General Gaming before the Psionics Suppressions?

[Spinward Scout]

Is anyone either playing in or running a game before the Psionics Suppressions?

I don't specifically mean the Milieu 0 setting. It could be just before the Suppressions.

Or just a game somewhere along the way.

I guess I'm just looking to see how people are doing in a game with full-blown Psionics.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Not personally, no.

One place that would have had them (came and went before the Suppressions) was the Sindalian Empire.

Yeah, think about that for a bit -- a TL-13 genocidal civil war setting with nukes, bioweapons, and psionics. Yikes.

 

[mike wightman]

Almost as if someone wanted rid of them before they became a real threat...

as to the original post - I rarely include psionics in my games. There have been a couple of exceptions.

My longest 'campaign' is set during a 'long night' and is very much a planet of the week affair, one of the planets running a small pocket empire the PCs visited was one where psionics had been fully embraced.

The second is I once ran an epic near future Traveller game based on the works of Julian May.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Ironically, pre-800s the Five Sisters subsector seemed to be thriving ... until the Psionics Suppressions came along. Mirriam was well on its way to becoming the subsector capital until the suppressions started.

If you want a "fringe frontier" campaign setting that takes place before the Psionics Suppressions, the Five Sisters makes for a compelling choice of setting.

Note that even after the Psionics Suppressions, Karin retains a psionic police unit (according to the wiki page).

 

[whulorigan]

Note that even after the Psionics Suppressions, Karin retains a psionic police unit (according to the wiki page).

But that was apparently established after the formation of the Regency (post-Rebellion) based on the wiki narrative by author Peter Gray.

 

[whartung]

It's also important to note what phase of civilization you want to portray pre-suppressions.

I'm sure the atmosphere changes quite a bit as you get close to the suppressions. Perhaps start running into the issues that brought them about in the first place.

Were they simply tolerated before, or just low grade action?

 

[Grav_Moped]

Almost as if someone wanted rid of them before they became a real threat...

They were the Pure Evil Zhodani (despite being of 2nd Imperium origin).

Oh, that'd be one heck of a campaign:
Date: -1489IE.
Player party is the crew of a long-range Zhodani scoutship out past the Darrian Confederation, that encounters the Sindalian Empire at the peak of its power and malice...

 

[kilemall]

They were the Pure Evil Zhodani (despite being of 2nd Imperium origin).

Oh, that'd be one heck of a campaign:
Date: -1489IE.
Player party is the crew of a long-range Zhodani scoutship out past the Darrian Confederation, that encounters the Sindalian Empire at the peak of its power and malice...

Hmm how about the Zhodani arrange the suppressions to proactively “disarm” the 3I?

 

[mike wightman]

That has been suggested before. And a few variations thereof...

for example the Imperials were worried that the Zhodani would have too great an influence on the Imperium's pitiful psionic research and extant psionic institutes, so they turned to their 'psychohistory' experiments to swing public opinion of psionics and the Zhodani to distrust - unfortunately the effects went a little further than their 'nudge units' and psychohistory experts intended.

 

[Condottiere]

It's surprising who funds various lobbying groups.

The petrochemical industry can fund anti nuclear power plant environmental groups.

 

[mike wightman]

Economics is warfare by other means... (yes it's paraphrased)

 

[kilemall]

That has been suggested before. And a few variations thereof...

for example the Imperials were worried that the Zhodani would have too great an influence on the Imperium's pitiful psionic research and extant psionic institutes, so they turned to their 'psychohistory' experiments to swing public opinion of psionics and the Zhodani to distrust - unfortunately the effects went a little further than their 'nudge units' and psychohistory experts intended.

Works for the Zho manipulation storyline too- they thought they were just crippling the talent pool and ended up with a hostile society cramping their operations and way more opposition/war unity then they would want.

In that context the various psionic academies could be Zho recruiting, surreptitious Imperial ops to get/ track talent and drain Zho pool, or true neutrals or criminals. Or best, potentially any of the above.

 

[mike wightman]

The one facet of Zhodani society that would preclude that - the Zhodani are honest.

 

[Spinward Flow]

The one facet of Zhodani society that would preclude that - the Zhodani are honest.

WITH EACH OTHER ...

However, when it comes to a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent ... it sucks to be you (psionics suppressors) ...

 

[Grav_Moped]

The thing that's different about Zho society is that psionics are taken for granted. When everyone's a superhero, nobody's a superhero.

In a 3I-type situation, psionics is disruptive (and rare, and hidden).

Having a mindreader on the payroll can give you a real edge in the Imperium. In the Counsulate, it wouldn't matter because your counterparty also has one and everyone expects to be unable to hide anything. The same applies to security measures.

 

[mike wightman]

WITH EACH OTHER ...

However, when it comes to a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent ... it sucks to be you (psionics suppressors) ...

According to canon even with Imperials. Zhodani working in the Imperium have to receive special training on how to cope with the everyday dishonesty within the Imperium.