Figuring out "Scanners" type powers

[seneschal]

Elsewhere on the web I read a discussion about the best game system for a "Scanners" style psychics campaign.  Someone suggested the Big Gold Book's suite of psychic abilities.  It got me wondering.  I haven't seen the horror movie but I have skimmed a couple episodes of "The Tomorrow People,"  which seems to be the love child of "Scanners" and "X-Men."  It has the grim outlook of the former and the teenage angst of the latter.  Unlike in X-Men, I suspect the reason normal folks dislike Tomorrow People is not their scary powers but that they're prettier than you and they know it.  No ugly mutants here.

Anyway, the BGB gives four power levels providing our maudlin mentalists with anywhere from two to ten powers apiece.  (Keep in mind that famous pulp hero psychic The Shadow had ONE ability.)  Since the book only lists 21 powers total, ten seems excessive.  There wouldn't be much differentiation among the player-characters.  Four to six powers apiece would allow them to specialize in different areas and be unique.  Also, our cinema and video mutants have a few abilities that are covered by other of the BGB's power suites.  To put together a campaign, the Game Master would have to be flexible.

So what do you think?  How would you build such a campaign?  I'm not sure the setting is my cup of tea.  I think the best way to bust a secret organization that murders and experiments on people would be to go public and expose it.  And I have difficulty feeling sorry for the members of Homo superior.  "We're smarter, stronger, prettier than you, have cool powers that can turn your bodies and brains to Jello, and (sob) we're being picked on!"  Oh, go get a job you mutant snowflake!

[Questbird]

I enjoyed the Tomorrow People as a kid. They were supposed to be incorruptible homo superiors, but I remember an episode where a new Tomorrow Person 'came out' and seemed to be involved in criminal activities which "should have been impossible".

I picked up a copy of the game Psi World from the 80s which has a similar idea, but it so thin on setting that I don't really know why they bothered. It basically just listed a whole lot of psychic powers, which were more like D&D spells really. Disappointing.

One theme of these 'persecuted psychics' games is that there are always organisations which seek to control those with the special powers, even if they aren't well understood. Examples:

Babylon 5 - psi corps, a sort of nazi kindergarten for 'registered' psychics; punishes those which aren't registered to maintain monopoly control

Dr Xavier's school for Mutants and Magneto's 'we are the next level' mutant group are similarly protective and political; they want to recruit mutants (exclusiively if possible) as well as help them

The Tomorrow People with their underground base and psychedelic computer are also a (very small) cult group which protects and recruits new psychics, who occasionally have a very traumatic 'coming out' when they are effectively kidnapped by jaunting Tomorrow People. There are interesting themes to explore here.

And there are usually criminal or government groups which don't understand but can see the utility/danger of these people.

[seneschal]

I have frequently looked at Psi World online.  The box set is $12 and you can get three adventures for about $18.  But the reviews have been mixed.  People either felt let down, as you did, or loved it.  A common beef is that the setting is thin, but since the psychics and their foes operate in a relatively realistic near-future setting how much world building is required?  Many superhero games are light on setting details for the same reason, especiyin the core product.

Have tried anything in a similar mode with BRP?

[Mugen]

One way to ensure not all psionic characters get the same powers would be to give them various "power levels", just like in GURPS 3rd edition, where a character can have Psychokinesis 8 and Precognition 2. Psychokinesis power level would put a limit on telekinesis, pyrokinesis and other powers that rely on the power to move objects with your mind.

Obviously, POW would put a limit on the various Psi power levels. It could a limit to the sum of all Psi power levels (i.e if you've got POW 13, your maximum total Psi powers would be 13). Or you could use Nephilim as a base, and rank Powers a character possesses : Rank 1 Power level would be equal to POW, second one POW x0.8, third one POW x0.6, and so on.

You could also base Psionic powers Mythras Sorcery, and  create one Invoke skill per power type, and treat spells as psi powers.

[soltakss]

Scanners is probably my favourite Psionic film, Tomorrow People is probably my favourite Psionic TV series (and the remake was pretty good as well) and Many Coloured Land is my favourite Psionic series of novels, all would work with BRP Psionics, but would work better with HeroQuest.

In fact, HeroQuest works well with generic Psionics, if you have broad abilities as Keywords and specific ones as breakouts. The only thing it doesn't handle well is the "Great Power but little Control" scenario, where a Psion suddenly breaks out from being Latent and has a lot of raw power but little idea of how to use it. BRP works better with that, as the POW rating represents the raw power and the skills represent ability to use it. 

