Norwest

Thanks, and a great question; I've heard arguments either way about it on the Discord. I went for a 'no' ultimately because a) bolas can be really effective when used well, including against antags, so it's better if they don't start with it, that b) this means that Constables have to beg, borrow, or steal for one (which isn't a bad thing in and of itself!), but it's easy to make a basic bola from scraps or to get an e-bola from Security if a Constable player decides they really need one, and that c) it reinforces the whole 'win by running away' element we're trying to encourage with Constables. That being said, I'm totally willing to be convinced otherwise here. I'd like to give it a go without bolas at roundstart for Constables, and if it turns out they need some kind of weapon to slow people down, I've no issue with giving them an e-bola and access to more in the future. EDIT: Additionally, sprites have been submitted on the Discord thread discussing this design doc, so we've got one 'default' look and an alternative one for the role: I love the old 'Bri*ish bobby' look, and although the above helmet and armor is a tad too military-looking for the general aesthetic, it's still visually distinct and interesting! For the time being, unless anyone's willing to whip up additional clothing schemes or a 'ConstDrobe' clothing vendor then I'd like to have Constables spawn in the above shirt and left helmet+armor scheme, with one set of any alternative clothing in their personal lockers.

Update: the fines design has been rolled in with Constables in order to facilitate in-person interaction. Details here: Revised design doc incorporating 'fines and the legbreakers who enforce them' is now in the other thread.

