Quote from: Lunamancer;914921Not really.

Yes Really.

I think that depends on what the players thought the special powers were going to do for them in the first place. If (as often seems to be the case) they thought the special powers were going to be a kind of "I Win" button they could mash to short circuit all that tedious deduction, then yes you run the risk of the players wondering what they wasted those build points on.

If the powers are presented as a way of enabling a different, probably more exotic kind of detective story that still requires the players to do some detective work, then you should be all right.

Quote from: daniel_ream;914987If the powers are presented as a way of enabling a different, probably more exotic kind of detective story that still requires the players to do some detective work, then you should be all right.

Right, good way of looking at it.

I guess what I'm wondering is which 'powers' create the most opportunities for the least game disruption. A related issue is which powers are fun for a single story, but would be a pain over the course of a campaign of multiple stories.

For instance, mind-reading sounds like great fun if sufficiently limited, but I worry about its distortion effect on the setting over multiple stories. Post-cognition could make for some really interesting clue gathering (like having a low-resolution, low-memory security camera anywhere), but what do you say to the players if they start spamming it all over the place? Memory altering powers sound like they would open a can of Dune-sized worms in a genre already prone to analysis paralysis.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;915003Post-cognition could make for some really interesting clue gathering (like having a low-resolution, low-memory security camera anywhere), but what do you say to the players if they start spamming it all over the place?

I'd say, "Stop doing that."

Alternatively, I'd use a system where doing that is not free. If it costs* something people are less likely to spam the hell out of it.


* Cost might be a resource cost or it might be an increased risk of something bad occuring.

Unfortunately the answer tends to be... "Depends on the game."

Example in Albedo. Aside from that one rare talent adventure the PCs are limited to tech. This may require authorization to access and the NET might edit what the PCs get if it deems the need. Too much use might tip off anyone monitoring for that sort of trick too.

Example in Star Frontiers: Dralasites have a lie detection ability. It starts out pretty weak at a mere 5% chance of success. But can be improved on for a better chance. But it can be circumvented by Sathar hypnosis for example since the victim isnt aware of the commands. This might go so far as being made to forget some deed they did to further complicate matters. There is also the same sorts of high tech access and it also can be tampered with and circumvented.

In some versions of D&D ESP and mind reading are invisible. In others the target is aware. In some versions mind to mind contact can open you up to counterattacks or at least attempts at deception. And as noted post-cognition powers can be tricked by various means. Like disguises. You'll get some info. But it isn't an instant  "I win" button unless the criminal has been very sloppy. That might be so in the first case or two. But eventually some criminal is going to take precautions and possibly lots of. In one case the criminals took the bodies with them so they could be neither raised nor read or such.

In other games mind reading might be only surface thoughts. Or blockable with devices.