[soltakss]

As for not having all the powers, I would simply allow Psions to have a limited number of abilities, each with sub-powers.

So, you could have Telepathy (Mind Speech, Mind Reading, Far Speech), Empathy (Read Emotions, Affect Emotions, Block Emotions) and so on, so a psion with Telepathy, Empathy and Coercion would be different to one with Telepahy, Telekinesis and Jaunting.

[seneschal]

I never saw the 1973 and 1990s Tomorrow People series, just the 2013 remake which isn't kid friendly

[Questbird]

20 hours ago, seneschal said:

I have frequently looked at Psi World online.  The box set is $12 and you can get three adventures for about $18.  But the reviews have been mixed.  People either felt let down, as you did, or loved it.  A common beef is that the setting is thin, but since the psychics and their foes operate in a relatively realistic near-future setting how much world building is required?  Many superhero games are light on setting details for the same reason, especiyin the core product.

Have tried anything in a similar mode with BRP?

 

I haven't but would be interested. 

[seneschal]

My original post was about mechanics but I've been doing a little research into the genre.  Paranormal powers have been part of science fiction for a long time but psychic kids having to deal with government interference seems to have roots in 1950s literature.

Zenna Henderson wrote a series of stories about The People between 1952 and 1966 which were compiled into collections in the 1990s.  The titular People are psychic alien refugees attempting to live quietly in rural obscurity in remote sections of the United States.  Inevitably a human school teacher from out of town begins to wonder what's up with her students.  For the most part, People are the kinder, gentler ESPers.  Instead of killing the outsider or frying her brain, they prefer to make friends who will swear to silence.  Unfortunately the stories were adapted into a sole TV movie in the '70s.

John Wyndam's 1957 novel "The Midwich Cuckoos" has gotten more cinematic traction, adapted into "Villiage of the Damned" in 1960 and 1995 and "Children of the Damned" in 1964.  These telepathic grade schoolers -- born after all the women in an isolated town became pregnant at the same time -- are downright murderous.  Where was Professor X when we needed him?  (Busy training "Uncanny X-Men" 1963-1970, new international team in "Giant Size X-Men" 1975.)

"Scanners" (1981) came at the tail end of the general interest in extra sensory perception and the occult of the 1970s.  The original "Tomorrow People" debuted on British Tv in 1973.  Stephen King published "Carrie" in '74, movie in'76.  Alexander H. Key's 1968 novel "Escape to Witch Mountain" launched a Disney franchise in 1975.  John Farris' 1976 book "The Fury" became a movie in'78.  King came back with "Firestarter" (1980), movie four years later.

Edited February 16, 2018 by seneschal
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[Mugen]

As an absolute fan of the manga, I would add Akira (1982-1993 for the comic, and 1988 for the movie) to the list.

[seneschal]

Good catch, Murgen.  On the lighter side, there's "Nanny and the Professor" (1970-71) and "The Girl With Something Extra" (1974).  The former was a sort of American Mary Poppins, with Phoebe Figalilly anticipating events and apparently reading minds without displaying any overt powers.  Her abilities, or whether she actually had them, were never explained.  (One of The People who moved to the big city?). In "Girl" a newlywed telepath discovers that the power to read minds isn't necessarily a marriage enhancer.  Fortunately, hubby is the understanding sort.

[Questbird]

Julian May's Intervention is the bridging novel between the Many Colored Land series (mentioned by soltakss above) and her Galactic Milieu trilogy. 'Intervention' is set on Earth where psychics are starting to appear, and using their powers for good or bad.

[soltakss]

15 hours ago, Questbird said:

Julian May's Intervention is the bridging novel between the Many Colored Land series (mentioned by soltakss above) and her Galactic Milieu trilogy. 'Intervention' is set on Earth where psychics are starting to appear, and using their powers for good or bad.

And they are all really good, thoroughly enjoyable with some surprises. Best read in order, though, otherwise some of the surprises won't be ...

Edited February 17, 2018 by soltakss

[g33k]

Also worth noting is that Julian May's "metahuman" psychics are capable of a *LOT* more power than most of the others mentioned (at least, of the ones I know); they are in X-Men-and-better territory, with (rare) apex powers (given some tech enhancement) in the planet-buster range.

Well worth reading, as mentioned above; but not IMHO on par with the OP's wants....