Design Doc - Revised Edition (approved by design/balance teams to go ahead) New Mechanic: Tickets / New Role: Constable Inspiration: Paul Blyant, Space-Mall Cop We could stand to give SOP, and its Internal Affairs enforcers, a little more teeth. We could stand to keep the low-key shittery on the station better controlled, while also providing an interesting counterpart for greytiders, Clowns&Mimes, and other agents of non-antag chaos. We could stand to break up the 'Security hivemind' a bit, and introduce a little bit of dissension and mistrust into Team Redshirt. The ticket system and the new Constable role aim to address all of these elements together. Tickets: Paying Your Way This design introduces a new system of tickets, paid in-person with an ID-swiped 'excise payment system' (a modified EFTPOS scanner). If there's one thing we've seen from the recent 'courier' system change, it's that face-to-face interaction is a Very Good Thing, and that we should be building new mechanics based around encouraging it. 1xx (Minor) crimes will now be handled by paying a fine of 20 credits per violation, and 2xx (Moderate) crimes can be resolved by either a fine of 50 credits per violation or the same 5-10 minutes Brig time, at the discretion of whoever's making the arrest. The fine can either be paid in the field, or by bringing the person to the Brig and processing it there. SOP will now be enforced by fines, too. Internal Affairs and the NTR will be given the power to levy fines for SOP violations, with fees of 20 or 50 credits per individual violation. In either case, if someone is unable to pay their fine, they can serve their time in the criminally-underutilized Labor Camp, by working off their tickets in the 'debtor's prison.' However, actually collecting these fines from unrepentant greytiders is gonna be impossible without getting them in cuffs, soooo... Constables: Corporate Legbreakers Enter the Constable. This role is geared around enforcing the new fines and tickets system, and is specifically designed to remain targeted and focused on greytiders and low-key trouble throughout the shift. If Sec Officers are the station's SWAT team, responding to ':s HALP VAMPIRE SCI MAINTS,' then the Constables are the station's patrol cops, walking a regular beat and ensuring that someone with arrest authority shows up at the Dorms when '; halp joe griffer beating me up.' Internal Affairs/the NTR can write a ticket for SOP violations, and Security members can write a ticket for 1xx (Minor) and 2xx (Moderate) crimes, and since they're a role geared around tickets, Constables can write tickets for both. A Constable can subdue a crewmember in the field to collect a ticket, or bring them in for a 2xx (Moderate) offense such as Assault or Kidnapping if they think it's warranted. Unlike Sec Officers, however, Constables are not allowed to make arrests on anyone they see doing a 3xx (Major) crime or higher, and are expected to call those in to Security instead. Since we don't want to rely on SOP and Space Law alone, though, the Constable's gear has been carefully geared around the goal of "letting them reliably roughhouse greytiders, while also making them minimally-effective at fighting actual antagonists." Perhaps most importantly in terms of avoiding the 'Sec Officer Lite' problem, however, the Constable does not start the round mindshielded. Similar to the HoP they'll be blacklisted from a number of roundstart antag roles (cult, changeling, and vampire) but can be Syndicate traitors on occasion, along with being initially vulnerable to subversion attempts with mindslave implants, Dantalion vampires, cult conversion, etc. This makes the Constable only partially trustworthy by ever-paranoid Security, and keeps them from turning into Sec Officer Lite in the same way that the Brig Physician tended to become. The HoS can try to browbeat Constables into accepting the mindshield implants from their locker, can try to keep the Constables away from the Brig as much as possible, or can simply ignore them when feasible. Either way, however, there will always be an element of doubt and paranoia present, which is something that's currently missing from Security. Similarly, the Constable's inherent untrustworthiness means they'll provide extra work for their own Legal department, who currently lack enough interesting and fun work to do. Internal Affairs will obviously watch other departments for SOP violations to ticket, and the process of assigning and collecting tickets will keep them busier, but IA and the Magistrate will also need to keep an eye on their own legbreakers to make sure the Constables aren't taking a little extra cash on the side. The Constable role is intended to be a little bit shifty and untrustworthy by design, and to both introduce and encourage low-level corruption complications like 'Constables taking a small bribe to overlook Botanists selling drugs.' That being said, Constables are also not required to be corrupt, and can in fact be the One Good Man on the force. The role is meant to be open-ended in this regard, and the alternative uniforms (the 'British bobby' one in particular) are meant for players who want to play their Constable as an upstanding citizen. Whether it's 'bored mallcop writing tickets,' 'corrupt corporate mafia man,' or 'the cops we wish were out on patrol in real life,' the Constable role is meant to give players enough narrative freedom to play the role as honestly - or not - as they want. Necessary Changes: This covers the bare minimum, absolutely-necessary elements needed to get this to the point of a TM. There's a lot of 'nice-to-have' stretch goals, which'll be covered in a separate header below. However, with the basic elements covered here we should be able to go for a basic TM and see how the ticketing mechanic and the new role both handle in practice: 1. The 'Excise Payment System:' An EFTPOS scanner, but modified with a shiny red skin and modified to have always-on access to the department accounts. The EFTPOS normally requires you to know the account number and PIN of any account you're paying into, but this 'EPS' will let you pay directly into one of the various department accounts without also knowing anything more beyond the name ('Command Account,' 'Security Account,' etc). This will be accompanied with a slight modification to Space Law and SOP (details below) which cover the recommended payments for various types of low-level crimes and SOP violations. IA Agents and Constables will each start with an 'EPS' in their backpacks, as tickets and fines are meant to be central to their gameplay. Security Officers can also levy fines, so I'd like for two 'EPS' systems to be in the Brig Processing, along with one each in the Warden, HoS, Magistrate, and NTR Offices. There'll also need to be a reminder about normal ticket amounts, namely the 20-50 credit prices for the time being (exact numbers subject to change based on user experience, ofc), so the wiki will need to be updated with the relevant info (details below). 2. The 'Ticket' security status + SkillsHUD visibility: The Constable is the obvious go-to guy to handle an idiot Engineer who's resisting a demotion. Unfortunately, the SkillsHUD (which the Constable will start with) currently can't view the 'Demote' status on the HUD, which seems an obvious oversight. Additionally, I'd like for arrest statuses (Wanted, Parole, Release, etc.) to include the new 'Ticket' status, which'll be an orange $ sign or similar indicator. Ideally the 'Ticket' status should also be visible on the SkillsHUD, as it falls within the purview of relevant characters (the NTR, IA, and the Constable). 3. New Sprites/Minor Gear: At a minimum, Constables will need to look different from Sec Officers. I'd recommend re-using the sprites from a prior attempt to merge a not-Sec Officer, though other people are welcome to resprite as they wish. Constables will also need a Procedure-only encryption key, along with a renamed version of the IAA's non-bowman headset. 4. New Weapon: The Constable will need their own unique weapon to apprehend people (suggested custom weapon to follow). The basic design requirements were: a) Not a ranged weapon (extended chases are way more fun than if the Constable just no-sells a greytider with a disabler knockoff) b) Capable of reliably winning 1v1 fights with greytiders, and can't be easily lost (since Constables are expected to rely on this weapon against experienced 'tiders when flashes and pepperspray fail, and the whole 'lack of trust' means it's unlikely they can't count on Security backing them up) c) NOT highly effective against antags (we definitely don't want Constables interfering with Sec-vs-antag fights too much, and we don't need to repeat the 'detcurity' problem of the Detective's old .38 pistol) d) Unique and thematically appropriate for the role (whether they're an upstanding police bobby or a shady corporate legbreaker, the Constable's main tool should be something that reinforces the general look and feel of 'a patrol cop who solves back-alley problems with a beatstick and his fists') There were several great contenders in the Discord chat, including using the pre-existing police baton implant modified to only deal stamina damage, but the finalist was 'knockout muscle enhancer,' a weaker version of the pre-existing 'strong-arm empowered musculature' implant. The existing arm-mounted implant makes unarmed strikes deal 20 brute damage along with significant knockback; 'knockout muscle enhancer' is significantly weaker by design, operating instead like slightly enhanced boxing gloves. It causes the user to deal 15 stamina damage without any knockback when using unarmed harm intent, weakening targets until they fall over; depending on exact force amounts it'll take 6 strikes to fully stamina-exhaust a target. The strikes use the standard boxing notes ('X hits Y with a haymaker!' etc) and should ideally use a custom noise for their hits, so that others are aware these are stamina-only strikes. Like the original, a nearby EMP will cause the user to instead punch themselves. It can be printed in R&D protolathes with sufficient tech levels (I'm guessing...eh, Engineering 5, Biotech 6, and Illegals 2, say? Meh). 'Knockout muscle enhancer' is a useful CQC weapon that can't be taken away, but remains only mildly effective against most outright antagonists. It's a useful tool for a stand-up fight, but if the other guy runs then the Constable is at a real loss. They'll still lose a fight with a stamina-resistant vampire, and against a changeling with EMP Screech or a Syndicate with an EMP implant they're easy pickings - after all, one of the simplest ways to keep Constables away from actual antags is to make them very poorly-suited for fighting them. However, 'boxulature' provides a unique and interesting tool that's very thematically appropriate with the image of Constables as a shady corporate enforcer, and one that encourages extended chases and drawn-out beatdowns. 5. Mapping Changes - Starting Point: Gear-wise, the Constables will thankfully spawn with most gear they already need. Whatever their starting location (see below), we'll want to make sure they have access to two personal lockers (renamed 'Constable personal lockers') and a pepperspray tank. If the spriters come up with alternate clothing options in time for the TM, I'd recommend the alternate clothing options should go into a garment bag in each locker. Aside from that, if anyone's up to map out an actual Constable gear room (see the stretch goals below), I'd be very grateful! The Constables' design goals for access are as follows: a) Other than the stuff they must have, Constables should have minimal outside interaction with Security (we don't want them to turn into Sec Officer Lite, after all) b) Constables must have access to the Holding Cells, and may have access to Brig Processing and Interrogation depending on preference and how it shakes out in practice. However, on all maps Constables should not have access to the Prison Wing, Execution, Evidence, and anything more restricted (note: this may get problematic because the Prison Wing uses the same Holding Cell access - access type #2 - which the Constables will need at a bare minimum) c) Ideally, Constables should have access to the Labor Camp. The area is criminally under-utilized anyway, everything there is already set to the Holding Cell access which Constables will need to have at a minimum, and using it as a 'debtor's prison' fits in thematically very well with the Constables' whole theme. Some maps like the Kerberos/Delta are perfectly suited for this already, whereas others like Cyberiad/Box or Cerebron/Meta will require some additional effort (see below). d) The relevant access numbers are the Brig (#63) and Holding Cells (#2); Constables must have Holding Cell access in order to set Brig timers, and may have Brig access depending on necessity. Obviously, Constables will not be having Security (#1), Detective (#4), or Armory (#3) access, so those are safe for use. With all that said, I think there's basically three general approaches to giving Constables the 'right' access while keeping them away from the 'wrong' ones: 1. Minimalism: This would remove Constables' Brig access entirely, so that they only have Holding Cell access. On all maps there's at least four temporary cells near the front of the Brig, and modifying the double-doors near those cells to accept Holding Cell access (#2) would be sufficient. The Constables' starting position (+pepperspray and personal lockers) would be changed to the Courtroom, and Labor Camp SOP would have the Constables turn over any prisoners going there to Security instead. This 'minimalist' approach is relatively simple to implement, and accomplishes the goal of keeping Constables outside of the Brig, most notably in keeping them clear of the Prison Wing, Evidence, and other places they shouldn't be. However, it also keeps Constables away from the Labor Camp Shuttle, which is problematic since that'd be a great starting point and home-base for them, along with fitting into their general theme really well. Additionally, some poorly-organized maps (*cough*Cerebron!*cough*) utilize Brig access (not Courtroom #42 access - no joke!) on the Courtroom, so there'll need to be a bunch of doors modified anyway. 2. Compromise: This would retain Constable Brig access, but alter the areas they shouldn't go by changing door access there. Evidence, the Prison Wing, and Execution at a minimum would need to be updated from Holding Cell (#2) to Security (#1) access, or alternatively Security+Forensics (access_one, #1 and #4) access in cases where we want the Detective able to travel there too. This will let us use the Labor Camp Shuttle as a home base of sorts for the Constables, while also keeping them separate from Security in the process (since Sec almost never uses the Labor Camp or its shuttle except when evacuating the station). This'll take more time up-front to tweak specific door access codes properly, and may affect things like 'a traitor CE or RD being able to scoot in and easily loot Evidence,' but in the end I think it'll work out best. 3. Maximalist: We add a new 'Constable' access type, modifiable in the ID computer, and add the access to specific doors and areas where Constables should and shouldn't go. This will avoid the issue of interfering with other job types, and let us tweak exactly where Constables are allowed to travel (along with letting them have a private gear room; see the 'stretch goals' section), but will also take a lot more work to code and implement. Notably, we'd need to either make sure that the new access lets Constables still set holding cell timers appropriately on the telescreens, along with having access to necessary computers like the labor camp points manager. After talking with design/balance, option #3 has been chosen for the actual TM. Constables will have Maintenance and the custom 'Constable' access, which will be added to the standard ID computer (under the 'General' tab, similar to the 'Magistrate' and 'Law Office' ID accesses, another little detail to help reinforce that Constables aren't part of Security). We'll need to make sure that entities like the telescreens are set to access_one and allow the Constable access, ditto for the Labor Camp, but this'll help keep them where they belong. 6. New Role: Unlock requirements: 20 hrs as a Security Officer, 4 hrs as Internal Affairs Agent Starting text: "You are the Constable. Your job is to mediate disputes and maintain public order." Department/boss/starting location: Legal (reports to Magistrate), starts in Labor Camp shuttle checkpoint* Starting access: Constable*, Courtroom, Maintenance Starting equipment: custom jumpsuit, armored jacket, and soft cap (similar stats to the Sec jumpsuit, standard armored jacket, and Security soft cap), Skills HUDSunglasses, black shoes, radio (non-bowman, has Procedure encryption only), and a cardboard 'Constable equipment box' (starts in backpack) containing pepperspray, flash, handcuffs, security hailer, an 'excise payment system,' and a security holobarrier creator. Has standard Security PDA (with read-only Sec Records access and ability to summon bots). Starts with 'Fist Aid' Starting numbers: 1 at lowpop (<50 crew), 2 at higher population. Can be altered by HoP or other on-station ID computer. Does not start with a mindshield, but like the HoP the Constable is ineligible for certain antagonist types (cultist, changeling, and vampire in particular). *Please see 'Mapping Issues' section above; this assumes we go ahead with the third version listed above Stretch Goals: These are a bunch of 'nice to have' ideas which I'd love to see in the future, but aren't strictly necessary to move ahead with the whole concept: 1. Constable Gear Room: Shady back room? Shady back room! This'd be a roughly 3x3 Constable-only area, with things like a 'ConstDrobe' containing alternate clothing options and additional basic gear like handcuffs and a pepperspray refiller. This would also serve as an ideal place for Syndicate Constables to check their uplinks, store stolen gear, and for both antag and non-antag Constables to carry out not-totally-legal business deals like "selling emag swipes to the crew." 2. Constable-only access: The easiest way to keep Constables where we want 'em is to simply add a specific and unique access type. This also makes their own back-room more secure, and lets us modify exactly what places they can and can't go in Security (thus reinforcing the divide that these guys aren't card-carrying members of Sec). 3. Constable DRIP: If there's one thing that sells a role, it's looking the part. I've seen a number of interesting suggestions for alternate Constable getups, from a Bri*ish bobby cap to a uniform straight out of We Happy Few, ditto for a unique whistle that'd replace the classic Sechailer ("HALT! Security!" works well enough for the testmerge, but we do wanna reinforce that these guys aren't Sec). 4. A Constable-only ranged tool: Although the Constable's gear is designed to enable long chases, this may get too frustrating in practice. Therefore, one concept batted around was a method of temporarily slowing greytiders only long enough for the Constable to get to melee range and start decking them. One option would be for the Constable's whistle to have a short targeted 'instill fear' option that would slow a single target down for 1-2 seconds; the whistle would have a 30-second cooldown, and only work on non-antag crew to avoid being effective against antags (though this runs into the issue of 'how do we avoid having the Constable meta antags by using their whistle?' etc). Either way, depending on how the TM goes it may be nice to have a unique ranged option like this that'd let the Constable catch up to fleeing greytiders while keeping them minimally-effective against actual antagonists. One suggestion has been the laser pointer, for instance; we'll see how that is received in practice. 5. A simple 'demotion notification' method: Idiots resisting demotions is a common issue, and one that's practically tailor-made for Constables to help with. It'll help greatly if Constables know who needs help and when, though, so there should be a way for Heads of Staff to notify Constables quickly and easily. This can take the form of a special request console option for the Heads of Staff ('notify regarding demotion,' with an input option for the person's name, and an automated message that gets sent out on Security and Procedure comms), a 'ping Constables' option in the Heads of Staff PDAs or the consoles in their offices, etc. Alternatively, someone getting set to demote could cause the console where it was issued to send out an automated message on Procedure comms, similar to how the holding cell telescreens send out an automated message for every Brig sentence carried out. 6. Moving the EFTPOS functionality to Security R.O.B.U.S.T. cartridges: 'Gear bloat' is already a thing, and having to haul around more stuff is always a pain. Additionally, the EFTPOS functionality has always been pretty clunky, and isn't optimized for this particular use-case. I'd like for 'Ticket Payment' to be added to Security PDA cartridges, where the cartridge can automatically transfer funds from the account of any ID inserted into a departmental account. This would significantly streamline the process of moving money around the station, making it a lot more relevant to regular spessmen gameplay, and also mean that Constables, IA Agents, and Sec Officers wouldn't have to haul around yet more random stuff. 7. There's quite a few other options for Constable weapons, and if someone's willing to code them, I'd love to give Constable players the option to choose, similar to how /tg/ lets the Curator pick their loadout of choice for the round. This could be a less-effective but nodrop-flagged version of the police baton, a set of thematically-appropriate gloves to apply boxing damage, an implant, etc. There's a lot of options, and if someone wants to put in the work of coding something different, I'd love to see what they could come up with! 8. Rule/Wiki Changes: Assuming the TM is fully merged, we'll want to update Legal SOP with a how-to of how a ticket should be applied IC. Similarly, we'll need to update the Space Law and SOP with a notice of what SOP violations (minor or major) should be charged, and how and when it shouldn't. I'd be happy to do all that (the suggested Constable SOP, and the first draft of a future Constable Wiki page, is attached below), but I figure it'd be helpful to TM it first and see how things go. Finally, regarding corruption: the relevant portion of Rule 5 reads "The Captain and members of Security are expected to follow and have a good understanding of Space Law and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Consistent abuse of these positions will lead to a Jobban; however, you may request to play a corrupt member of Security via Adminhelp, with valid justification." This part of the rule is a toughie for low-level corruption like what the Constable is supposed to encourage, but I also don't want to actually alter the rules without observing the results of the testmerge, seeing what happens, and getting user feedback. We may or may not want to alter this wording, depending on how the TM goes. Either way, it's good food for thought for the future. Additional Info: Conclusion: Although it's not a massive change-up in terms of code, this new ticket system touches on a lot of important basic gameplay loops. This design involves a non-mindshielded character making arrests, for instance, along with encouraging low-level bribes and similar criminal behavior. There's a lot to unpack here, and I'm happy to cover the details; feel free to PM me on Discord at .norwest if you'd like to ask me directly. That being said, please consider taking a look at the most recent Discord thread which led to this document, along with reading the Q&A sections from earlier in this thread. These concepts have gone through a lot of work and discussion, but on reviewing them I feel satisfied that we've got a durable, reasonable, and above all, fun role which is more than just Greytider+ or Sec Officer Lite. Giving IA Agents the ability to levy fines, and sending Constables out to collect them, is a solid gameplay loop that builds on good in-game foundations. Giving the station an 'enforcer' role who remains focused on low-key violence all the way through the round helps avoid the shitty, un-fun anarchy that can take effect later in a chaotic round. And for the greytiders, Clowns&Mimes, and general low-key troublemaker players who aren't outright shitters, I expect the people playing those characters will have more fun if there's a dedicated 'opposition' role like the Constable around. It means there's someone with the time and interest to interact with them, rather than Sec Officers who tend to go "too busy, got a 'cling to kill, don't do crime pls." Constables can be fought, bribed, or even worked with, but either way they're unlikely to be boring. Thank you for reading all this, and remember: don't do crime! (or if you do, I want my cut!)

