GURPS Psionic Powers Designer's Notes in Pyramid #3/9

[PK]

For those of you who are fans of GURPS Psionic Powers, I thought I'd mention that the Designer's Notes can be found in Pyramid #3/9 - Space Opera.

Here's what's in it:

Two pages of extras, cuts, and odds & ends
* An expanded explanation of some of the weirder psi techniques
* An all-new way to build psi techniques (actually, one that was used surreptitiously to build several of the existing ones)
* Alternate rules for Extra Effort
* A cut Biokinesis ability: Control Limb
* A variant perk: Dowsing (Utility)
* A new (complex) limitation: Limited by Margin

Four pages of the Agents of PSION, a psionic space opera campaign setting (with a touch of transhumanism):
* Basic background and history
* Racial templates
* PSION Agency details and character template
* Adjustments to the Psi Amplifiers from GURPS Ultra-Tech*
* Setting-specific details and options for GURPS Spaceships
* Adventure seeds

And this issue of Pyramid is like a two-for-one bonus on psionics, because Tangaroa (the Terra Incognita this month) is a planet dominated by a psionic religious cult! Actually, it's a pretty sweet issue all around -- new martial arts styles, doomsday weapons, and a cool printable scanner (like a tricorder prop) that screams "retro space gaming" at the top of its lungs. :)

(* There's an errata on p. 15, though. The backpack psi amplifier that affects all of the wearer's powers costs $650K, not $65K.)

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

For those of you who are fans of GURPS Psionic Powers, I thought I'd mention that the Designer's Notes can be found in Pyramid #3/9 - Space Opera.

And this issue of Pyramid is like a two-for-one bonus on psionics, because Tangaroa (the Terra Incognita this month) is a planet dominated by a psionic religious cult! Actually, it's a pretty sweet issue all around -- new martial arts styles, doomsday weapons, and a cool printable scanner (like a tricorder prop) that screams "retro space gaming" at the top of its lungs. :)

Thanks for the tip, Rev! I had checked e23 earlier today and this wasn't out yet... I'll be downloading later tonight. You might want to check the issue again, though... I think the 'martial arts' stuff you mention is actually related to the oft-mentioned (but rarely seen) connubial rites supplement.

Heh... I already emailed a notice about the typo :)

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

For those of you who are fans of GURPS Psionic Powers, I thought I'd mention that the Designer's Notes can be found in Pyramid #3/9 - Space Opera.

Here's what's in it:

Two pages of extras, cuts, and odds & ends
* An expanded explanation of some of the weirder psi techniques
* An all-new way to build psi techniques (actually, one that was used surreptitiously to build several of the existing ones)
* Alternate rules for Extra Effort
* A cut Biokinesis ability: Control Limb
* A variant perk: Dowsing (Utility)
* A new (complex) limitation: Limited by Margin

I am glad to see all of this show up finally!

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Four pages of the Agents of PSION, a psionic space opera campaign setting (with a touch of transhumanism):
* Basic background and history
* Racial templates
* PSION Agency details and character template
* Adjustments to the Psi Amplifiers from GURPS Ultra-Tech*
* Setting-specific details and options for GURPS Spaceships
* Adventure seeds

A interesting little setting overall, just curious you ever watch Trinity Blood? >.> Its similar to your setting enough that I noticed it right away. Still very cool stuff.

I plan on using your optional Extra Effort rules in my current campaign (I don't remember them in the playtest though) and allowing the regular rules to be used with a perk ^^

Ghostdancer

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Actually, it's a pretty sweet issue all around --

Ditto.

It's the first issue where every single article grabbed my interest, even the reviews and the little blurbs. Of course, it helps that I'm in the middle of putting together a space opera game, but still! It's really good.

[PK]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

A interesting little setting overall, just curious you ever watch Trinity Blood? >.> Its similar to your setting enough that I noticed it right away. Still very cool stuff.

Never even heard of it. Sometimes geek minds think alike, I suppose, though I'm honestly quite surprised that there's another "space opera meets psionics meets transhumanism" setting out there. I thought I had just cornered the market on it. :)

I plan on using your optional Extra Effort rules in my current campaign (I don't remember them in the playtest though) and allowing the regular rules to be used with a perk ^^

They weren't in the playtest. Not everything there was cut from the first draft -- hence my description of it as "extras", "cuts", and "odds & ends". You get all three. For the price of one issue! What a deal, I tells ya . . .