As long as we're going OTT power-wise... dare I mention good ol "Perry Rhodan"?    

[Lou Goncey]

To do SCANNERS justice, you have to figure out how you would handle the drug EPHEMEROL. The drug created the scanner from birth. Without the drug, the world becomes very hard to live in due to the bombardment of other people’s thoughts. But the drug can also be used to dampen a Scanners power to nothing.

interseting problem. Will have to think on it...

[Lou Goncey]

To be honest the only powers available in the BGB are Mental Blast, Mental Control, Mental Shield and Telepathy. Mental Shield I kind of question because a person could give a shot of ephemerol to the scanner and temporarily dampen his powers. The GM also would have to come up with a way that both Mental Blast, Mind Control and Telepathy could also work on computers. Also we need some kind of Possesion ability that will allow a scanner to take over another person entirely — kind of like the sleeves used in ALTERED CARBON but without a stack if you have seen that show.

[Lou Goncey]

Unless you just want to use the SCANNERS name to run a psychic game. In that case ignore my constant rambling and probably consult either PSIONICS:THE NEXT STAGE OF HUMAN EVOLUTION by End Transmission Games or THE 13TH LETTER by some Irish company (I believe). They are both pretty great games on the subject.

[Toadmaster]

Hero System's The Ultimate Mentalist might be worth a look for ideas too.

[Lou Goncey]

Good choice. Also try a copy of GURPS Psionics 3e. Fourth edition does not have a Psionics tome. I think it is all combined into powers...

[seneschal]

Ephemerol would add some new plot twists for PCs.  If they have to take medicine to prevent their powers from driving them crazy, they can't simply oh hide out in a basement somewhere.  They either have to come out to acquire supplies or become hermits out in the wilderness.

For a full suite of abilities in  BRP you'd have to borrow from other power sets such as Sorcery or Super Powers.

Havent seen Perry Rodan but Lensmen series is pretty over the top, too.

[seneschal]

Add to our reading list Anne Mccafrey's "The Rowan," "Damia," and "Damia's Children."  Touchy-feelie sci-fi set in the far future.

[g33k]

39 minutes ago, seneschal said:

Add to our reading list Anne Mccafrey's "The Rowan," "Damia," and "Damia's Children."  Touchy-feelie sci-fi set in the far future.

Also worth noting that some of these require gear, either in all cases or for top effect; e.g. in McCaffrey's "Rowan" books and May's "Intervention/Pliocene".

 

[g33k]

FWIW, there's also nominally-fantasy works that have psi-like powers, and if you just replaced the fantasy trappings with tech they'd show as sci-fi (or at least science-fantasy).

[seneschal]

Looking over our list of books and movies, it looks as if the settings for psionic campaigns tend to fall into two broad categories -- contemporary/near contemporary or far future (or far past per May).  Protagonists are often vulnerable (or not so vulnerable) children.  Government tends to be powerful and repressive even in places where psychics are an accepted part of society (Mccaffrey, Lensmen).  Does the existence of mental powers necessarily shred the Constitution and civil rights?  Regardless of their abilities' origin -- medical experiment, evolution, or alien heritage -- psions tend to seek safety in rural isolation (The People, Village of the Damned, X-Men, Empire Strikes Back).

Any other tropes or sub-genre "bits" you can think of for a campaign?

[g33k]

Another trope for your stew:  there is sometimes a psi-vs-psi element, where one group is working within existing govt/corp power-structures (secretly puppet-mastering, controlled by them, or an uneasy alliance), and sees the "free" psi's as a threat.  Sometimes the "free" (good-guy) group is splintered or escaped from the other (bad-guy) group.

I wouldn't describe Smith's Lensman or McCaffrey's Rowan universes as having "repressive" governments, however.  I suspect each was writing to a utopian ideal -- Smith to a somewhat old-fashioned "law and order" standard, clearly USAian (though his future-history was post-USA) but as the series progressed we saw a universe where law-abiding & orderly citizens were free of repression and fear thereof, and empowered by legally-protected freedoms & rights.  McCaffrey wrote to a somewhat more progressive ideal, with lots of emphasis on humanities & the arts; call it "liberal USAian" if you will.

As to whether the Constitution & civil rights would necessarily be "shredded" -- ask yourself to what degree the uncontrolled / unregulated use of gadgets (with the same abilities) would shred those things?  And how would/could psi be different (for better or worse)?  Follow these lines of thought until you are satisfied for yourself, one way or another.