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Server Guidelines
While not hard rules, these are more guiding principles and playstyles for the intent of Occulus
Just what it says on the tin, we have neither the money or time to handle a large community and the baggage that would bring. In my honest opinion SS13 works best with about 20-25 players at most.
Eris' code is unique in the sense that it doesn't REQUIRE a designated bad guy to make the game fun. There's plenty of ways to entertain yourself and roleplay and the ship always has another problem to fix. Antagonists should be special, not an every day thing.
Much like Eris, Occulus tries to break the usual mold of SS13 settings. NT, syndicates, bluespace everything, etc, etc. While these things exist. They've been massively de-scaled in scope to be made sane rather than remain a corporate dystopia parody. Don't go into it expecting NT to run everything and clowns as actual staff.
With the advent of bluespace opening up inter-system travel there's a renaissance of exploration and colonization promising endless opportunities and riches in the Milky Way. In truth however it's hardly that exciting for the common person. Rarely planets are habitable and even more rarely do they have intelligent life. The logistics of nullspace exploration are all very boring and rarely the danger is worth what can be found. For those that life suits though, there's no place they rather be than out at void.
For as long as humanity has existed, and by extension other sapient species the same ugly vices have ruled them and their survival; greed, cruelty, violence. Even in the first generation of immortals with access to technological miracles far beyond our own today does humanity face the same old problems. Thankfully no one has to all share the same overcrowded planet anymore. However the average day still feels the same. Stupid slapfights on social media, corporate subscriptions to nearly any service or good, and government incompetency funded by taxpayers. At least you can get a cool new hovercar... Right?
Being round-based, SS13 works best in my opinion when it's more like a television episode than a novel or long film. The events of the ship are self-contained but have impacts on future episodes and character interactions. Yet not everything from a round is canon. there's no hard and fast rule on that sort of thing and it's more of an art and skill than a science. If you're ever lost on how to remember a round feel free to ask a staff member, or better yet - ask other players.
Four hundred years is a long time and history is hard to remember. While we're all speaking modern English through the lens that's 'Galactic common', so much has changed that the events and culture you're reading this in is long gone and forgotten. Making references to modern day or the recent century is in poor taste and just looks lazy. If you have to make up modern events or pop culture on the fly to fit a dialogue you're fully encouraged to do so. Improvisation is an art like any other and the more you do it the more proficient you'll be.
SS13 has always suffered from a 'my fun matters the most, screw everyone else' mindset that's never given it a good image. What you do as a player impacts others and you should keep this in mind. In essence this is an extension of the Golden Rule.
This guideline is more for actions that can be seen as risky, self antagging or questionable under the regulations. Before you go starting a gun fight for revenge or stealing something major - think about what the outcome for you and others could be before committing to it.
This doesn't mean violent conflict but rather inter-character conflict. Not everyone gets along but you all have to live with eachother. People form friendships, romances, rivalries and dislikes, let it show.
Stop to give thought into just who your character is, their name, why and their first impressions. This means not giving them a meme name, filling out flavor text and forming some kind of idea on why they are where they are. Again, this is a server of characters and it only works so long you put effort into it.
Antagonists happen, and there's going to be conflict. How you deal with the rise and fall of conflict matters, so keep this in mind when interacting with the changling levels of escalation set out in the Escalation guidelines. These guidelines (and the following on Deescalation) don't just apply to antagonists, but to all crew. They just so happen to come up the most in interactions with antagonists so they are located there as well.
The Antagonist Leads, you follow: 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.
De-Escalation and Capture: As a crewmember, if an antagonist is trying to de-escalate it is good form to try and follow suit by matching the de-escalation with de-escalation of your own. However, you are not required to do so.
Should an antagonist antagonist surrender (by going prone on the floor), or be detained, captured, killed, or similar then the crew is expected to likewise stand down. Do not stay in on a hostile, aggressive footing if you have someone restrained or disabled (unless, of course, they attempt escape. At that point they are fair game.) If a situation has been declared publicly defused by a commanding officer or similar, it is considered to be de-escalated completely. This is usually shown by a drop to green alert, public statements that the situation is under control, or similar. If your boss is telling you it's de-escalated, it's de-escalated.
Escaping Confinement: 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.
"opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, rival," which is derived from anti- ("against") and agonizesthai ("to contend for a prize"). Antagonists are still characters(for the most part) but just working against the crew's interest. Often times it will resort to violence but the why's of that violence matter the most. No one is the villain in their own story.
Like it's stated up above, antagonists are not the main focus of the server, nor should you feel responsible for making the round fun for everyone. Do what's fun for both you and the crew and what you think makes a good story.
Some antagonists are easier than others for backgrounds, Excelsior are mind-controlled radical collectivists and Carrions are body puppets, however antagonists like Tratior or Mercenary are willing antagonists. Take some time during normal play to think about why your character made the choice to work against the crew's interest and why it would be interesting for them to learn.
It's not for everyone, and you always don't have a fresh idea. Don't feel like not playing antagonist is boring the round. We much rather have an engaged, thought-out antagonist player than someone who just got designated bad guy.