[Psyche] An Overview of my Psychic Thriller Game (Long Post)

[Goatee Parchment]

Hello, everyone! :)

I'm PJ, a 21-year-old guy from the Philippines, and this is an RPG I've been working on for about a couple of months. It's called "Psyche", and it's a psychic thriller game about Psionics.

The basic premise of the game is that the PCs are Psionics, or people gifted with various psychic abilities. The setting is modern, and aside from the existence of psi abilities, everything is normal with the world. The government has comission a secret parapsychological institue called the Citadel to train psionics as agents to do operations for the government. There are, of course, splinter groups and opposing psi factions whose beliefs run against the Citadel's.

The PCs are caught in the midst of an impending psi-war. Throughout the game, they will often align themselves with the various factions as dictated by the story needs of the group. But the main thrust of the story is their finding their own niche in the world, powers and all.

So far, I have 14 powers in the game. These are:

Psychokinesis (PK) - AKA Telekinesis. The power to move things with the mind alone. This is a highly coveted power, since it is very useful in many situations. It could be used both offensively and defensively in combat, and a lot of mundane actions would be easier with the use of PK. However, Psychokinesis is a very taxing power, requiring a lot of Psi energy.

Pyrokinesis - The ability to control fire with the mind. Stronger Pyros could even create fire out of nothing. A very dangerous and destructive power, Pyrokinesis is often unwieldy. There is a chance that flames would erupt at unexpected places whenever the Psionic is stressed or angry. Also, note that Pyrokinesis does not confer immunity to fire for the controller of the ability.

Healing - The power to restore the lifeforce of living creatures. There are a lot of quacks in the world who claim to have this power to earn a quick buck, leading to the distrust of Psychic healers in general. Those who could really heal, however, usually keep mum about their talents. There are even some powerful healers who could neutralize poisons or cure severe afflictions.

Barrier - The power to create a force field of sheer thought. Barriers vary in power, from simple 1-hit shields to barriers that could deflect attacks or absorb energy. Requires intense concentration to maintain the barrier.

Charm - The power to attract and control other characters.This ranges in power from simply clouding the mind of the target, to totally controlling him. A very useful power. However, it is easy to snap people out of charms, and the lower-ranked powers do not guarantee results.

Psi Bolt - The power to release a bolt of pure psychic force to damage enemies or objects. Ranking increases damage and range. The lesser powers could cause a slight headache and shock, which serves as a good distraction. Higher ranks could render the target unconscious in his tracks.

Projection - The ability to project the astral self out of body in an ethereal form. Basic powers could project the consciousness to spy on relatively distant places, and stronger powers could even manipulate objects This leaves the original body inert and vulnerable while the consciousness is out playing, however.

Possession - The ability to enter the body of another character and move through him. Ranking increases range, duration and power. It has the same liability of Projection, however. And if the possessed chatacter is conscious, he could resist your possession. Plus, if the possessed body is damaged while the psionic is in it, it will damage the psionic as well.

Telepathy - The power to send and recieve mental messages. Ranking will eventually allow you to read minds. Scanning the minds of people with mental illnesses and psi-scramblers would damage telepaths, however.

Static - The ability to interrupt electronic equipment. Ranking will increase range, and ultimately allow you to destroy electronic equipment. In an age where everything is powered by electricity, this is a powerful ability. But often, you cannot control the extent of the power.

Amplify - The ability to empower another character's or PC's own powers. Ranking increases amplifying power. Useful only if other powers are present. By itself, it is useless.

Drain - The power to drain Psi power from other characters. Ranking increases strength of drain, and the stronger powers could also drain life energy. Psi power is limited in normal people, however.

Psychometry - The power to sense through touch. Ranking increases strength and depth of insight. It may lead to false clues when objects are layered with flase memories, and is not useful in combat. But may reveal story clues otherwise unknowable.

Extra Sensory Perception - AKA ESP. The power to percieve non-visible things like energy, ghosts and auras. Ranking increases range and depth of perception. Often, however, this causes mental imbalance in people who could not control this ability.

Every power has 5 Ranks from 1-5.
Rank System:
* Basic - The basics of a power. Not very powerful. The cantrips of psionics.
** Competent - Understand the operation, but not the intricacies of the power.
*** Skilled - The real glimmerings of power. Good control of the ability.
**** Expert - Great control over the power. Powerful forces at your command.
***** Mastery - Complete control over the power. The most powerful effects are achieved here, and few attain this rank.