Additional elements to be altered: Fines: During the critiquing, someone raised an excellent point that we should be encouraging face-to-face gameplay like the courier system does, rather than allowing for fines to be levied remotely. Aside from being simpler and easier to code, this gives a lot more for Constables and Internal Affairs to do, rather than just 'sit in your office and type up pseudo-emails.' Example gameplay: -Jane Chef doesn't make food for 15 minutes, so the IA Agent levies a fine for an SOP breach. -When Jane refuses to pay, the Constable is called and fights her; Jane tries to run away and gets dogpiled by a pair of Constables. -The Constable cuffs Jane, swipes her ID to fine her account for the SOP breach, and then offers her the chance to pay the Constable directly for the crime. Jane cries bloody murder and gets hauled off to the Holding Cells instead. -IA now has a case to investigate against the Constable, aaand the cycle continues! With this in mind, I'd like to propose an 'excise payment machine,' based on the pre-existing EFTPOS systems. It's got the usual EFTPOS functionality, but has a slightly different-colored sprite and automatically has the account and PINs of the departmental accounts. You can charge directly into those accounts without having to know the numbers directly, which'll streamline collecting fines 'for the public good.' You can also charge money to your personal account, because we want to leave open the possibility of corruption for this whole system, but we want to streamline paying fines and generally make it easy to do. This avoids a lot of the prior confusion and difficulty of modifying a bunch of DBs, and should be easier to implement. I'd like each Constable to start with one 'excise payment machine,' along with having a pair in the Brig Processing and one more each in the Warden and HoS Office (since Security is encouraged to get in on all this low-key corruption action too, lol). The Space Law and SOP pages will be updated with the appropriate numbers of the fine amounts themselves (20 credits for a small SOP violation or 1xx [Minor] crime, 50 credits for a major SOP violation or 2xx [Moderate] crime, along with details like fine stacking and increases for repeat offenses (doubles on repeated SOP violations of the same variety, or the same crime). Space Law will also allow for anyone who's unable to pay to instead serve time working off their debt in the Labor Camp.

