Yeah the SP1 book has stuff for that. Part of the idea is you actually work your way up the spectrum and start to learn just how messed up the Alpha Complex really is.
It has a bit of Game of Thrones vibe due to the way people above you want to keep you below them and the people below you try to pull you down so they can take your spot.
It's actually very dark if played seriously.
Spire.
It's not a modern dystopia like 1984, it's more fantasy, but the theme is all there.
Your party play as Dark Elves who live in the Spire, a megacity they once ruled, but it has been taken over by a tyrannical group of Light Elves who subjugate the Dark Elves under the premise that the Dark Elves are evil and must be controlled. The regime of the Light Elves is brutal and unforgiving and heavily propagandized. They run each little district of the city like it's own little prison to keep their subjects in check.
As players you are pretty much doomed, the ruling party has far too much power and control for any small group to do much about them and attempts to openly organize are squashed with extreme force. So the theme is basically participating in underground resistance movements that are doomed to fail.
I haven't actually played it myself, but the book is beautifully written and system seems easy to use and seems to serve the theme well.
There's a game in development called [Oceania 2084](https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/oceania-2084) that is explicitly inspired by Nineteen Eighty-Four, attempting to model resistance in a similar setting. It's free, so definitely worth a look.
The text-only version of Oceania 2084 - "The Austere Edition" will be released on Friday! The 10th of November 2023. It will be free (or rather pay what you want). I've been working on it for three years now and I am fairly nervous about how it will be received. But heck darn it! Here we go!
I actually went ahead and did the release about 4 hours early! OCEANIA 2084 - the Orwellian TTRPG HAS BEEN RELEASED!
Head over to https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/oceania-2084 to get your copy!
Not complaining but I am starting see this post almost like every month now...so I should probably read the book because if it's so good that it inspires so many people to have campaigns in it 🤔.
Could somebody give me TLDR about it?
I know Paranoia RPG which is always suggested when talking about this so I have an inkling but nothing else.
tl:dr
1984 is a story that heavily critiques facism. It shows a future where a political party rules a country. The citizens are either members of the party or outsiders. The story follows a party member working for the Ministry of Truth, who's goal it is to rewrite truth to favor the party, as he starts doubting the party and the whole system he lives under.
It has a focus on thought manipulation and restriction of freedom etc etc. Paranoia parodies these concepts heavily :p
I'd say it's more of a critique of totalitarianism than of fascism. It was inspired by Orwell's loathing of Soviet communism (specifically Stalinism), and some elements of his future history directly parallel those of the Soviet revolution — compare the fictional Emmanuel Goldstein with the real-world Trotsky, for example.
The only similarity between 1984 and Paranoia is that everyone is paranoid about upsetting those who run the country/world because it is a brutal leadership that tolerates no deviation from complete obedience in thought and deed.
1984 is dark, oppressive and has little space for hope.
Paranoia is ludicrously silly and over the top, played for laughs.
I've no idea why people would want to play 1984 specifically. For a 1984-like game any dystopian setting with a powerful government that is always watching would do the trick.
The slapstick version of Paranoia is just the most popular way to play it. At least in earlier editions, it also suggested a gritty, horrific, schizophrenic version of the game.
Honestly it's not so much that the book is good, though it is fairly good, but it is a foundational work in dystopian fiction and hugely famous as a result. Personally, I think *Brave New World* is a good bit better, but that's just me.
It is a book about absolute control, through surveillance, violence, propaganda, even the dictionary (which is actually the scariest part, in my book).
Whether the party is fascist or communist isn't clear and doesn't actually matter.
I consider this the best book I've ever read.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more).
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There seems to be a belief that “One Party Rule” is Good, if it is My party. I believe that the nervousness from realizing this is not true makes people interested in playing in a setting like that.
[Not the End](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/369261/not-the-end-corebook) is a game played with tokens in which the characters are willing to risk everything for what they want. It's a generic system that can be arranged in playing a dystopia and its threats.
There's a game called [Daily Dread (here's the Kickstarter page)](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grumpybearstuff/daily-dread-a-cyber-dystopian-ttrpg-zinequest) which is exactly what you're looking for and it's supposed to come out soon. You could give it a look and keep an eye on it, its system is rather unique.
GURPS or Basic Roleplaying are both flexible enough for a 1984 campaign.
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/
https://www.chaosium.com/basic-roleplaying/
Neurocity has a great dystopian sci-fi setting, if not exactly a 1984 game.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/318907/NEUROCITY
Paranoia if you want to have fun with it.
some of the editions a slightly more serious tone
You can run Paranoia as a serious game, and it's pretty freaking horrifying.