A few examples or Ranking:
Psychokinesis
1: Move small/light objects (books, keys, knife)
2: Move medium objects (chair, small television set)
3: Move man-sized objects/levitate (refrigerator, bed)
4: Move heavy/large objects (oak tables, cars, statues ,small trees)
5: Move extremely heavy objects (trucks, huge boulders, giant trees)

Projection
1: Mental Project - Projects the mind away from the body. Stationary projection.
2: Visible astral form - Creates astral form that is visible.
3: Invisible astral form - Creates invisible astral form.
4: Poltergeist - Creates invisible astral form that could influence it's environment (eg. open doors or switches)
5: Bi-location - Retains consciousness in physical body while projecting.

Static
1: Blink - Cause blips and beeps in electronic devices. Slow fan down, make monitor blink.
2: Scramble - Cause static jams and interruptions, drop calls in mobile phones and close programs in PCs.
3: Shut down - Turn off device.
4: Damage - Short-circuit the device.
5: Destroy - Make the device explode, destroy from the inside.

Each Power and Rank also has  corresponding Psi Points (PP) cost to them, range and duration. PP is used to power the abilities. It's the psychic energy expended to perform an action.

The basic mechanic of the game is rolling-over. The game uses 2d6 dice for every action. If a PC attempts an action, the player rolls 2d6. You then add (from the attributes) or subtract (difficulty) modifiers to the result. If the result is 9 or higher, the action succeeds. If less than 9, the action fails.

There are 5 attributes: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intellect and Comeliness. You allocate 20 + 2d6 pts. for Attributes. You cannot allocate more than 8 per attribute. You then compare the attribute points with this chart to see what modifers you get.

Modifier Chart:
Att. Pts.   /Description   /Modifier
1    /Poor         /-2
2    /Below Average     /-1
3-5    /Human Average      /0
6-7    /Above Average    /+1
8-9    /Exceptional    /+2
10-12    /Heroic        /+3
13    /Epic       /+4

So if your PC has 7 Agility, and she is attempting to dodge a bullet, you add +1 to her roll.

Action Resolution Difficulty Chart:
Difficulty      /Modifier
Easy      /+1
Moderate      /0
Hard      /-1
Formidable      /-2
Mighty      /-3
Epic      /-4

This is basically the bare-bones of the game. I've been working on this for a couple of months, and so I have a voluminous rulebook of this game in my PC. There are a lot of stuff I haven't included here, and I'm not posting the whole game yet because I still feel the need to tweak and twist stuff around. But I hope this post gives enough info on what the game is about and it's mechanics.

NOW, for the feedback (heheh):
1. Please tell me what you think of the story and the genre. Even input on the title is welcome.
2. What are your thoughts on the fluidity of the system?
3. Any other input will be very much welcome.

Thanks, you all. I've learned a lot from this forum since I started reading 2 months ago. I think its time to add my own game to the mix.

Thanks :)
PJ

[Andrew Morris]

PJ-

Please realize that I'm offering constructive criticism here. I know I have no tact, so some of this might sound harsh.

1. The setting seems pretty generic. If anything, it seems almost identical to the early days of the Metasensory Regulation Agency in the Babylon 5 chronology. The only real difference is the powers other than telepathy. The name isn't really engaging to me personally -- it seems somewhat bland and not very descriptive.

2. The system seems fine, but I'm not the best person to look at a system and figure out how it will work in play.

3. Your powers seems broken up somewhat strangely to me. Many of the powers seem like specific applications of another power. Specifically, Pyrokinesis, Healing, Barrier, and Static all seem like sub-powers of Psychokinesis. Likewise, Charm, Possession, Psychometry, Psi Bolt, Amplify, and Drain all seem like sub-powers of Telepathy.

Also, why would the characters need to support one faction or another? Personally, if I found I had those powers in a world with competing organizations, I'd hide the fact and go on with my daily life. So would most people. Is the fact that someone is psionic detectable, either to other psionics or by technology? If so, then I can see what the PCs would be forced to take action ("Join us or die, psion!"). Of course, you don't have to have a reason for the PCs to get involved, but it seems stronger to me if you do.

Now, all that doesn't really mean much until I know what your goal is for this game. If it's all about interpersonal relationships, and the "rival psionic organizations" aspect is just background, that would be better supported by different mechanics. So, let me toss a couple of questions back to you.

