[Custom Move] Telepathic communication.

Last night, my Hocus player wanted to set up telepathic communication via the Maelstrom - Cool, says I! Here's what I gave him:


When you psychically link your mind to others, roll+weird. On a hit, you establish telepathic communication with a group of up to 3 characters for a few hours. They have to be near you when you connect with them, but can move away after.
On a 10+, choose 1. On a 7-9, choose 3.

• The connection is short-lived and/or unclear
• You and the ones linked to you take 1-harm ap
• You and the ones linked to you are exposed to the Maelstrom
• You can only establish a link with a single person

On a miss, well - the Maelstrom does what the Maelstrom wants.

Neat move!

But I think that instead of the player picking consequences, you should rephrase the options so that the player is choosing advantages. Like:

* You are able to sustain communication over time.
* You are able to contact multiple minds.
* You are not exposed to the Maelstrom.
* The communication is easy and without strain.

(And don't specify exactly how long or how many, have that be a matter for the fiction and circumstances to dictate.)

That way, the MC has the option of including consequences not specifically prohibited by the player. You don't HAVE to inflict harm if the communication is not without strain, but you CAN. Or, you can have one character pass out from the strain and get captured. Etc.

Also, it will tell you what your player WANTS, instead of what your player wants to avoid.

Those are some good points! I actually did have the initial version done as you described by the player picking advantages - it's how I presented it last night. For some reason I thought it would be better this way - but yours looks great. I think I'll make that the "go-to" version for this group.

I like it! It's simple and totally cool.

I established telepathic contact via straight up augury in our game. That brings in the whole risking the antenna thing, but hey, good fun was had by all...

My brainer, Marshmallow has this:  Instant brain-to-brain thought transmission: You can speak into the mind of anyone who can see you, communicating as with speech, but privately and over any distance.

And augury is the most common source of this kind of thing that I've seen.