Design has been brought up in Discord (thanks Landerlow!), and the following changes are proposed: 1. Mindshield removal: The Constable is to start without a mindshield, and is eligible to be a Syndicate agent. Like the HoP, they're blacklisted from many roundstart antag roles (cult in particular, and I'm not opposed to blacklisting them from changeling/vampire at roundstart too); however, they can either start as a Syndicate agent or become one mid-round. (there was obviously a lot of discussion about this, but the key deciding factor was to make the Constable a reasonably-shady guy, one who neither Security nor Legal would trust too much. The blacklists should keep the Constable from overly affecting the round if they're an antagonist, but also keep Security from fully trusting the corporate legbreakers too much either) 1(a). In line with this, the Constable can either voluntarily receive a mindshield from the HoS, or be pressured into taking one. (Yay for emergent gameplay! Security may choose to browbeat the Constables into receiving a mindshield to protect 'em from Dantalion vampires or mindslave implants, or might choose to do nothing. I expect this to be a different discussion between different people every round, and for the question of mindshields to keep a certain degree of mistrust between Constables and Security, which is by design. This is meant to be a paranoid station, after all) 2. Initial hours increased to 20 hours as a Security Officer (was 4), and 4 hours as Internal Affairs Agent (was 2) (This was in line with the Constable being made less-trustworthy, and therefore less likely to count on support from station Security. Without that, any Constable will need to be more self-sufficient) 3. One starting Constable role at lowpop (<50 players), increases to 2 at higher. Can still be increased further by HoP or other on-station ID computers. (this is both to encourage the 'buddy cop' approach, and to have the Constables keep an eye on each other for misbehavior) 4. SOP changes: The SOP about Constables in Maints has been altered to let Constables pursue targets into Maintenance, but not patrol there. As before, Constables are not to conduct searches. Revised SOP point #1: "1. Constables may pursue a suspect who flees into Maintenance, but may not conduct regular patrols in Maintenance and should instead report suspicious persons spotted there to station Security. Constables may not demand access to the interior of other Departments during regular patrols, but may be provided access by the Head of Personnel or by the relevant Head of Staff to assist with peacekeeping if requested;" (This was revised to allow for some leeway on pursuing people into Maints, while still making it clear that Constables shouldn't be getting too involved in Maintenance, as that's meant to be antag-friendly territory. Conversely, with the whole 'no mindshield' revision Constables are a lot less trustworthy on the whole, and there's less of a risk of Sec Officers trusting Constables to buddy up in Maintenance) 4. Loadout: Several options were suggested for a Constable melee weapon, with the following design goals in mind: a) Not usable at range (to both prevent Constables from easily affecting Sec-vs-antag fights, for instance, and to encourage longer and more exciting chases), b) Can't easily be taken away (since Constables will spend a lot of time wrangling greytiders, and can expect to face a lot of wall shoves and vendor-crushing), c) Gives Constables an advantage in a 1v1 fight vs. an experienced greytider, and also doesn't let Constables easily dominate a fight with a regular antag (similar to the design approach for the judo belt, basically), and finally d) If possible, is also thematically appropriate with the image of Constables as a semi-trustworthy corporate legbreaker. Based on the above, the following options were suggested: -Keep the judo belt, OR use a judo bio-chip implant -Use the police baton implant that's already in code, minus the knockdown (20-30 stamina effect only, so 4-5 hits to stamcrit) -Use a modified stamina-dealing form of the Enhanced Musculature implant, minus the knockback (your punches do 20 stam damage on harm intent) Overall, I'd prefer the musculature option. It gives a cool, unique effect that's very thematically appropriate for a greytide-wrangling legbreaker, it makes Constables dangerous in close-quarters without giving them a means of overly affecting others at range, it's vulnerable to EMPs (which antags have easy access to) while remaining effective against greytiders, and it can't be taken away by an experienced 'tider. I acknowledge this will take some additional work, as it'll need a custom option which also automatically installs itself on the left arm (so that it doesn't overwrite IPC power cords in their right arms), but I think it's the best option for the character. Assuming this is implemented, the Constable will then lose the starting judo belt, and the Constable SOP will be modified to remove the mention of a judo belt. Conclusion: The big change was the mindshield removal, and I'll admit I took a lot of convincing myself. However, I've been convinced that it would go a long way to making the role a lot more interesting: it neatly solves the issue of 'detcurity' by making Security distrust Constables, it makes the role a good deal potentially more sinister while still letting them be helpful peacekeepers, and it introduces immediate complications (does the HoS try to force the Constables to use mindshield implants? Do the Constables accept them themselves, and if so, what happens when some HoS inevitably mindshields a Constable traitor? etc.) which will be dynamically resolved in different and interesting ways each round.

While I think you're right that Space Law is generally fine, I think @Joey has a point that people have been gettin' waaaay too liberal with the "armed and dangerous" clause lately. From an admin perspective, I've definitely seen a recent uptick in Sec players using the "armed and dangerous" clause and similar rules-lawyering to justify some pretty unnecessary killing. With the player meta changing, it makes sense to adjust the precise wording of Space Law a bit to cut down on "freebie" options that justify killing antags unnecessarily. When antags go HAM, we can cut 'em back with IC or OOC responses, from a bwoink to an NT kill-team. Security isn't constrained in the same ways, which means it's vital to keep things like Space Law current with the player meta to cut down on the rules-lawyers using it as license to kill without consequences.

To clarify: Flick's trade actually involved a renamed version of the Owlman utility belt, which auto-regenerates 4 smoke grenades and 2 standard bolas over time. I love that thing, because it creates an interestingly different style of fighting when used. Instead of the usual disabler spam or flashbang funsies, smoke grenades force people to either get close, wait it out, or fire blindly, all of which make for a fun change of pace. I'd love to see more smoke grenades, and especially would love to see a way to easily craft them so that regular 'tiders and the like and quickly replace the things on the go. A key element, I think, was having the ability to make more of the damn things.

Good advice. Now, obviously any food you could get from the Kitchen could be poisoned, so make sure you don't eat anything during your shift. You don't want to get carpotoxin or space ants, after all! Also, guns are very bad news. If you see someone with a gun, beat 'em to death. Command-looking guy with a gun? Gotta be a traitor. Security Officer-looking guy with a gun? Definitely an impersonator. If you see 'em, get those floor tiles ready!

More than anything else, the main thing I'd like to see is the Detective separated from Security, and the mindshield removed. No Sec comms, and no guarantee of safety around him - go full Dirty Harry with the guy. With traitor Detectives out and about, I'd support reverting their gun back to rubber bullets without a conversion option, so that it's basically just a disabler with some minor brute damage. However, making the Det a potential threat would do a lot more than exactly which bullets were in his gun, IMO.

I know these are stereotypes, but I should clarify for anyone reading that you're not even gonna get the admins noticing unless you go way outta line with accidently killing bystanders. Examples: 1. Killing someone by accident with a prox mine/poisoned food is fine, so long as you're actually trying to be around the thing when it's used. Don't just dump the hazards all over Maintenance/the Kitchen for every greytider to pick up, and you're all good rules-wise if one Joe Rando does anyway. We understand "shit happens" if the wrong guy comes around the corner. 2. Viruses are all fine, so long as it's not contagious. We 'mins don't want your custom murderbug killing half the station, yeah, but long as it doesn't have Cough/Sneeze/etc or some other way to spread around quick, you're fine. If someone gets themselves infected while treating the victim, their funeral. 3. E20/feral cat grenade: We're not against bombs, we just don't want them in the center of the station. You bomb your target in the solars? All good, just don't kill half the Engineering team in the process if you can, please. We don't want you going kaboom in the Bar or whatever unless you're a hijack antag, but it's a big station and there are a lotta deserted places to use a Syndie minibomb or equivalent. Overall: Look, we get that mistakes happen. It's you vs. the station, so yeah, you're not gonna be Pierce Brosnan's 007. That's all right. Just try to keep the murder limited to the people you /have/ to kill, don't blow up half the station or release the engine, and pay attention when you're PMed about it. Shit happens, and you'll be fine even if you're bwoinked, so long as you don't fly off the rails.

Suggested Changes: -Change the w_class of the AEG to 5. -Give the AEG the 'bothhands' flag similar to the L6 SAW. -Change the max_w_class of the Bag of Holding to 4. Why It's Good For The Game: 1: The AEG is just too good. The moment the first miners return with uranium ore, every laser weapon on-station is instantly outclassed. Let's compare it with the exotic, interesting weapons which are made irrelevant: -The Captain's unique laser gun? Second-tier; it's only got lethals, while the AEG's got full-spectrum shootyness. -Red-ERT Security lasers? No self-charging means the crew is armed better than the Emergency Response Team sent to save 'em. -Sec's own arsenal? Can't self-charge, limited fire options; AEGs are better across the board. Fifteen minutes into the round, most of Security's own Armory is made sub-par at best. The only weapons which keep some limited viability are those which provide a unique capability the AEG can't duplicate, such as X-ray lasers on blobs, immolators on vampires, and ballistics weapons against desword users and cult Juggernauts. However, for everything else the AEG is a no-duh upgrade. A competent R&D team means that Security will be running around with lethals early, because who wants to run back for a recharge when you can carry out a self-charging weapon? It's a no-brainer. This also heavily affects simplemob antagonists, terror spiders in particular. Tspiders depend on their webs, but with R&D printing AEGs like crazy, they can just keep firing the things until entire rooms are cleared of webs. And with AEGs being small and portable, you can easily stack three or four and keep up literally endless laser fire. AEGs are EMP-resistant, they have tasers and disablers on the side, and have no downsides whatsoever to them. 2: My solution is to keep the weapon's advantages (self-charging, lethal and non-lethal modes), but to add some complications to offset them and make other laser weapons viable again. By increasing the AEG size to 5 (huge), equivalent to a combat shotgun or L6 SAW, and adding the 'bothhands' flag, the AEG is turned from "endless AEG laser spam" into a one-off weapon that can be used to complement an arsenal. Instead of an AEG in one hand, a riot shield in the other, and three more in your backpack, you've now got a single weapon that will recharge...in time. Not being able to stow the weapon also puts the AEG at a disadvantage for everyday use, as you can't simply carry the thing in your backpack/armor/belt as you can currently. Sure, you can still haul it, but now even the roundstart laser weapons have a new niche of "everyday carry" that the AEG can't displace them from. 3: The powergamer's solution to this will be, as always, the Bag of Holding. A BoH can hold up to 7 weight-5 weapons such as the combat shotgun, and holding/dragging another BoH lets one move around - and use - absurd numbers of large guns. I understand that Mining would be significantly complicated without having BoHs, so I'm not going to suggest they be removed completely. Instead, I'd like the BoH's max_w_class to be dropped to 4 ("bulky") rather than 5 ("huge"). This will still let the BoH be useful for Mining and other areas, while preventing it from being used to spam heavy weapons as easily as it is today. I recognize that this doesn't stop people from using the bluespace locker, regular lockers, etc. and simply dragging around endless weapons in that, but that's a problem for a separate discussion. For the AEG in particular, I believe the above tweaks would be enough to keep the weapon's utility without making it the /only/ sensible option that it is currently.