A) What is your game about? Is it simply exploring what it would be like to be a psionic in your game world? Is about the xenophobia of "normals" when confronted with psionics? There's a ton of things this game could potentially focus on, but until I know what you want with it, I can't really offer any feedback that's going to be very useful to you.

B) What is unique about your game? Why would I use it instead of, say, GURPS: Psionics? Or a drifted version of White Wolf?

[daMoose_Neo]

If I might -
Another way to approach Andrew's question might be to look at other sources. IE The X-Men comics are not about heorics, they're about a stuggle to exist and gain acceptance in a world that hates and fears them. A way to approach the reply then might be "Saving the world while gaining its acceptance" or "Carrying out our orders while finding a place for ourselves". I already get the miliary sim, why we're carrying out the sim isn't as important however as why I'm even playing the game in general.

Tangent: Pretender-esque scenarios could also apply to such a game. Brief recap of the TV series: Jarod, the "Prentender", was abducted as a child by an organization known as the Centre and used as a human simulator for thirty years. Upon learning his tests were used to finance and carry out acts of destruction and terrorism, Jarod fled the Centre, trying to make amends for his actions while finding the truth behind his parents disappearance. Aside from catching bad guys, he's following clues to his parents, being persued by Centre sweeper teams, and trying to find the truth behind some of the Centre's darkest coverups.

Might be able to use this: Jarod's gift/"power" was the ability to absorb information at an incredible rate and use it to either become anyone he wanted (Pilot, Doctor, Coast Guard, Lawyer) in a short time or use the information to realistically guesstimate outcomes from certain input (certain old feeds from the Centre show Jarod running a sim for a distressed space shuttle, same situations as Apollo 13, implying the Centre was using Jarod to solve the mechanical failures aboard the shuttle).

[Troy_Costisick]

Heya,

I'm in agreement with most of what Andrew said, though I personally don't mind you breaking down psionic abilities into smaller groups.  I think in the end that will lead to greater variety.  However, Andrew touched on some very important things.  What is the motivation for the characters?  Why would they need or be forced to step out and use their powers?  I'll just give you my two standard questions:

-What is your game about?

-What do the characters do?

And by what is your game about, I mean what style of play or what goals are you setting for the players in your game?

Peace,

-Troy

[Goatee Parchment]

Thanks, guys. And don't rein yourself in. Let me have it. After all, that's the reason why I brought this up in the first place. And it does provide several food for thought. :)

I think the main reason why I broke down the powers minutely is to add variety. Hopefully, not everyone in the game world has PK. And with my experiences in the Psychism subject I have in colege (which the the whole inspiration for the game), people's powers develop differently. Yes, Barrier could be seen as part ok PK, but if I followed that really closesly, it would seem that psions would just be divided into Telekinetics and Telepaths.

As for the whole faction thing, I got confused myself after reading your replies. WHY would they play skip-rope with the different factions? At first, I thought up this whole scenario where the government drafts the scions and coerces them into service through different means (threat to family and stuff). But then I thought that I didn't want to constrain the players and make them fill pre-determined molds. Now, I don't know what's what. Sadly, I could only blame too much coffee. This makes me think. Thanks, you all. :)

I'd like to twist this around a little more, but as of the time of the game's creation, the things that entered my mind when thinking of the game was trying to live normal lives while being sent as operatives by the government. You see, the psions deal with the stuff no other agency could do. And one of the prime directives of the psions is to hide the fact that there are these psychic events going on. (Did I mention that the Citadel is a confidential org?). Uhm, I'm having a hard time dealing with this. Uhm... It's sort of like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, where they are world-class agents who try their best to live normal lives. But that's where the similarity ends. Hehe. :)

So please, just let me have it. I really appreciate all the comments. There are no bad comments, just honest ones. And as you see, with all the smileys, I'm a happy guy. :)

Cheers, and thanks!

PJ

Uhm, if there are unanswered questions, I'd answer them later. Or if I misunderstood some questions, sorry. I'm a little retarded and toxic right now. Just came home from school! :)

[Goatee Parchment]

Excuse me while I do a Homer.

Doh!

I rested for a while, then I realized that I haven't really thought much about the whole factions thing. I mean, I was afraid that by

letting all PCs be government operatives, I was limiting the scope and freedom of the players. But then, if I let them have a free

hand, why in the heck would PCs from different factions band together??? I guess I focused more on the mechanical aspect of

the game than on thinking up a decent back story. Gotta fix this...

