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... or: how I learned to stop powerplaying and love the bomb. Do you have telepathic characters in your RPG? I'm curious as to how that works, how it doesn't work, and how it could. (Context: I write in and run Star Trek RPGs, which we call 'simming'. A group of five to, say, 20 writers write a character on a starship, starbase or colony. We produce third-person longer-form 'logs' (posts of 500-1000 words), sometimes collaborating for a joint log or ensemble log. These RPGs, or sims, run on play-by-email or similar systems, and sometimes forums.) How are empathy and telepathy handled in your RP environment? In Star Trek we have a range of species to write with. From empaths who feel or experience the emotions of another (empathic, like Betazoids, or Deanna Troi on The Next Generation), and telepaths, who can read thoughts, send messages and other crazy stuff according to what the writers needed (Original Series wierdos, Kes on Voyager) – we have quite the selection to pick from. I can see telepathy in particular being a PIA in RPGs. A writer might try and steal the thunder by telling you what your character is thinking before you can respond, or suddenly undo an action, or control your character. But, in the right hands, there are also some great advantages in gameplay, both for plots and for character development. Taking the telepath out of action, having them find a piece of the puzzle, or having an interaction with an ongoing villain/NPC/object (thanks, ST: The Motion Picture). There are many options*. My character (Grey, funnily enough) is a former spy who is unexpectedly developing telepathic skills. He's in a relationship with another character, a PC written by an old friend, and we are having lots of fun exploring the push and pull of that, with various evil plans for the future (namely, making Grey suffer). I know many of the other RPers of old so they know where I'm coming from – but as I'm restarting my own game I'm wondering about where the lines are and how I'd define them in my weirdalienjellymachine head to a future writer. How does your RPG handle telepathy? Does only the GM/CO get to write telepaths? If you are or were writing a telepath, do you have free rein in what you can do or are there limits? Do you write with a telepath who's great/awkward? I want to hear from you. All input welcomed. (*so long as none of them involves William Shatner. I really never need to see that man again, even if I am a massive Star Trek fan.)