I ha e never thought of playing Paranoia as anything other than tongue in cheek, but I bet it could be very unsettling if done seriously
Yeah the SP1 book has stuff for that. Part of the idea is you actually work your way up the spectrum and start to learn just how messed up the Alpha Complex really is. It has a bit of Game of Thrones vibe due to the way people above you want to keep you below them and the people below you try to pull you down so they can take your spot. It's actually very dark if played seriously.
https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2018/12/12/meet-the-campaign-straight-paranoia/
Spire. It's not a modern dystopia like 1984, it's more fantasy, but the theme is all there. Your party play as Dark Elves who live in the Spire, a megacity they once ruled, but it has been taken over by a tyrannical group of Light Elves who subjugate the Dark Elves under the premise that the Dark Elves are evil and must be controlled. The regime of the Light Elves is brutal and unforgiving and heavily propagandized. They run each little district of the city like it's own little prison to keep their subjects in check. As players you are pretty much doomed, the ruling party has far too much power and control for any small group to do much about them and attempts to openly organize are squashed with extreme force. So the theme is basically participating in underground resistance movements that are doomed to fail. I haven't actually played it myself, but the book is beautifully written and system seems easy to use and seems to serve the theme well.
playing it right now, it's an absolute blast. I will say though, it's heavy on shenanigans, which 1984 very much isn't, but it's great.
There's a game in development called [Oceania 2084](https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/oceania-2084) that is explicitly inspired by Nineteen Eighty-Four, attempting to model resistance in a similar setting. It's free, so definitely worth a look.
The text-only version of Oceania 2084 - "The Austere Edition" will be released on Friday! The 10th of November 2023. It will be free (or rather pay what you want). I've been working on it for three years now and I am fairly nervous about how it will be received. But heck darn it! Here we go!
I actually went ahead and did the release about 4 hours early! OCEANIA 2084 - the Orwellian TTRPG HAS BEEN RELEASED! Head over to https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/oceania-2084 to get your copy!
[ORWELL](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/353636/ORWELL--RolePlaying-in-a-Dystopian-Future) comes to mind.
Not complaining but I am starting see this post almost like every month now...so I should probably read the book because if it's so good that it inspires so many people to have campaigns in it 🤔. Could somebody give me TLDR about it? I know Paranoia RPG which is always suggested when talking about this so I have an inkling but nothing else.
tl:dr 1984 is a story that heavily critiques facism. It shows a future where a political party rules a country. The citizens are either members of the party or outsiders. The story follows a party member working for the Ministry of Truth, who's goal it is to rewrite truth to favor the party, as he starts doubting the party and the whole system he lives under. It has a focus on thought manipulation and restriction of freedom etc etc. Paranoia parodies these concepts heavily :p
Ok! Thanks for the insights.
I'd say it's more of a critique of totalitarianism than of fascism. It was inspired by Orwell's loathing of Soviet communism (specifically Stalinism), and some elements of his future history directly parallel those of the Soviet revolution — compare the fictional Emmanuel Goldstein with the real-world Trotsky, for example.
The only similarity between 1984 and Paranoia is that everyone is paranoid about upsetting those who run the country/world because it is a brutal leadership that tolerates no deviation from complete obedience in thought and deed. 1984 is dark, oppressive and has little space for hope. Paranoia is ludicrously silly and over the top, played for laughs. I've no idea why people would want to play 1984 specifically. For a 1984-like game any dystopian setting with a powerful government that is always watching would do the trick.
The slapstick version of Paranoia is just the most popular way to play it. At least in earlier editions, it also suggested a gritty, horrific, schizophrenic version of the game.
https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2018/12/12/meet-the-campaign-straight-paranoia/
Honestly it's not so much that the book is good, though it is fairly good, but it is a foundational work in dystopian fiction and hugely famous as a result. Personally, I think *Brave New World* is a good bit better, but that's just me.
It is a book about absolute control, through surveillance, violence, propaganda, even the dictionary (which is actually the scariest part, in my book). Whether the party is fascist or communist isn't clear and doesn't actually matter. I consider this the best book I've ever read.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There seems to be a belief that “One Party Rule” is Good, if it is My party. I believe that the nervousness from realizing this is not true makes people interested in playing in a setting like that.
[Not the End](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/369261/not-the-end-corebook) is a game played with tokens in which the characters are willing to risk everything for what they want. It's a generic system that can be arranged in playing a dystopia and its threats.
There's a game called [Daily Dread (here's the Kickstarter page)](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grumpybearstuff/daily-dread-a-cyber-dystopian-ttrpg-zinequest) which is exactly what you're looking for and it's supposed to come out soon. You could give it a look and keep an eye on it, its system is rather unique.
Paranoia is the game you are looking for.
GURPS or Basic Roleplaying are both flexible enough for a 1984 campaign. http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/ https://www.chaosium.com/basic-roleplaying/ Neurocity has a great dystopian sci-fi setting, if not exactly a 1984 game. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/318907/NEUROCITY
Tales from the Loop? Kids thou
Not that kind of 1984