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Antagonist Guidelines
Awesome! No really. Antagonist is one of the hardest, most problematic, and absolutely most rewarding roles to play in this game. By taking up the mantle, you are taking responsibility for the round as well as doing your best to entertain up to thirty other people in a wild, unpredictable, chaotic mess of a game.
It's a difficult, but rewarding role. Good antagonists are lauded as people who make the whole game worth playing, while bad ones generate salt and make people want to leave.
This should be obvious, but it's worth stating. When you roll antagonist the story and the round actually do revolve around you. You are the mover and shaker of the story. If done well, all eyes should eventually be trained on you and the story you weave. So let your stones drop, open your heart, and tell the best story you can! This is literally your time to shine!
If you don't think your storytelling skills are good enough for you. I have two things to tell you.
- They are! If your abilities weren't good enough, we wouldn't want you here. The mere fact that you were invited by friends and friends of friends means we know you are able to do this.
- Our stories suck too! Just because a story is bad doesn't mean it's not worth telling! There is nothing to be ashamed of, and even a bad story can be fun!
As an antagonist, there is an expectation to do crazy, wild, dangerous, and occasionally brutally violent things. You may need to hurt, betray, fire upon, or even explode close friends... and this is okay!
As an antagonist, nothing you do in that capacity is considered to be a canon action. Antagonist action is always waived away as "Someone else" if it is mentioned at all! Rolling antag gives you a clean slate after the fact. Please don't hesitate to use it!
Contrary to popular belief, the people who try and maintain order on the server often are very much on your side. If you want to do something unusual, just ring us up with F1 (ahelp) to ask for something! We may ask for things in exchange (Telecrystals, live sacrifices, massive meals, and cookies are common requests) but it's rare that we will give a flat no as a response! We want to help you succeed at making your story great!
We are also there if you are ever worried you might be going too far. It doesn't hurt to ask if you think something is going to be questionable.
I mean, no, it's not. But going in as an antagonist you should have a mindset that you aren't here to "win". The goal here is to have a good story, have fun while doing it, and hopefully laugh at how stupid we all looked after the fact. Experiment! Do different/interesting things! Cry in despair as your carefully laid plans and lair get eaten by a blob! The whole point is to have fun in the end!
Due to the nature of the game, we have a few additional recommendations involving each type of antagonist.
Traitor is the simplest, and most flexible antagonist type. As the baseline there are very few special recommendations around it. That said, the traitor uplink on a PDA is not considered an IC thing. If you see it as a crewmember, simply close the program and ignore it.
Carrions are not your character! They are a basketball-sized spider in the chest cavity of a person, puppeting the body's movements. While they may steal some traits from their host, ultimately they are not crwemembers nor do they have any reason whatsoever to care about the well-being of the crew.
Carrions are always hostile. They have killed a member of the crew to infiltrate the ship, and many of their abilities require they kill or maim other members of the crew.
NT Sci and NT Med are aware of a blood test that exists to identify disguised carrions. NT in general may identify many of the body parts of a carrion at a glance.
NT and Aegis have standing orders to contain and study any hostile Xenofauna. This includes Carrions.
Carrion spiders in the wild are known, visible, hostile wildlife and are free for anyone to destroy on sight. Mindboiler spiders in particular are considered a form of assault.
The Carrion, if detached, is a clear monster and is fair game to destroy. The "Human" body of a carrion is considered safe to revive once the spider core is gone.
Occultists are members of the crew who have went insane and acquired strange powers. They are afforded all the protections of being members of the crew. When playing as an Occultist, keep in mind that your character is still themselves... just twisted.
Occultists should not be subtle. Your character is seeing things, hearing things, and should be actively trying to drive themselves and others over the breaking point for breakdowns. Many of your abilities are noisy, messy affairs on purpose. You should not hesitate to use them!
Note that abilities that directly reduce sanity are considered a form of assault/battery. If you start screaming to drive people mad, they are permitted to shoot you.
Anyone in NT is aware that removing the tumor in an Occultist will kill them.
Aegis is expected to play a light hand, unless an Occultist starts actively breaking regulations and hurting people. Remember: These are your friends and comrades
Mercenaries are outside, generally hostile forces that have a vested interest in someone, or something, on the ship.