Andrew
Questions unanswered in previous post:
A) What is your game about? Is it simply exploring what it would be like to be a psionic in your game world? Is about the

xenophobia of "normals" when confronted with psionics? There's a ton of things this game could potentially focus on, but until I

know what you want with it, I can't really offer any feedback that's going to be very useful to you.

- Okay, improvisation time. With the admission that I must fix the backstory, let's say that I go with the whole

the-psions-are-government-agents. Maybe it could be about the psions carrying out special ops for the government they are

working on, and hiding the whole thing from the mundanes. Moving in a covert world while denying it's existence. In a world that

thinks that psychism is a bunch of baloney, this isn't really improbable. Hmmm...

B) What is unique about your game? Why would I use it instead of, say, GURPS: Psionics? Or a drifted version of White Wolf?

-Uhm, to be fair, I don't really know the GURPS:Psionics system. But the WW part is easy to answer: This isn't a paranormal

game. The missions and objectives of the operatives are "normal" missions which would be impossible for mundanes. Eg. To

inflitrate an organization and wipe the boss' memory with psi powers (impromptu scenario thought up this nanosecond, so beware, it may suck!).

daMoose_Neo

I actually watched the Pretender! My mom made me sit through a couple of episodes, and then I enjoyed it myself. It's sort of

like that, but the psions are not raised by the organization.

Troy

I hope that the answers I posted here answers your queries. But if it doesn't, please hit me back. I'm a slow child, and english

isn't really my native language, so there might be some subtle questions you're asking and then I take your questions at face

value, heheh.

Oh, and about the title. It's definitely temporary. I just can't think of something, but it'll come to me. Titles are like thumbtacks,

they say. You don't brainstorm one up. You stomp on it.

OUCH!

PJ :)

PS: The psions would have two major powers and two minor powers in the bunch. Hope this mixes up powers in game. :p

Heheh, thanks! :)

[Troy_Costisick]

Heya,

As for the whole faction thing, I got confused myself after reading your replies. WHY would they play skip-rope with the different factions? At first, I thought up this whole scenario where the government drafts the scions and coerces them into service through different means (threat to family and stuff). But then I thought that I didn't want to constrain the players and make them fill pre-determined molds. Now, I don't know what's what. Sadly, I could only blame too much coffee. This makes me think. Thanks, you all. :)

One option for you is to indeed force them into being in one of the factions (take government for example).  Then the PCs are faced with a choice: embrace that role or rebel against it.  If they embrace it, then they hunt down rogue psions, erase the memories of norms that see psychic phenomona, carry out other special ops missions and so on.  If they choose to rebel, they have to avoid being found out, captured, executed, or "coerced" back into the fold while at the same time searching out allies, safe havens, or a top official to kill in order to win their freedom.  Don't be affraid to force the PCs in tough positions like that.  You aren't limiting them, but instead giving them a beautiful opportunity to explore tough choices and tough lifestyles.

Peace,

-Troy

[Goatee Parchment]

Heya,

One option for you is to indeed force them into being in one of the factions (take government for example).  Then the PCs are faced with a choice: embrace that role or rebel against it.  If they embrace it, then they hunt down rogue psions, erase the memories of norms that see psychic phenomona, carry out other special ops missions and so on.  If they choose to rebel, they have to avoid being found out, captured, executed, or "coerced" back into the fold while at the same time searching out allies, safe havens, or a top official to kill in order to win their freedom.  Don't be affraid to force the PCs in tough positions like that.  You aren't limiting them, but instead giving them a beautiful opportunity to explore tough choices and tough lifestyles.

Y'naw, looking at my notes, I had the same initial goal in mind. But then I showed it to a friend who told me it was too limiting. I never thought of other games where the whole point of the game is to play a particular character! Okay, I'm going back to my roots on this one! Thanks. :)

[Troy_Costisick]

No prob :)  I'm sure it will turn out better in the end for you.  Just remember, two things.

1.  In reality, you are not limiting the players and how they play their characters.  You are instead focussing their play which will allow them to make more meaningful choices.

2.  Frontload the game with lots of conflict.  The characters ought to have enemies outside the organization AND inside the organization.  Start them off with immediate problems during character creation.  Don't think that conflict develops once play begins.  It can start waaaaay before that :)

Peace,

-Troy