Psi Earth is riddled with secret societies and government agencies that are connected to psionic powers. Some are aimed at promoting psi powers, some at using psi powers for good, some to use such powers for gain (both political and financial) and some are aimed at controlling psis. Most have a number of goals, and often there are informal contacts between both secret societies and the various government agencies.
There are a variety of groups that aware of and involved with psionics. These can be divided into just a few categories though. The categories are government agencies, crime groups, secret societies and public cover societies. Players have a choice of being members of a secret society, going for work for the government or being part of a crime gang.
Most of the developed world's governments have one or more agencies that are at monitoring psis. This could b e a branch of the secret police or security service or intelligence agency. Governments do not want to publicly admit that psis exist, and will, besides monitoring, both stop and cover-up the use of psi powers by individuals. The government thinks, and p r obably rightly so, that admitting to significant numbers of true psionics will cause social upheaval. The Religious Right will claim it is evil and of the devil unless the person is already an upstanding member of a church in which case its gods work. T he general public will panic over telepaths that can read minds, especially if the government has telepaths working for them.
There are often informal contacts between government agencies and some secret societies. It is usually starts with agents who have encountered psis who cooperate to hide an otherwise unexplained phenomenon.
In the US, the agency monitoring psis is a sub-set of the CIA.
Of course such government agencies will have work assignments for their agents, both psi and non-psi.
Various crime groups, both organized and semi-organized, use members who are psis to assist them. Crime groups will not try and recruit psis. The chance of infiltration is too high to risk. Instead, the crime groups will accept psis only from the same background that their regular members come from. This could be the MAFIA or a local street gang or motorcycle gang.
Public cover societies provide camouflage or cover usually for a small group of psis or a single psi. Often look like a New Age group, or occasionally an evangelical revival group. Some are less savory than others are. The core group always includes at least one psi, usually an Empath, Telepath or more rarely a healer of some sort. Most frequently, the psi is actually a minor psi, but the minor is drawn from one the three majors list before. The cover society will draw people in and at least make them feel good by using empathy or telepathy. The most honest will have a healer that actually heals people miraculously. The most unsavory will use telepathy for blackmail on top of general feel good thoughts. Usually the cover society is a means for the psi to earn money without having to actually work for a living.
There are multiple secret societies that exist to support and assist psionics. There is a certain amount of fighting and competition between the various groups. The typical society recruits new psis, trains them and otherwise supports them. Most of the training is in how to use their psi powers, but some secret societies will provide non-psi training to some individuals. The society will also provide refuge and assistance to members who are in trouble, especially if it was caused by carrying out society business. In exchange for such training, and support, the society takes a part of the members' income. Societies have a general need for money, so they almost always teach and insist that their people earn money using their psi powers.
Common money raising techniques are gambling of various types. Very rarely will a society engage in money raising activities that are by themselves illegal. Manipulation of the odds when gambling is acceptable since it is unlikely to be noticed. Selling drugs or committing arson is unacceptable since it is likely to be noticed.
Secret societies have a number of goals. A common goal is breeding of more psis. They also are fighting for their freedom in some countries, or at least to keep the government off their backs. They also have to protect themselves from non-government anti-psi forces.
At least some societies are willing to use sex to recruit and hold onto members. They offer young men access to women as a bribe. The women and the men are chosen for their breeding potential usually. The society will support the women and otherwise assist the women. The secret society would even go so far as to having other psis raise the children and sending the mother to college.
Secret societies try to help their members not only via direct money, but also access to jobs, schooling and information. In exchange, the secret society will have members perform various missions. This will provide adventure openings for the game.
The largest secret societies are Psi Corp and Claven.
The Psi Corp is one of the largest and most organized of the secret societies. Psi Corp offers some specific training and gets certain types of jobs for psis based upon certain psionic abilities.
Telepaths are trained to be poker players. They are also trained to assist in commercial negotiations. At first they will have a cover story as an intern or secretary. Psi Corp will offer them business training (Merchant skill) if they have the aptitude.
Precogs are trained, if possible, to be junior high and high school teachers or nurses in schools so they can identify new psis. A preferred position is guidance counselor in a school.
Telekinetics are trained, if possible, to be gamblers at games like roulette, craps and even horse racing. The Telekinetics use their powers to manipulate the dice, ball or hold back the horses. They must turn over a good portion of their winnings to the secret society.
Teleports are the society's special delivery boys. They move goods and people as needed. They also make good smugglers. This is especially important for black market items such as heavy weapons, explosives, and military gear. Teleports are also used to move people across borders without detection. Members of Psi Corp will have access to almost any black market item they need. New members will not know this, but they may find out after they are involved in providing or obtaining such materials on Psi Corps behalf.
Coilers as trained in three areas. The first is general information hacking. They obtain information that can be used for stock market manipulation, more likely a form of insider trading which is safer. The second is to beat slot machines. They don't want to win every time, but instead have greater odds of winning and have more frequent small winnings.
Psi Corp has some long-term goals, but new members will not be told about these goals. Psi Corp foresees a war between those with psionic powers and the mundanes. Since Psi Corp gets it's name and some other ideas from the old TV series Babylon 5; they refer to this as the Telepath War. They fully intend to win this war.
Psi Corp also owns Hansen Industries, or rather a majority of the stock via numerous Psi Corp members. Obtaining Hansen Industry stock is tough sometimes. It is thinly traded.
Hansen Industries is the primary company trying to create a colony on Mars. Only psis are recruited for the Mars colony, but nobody outside of the special recruiters know about this. Psi Corp Empaths conducts all interviews. They especially use the school recruiters to find psis in the cities. While life on Mars is tough, brutish and often short, it is better than welfare in the cities.
Psi Corp is very big in terms of numbers of members. Psi Corp is also very powerful via its membership and Hansen Industries. Psi Corp has seeded many members in powerful economic and political positions throughout the US and large parts of Europe. Psionically though, Psi Corp is not very powerful. None of the secret societies are psionically powerful. Psi Corp has lots of members (25,000+ on Earth), but most of them are of marginal power or talent. Psi Corp has lots of Empaths who act as recruiters and such. Lots of Empaths though doesn't provide enough coverage for all of the US, let alone the world. Low level Empaths are scattered in major metro areas in appropriate jobs if possible. Slightly more powerful Empaths travel as Hansen Industries recruiters and personnel managers. Player characters are among the top 10% of powerful psis. This means they'll advance quickly within Psi Corp and thus possibly within Hansen Industries. Psi World rules though don't recognize this difference in maximum psi points. Eventually everybody can top at about the same level, 120 points.
The Boston Thieves Guild is also one of the largest psionic secret societies. It is much smaller than Psi Corp, having about 5,000 members. The Boston Thieves Guild has no qualms about teaching, and encouraging it's loosely knit membership in living the good life through psionic based crime.
The Boston Thieves Guild has some long-term goals. Most of these goals revolve around money and power for the members, in particular turning illegal gains into clean income streams.
They also have specific training and uses for various types of psionics.