Glad you liked it! It's a shame no one took us up on the offer, as I was actually genuine there, lol

Honestly, I just prefer anything that ends shadowling rounds sooner. I've yet to really enjoy one, from the mess of trying to pin down a robust shadowling to the inevitable whining from thralls; hell, even getting thralled and told "go kidnap fresh meat" is more of a chore than something enjoyable. If we have to keep the roundtype around then I'd support Corocan's suggestion of locking mindshield-melting behind getting a certain number of thralls (3 for one shadowling, 4 for two, 5 for three, etc.). That being said, given how much I hate the roundtype my first vote is for simply pulling it from regular rotation.

I like the idea, although this'd lead to a lot of random "paper" names cluttering up the tag. That's not a real problem on the player side of things, but the endless "obj/item/paper/reqform" and "obj/item/paper/jobchange" would mess up the admin side of it. Still worth it in the end, though, as just having paperwork easily accessible (without having to futz with godawful BBCode) would almost certainly make people more likely to use it.

I'm a fan of "Fist Aid," myself; I'm totally gonna say that the next time I have to restrain some tweaker idiot at work to treat them. Lessee, to lay out their background: "You are the Orderly. Your job is to keep the Medbay clean and safe." Access: Medbay, Surgery (to help with patient movement and keeping Surgery safe from tspiders, slaughter demons, and similar baddies), Maintenance. Starting Equipment: Uniform, shoes, ID+PDA (Medical cartridge), Medical headset, soap, space cleaner, 1 pair of handcuffs. Has CQC applicable in Medbay areas, like the Chef's "Close-Quarters Cooking." Ideally would have a specialized Orderly Vest, perhaps grey or dark blue, to differentiate them from other Medbay personnel. Starting Location: Medbay front desk (it's a semi-private place for the Orderly to call their own, and them being there is just generally useful). Could also have an 'Orderly's Locker' in the front desk area, Surgery access, to give the Orderly a greater attachment to the area. Starting Numbers: 1, cannot be changed by HoP. Orderly SOP: 1. The Orderly is required to issue verbal warnings before resorting to force. The Orderly may not use force on Security personnel at any time without express permission from the Captain or Head of Security; 2. The Orderly may use Fist Aid, their close-quarters combat training, in order to subdue and secure unruly individuals in the Medbay itself. However, they may not use lethal or near-lethal force unless the subject cannot be secured via other means (if they're an un-stunnable hulk, for instance) or if the Orderly's own life is in danger. If the individual retreats from the Medbay, the Orderly must /not/ pursue, and shall instead report them to Security for later apprehending; 3. The Orderly is exempt from legal ramifications when dutifully handling unruly individuals in the Medbay, provided that they followed Guidelines 1 and 2; 4. The Orderly may not possess lethal weaponry, such as lasers or combat shotguns. Exception is made during major emergencies, such as Nuclear Operatives or Blob Organisms; 5. The Orderly may assist the CMO in carrying out lawful orders, such as barring select personnel from the Medbay or demoting Medbay staff. However, the Captain and Head of Security's authority supercedes the CMO on matters of station security, and the Orderly shall follow their instructions in such matters.

I like the idea of this, and wouldn't mind manually updating objectives if someone ahelped asking for it in-game. Problem is, it's a lot easier to track "dead" than "legless," or any of the similar suggestions. The closest we can get is "marooned," which is fairly easy to record (target not present on escape shuttle/pod at end of round), ditto for "dead" one way or another. To give an example, let's consider how you'd record if someone is legless at the end of the round: -The first obvious approach is to log whether or not the target mob still possesses "/obj/item/organ/external/arm" and "/obj/item/organ/external/arm/right" at the end of round. Problem is, what happens if they get prosthetics? Those are logged separately, ditto for if arms&legs are augmented as opposed to simply robotic replacements. -This also glosses over species complications, as different species have different limbs. IPCs have an entirely separate listing, and different race's limbs are coded slightly differently. Organics and cyborgs can be screened out from this particular objective, or issued a separate one (EMP target AI at least once, perhaps), but the coding complications start to build up once you add in new species into the mix. -This also doesn't account for BS cases like slimeperson limb regeneration, or IPC rapid limb re-attachment. Do we require that the original limb (as marked by its in-game unique ID) be re-attached, or will the target regenerating a new limb fix it? Basically, while I can appreciate not wanting to assassinate people, what you're proposing is a lot more complicated than you might imagine. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes coding which'd be needed for even one of these objectives, let alone the whole list of 'em. I'm not saying this is a complete block, and I wouldn't mind manually replacing objectives with a similar "send a message" sorts of ones, but I'm unsure if it could be easily and effectively automated.

I've seen it suggested before as well, and I've no issue with making "Security Cadet" an alternate title for the Constable as you suggest. Ultimately, though, I think it's best to bundle multiple potential roles in one rather than specializing everything, and the position has enough leeway to be both 'low-speed security' and 'baldie with a baton' at the same time. To address your other points in turn: -Uniforms: You've got a good point regarding the importance of uniforms, but doing so requires additional coding and prep work. While I agree that Constable-specific uniforms would be handy, I'd rather see the role implemented first, with additional uniforms and role-specific gear added later. This also has the advantage of adding new uniforms and kit after there's been proper playtesting with the community as a whole, too. -Unique room/channel: No arguments there either, and certainly adding a separate Constable-specific radio channel would make them a less desirable target for antags looking to get Sec comms. That being said, it runs into the same fundamental problem: more work, more coding, and more things to argue about. I'd rather have an imperfect role in-game than no role. -SecHUDs: Ultimately, I don't think you can do the Security role without the HUD. You need in-the-field access to Sec records, the ability to recognize someone on the fly, and so on; while I'd certainly like to make the Constable's HUD a read-only one, that would again require more coding to implement. The simplest compromise I can think of would be a regular SecHUD for Constables, as that'd differentiate them from regular Sec Officers while still providing them the basic necessities to perform their duties. -Violence: Agreed that pepperspray and a flash won't stop a smart baldie. That being said, it /will/ stop a dumb one, and most of our 'tiders aren't of the brainy variety. Additionally, it'll teach them how to use other gear in their repertoire that isn't just the Almighty Stunbaton and taser. I've no issue with, say, a limited-ammo disabler for Constables that uses a mindshield lock (i.e. only functions when the person holding it has a mindshield), but I've heard from above that mindshield locks are verboten, so I'd prefer instead to focus on something achievable. Good point re the seclite, though, and I'll make sure to add that above.

