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PSI WORLD, by Del Carr & Cheron for FGU

This is an older game that was so closely tied to its background, it never got much attention. The game system itself is good, in no way innovative, but it is precisely this generic charm that tickles my interest in it.

Psi World is about a near future Earth, where psionic powers have become more and more common and those possessing them are feared and abused as freaks. The world's prejudice causes them to be hunted, controlled, isolated in space colonies and their talents outlawed. Of course an underground movement has sprung up and there are conservatives, liberals and fanatics on all sides.

Players can chose to play rebel psi or normal psi-hunters or anything in between. The treatment of psionics in this game is very much like that in the second season of Sea Quest, its workings like that on Babylon 5 and the worlds treatment of them like mutants in Marvel's Xmen comics.

The system has the familiar D&D-like attributes, ranging from 1-20. As such, the game works easily as a psionics or magic system supplement for Villains & Vigilantes (V&V), XXVc or Lands of Adventure (LoA). Skills and actions are tested against these standard attributes with modifiers, nothing special nor unique, playable and a decent simulation.

The unique Psi attribute determines the players psi points which they spend executing psi powers to varying degrees. The points return with rest and can increase with experience in their use. The whole system is very stand alone and easily grafted to the above games, AD&D, D&D, Gamma World, Mach, as well as others. Psi characters get there powers in one or more major and minor disciplines grouped by affect: telepathy, empathy, pyrokenitic, healer, and mind meld, to name a few. The animalist discipline and even lesser rogue type powers (cantrip level, below minor discipline) are detailed in the Psi World adventure, "The Hammer Shall Strike", sold separately (an excellent supplement and two exciting adventures).

Weapon damage ranges are similar to the above mentioned games. This makes the modern weapons charts detailed in the rules usable with any of them. This includes the handling of grenades and heavy personal weapons.

Lastly, the hit location and damage allocation tables, allow players of any of the above games to detail hits and account for the consequences of the damage. Hit points are divided up among the major sections of the body and a factor is applied to multiply them. The characters full hit points are monitored as well as the factored points attributed to each body sector. A sector like and arm can reach 0 and the player will suffer consequences to its use. Meanwhile the damage points are also applied to his total hit points.

What you get in addition to the rules is a screen, 2 mini die 20 and an adventure (not a bad one). If the background sounds interesting to you, you won't be disappointed to pay the cover price, $12.00. If you are a V&V, XXVc or LoA player looking for psionics rules and some added campaign background (the psi-paranoia can easily be grafted to a V&V or XXVc campaign) you also won't be disappointed to pay full price. To others, the worth of this game will depend on their present game system and its present psionics rules, however, compared to current supplement prices it is a cheap gamble. Personally, I find them superior to AD&D and Gamma World 4th ed. I say, buy it.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Psi World
Author: Del Carr & Cheron Category: game Company/Publisher: Fantasy Games Unlimited Line: None Cost: $12 Capsule Review by Papyrus on 05/11/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction	PSI WORLD, by Del Carr & Cheron for FGU This is an older game that was so closely tied to its background, it never got much attention. The game system itself is good, in no way innovative, but it is precisely this generic charm that tickles my interest in it. Psi World is about a near future Earth, where psionic powers have become more and more common and those possessing them are feared and abused as freaks. The world's prejudice causes them to be hunted, controlled, isolated in space colonies and their talents outlawed. Of course an underground movement has sprung up and there are conservatives, liberals and fanatics on all sides. Players can chose to play rebel psi or normal psi-hunters or anything in between. The treatment of psionics in this game is very much like that in the second season of Sea Quest, its workings like that on Babylon 5 and the worlds treatment of them like mutants in Marvel's Xmen comics. The system has the familiar D&D-like attributes, ranging from 1-20. As such, the game works easily as a psionics or magic system supplement for Villains & Vigilantes (V&V), XXVc or Lands of Adventure (LoA). Skills and actions are tested against these standard attributes with modifiers, nothing special nor unique, playable and a decent simulation. The unique Psi attribute determines the players psi points which they spend executing psi powers to varying degrees. The points return with rest and can increase with experience in their use. The whole system is very stand alone and easily grafted to the above games, AD&D, D&D, Gamma World, Mach, as well as others. Psi characters get there powers in one or more major and minor disciplines grouped by affect: telepathy, empathy, pyrokenitic, healer, and mind meld, to name a few. The animalist discipline and even lesser rogue type powers (cantrip level, below minor discipline) are detailed in the Psi World adventure, "The Hammer Shall Strike", sold separately (an excellent supplement and two exciting adventures). Weapon damage ranges are similar to the above mentioned games. This makes the modern weapons charts detailed in the rules usable with any of them. This includes the handling of grenades and heavy personal weapons. Lastly, the hit location and damage allocation tables, allow players of any of the above games to detail hits and account for the consequences of the damage. Hit points are divided up among the major sections of the body and a factor is applied to multiply them. The characters full hit points are monitored as well as the factored points attributed to each body sector. A sector like and arm can reach 0 and the player will suffer consequences to its use. Meanwhile the damage points are also applied to his total hit points. What you get in addition to the rules is a screen, 2 mini die 20 and an adventure (not a bad one). If the background sounds interesting to you, you won't be disappointed to pay the cover price, $12.00. If you are a V&V, XXVc or LoA player looking for psionics rules and some added campaign background (the psi-paranoia can easily be grafted to a V&V or XXVc campaign) you also won't be disappointed to pay full price. To others, the worth of this game will depend on their present game system and its present psionics rules, however, compared to current supplement prices it is a cheap gamble. Personally, I find them superior to AD&D and Gamma World 4th ed. I say, buy it. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)