, these people want to destroy the U.S., their homes! (Never mind that in the past, the enemies were once freinds, or in the future, when our current enemies are now our best allies) Therefore, the players fight the enemies, killing them in their missions to protect the U.S.A. and its beacon of freedom. Each player is also secertly working for the enemy, for whatever reason. Money, convicitions, the chance for revenge.

The agents must keep the fact that they are dealing with the enemy hidden from the bosses and their other agents...treason is a felony according to the U.S. consitution, after all. Treason is worse than actively fighting the U.S.A. on the battlefield, because when you fight on the battlefiled, you know who's your enemies are. When an agent turns traitor, it becomes harder to deterimne who's friend and who's foe. It could make veterans of the CIA very paranoid indeed. If you are caught being a traitor, one can expect punishment...including death.

Each player runs an "agency", 6 agents who are allies and work together. During a Mission, the player contorls one agent from the agency. When that agent get removed, either by death or by arrest from the Feds, another agent from the player's agency will arrive to replace that agent. The agency would be updated on the details of the mission via a wireless uplink, where the current agent on the mission would inform the rest of the agency, which is ready in case something happens to the agent. Each agency also supports an Enemy Group, this alt. Alpha Complex's equilivant to the secert societies. (I have not added the idea of mutations yet, unless a player wishes to use the idea of alien invaders, with strange powers)"

In this Alt. Complex, Friend Computer is: Pax Americana, the American Peace. Similar to the Roman Peace, the golden age when Rome was the only superpower in the world, the American Peace is where the United States of America is the only superpower. Both 'peaces' are considered golden ages of freedom and prospersity, and the USA must do all it takes to protect it. Presidents, people, nations...all can be scarified to protect the American Peace.

Societies are Enemy Groups. The United States has a list of enemies, which it changes from time to time. These enemies usually hate each other and get in each other ways, though the only simiarlites between them is that they hate the USA, for whatever reason. Enemy Groups could be Al-Qadiah, The Columbian Cartel, the Earth Liberation Front, Russian spies, Commies, the Masons, etc. Being in an Enemy Group is considered treasonous, and not the Alpha Complex form of treason. If a CIA Agent belong to an Enemy Group, the Group may seek to use the Agent to leak important information to them, and help plot the downfall of the USA.

Troubleshooters are CIA Agents. The 'black ops' of the CIA, they do the biddings of the CIA, making sure that everything goes well and that the American Peace is alive and well.

Security Clearances are, well, Security Clearances. Rather than focusing on the electromagnetic spectrum, they use numbers to indicate what clearance you are. A Level 1 Agent has access to information and locations cleared for Level 1. Due to the secercy of the CIA, the name of the spy is actually a codename, with the Security Clearance attached. This codename is used so that no traitors will know the true idenities of the agent. Sample name:

Tom-1-KIT. This shows that Tom is a Level 1 agent. The three letters at the end of each name is part of the codename itself, and represents the location, or 'sector', the agent comes from.

Clone backups are replaced by the agency. Each agency has 6 agents, with the same codename, expect the Agency Number is different. These agents work together, and if one agent dies on the mission, another agent is sent to replace him. It is assumed that if one agent is a traitor, then the other agents in the agency may be "guilty by reason of association", and will be looked down upon.

This Alt. Alpha Complex has been tested in:

-A JParanoia Game (log is here

-A current PBPM game using the setting. (Click here.

If you do wish to use this setting, please do, and report here with your results. Please remember to credit me, Silent, for the setting.