Tl;dr version: Currently, Seccies have to juggle low-speed stuff like "teach a baldie how to not hit himself" and "toss the Clown out of Medbay again" alongside high-speed stuff like "harmbaton a vampire" and "cremate changelings." These two roles don't gel very well, so let's split them into two complementary positions. Introduction: As a job, the Security Officer is easily one of the most thankless ones. There is no learner position, no easy way to get into the job, and lethal consequences when you make a mistake. You're thrown into the deep end right from roundstart and expected to swim, and it's no surprise that few people do. Even for those who figure out how2redshirt, the role remains an extremely demanding one at all times; "quiet Sec round" is a contradiction in terms. This also makes the game much more stressful than it needs to be for everyone involved. For Seccies, it means calls of "FUCKIN SHITSEC GO HOME" at the same time they're getting calls of "HALP VAMP SCI MAINT," which tends to leave the redshirt in question burned out and uncaring. I've heard this phenomenon discussed in real-life law enforcement, where it's referred to as "paradoxical policing:" law enforcement is derided for their misbehavior over minor crimes like noise complaints at the very same time they're being called out for not doing enough to stop major crimes. For the crew, it makes calling Security a dubious proposition, as you aren't liable to get a rapid response and might well get complete shitcurity if you do. Another major issue is of gaining experience and learning the role: as there isn't any new place to learn how2redshirt, new Sec Officers are left trying to figure things out on the go. This is a problem with other roles as well, but a lesser one since other jobs are ultimately trying to help. A Medical Doctor or Roboticist might get some LOOC salt if they're taking a while in fixing someone, but that's a much more rare thing since they're ultimately still trying to assist the person. A Sec Officer is virtually guaranteed to get insulted, especially if they appear new, because much of their role is messing with other players' fun. Even taking too long to strip someone in Processing will get people complaining on comms, let alone if the other player manages to unbuckle themselves. Given that sort of problematic learning environment, some sort of intervention to help newbies would be very useful. One of the solutions used IRL is something I think we could adopt here, which is splitting the people handling major crimes apart from the people handling minor ones. As of now, Sec Officers are a single murderblob tasked with handling both "halp baldie beating me" and "HALP LING ABSORBING ME MAINT," which tends to leave them responding with either too much force to the first incident or too little for the other. It also leaves a more "low-speed" Security role for both baldies trying to learn the game and more experienced players looking for an easier round, and provides a much more tangible sense of little-s security to the crew (since a Constable will likely respond when you call, as opposed to the Sec Officer busy battling antags in Sci Maint). New position: Constable Scope: Limited. New code needed: Minimal. The key requirements are adding the new job with its starting text, equipment, and access. Starting text: "You are the Constable. Your job is to assist other crew and safeguard the station." Access: Brig, Holding Cells, Maintenance (similar to the Detective, does not have 'Security' access at roundstart). Starting location: Sec Briefing Room. Starting numbers: 4 (can be changed by HoP). No whitelist, fewer hours requirements than the Sec Officer (meant to serve as the intro to the Sec Officer role). Equipment: Security jacket, handcuffs, flash, pepperspray, energy bola, standard SecHUD, belt with seclite, non-bowman Security headset. Starts with a grey Sec uniform and a black Corporate ballcap (all Sec headgear has the same stats as the Helmet). Has mindshield. The uniform, esp. the jacket, ballcap and SecHUD, would provide Constables with a clearly different 'look' than regular Sec Officers while still providing protection. The regular SecHUD and non-bowman headset would provide a meaningful in-game difference between Constables and Sec Officers (in that Constables can still be taken down by flashes and flashbangs), while allowing for easy correction by more experienced players (modding their SecHUDs with regular sunglasses to get flash protection, and wheedling a bowman headset out of the many spares in the Sec Gear Room). Lacking a taser and stunbaton would force Constables to both play more conservatively and leave very dangerous antags to the Sec Officers, and also make them use the other bits of the Security repertoire. Flashes, pepperspray, recruiting bystanders, and the old expedient of "just set them to arrest and let Beepsky handle it" are all viable options when you aren't expected to take down a fully-powered vampire. FAQs: 1. The Constable has less gear and access than the Sec Officer. Why do you think anyone would play the role? I'm suggesting the role because I would like to play it: more specifically, I would like a Security job that actually lets me be Officer Friendly instead of 24/7 ASS TO THE GRASS BALLS TO THE WALL HARMBATON IN FREEFALL YEEHAW. I'd like a job where I get to laugh when the Clown slips me, instead of going "Damnit, that vamp's gonna get away!" when I fall over. Some rounds I want to pound face into plating with a cut-off riot shotgun, and some rounds I'd like to gently shoo the Clown out of Cargo without having to murder anyone in the process. 2. The Constable lacks a ranged stun, and can't easily catch someone if they decide to run. How do you expect them to stop anyone? I'm planning on them being able to stop a baldie on the run with an energy bola; if in-game practice shows that Constables truly do need some form of ranged stun, I'd suggest a disabler (harder for newbies to screw up with disabler shots than a taser, still plenty effective, already in code, differentiates them from Sec Officers, etc). However, I'd like to keep the role based around the non-combat portions of the Security role, and "set the baldie to arrest and have him picked up by other redshirts" seems very appropriate for the position. 3. The Constable is a role meant for newbies, but still has useful gear. What's stopping people from just murdering Constables for their stuff? Circumstances, co-workers, and conscience. Constables aren't meant to be running deep into Maintenance areas, and should be leaving the high-level threats for other Seccies. While I'm sure some baldies will merely take the role as a stepping-stone to being a bonafide redshirt and will go haring down into Med-Sci Maint, they're knowingly putting themselves at risk in the first place. The ones who stick to public areas will be kept much more safe by their circumstances. Secondly, the Constable role is meant to be much more community-oriented than the Sec Officer one. While Sec Officers are meant to carry out a high-level conflict with antags, Constables are supposed to be Officer Friendly, who gets close and familiar with the rest of the crew. This should provide them with some protection in practice, as the crew they've befriended will doubtlessly help them much more than an unfamiliar face in a Sec uniform. Thirdly, Constables are meant to be a beginner's role. While murdering a Constable will certainly be doable, their gear is differentiated from standard Sec Officer kit, and should mark you out as someone who killed an 'Officer Friendly' on the station. Lacking flash/hearing protection, flashbangs and Armory weapons, and a taser/stunbaton, Constables are also a much less appealing target than an actual Sec Officer. None of this is ironclad protection, but then again, it really shouldn't be. Taking on any Sec role is accepting your position in the round as valid-salad, and you might just get axed anyway - them's the digs. However, if you play the role as intended as a Nice Guy(tm) who sticks to public areas and makes an effort to actually help out crewmates, you'll be fairly well-protected from the inevitable game of murderbone throughout the round. 4. What else can the Constable do aside from 'Being Officer Friendly?' A) Dispatching: Watch comms and cams, keep a handheld crew monitor with you, and monitor other Seccies for their own safety. Call out when someone's in trouble, pinpoint a hostile's location, and ensure that calls for help are being properly responded to. B) Desk-jockeying: Man the Brig front desk, staff Processing, and watch over the holding cells. Assist the Warden with moving prisoners, question 'tiders and antags, and help keep Sec records updated. Work as a bailiff in the event a court case is called. C) Training: Work with other Constables - or baldie Sec Officers - to get them oriented in how to safely handle a cuffed person, dangerous gear to confiscate, the ins and outs of Space Law, and so on. Other roles such as the Warden, IAA, or regular Sec Officers can do these jobs, but they all suffer from either overwork (Warden, Sec Officer) or severe understaffing (IAA). A Constable looking for something to do should be able to slot in to camera duty or training fellow Constables with minimal difficulty, and with a positive benefit to the round as a whole. 5. What else would you like to see implemented with the Constable role? Departmental checkpoints. While it's not required for the role to function, I would definitely like to see Constables having basic 3x3 places to work across the station. I know that this question has been hotly debated before, so I'm not going to try and scratch off everything on my redshirt wishlist, but if possible I'd definitely like to see Constables having places to update records, get replacement gear (flashes, cuffs, etc.), and watch cameras. Thanks for taking the time to read this suggestion. If you've comments, ideas, or thoughts on how to improve it, I'm all ears.

There's nothing clean about dying out in the Black. The lucky ones have proper suits; they're protected from the elements, or at least 'till I get involved. The unlucky ones get to feel their blood seep out through their skin, gasping at air which won't ever come, feeling their eyeballs boil out from their skulls. Killing out here is an ugly business. And best of all, I'm up against the worst sort of enemies. "Prep to breach," I mutter into my headset. His name was Edward. Brown hair going to grey, bit of a paunch, loved to go on about his synthsteaks and the pets he trained. Nice fellow. I pulse the jets and float aside as Edward charges towards me, teeth bared in a killer's grin and staring at me with the wild eyes of a fanatic. I yank the heavy shotgun onto target, but my co-worker-turned-cultist doesn't flinch even as the twinkling laser sight settles onto his visor. I pull the trigger, feeling the dull vibration and heavy kick as the oxygenated powder sparks and fires. Edward's face disappears, his visor shattering into a crystal cloud that reflects the distant sunlight. His body begins to slowly float away, drifting end over end from the push I'd just applied, as I swerve to find my next target. Nguyen is my next victim. She's not dressed for the party; rather than wearing a heavy space suit, she's clad only in her engineering jumpsuit and regular work clothes. If she feels fear at the certainty of dying out here in the Black, I can't see any in the wild howl distorting her face. Her eyes have doubtlessly already ruptured, exploding outwards from the inexorable pull of vacuum, but all I can see is the occasional chunk of flesh and blood leaking past the eldritch-glowing blindfold over her eyes. She's fast, unencumbered by gear or doubt, and she's on me in a flash. I swing the butt of the shotgun around, slowly pushing her off my chest, and another pulse of the jets gets me the distance I need. Another dull vibration and distant kick, and Nguyen is left flailing. Her hands wave desperately, grasping for something in the void, and my stim-fueled mind can't help but remember her animatedly waving her arms in the cafeteria. She was always a bright spark of enthusiasm, full of interest in the sort of wiring jobs and grav-engine work that'd make my eyes glaze over, and I wonder how much of that old enthusiasm she'd brought to her new profession. I blink the thought away, sight the weapon on center-of-mass, and pull the trigger twice. The second shot goes wide, severing her left hand, and the limb is sent spinning away with the fingers left in a rough "OK" sign. There's a sudden thump, arcing pain, and the hiss of escaping air. I glance rightwards to see a snarling alien face staring me visor-to-visor. Plopbop-something, they were called; they grew odd plants and spent most of their time in the pool ("I've got a stereotype to live up to, after all" they'd burble). They smile as my blood coats the visor, tongue arcing out from between their teeth, and yank again on the wickedly-curved knife sticking out of my thigh. My armoured suit resists the blade, but the weapon glows and the metal of my suit bubbles under the stress. It's too close for the long-barreled shotgun. I go for my backup weapon, stick it into Plopbop's gorget, whisper something (what did I try to say? what could I possibly say?), and pull the trigger. A spray of blueish blood, another bulky figure sent spinning, as I rack the slide and fire again. Have to ensure the kill, after all. Plopbop's stereotypes and dreams of omega-weed vanish in a spray of buckshot piercing their chest. Security Officer Jones was always a bit of a shit, and I can't say I ever really got along with him. He was that classic American: too loud, too opinionated, too sure of himself and the world. He loved these sorts of breaches, loved taking lead with the riot shield and stunbaton. He was held up by a hacked airlock, and the cultists got too close ("I just haveta get close, and it's all over" he'd bragged in the briefing). His telemetry is...his telemetry is...his telemetry is... I shake my head to clear it, refocusing on the task at hand. Jones and Dasinovich are both down, probably for good. I yank at my combat webbing for a little metal cylinder, reflexively pulling the pin as I stretch out my arm. One flashbang, two 'bangers, and a little tear-gas surprise arc inside the cultists' breached base, one getting blown backwards into the dusk by an errant gust of escaping atmosphere. THOOM The explosions rattle me even in the vacuum, the shockwaves propagating over the distance. My fri- co-worke- the cultists have homicidal fanaticism, but it's still tied to human senses, and without protection the powerful explosions of light and sound horribly disorient them. The remaining cultists inside the base drift apart, mewling in pain, and I move in for the kill. The first threat inside is a stranger; some new arrival I haven't yet learned to know, thank Christ. The buckshot makes quick work of him, two racks of the slide ensuring the kill, as I draw my laser sidearm and sight on the next target. She was the Chef; I can still see the glint of knife-metal at her waist as I cave in her skull. The Security 'borg makes short work of the last, blood painting its metal chassis as its stunbaton slams relentlessly through spacesuit and cultist armour. They were living beings, full of hopes and dreams and aspirations. They had fears, hatreds, good and bad sides both. They were friends, and there's no worse enemy than a friend. I put those living, breathing hopes and dreams to rest with gas and gun, bullets and jetpack and better preparation for fighting out in the Black. Officers Jones and Dasinovich get priority, so my former friends' bodies continue to cool as I handle my fellow redshirts. I do my best to make the sight less obscene, closing eyes and mouths and covering what I can of the drifting gore. It's hours longer to track down all the bodies, my spacepod's scanners tracking the faint infrared returns as my former co-workers' bodies return to absolute zero. Some days I hate my job. -Security Pod Pilot David MacTavish

