How do I have telepathy in my game without it being completely

Make it vague. Don't give every person a running narrative in their head; shoot for general ideas or images, or use emotions instead.

Have it take time. Don't make it like flipping a switch and suddenly they're in someone's head. It could take quite a bit of concentration or even extended physical contact.

Alternatively (or additionally), have there be a "delay" while the raw thought-data is processed into something useful; this delay could be anything from a few seconds of lag to cumulative worsening lag to needing a lot of quiet time after the fact and turning telepathy into a search-and-analyze sort of deal.

Telepathy only works against people that do [X]. This gives the PCs a challenge in making their targets do [X] without them realizing it. [X] could be anything you can justify; for example, if telepathy is magical in nature, it might be saying their name because names have power. Other examples include thinking in sequence (going "1, 2, 3, 4..." in your head makes it easy for mental invaders to get in), wearing a specific type of metal jewelry (something something telepathic resonance), and maintaining eye contact eye contact (window to the soul and all that).

>>55067484
Thanks for the reply. It's a Sci Fi setting btw. One issue I've got now since you've helped is that the interaction between the player and the person having their mind read is dull and is just a dice vs dice scenario.