Originally Posted by Mailanka

It's the first issue where every single article grabbed my interest, even the reviews and the little blurbs. Of course, it helps that I'm in the middle of putting together a space opera game, but still! It's really good.

Yeah, I have to agree. It's been a few issues since I really "got into" a Pyramid like this one. My own stuff aside, everything in this one was fun to read and useful, which isn't always the case. I'm rereading Fight the Future right now and loving it -- but I'm a sucker for new martial arts styles (done well).

And for the record, readers, I'm not shilling when I express my love for #3/9. We don't get royalties for Pyramid stuff -- so sales don't affect my finances. I honestly liked this issue a whole lot, and I'm just glad my stuff ended up in such fine, fine company.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Never even heard of it. Sometimes geek minds think alike, I suppose, though I'm honestly quite surprised that there's another "space opera meets psionics meets transhumanism" setting out there. I thought I had just cornered the market on it. :)

Well its a anime for one, and its a bit transhumanism, lighter on the psi and space opera. It's here, its one of my personal favorites.

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

They weren't in the playtest. Not everything there was cut from the first draft -- hence my description of it as "extras", "cuts", and "odds & ends". You get all three. For the price of one issue! What a deal, I tells ya . . .

But wait...there's more... (looks to the Rev) right? :)

Once again, nice work.

Ghostdancer

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

I'm rereading Fight the Future right now and loving it -- but I'm a sucker for new martial arts styles (done well).

Glad you liked it. :-) Mad props are, of course, due to Steven Marsh and Sean Punch, for cleaning up my prose and rules, and extra thanks to the Good Doctor for letting me use that perk.

And I'm loving the Designer's Notes. I'm running a space game with psi right now, Psionic Powers is seeing heavy use, and this all makes for some good additions to it. And I'm happy to see the Behind The Curtain about using abilities at default was spelled out. That was one of the cleverest uses in the Psionic Powers book, IMO, and it deserved to be explained so everybody (or at least everybody reading Pyramid) could take advantage.

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

And for the record, readers, I'm not shilling when I express my love for #3/9. We don't get royalties for Pyramid stuff -- so sales don't affect my finances.

Although, in one of those weird coincidences, my check for the article arrived this very day. :-)

[hari]

Ahhh.... You're all tempting me too much. I already planned on buying it. But now I have to wait for the money to go through all the proper channels. I manage to spend more on e23 than I should even though I only buy things online from the paypal account that must first have money in it.... next week... oh well.

I'm looking forward to it!

[PK]

Originally Posted by hari

Ahhh.... You're all tempting me too much. I already planned on buying it. But now I have to wait for the money to go through all the proper channels. I manage to spend more on e23 than I should even though I only buy things online from the paypal account that must first have money in it.... next week... oh well.

This is why subscriptions are nice. :)

I may not always love the issue, but I can't stand the feeling that I'm missing out on cool stuff that I could be getting on the cheap*, so I budgeted an extra $70 into my "bills" a few months ago. I've come to terms with my addictions, and this is one of them. :)

* I say "on the cheap" because Pyramids are the best SJG product on e23 in terms of pure page-count-per-dollar. To be fair, that's balanced against the fact that you might find anywhere from 0% to 100% of the articles in each issue useful and awesome (though my experience has been 60% to 100% of them, on average, which still works out to an excellent value, especially at the subscription price of $5.83 per issue.)

[hari]

I think that the most enticing thing about it is that "space opera meets psionics meets transhumanism" setting. I'm sorry if I make it sound any less unique, but I'm set on working out something slightly similar. Not space opera, which sounds wonderful with psionics and transhumanism, but fantasy as realistic as possible given the inclusion of psionics and transhumanism. I'm sure it sounds utterly silly. In any case, P. Kitty, I'm very interested in seeing what you came up with.

As far as subscriptions are concerned, it's at least worth considering. I've bought 3 so far and am about to buy another 2 (I'm surprised Cliffhangers didn't get more sales, it's getting at least one more). That would be 5 of 8 bought. I don't know, I might subscribe.

I do have to say though, I'm already bracing myself for disappointment after seeing that there are only 2 pages of designer notes and only 4 pages for Agents of PSION. I'm pretty sure that I'll be left fiending for more.