PSI and their standing in the world

[dcarson]

Even people that like the PSI can be a disadvantage. "You are one of the blessed ones, you MUST stay. Guards."

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by Tinman

This. Let him see / hear the fear & superstition ect... so he sees the danger.

The psi also loses the tactical advantage of the "element of surprise". If I had this guy's powers, I'd only pull out the powers in emergencies or when I could be reasonably sure I wouldn't be caught or seen.

And if someone saw me use my powers that I couldn't be sure I could trust, I'd make sure they couldn't ever reveal my secret, most likely by killing them before they got the chance, if other options like memory erasure weren't available.

And to be clear, I'd do that even if there wasn't superstition or potential prejudice if I was revealed; I'd follow that general principle just to keep the secret to keep the value-added advantage of other people not knowing (keeping your personal information private preserves your freedom in general). Heck, I probably wouldn't even tell my closer friends or family, excepting maybe my sister just because I'd feel too sad if I didn't believe I could trust her.

[Onkl]

Thanks a lot for your thoughts. I think I will go the "Secret" route.

Any other tipps for a GM running his first campaign with PSI?

[smurf]

I think a TKer could be good without bullet or punch.

Remember it only has a 10 yard range and a 5pts per level minus limitations. Say it will take 40pts for a 10ST TK, then add in the PK talent 1-4 levels @ 5 to 20pts. Making a mild TK is difficult. But the ones suggested so far are fairly minor stuff without a decent ST and range.

As for TP.

Mind Reading and Telesend ought to do. Maybe a suggest, note the more powers the PC can use the more likely they will use them and the more likely the NPCs are going to get annoyed.

"why does bob always agree with these people... wait a minute one of them may be a brain invader! now which one of them strangers is it, bring out the Frenologist!"

[PK]

Originally Posted by Onkl

Any other tipps for a GM running his first campaign with PSI?

Yes. If you're letting him take psi, he's going to use the psi to get around problems, do things that you weren't expecting, and take advantage of other people and situations. Be aware of that ahead of time, and come to terms with the fact that this is exactly how it's supposed to work.

In other words, I see many GMs allow psi or other cool abilities, and then get upset when the PC uses his psi to effortlessly get around a situation in a way the GM didn't expect. And the usual consequence is the GM trying to find ways to nerf the psionics to make them less useful. Be sure not to do that -- the whole point of having psi is to do cool things that other people can't do (or can't do as well).

That's not to say you shouldn't enforce the witch-burning stuff! That's part of the game world and the player knows about it. Just don't let the PC take psi, then go overboard on trying to stop him from using it. It's important to achieve a balance.

(Blatant Plug: For much, much, much, much more advice on adding psi to your campaigns, see GURPS Psionic Campaigns. Seriously, that whole book was written to answer the exact kinds of questions you're asking.)