Mind Control and Mass Hypnosis in T2K

[General Pain]

Just found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6KGZ4UQjgc


And it got me thinking, when you can use mass hypnosis on that scale, what wouldn't you be able to achive in a post-apocalyptic scenario.

REF:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_control
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwashing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-L...ic_Programming
http://www.factnet.org/rancho1.htm
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/mkdoctable.htm
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/sub...cripts-nsa.htm
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/min...o-firewall.htm
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/mic...indcontrol.htm
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/ciabwash.htm
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/how...controlled.htm
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/brainwashing.html
http://www.illuminati-news.com/detect-mindcontrol.htm

[copeab]

Just toss in the psioncs rules from Dark Conspiracy ...

[Targan]

Because the system I use is derived from Harnmaster it was natural that we left in the psionics rules but they are incredibly rare and I only allow those psionic talents that can be explained in other ways. For instance Captain Lamont, the uber-crusty USMC veteran NPC in my campaign has prescience but nobody thinks of him as being psionic, they just know that he has an uncanny ability to detect ambushes and unseen hazards. Another (now deceased) character had psychometry and simply seemed to others to be a natural tracker.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by copeab

Just toss in the psioncs rules from Dark Conspiracy ...

In "Traveller: The New Era" you will find rules for psionic powers, too. I like both "Dark Conspiracy" and "Traveller:TNE" as a separate games but the chance to use some of their specific rules in a T2K game (the three with the same set of rules) is a bonus point.

[General Pain]

I wasn't looking for a discussion on psionics, since I allready have designed rules for that...I was looking more for a discussion on brainwashing a-la :

Charles Manson
fundamentalist religious groups (like the youtube video provided)
stuff like that...

thanx for input anyway...

the harnmaster system is kind of intriguing,,,,

[Targan]

Originally Posted by General Pain

I wasn't looking for a discussion on psionics, since I allready have designed rules for that...I was looking more for a discussion on brainwashing...

I'm always on guard when GMing my campaign because the player of Major Po is a psychologist in RL and as both a player and as a GM he has seriously messed with my head in the past.

Also in my campaign Major Po has engaged in torture on a few occasions (which I really am not comfortable with but as I've said in the past I don't deliberately punish PCs for doing things I find distasteful). The creepy thing is that Major Po (being a medical doctor and having received fairly advanced interrogation training as an FBI agent) doesn't generally go in for the straightforward brutal type of torture. He mixes it up, combining psychological techniques with physical torture.

The Gunmaster system actually has a skill called Resist Drugs/Torture and a number of PCs and NPCs in the campaign have that skill open but few have a high level in that skill for obvious reasons. Generally they have the skill open because they have done some special forces or spook course in counter interrogation techniques but they don't usually have much opportunity to make development checks in the skill. If they did they would almost certainly have to start making rolls on Gunmaster's Psyche Disorders chart (which MajorPo also created).

[Targan]

To address the thread title, in my opinion even if it was possible to engage in mass hypnosis in a RL, controlled setting (which I doubt), how would you manage such a thing in T2K?

As for mind control, what exactly do you mean? Turning people into robot-like slaves? Beaming instructions right into their brains? Hmm, pure fantasy methinks (which is fine if that meshes with a particular campaign's style). Or do you mean brainwashing and psy-ops (which is definitely possible).

I would say that some of Major Po's methods in my campaign amount to brain washing as he has basically set up his own 'cult of personality'. From what I hear of HQ's campaign General Pain engages in much the same sort of activities. It is usually a longer term thing but with drugs and the right kind of specialists I think brainwashing could be successfulyl performed on small groups of people in a matter of weeks.

Psychological Operations! :P

[boogiedowndonovan]

on a somewhat related note,

anyone seen the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats?

http://www.themenwhostareatgoatsmovie.com/#home

[Cdnwolf]

If we remember, Hitler managed to brainwash a whole nation with a forceful personality... no hocus pocus involved.

[kato13]

Originally Posted by Cdnwolf

If we remember, Hitler managed to brainwash a whole nation with a forceful personality... no hocus pocus involved.

Well not a whole nation, but your point is taken. Hitler is always one of the examples I use when I state that charisma is not directly related to appearance. Rasputin is another. Both had near hypnotic effects on people.

[kato13]

Second human assist spammer targeted this thread. I was watching them the whole way and pretty much knew what they were doing but I'm not online all the time. I think I am going to lock this thread to prevent it from happening again.