Interesting. Unfortunately, code-wise there's a bit of an issue: cult only really works with the cult gamemode activated, which then creates four roundstart cultists and the usual Nar'Sie objectives. It'll take some testing to see if basic cult features (runes/talismans, conversions, etc.) would still function outside of that.

I should preface this by saying the issue of confinement and suicide watch is a pretty relevant one for me personally, as I handle a lot of it in my line of work. From the information you've presented, I would assume the following: 1) The officer's behavior sounds normal for a real-life job, but somewhat problematic for a vidya gaem with after-death options available. I don't know if they were simply playing up the "overly professional redshirt" role a bit much or were just trying to fuck with you, but if I was in that position I'd have gotten your+Command's permission for an execution and offed ya. You're a Syndie who's locked up, all your toys taken away, and your antagging is effectively over and done. For the sake of good sportsmanship, it'd be nice to carry out a formal execution and send you off to dchat if you're asking for it. 2) In the future, if you're effectively stuck like that, you can always pray or ahelp asking to get smited. We usually aren't too restrained when someone literally asks to get blown up, so it's another way out of a jam like that. 3) I don't think you should hold yourself at fault for playing a game while in a bad state of mind. Yes, you were more of a shit than you would've been otherwise, but at the end of the day this is just a game, and it's meant to be played to relax. Yes, you were a shitbird to Sec, but speaking as a longtime redshirt myself, that's situation normal for anyone taking up the stunbaton. I /am/ quite impressed, however, with your willingness to admit fault and move forward, and I hope you cultivate that self-introspection for the future. The ability to take an honest, critical look at yourself without descending into self-flagellation is a very important skill. I'm impressed you were willing to give a public apology, and I think it'd be best in situations like these to forgive and forget. The Officer could've been more understanding of your position, and you of his, but mistakes happen anywhere and it's important to not get held up too much on them. It sounds like you learned something useful about yourself as a result of this round, so I'd chalk that up in the "win" column and move forward thinking of it as a constructive experience rather than a personal failure.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance..." -Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 I knew things had gotten bad when the nuke started talking to me. "Hey, MacTavish," the Nuclear Fission Explosive grunted cheerfully, waggling its tail fins in greeting. "Feelin' a little under the weather there, are ya?" "Feck off," I wheezed back, suppressing a scream as the styptic powder covered my wounds. "I'll live." "Yeah, yeah, for now," the nuclear weapon replied, rocking on its chassis in response. "But y'do seem to be outta options here, Tavish. You're a Head'a Security without any Security to call on, an acting-Captain without a station to command, and you've got a nuke without any codes to make it work. Kinda missing some important parts there, eh?" "Ain't dead y-" I tried to say with false bravado, interrupted by a sudden gasp of pain as the acidic xenos blood reached something important. Fumbling for my makeshift medkit, I popped the top from a blank pill bottle and swallowed a handful of pills, choking them down a dry throat rubbed raw from exertion. "Still. Feckin'. 'Ere." "You're choking down random pills in the hopes that one of 'em will make ya right again, buddy ol' buddy ol' pal," the nuke chirped, seemingly oblivious to my tears of pain. "And it's only a matter'a time before those aliens come back an' finish ya off, Mac..." As if to underscore my hallucination's imagined words, my eyes twitched towards the eastern end of the Bridge and a sudden shift inside the darkness there. I'd triggered the Bridge lockdown, so heavy blast doors kept the xenos from simply overrunning me, but the craftier alien bastards had taken to tunnelling through the walls. One xenos had nearly gotten me that way, and I was still flushing its "parting regards" out of a gaping wound in my left shoulder. I snarled to myself, hefting my riot shield and slapping myself upside the head, cursing my fading vision. "It's nothin'. Clear." I turned back to my imaginary friend, smacking it with the butt of my shotgun. Three tons of carefully-machined explosive lenses sat on its own custom-made trolley, surrounding a hyperdense core of refined plutonium-239. "Stop lyin' tae me," I told the nuclear weapon. "I'm only animated by a figment of your imagination, buddy," the bomb responded merrily. "If I'm lying to you, it's only because your fragmented consciousness can't suss out up from down at this point. But seriously, MacTavish, pull up a chair and have a seat, because we really need to have a talk about your future." The laugh spilled out, surprising us both, but a few more chuckles followed it, until I'd almost collapsed to the deck howling. I laughed louder than the hooting evacuation alarms, cackling until the tears streamed down my dirt-streaked face. This was it: a nuclear bomb was lecturing me about "future planning." I'd well and truly snapped. "Hey, bud. Am I a joke to you?" I've no idea how a stationary, station-ending bomb could appear affronted, yet from from my angle the weapon's rear fins almost seemed like arms perched on hips. "I'm tellin' you, ya gotta get with the future here." "Sure. Right." I slowly picked myself up off the floor, tucking my combat shotgun under one arm and cranking my riot shield to full extension. A moment of mental effort activated my anti-drop implant, and my hands clenched around my weapons with a literal deathgrip. "Future. Sure. Talk." The bomb let out a long, winding sigh as I slowly hobbled to the center of the Bridge, supporting myself on the towering riot shield. "I've gotta give ya some credit, you've lasted longer than damn near anyone on this station. Might be the last one left, even. Still, between the sickness and the face-eatin' aliens, your odds of livin' through this are..." "Non-existant. Already bloody aware," I hiss, glancing through security camera feeds. They only showed me more of the same depressing images as before: mutilated bodies, showers of gore, broken machines, and too few dead xenos piled among the carnage. "Either I get eaten by xenos face-fuckers, or I explode from CentComm's little live-fire testing. 'Tis bloody nothin' tae live for, either way - what's the feckin' point?" "Nah, bud, that's the point!" the nuke chirps. "Most folks, they don't get to choose when and how they're gonna die - a shuttle accident out'a the blue, sudden solar flare, the works. And really, a shuttle accident's kinda a shitty way to go, ainnit?" I shrug, both literally and figuratively numb as the painkillers kicked in. "But not you, MacTavish. You sent your survivors away, and then you held here. Coulda run - shoulda run, really - but you decided to hold out here. And I gotta give you some credit, you've made these bugs bleed for me. This is enough blood an' guts spilled to make me feel downright appreciated, I'll say that much." Its invisible eyes flicked around the dimly-lit room, and the corpses piled across it. I'd locked down the station's bridge, with the nuclear weapon and authentication disk still inside. The room served as a long shooting gallery, and the nuke (and my own warm body) served as both lure and threat to the lethal xenos. They'd come from every angle, fore and aft, and I'd made them pay for each and every inch. I'd killed five of the bastards myself, and a few more had fallen to the "experimental bioweapon" which Central Command had deployed to wipe out the creatures. All good, except that the geniuses over there had deemed the station's nuke "too dirty" and had decided to use us as live-fire testing for their bioweapon instead. Turns out, their little toy crossed species. "Aye," I coughed wetly, feeling blood pooling at the back of my throat. "Made a stupid choice-" "A brave choice!" the bomb declares. "-a feckin' boneheaded one," I shoot back, "an' now I'll bleed out an' die on this pisser of a station." I wince as something important in my belly heaves and burns, doing my best to suppress the tears. "How's that fer a feckin' future?" "Well yes, you'll die here," the nuclear weapon replies airily, waggling its tailfins in response. "The question is how you want to die, and how ya want to be remembered. This is the stuff of holovids, MacTavish; 'a lone Security holdout dies snarling in the face of certain death!' You've got the makings of a legendary last stand here, pal." I chuckle, wincing as the pain worsens. "An' I should give two figs about it...why?" "Well, there's royalties-" "I hate most of me family, an' NT will probably take the rights anyway." I sigh, drumming my fingers across my shotgun's trigger guard. "I only had meself tae live for, so who the feckin' hell would I die for?" The attack, when it came, took mere seconds. One moment I was resting my weight forward on my towering riot shield, my combat shotgun pointed forward at the shadowed Captain's quarters, and the next I was facing down a half-ton of teeth, claws, and murderous attitude. A bulbous face scrabbled at my helmet, the 'tongue' inside it spitting acidic saliva against the hardened visor. Massive claws raked at my midsection, my shield and armoured trenchcoat only offering limited protection. I toppled backwards, my shield and gun still held in a vice grip... Auto-senses dampened my hearing as the shotgun boomed, the alien raking at me arching backwards as the buckshot connected. Acidic blood sprayed down like rain, and I could feel my teeth gritting behind my visor as the sulfurous stuff dripped into every chink and weakpoint in my low-profile armour. I refocused my eyes, re-sighted my waving gun barrel on the chitinous mass above me, and pulled the trigger again. More light, more sound, more sprays of lethal acid. I pulled the trigger again and again, lost in a haze of pain and rage, until reason intruded to remind me about the meaning of the repetitive *click* *click* *click* Mentally deactivating my anti-drop implant, I slowly rolled myself out from under the dead alien. "Oof." I let the dry shotgun drop with a clatter and slammed my riot shield on the deck, grasping it with both hands and weakly levering myself upright. "'Nother one down." Metallic clapping noises interrupted my reverie. "Very good, HoS MacTavish! You might not have been able to keep your station secure, but you've at least kept me safe and sound," the nuclear bomb chirped happily. I grimaced at the ever-present reminder of my madness, wishing I'd been more careful earlier about labeling the pills I'd snuck from the Medbay. "Now, about your future..." "Ain't got one," I interrupt brusquely, slowly hobbling over to the Captain's chair on the bridge and dropping into it with a sigh. I bring up the console screen, cursing under my breath as the message queue shows an empty list again. "I just wanted those bloody nuke codes-" "Sooooo, you don't care about how you go, but you were willing to sacrifice yourself to destroy this entire station in nuclear fire?" the bomb queries. "Methinks thou dost protest too much, Officer." "I..." For the first time in years, I'm at a loss for words. I busy myself cleaning a pitted wound around my neck, my hallucinations leaving me in blissful peace for a minute or two. I'm the one to break the silence: "Aye. Mayhaps there's nae any point to the 'verse; per'aps it's all just a sick feckin' joke." "So why care?" the bomb presses, its jovial tone gone. "If there's no point to anything...why do something?" I shrug, adjusting the makeshift armour plates across my back. "Gotta make 'em true. Even if there's nae any truth or justice out there, the only way there'll ever be any is if we choose t'make some." "Live for something," the nuke whispers reverently. "And die for..." "The crew," I respond, hefting my backup laser and feeling it thrum to life. "I'll save who I can, an' get justice fer the ones I couldn't." I shuffle across the deck, my steps lighter than they'd ever been before. "I'll show 'em that someone cares, that some other poor bastard on life's journey was willin' to give 'is all for strangers." I gently lean against the nuclear bomb, imagining that I could feel the annihilation contained inside. "Fer the colonies in distance from 'ere, fer the other poor bastards in spittin' distance from the bugs. I'll hold 'em here, contain the infection, let 'em live out their lives in peace." "Now that," the nuke intones, "is a future worth bleeding and dying for." A light on the end of the bomb pulses, and my eyes follow it to see chitinous shapes massing again behind the burned-out door. I nod, for once in agreement with my hallucination. "Aye." I square my shoulders, planting my shield and aiming my laser. "COME ON, YE BASTARDS!" I snarl. "COME AN' HAVE A GO IF YE THINK YE'RE HARD ENOUGH!" ------------- After-action transcript, MSgt Kearney, Trans-Solar Federation Marine Corps: "...our pinpointers led us to the station's nuke on the Bridge. We'd seen some carnage in the hallways, but this was somethin' else, man. One nuclear bomb, one dead human, and a fuckin' sea of dead xenos..."

