Psionic Institutes

[Spartan159]

How well aware of each other are they?

Once one has been found is there a bonus for finding others? I'm not thinking so much of "They are at spot X" as I am "Go to one of X places and do Y and you will be contacted, maybe."

Is there an underground railroad of sorts?

Would the canonical Institute at Junidy know about the Imperial installation on Wypoc or at least suspect it?

 

[aramis]

Only two are (canonically) imperial - One in the SR and one in the marches.

 

[Spartan159]

The secret one at Junidy was in TTA, it's not canonical?

 

[Whipsnade]

The secret one at Junidy was in TTA, it's not canonical?

You and Wil aren't quite talking about the same thing. Let me explain.

I believe that Wil thought - and he'll please correct me if I'm wrong - that you were asking about the institutes which are Imperially operated and not about institutes which are located within the Imperium.

Canonically, we know of two Imperially operated institutes; one in the Marches and one on the Rim. They're the two institutes whose charters were reinstated in 1014 after between revoked between 800 and 826.

Canonically thanks to TTA, we also know about an secret underground institute on Junidy. While it's an institute in the Imperium, it's also an institute operating illegally and in defiance of Imperial laws.

Getting back to your question - which I believe is regarding illegal underground institutes - IMHO while institutes know of each other, they deliberately don't know any of the details regarding each other. Like any well run underground movement, they're going to practice a cell structure.

The "cell" on Junidy may know that other "cells" exist in other systems. What the "cell" on Junidy doesn't know, however, is how to directly and quickly contact those other "cells". They'll know how to send messages through a series for blind drops and cut outs, but they won't know that you contact the institute on Mora by walking down the alley behind Clock's Sanitary Luncheonette, tapping "shave and a haircut, two bits" on the 3rd door on the left past the grease tank, and whispering "Swordfish".

 

[Spartan159]

And this is why my wife says I have communication issues. You are correct Whipsnade, I should have been more clear.

The message drops work for me, they contact you, not the other way around. I'm sure it would be along the lines of a telepathic message to drop mental shields and allow a mental probe to verify that someone was not an Imperial agent.

GURPS Sword Worlds says that there was an institute on Sacnoth that was destroyed in 1109. I would think there were more there. Granted by what that book says there is a distaste for Psionics, I would think there were small cells run by the women.

IMO, The Daryen/Darrians would be incredibly stupid to not have institutes, whatever the Imperials might say. They might be less than public in deference to Imperial attitudes, though.

I have no idea of the Aslan or Vargr attitudes on Psionics.

 

[Whipsnade]

The message drops work for me, they contact you, not the other way around.

IMTU I've had the various underground institutes using a cell structure every since reading the psionics section of LBB:3.

I'm sure it would be along the lines of a telepathic message to drop mental shields and allow a mental probe to verify that someone was not an Imperial agent.

While that could be dangerous because we know the Imperium uses psions too, there are all sorts of "tradecraft" methods the institutes can use in conjunction with psionics and LBB:3 does talk about a vetting process used when poor PCs can't pay for their training.

GURPS Sword Worlds says that there was an institute on Sacnoth that was destroyed in 1109. I would think there were more there.

That's another canonical location for your list. As in the Imperium, I'd think there would be secret institutes operated by various authorities like planetary governments and the Confederation as well as illicit underground institutes run by private groups.

Like you, I believe the Darrians will have institutes of both the types I mentioned.

Are there any others in the Marches? Beats me. It sounds odd but my players were never interested in psionics! I never had to make that 11+ throw from LBB:3. I never even penciled in the presence of an institute by GM fiat. I had NPCs use psionics and my players occasionally thought NPCs were using psionics, but I never had a player interested in psionics.

I firmly believe our games suffered for it.

I have no idea of the Aslan or Vargr attitudes on Psionics.

I can't remember anything regarding the Aslan. MT's Vilani and Vargr mentions a Vargr subspecies which has 'weird" psionic powers. IIRC, they're also blind.

 

[whulorigan]

MT's Vilani and Vargr mentions a Vargr subspecies which has 'weird" psionic powers. IIRC, they're also blind.

There were actually two Vargr subspecies with latent psionic abilities (one of which was the Roth Thokken, and I do not recall the name of the other), and IIRC both of them were somewhat ostracized by other Vargr and driven to the Coretrailing edge of the Extents.

