Sudden increase is Psionic awakenings

[cptbutton]

Part of that anime psis in high school game I have been idly fiddling with for years.

Setting – Our world, to external appearances.

Psi powers have always existed, but are extremely rare. About 1 in 1 million teenagers develops psionic powers in adolescence. It does not run in families in any obvious way.

So there are very few psis around. In the whole world, hundreds, rising to maybe 5000 by the end of the 20th century. So most psis live and die thinking they are the only one.

Some psis manage to find others, and several secret societies have developed. The different groups are theoretically hostile to each other, but in practice this doesn't mean much, because the world is so big and they are so few. The only thing close to a rule or law they have is a general consensus that the existence of psionic powers should stay secret, and that when necessary any breaches should be covered up somehow.

So that was the situation, until this year. This year the frequency has jumped to about 1 in 1,000. Meaning that 100,000 teenagers have developed psi powers this year. Twenty new psis for every existing one. The secret societies are trying to cope, but obviously are having a very hard time dealing with the deluge.

The new psis are lost, and unless they are very lucky (or unlucky) will have to figure out everything out for themselves. Someone from the societies will only show up if they've caused a major breach, and will not be pleased. Probably someone cleans things up, calls the PCs a bunch of fools, and then disappears without actually telling them very much that is useful.


I am putting it up here for comments/brainstorming. In particular I am wondering if I should change the frequencies of psi powers. Should I make it 50,000 old psis instead of 5000? 5 to 1 new psis instead of 20 to 1?

I want a game where there aren't old psis under every rock, and no vast hordes who can move in to clamp down on things. But I do want there to be some history, and an excuse for GM deus ex machina to clean up a breach if I don't want the game going that way.

Approximate numbers based on this census site, which says there are around 125 million 15 year-olds.

[Anthony]

I recommend not stating how common psis were prior to the awakening, at least not initially -- most likely it's something the PCs wouldn't know in any case (even if they were pre-awakening psis they might not know), and it's also not something the players need to know.

[The Benj]

I agree, letting it be a thing that the PCs find out in play is good.

[cptbutton]

I wasn't planning on telling them anything, except for the weird stuff that started happening to them over summer vacation.

[tantric]

I'm guessing you've read Julian May's Galactic Milieu series? Psi is hereditary there, but the theme is all about psychic awakening. You could even make Unification (the development of a kind of subconscious groupmind/empathy caused by hitting a critical number of psychics) a theme. Although I have to admit the word 'metapsychic' always seemed silly to me.

[srogerscat]

Well, if you want to keep the numbers of your Psi capable teens under control...

Think about how easy it is to kill yourself with superpowers of any sort if your powers do not include vastly heightened toughness.

Venture Brothers on TV deals with this now and then. Stirling's "Taint In The Blood" books touch on this as well.

And think about movies like Jackass, and the sort of self destructive stunts psi capable teens will get up to.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by tantric

I'm guessing you've read Julian May's Galactic Milieu series? Psi is hereditary there, but the theme is all about psychic awakening. You could even make Unification (the development of a kind of subconscious groupmind/empathy caused by hitting a critical number of psychics) a theme. Although I have to admit the word 'metapsychic' always seemed silly to me.

Unity is supposed to happen when an entire species reaches a "coadunate number", not just operants (ppl with working psi powers) but all conscious members, though there needs to be some small percentage of operants in the mix. For humanity, this is somewhere in the tens of billions.

[cptbutton]

My thanks to everyone for their comments.

Originally Posted by tantric

I'm guessing you've read Julian May's Galactic Milieu series? Psi is hereditary there, but the theme is all about psychic awakening. You could even make Unification (the development of a kind of subconscious groupmind/empathy caused by hitting a critical number of psychics) a theme. Although I have to admit the word 'metapsychic' always seemed silly to me.

I've got at least one of those books around here somewhere, but never read them.

To the extent I am drawing from anything in particular, it would be Aquarian Age, an anime/manga/ccg from Japan. (There a rpg of the same name in Russia also, but it isn't related except in general theme.)

It has three ancient magical conspiracies, one new magical conspiracy, and an alien invasion/conspiracy.

But I am mostly working from the starting point of so much anime, which start with "X is an Ordinary High School Student until one day..."

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by srogerscat

Well, if you want to keep the numbers of your Psi capable teens under control...

Think about how easy it is to kill yourself with superpowers of any sort if your powers do not include vastly heightened toughness.

Venture Brothers on TV deals with this now and then. Stirling's "Taint In The Blood" books touch on this as well.

And think about movies like Jackass, and the sort of self destructive stunts psi capable teens will get up to.

Worldwide teen suicide epidemic! Threat, or menace?

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

Worldwide teen suicide epidemic! Threat, or menace?

Serial killers making their victims die in absurd impossible "accidents". Like flinging a teen into the side of a tree at 100 mph as if he simply ran into it.