Mercenaries are by default considered armed intruders unless they explicitly request permission to dock. If a Merc shows up without warning it is fair game to fire on them/attempt to detain them. Remember: Multiple outside groups want to take over the CEV Northern Light for their own purposes, and the crew is obligated by their contract to prevent this.
The mercenary warning announcement alone is sufficient cause for command to raise the alert to Blue at command's discretion, even if faked.
Assaults on the mercenary ship are strictly prohibited by the crew. Doing so without explicitly asking admins beforehand is grounds for a ban.
Using the Move-Down command to exploit on the mercenary ship is grounds for a week ban from the server. Do not do it.
Mercenaries are expected to try and assault or infiltrate the ship. Do not camp on your own ship.
Simple as the title. As a member of the crew you are not a protagonist of the story. In all interactions between an antagonist and a crew-member, the antagonist sets the tone and pacing of the encounter.
Most antagonist types are hostile, well-equipped, well-armed, and dangerous. Many of them have external factors that may even push them to fight straight to the death or beyond.
You, on the other hand, are not.
When faced with a guy firing guns randomly, causing massive damage, or destroying your ship... remember that your own mortality matters. Even with soulcrypts and cruciforms death is a terrifying thing, and revival is never guaranteed. Even the most hardened warrior should be very wary of going into a conflict. Especially alone.
When dealing with antagonists, your level of force should match up and avoid exceeding the level of force of the antagonist. If the antagonist player is RPing heavily... you RP back. If the antagonist player is causing only light damage/mischief, you should likewise treat them with a light hand. Only in the face of a highly aggressive, hostile antagonist should you be pulling out the big guns.
If you believe your character has sufficient motive or reason to help an antagonist they may do so within reason. If there is ever doubt or hesitation about if an action is too far, simply ahelp before acting.
On the other side, it is very poor form to turn around and reveal an antagonist who trusted you with information about their antag status. Remember, Antaqs have very few people who they can trust, and betraying that trust only makes their job... the hardest one on the ship.... that much harder.
If the antagonist is trying to de-escalate, you (as a crew member) are not required to do so. However, it is good form to try and follow suit and match de-escalation with de-escalation of your own.
Should an antagonist be detained, captured, killed, or stopped then the crew is expected to likewise stand down. Do not stay in on a hostile, aggressive footing if you have someone in cuffs (unless, of course, they break them. In which case... they are fair game)
Breaking handcuffs or breaking confinement is considered a full escalation. Antagonists who prove they cannot be contained and have a history of hostility are fair game in every sense of the word.
Escalation is an important concept for antagonists and non-antagonists alike. Generally there are a few tiers of escalation. As always, Antagonists should be setting the pace for escalation. If a member of the crew is escalating a situation, they need to have a sound reason for doing so.
The lowest level of escalation. There is no threat of violence. Buying things from the union, visiting medbay for a checkup, or talking to someone about a manifesto is passive roleplay.
The second level of escalation. Petty theft, horsing around, threatening, and brandishing weapons all fall under this level. Nonviolent attempts to detain fall in this level.
A known, uncontained Xenobiological threat (such as a revealed Carrion or Occultist) is always at minimum in this tier.
The third level of escalation. Combat with rubber bullets, brawling, sabotage, and evading arrest fall under this level of escalation. Nonlethal take-down attempts fall in this level. Calling for backup on the radio also falls under this level.
A hostile actor (such as a mercenary) is always considered at this level if not explicitly permitted by command. Attacks on sanity fall under this category.
The fourth level of escalation. Combat with lethal weaponry, mass sabotage, and active combat with multiple members of the crew. If this level of escalation is reached, it is safe to assume one or more parties will be seriously injured or killed in the crossfire.
Escaping from confinement is always considered this level of escalation. Aegis is permitted to respond to escapees with live bullets.
The final level of escalation. Reserved for antagonists who have shown extreme hostility. Generally only command can do this, and they must have a justified reason for doing so. At this level, the entire crew is expected to take up arms against the hostile. Generally anything short of "They Delaminated the Engine" or "They killed half of a department" or "They tried putting phoron in distro' isn't enough.