Additionally, I believe one of the larger polities of the Extents along the Consulate border has been clandestinely "culturally molded" by the Zhodani to form a more stable buffer state/trading partner that accepts psionics as a regular part of their society, and is known as the Thirz Empire.

 

[Whipsnade]

Additionally, I believe one of the larger polities of the Extents along the Consulate border has been clandestinely "culturally molded" by the Zhodani to form a more stable buffer state/trading partner that accepts psionics as a regular part of their society, and is known as the Thirz Empire.

That's from Our Absent Friend Don's MgT Zho book, right?

Previously, IIRC, there was a passage in GT's AR:1 about corsairs captured while raiding in the Consulate occasionally returning home "adjusted" in some manner and how that usually scared the feces out of the Vargr.

I know the CT Vargr AM touches on one of what must have been several "First Contact" situations between the Vargr and Zhodani. While any Vargr memoir would naturally feature an "unreliable narrator", I've been long suspicious about "Prince" Whozits somehow "escaping" with a state-of-the-art Zho jump3 ship.

 

[whulorigan]

That's from Our Absent Friend Don's MgT Zho book, right?

It is in that book, although I can't recall whether or not their is a prior reference in an earlier edition of Traveller.

 

[The Pakkrat]

Mongoose Alien Module 2: Vargr hints at psionic institutes in Gvurrdon Sector along the Zhodani Consulate border, many inside the Thirz Empire.

The book also lists, in addition to Rothh Thokken, Akumgeda, and Nakagun though each has differing psionic potential and the physical trade-offs. But Mongoose added those to the pre-existing subspecies. Due to their remote locations in Coreward and Enclave Sectors, I have no illusions that they would ever see the Spinward Marches.

Roger Malmstein's Gvurrdon Sectorbook v1_1 mentions Sibiatl, a minor mobile institute in and around the Thirz Empire.

IMTU: I have written into Knoellighz Sector's Infinity League a second mobile institute, the Coyotl, a large bulk hauler refitted as an institute.

Do they know of each other? Probably not, or if they have heard from word of mouth or shared thought of Psion graduates, their locations are variable given the month and year. But then there's the Empress Wave to worry about, so as it passes, many institutes will have to cease operations, I am guessing, for a time.

I do agree that knowledge of each other, the institutes that is, would be a best back pocket secret shared only by those Awakened (T5) and who know how to make contact with each other.

Your parsecs per fuel dT may vary.

Live via satellite, this is the Pakkrat.

 

[whulorigan]

The book also lists, in addition to Rothh Thokken, Akumgeda, and Nakagun though each has differing psionic potential and the physical trade-offs. But Mongoose added those to the pre-existing subspecies.

All three of those were first mentioned in DGP: Vilani & Vargr for MegaTraveller.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

In the early days of the Third Imperium, in Marc Miller's Traveller, psioncs institutes were much, much, more common, with some less reputable ones, hacks if you will, advertising. Most importantly, most are not under Imperial control. All is detailed in the Psionics Institutes book.

 

[Spartan159]

In the early days of the Third Imperium, in Marc Miller's Traveller, psioncs institutes were much, much, more common, with some less reputable ones, hacks if you will, advertising. Most importantly, most are not under Imperial control. All is detailed in the Psionics Institutes book.

Yup! Using some of it now. In Milieu 0 things are much more open, though. As psioniphobic as the current (1100ish), Third Imperium is, I think that the best you could get for a regular member of the Imperium would be in the 0) Total psioniphobia to 4) Dislike for psionics. all bets are off in red zones of course.

As it happens, 2308 SM Algine is a possible candidate for psionic institutes, if you can get past the xenophobia that GT:BTC says they have. I rolled for an institute there but decided it was a secret society because anyone that xenophobic is peobably psioniphobic as well. Or the real reason they were red zoned is because they like psionics and xenophobia is not even true. /sigh. I'm going to have to get back to that one.

 

[Condottiere]

Considering that the Zhodani base their entire society on it, Imperium Intelligence would have certainly forward based institutes in the Spinward Marches, either to counter their influence, use it against the Zhodani, and/or to keep an eye on them.