Powers That Be: Trust No One is a companion/supplement for Mongoose’s modern Paranoia line, published as part of the “Perfect” (Core) edition rollout. The module continues Paranoia’s long tradition of satirical, high-mortality, back-stabbing play in Alpha Complex while adding new mission frames, NPCs, and GM tools centered on power, conspiracy, and institutional rot.
⚙️ What’s inside — structure & key contents
Mongoose’s product description and storefront listing show that Trust No One is built as a ready source of conspiratorial fuel for Troubleshooter play:
- New mission types and campaign hooks that pivot on shadowy internal hierarchies and “Powers” that manipulate Alpha Complex from behind the screens. These scenarios are designed to generate confusion, contradictory orders, and the usual cascade of treason accusations.
- Expanded NPCs, secret societies and treasonous agendas — useful for seeding betrayal and doubling the number of secret directives each PC must juggle. The book beefs up the GM’s roster so referees can throw in believable (and delightfully pointless) authority figures.
- GM aids and random tables for on-the-fly mission complications, defects, and factional interference—intended to keep sessions chaotic and make planning a fool’s errand.
The listing positions the supplement as a plug-in: you can drop chapters or entire missions into an ongoing Paranoia campaign to escalate mistrust and create fresh failure cascades.
🎯 Play experience & tone
If you’ve run Paranoia previously, the tone is instantly familiar: gleefully hostile bureaucracy, absurd safety rules, and the expectation that one or more Troubleshooters will die in spectacularly illogical ways. Trust No One leans into the “Powers” conceit—faceless influences whose orders conflict with The Computer’s directives—in order to complicate mission briefs and multiply opportunities for treason stars. The material favors short-form sessions and episodic chaos over long, character-driven arcs; the book assumes (correctly) that part of the fun is watching plans disintegrate and secret loyalties explode.
Mechanically, nothing in the storefront description suggests Mongoose has altered core Paranoia systems to accommodate this supplement: it’s primarily narrative content and tools—not a rules overhaul—so Referees still run the established d6-pool/clones framework from the Perfect/Core edition. That makes the book an easy add for groups already using the new core.
✨ Strengths — what this supplement does well
- Amplifies paranoia and ambiguity. By focusing on hidden powers and clandestine instructions, the book multiplies the kinds of conflicting orders Troubleshooters receive. That’s exactly the kind of mechanical-narrative friction Paranoia excels at.
- GM-friendly modularity. The missions, NPC dossiers, and complication tables are clearly written to be dropped in mid-campaign; referees can escalate a single session or seed an entire mini-arc with minimal prep.
- Playful extension of setting. The “Powers” angle reframes Alpha Complex as less a monolithic automaton and more a theater of competing influence—a good way to refresh a campaign without breaking compatibility.
⚠ Caveats & who should think twice
- Tone & group fit are everything. Paranoia’s brand of humour (dark, often mean, and with high PC mortality) requires a table that both understands and consents to that style. Trust No One intensifies the back-stabbing; it’s not for groups that prefer safety, heroic arcs, or player-driven trust.
- Not a rules primer. If you’re coming in without the Core Book, this supplement won’t teach Paranoia’s mechanics—it presumes familiarity with clones, clearance levels, and the Perfect/Core edition’s d6 framework. Buy the Core Book first.
- Niche appeal, as always. Paranoia supplements tend to reward experienced Referees who can orchestrate chaos without alienating players. Trust No One increases the chaos budget; GMs new to Paranoia may want to run core missions before layering in rival “Powers.”
🗡 Final verdict
Powers That Be: Trust No One is a tidy, well-targeted supplement for groups who already enjoy Paranoia’s gleeful cruelty and institutional absurdity. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel—rather, it greases the spokes: more factions, more conflicting orders, and more ready-made chaos for Referees to drop into play. For seasoned Paranoia GMs looking to refresh a campaign or escalate the stakes of Troubleshooter ops, this product is a useful and entertaining toolkit.
If you’re new to Paranoia, start with Mongoose’s Core/Perfect edition and use Trust No One later to deepen the conspiracy and complication economy at your table. If your group tolerates (or celebrates) betrayal, innuendo, and frequent, hilarious failures, this supplement will fit right in.