Contact - It goes two ways, baby.

[Carnage]

Something I've always wanted to see is the contact skill working as a two-way link, not just one way. As in, someone contacts your mind and you can send them psis. Example:

emote humps %concubine brains out

Someone has broken through your barrier!
You sense a foreign presence contact your mind.

psi I swear to the fuckin' Highlord himself that if this isn't an emergency someone's going to get killed.

Tektolnes sends you a telepathic message:
         "Aw jeeze, sorry man."

You sense a foreign presence withdraw from your mind.

Well, any thoughts or opinions? I think it could make for some good ol' hilarious psi hijinks!

[Dracul]

Lmao...nice example there.

anyways, I agree on that too, (although I honestly haven't tried to psi when someones contacted me, I think you can't since you have to both be contacted...anyways....) I'm sure there is some bit that mindbenders and the like can do by -being- contacted.

I -am- sure of this not only because it makes sense, but because of a couple skills I found looking through the helpfiles. So, I think that's an ability thats more complicated than the average way.

[Vendyra]

I really like the idea and example, but what about if you were already in contact with someone?  Who would the psi go to?

[Dracul]

both? It'd be a nice way to accidentally hear information...or let info slip.
afterthought: that would probally become way, way too annoying.

[Gorobei]

I think it would be cool if it went to both.  Then, if you were good enough with the Way to bypass the contacting message (A foreign presence contacts your mind.), you could hear anything that your victim was actively trying to project, and be some sort of super spy.

I just changed my mind.  It would make spying way too easy.

Perhaps there could be psi direction.
>psi dude WASSUP!?
>psi dudette WAASSSSUUPPP?!?!

Also, if you were good enough you could contact more than one person.

[Lazloth]

While an interesting suggestion, I think there may be a whole class of people who would suffer should this be flippantly added.  Moreover, the contact skill conducts a check when enacted; how do you skirt around that?

[Malifaxis]

Does this mean it would no longer feel like

getting punched in the gut

every time you send a psi?

Just curious.

[creeper386]

Don't much like the idea... Just seems to make waying way easier...Although I think it's alittle difficult now, I don't think it should be easy though that way.

And the second idea... Would not only make spying to easy... It'd continue to demean the Way as a way of communication, and therefore would make it even less likely it'd be relied upon enough to keep even basic forms of written communication underwraps.

Creeper

[Carnage]

What Gorobei said as to how it would work with multiple contacts.

Moreover, the contact skill conducts a check when enacted; how do you skirt around that?

You have it for the person who initiates the contact. What's the problem?

Does this mean it would no longer feel like

getting punched in the gut

every time you send a psi?

Just curious.

It would still feel like that. As you know (since you had characters who were masters of the way after five days played) you still take stun damage from psis, even those replying to others.

[mr. pretentious]

Oh man, oh man!  I got this great three year plan, discounted from PacWay(tm).  Seriously it has it all!  Three way psiing, free roaming for those out of town telepathic messages.  And best of all, speed, way.  With a push of my temple it just automatically contacts the person I was thinking of.  Oh man am I excited.

[John]

I really like the idea and example, but what about if you were already in contact with someone?  Who would the psi go to?

I've actually always thought if your in contact with someone someone else shouldn't be able to contact you. The reason is it's rather difficult to think when that happens. It's like trying to talk to someone about hair removal while someone else tries to tell you why your wallet is in the kitchen sink. It's extremely difficult

[Carnage]

A late night insomnia idea that'll satisfy Lazloth:

When you reply, you psi 'Someone' instead of the sdesc.

There.

[Lazloth]

Better.  Bump stun loss and figure out how to deal with multiple people in your head and I'll hop ship.

[John]

figure out how to deal with multiple people in your head and I'll hop ship.

Have an argument for psi. So when you psi you have to type "psi <target> <message>".

But I really think being contacted by multiple people (in the current system) shouldn't be allowed

[chinwa]

Instead of making it fully automated, why not just make it simpler by a step.

Someone contacts you, but you don't automatically have a two-way link. Instead, you type "contact" without any keywords, and it will make a contact attempt to the person who's in contact with you.

[Lazloth]

Have an argument for psi. So when you psi you have to type "psi <target> <message>".

When you reply, you psi 'Someone' instead of the sdesc.

*peer*

[Angela Christine]

Don't forget that there is a good reason for Contact to be somewhat difficult: once someone gets a contact on you they can use their eeevil mindbending powers on you.  Ok, few PCs have evil mindbending powers, but you don't want to make things too easy on the ones that do.  So I vote no to auto-contacting anyone that contacts you.

>contact george
>psi *in a mocking tone* Hey, George, nice job trying to pick up that militia wench.  Has your nose stopped bleeding yet?
>You feel your brain melting.
*beep*

Yeah, like I don't have enough problems.  

AC

[Carnage]

Eh, I don't think I really honestly expected the idea to catch on. It was one of those, 'Wouldn't it be cool...' kinda things. I've just been in positions a lot where I wanted to tell people to fuck off at before they could do anything.

[Delirium]

It's a good idea in theory, but I think it would have too many pitfalls to actually impliment it. I've entertained the notion myself but I think things are the way they are now, for a reason.