"Space BBC: Still (Under)Funded by Space Britannia" Hello, viewers. I'm your host, Sir David Rattenborough, and I've been necromantically resurrected to provide my soothing voice to your nature documentaries. Today, we're venturing into the Epsilon Eridani sector to see the exotic life-forms which live in such a hostile environment: The NSS Cyberiad is home to many unique specimens, including the hostile Tribunus Shitcuritus, the well-meaning Medicus Inscitus, and the dangerous Quaesitorus Validatus. Today, however, we are in search of the elusive Puer Greytidus, which haunts the dimly-lit corridus and Maintenance passageways of the local stations. Although numerous, the so-called "greytide" is a difficult creature to find, owing to its the poorly-kept state of its natural habitat. Hull breaches limit the creature's hunting grounds, causing fierce competition among its members. Many a "'tider" has been cut down in its prime by fierce competition over key resources, such as crowbars and insulated gloves. The "'tider" is so named for the grey, unkempt state of its issued jumpsuit. Although technically employed by NanoTrasen to "assist" other personnel aboard its stations, an ongoing expose by Faux News has revealed that NT pays these individuals in carbohydrate packs and water. They are, in effect, paid quite literally peanuts. Similarly, the humble "'tider" must acquire its tools and equipment by scrounging left-behind construction equipment, or by assaulting other station personnel for their own garb. For this reason, among others, the creature is greatly despised among NT space. While NT stations are as well-lit as one might expect, we rapidly depart these central corridors and enter a blank, unmarked airlock near the Arrivals shuttle. These dull, flat doors conceal the path to the Maintenance areas of the station, piping air, water, and electricity across its environs. Though dimly-lit, dangerous, and frequently unpleasant to inhabit, they are nevertheless vital to the station's upkeep. The 'tider patrols these long, winding corridors in search of food: whether contaminated by space-ants or not, he will seek a free lunch. The 'tider seeks a meal more enticing than his issued ration packs. Although he may have subsisted for some time upon food left over from previous reconstruction and remodeling, those reserves are now empty. The only other options left, aside from waiting for the minimal carbohydrate packages issued through the station's personnel office, is to acquire a decent meal at the Kitchen. Doing so, however, requires venturing from the 'safe' Maintenance tunnels into the light of a central corridor. Donning a face-concealing gas mask and removing his NT-issued ID card, the 'tider prepares to conceal his identity among the masses... Automatically ordered and charged through electronic delivery systems, food is often left unattended on the Kitchen's self-serve countertop for later pickup. Cracking open the nearby Maintenance door with a swipe of his ID card, the 'tider scans the corridor before quickly dashing across. A swipe of the hand, and the deed is done; a meal originally destined for Science is now in his hands. Sauntering away, the 'tider hides himself in both Maintenance corridors and the comfort of anonymity. Though someone might eventually investigate, who would they prosecute? Seeing the first's success, another greytider attempts the same feat. Dashing through the Bar, he races for the countertop and a meal left unattended. Yet his timing is poor, and the Chef spots his move. Seizing the creature's arm in a vice grip, the Chef subjects the 'tider to the power of CQC. Close-Quarters Cooking is a dangerous martial art, reserved only for masters of the culinary specialty. Practitioners of this epicurean craft are rightly feared, especially when operating in their own habitat. Pinned and left dazed, the 'tider is easy prey for one of its many predators, the Tribunus Shitcuritus. Dragged off to the far-away Brigston, the 'tider will be left with ration packs and donk-pockets for the forseeable future. Subsisting upon leftovers from the rest of the station, the 'tider nevertheless provides a vital role in the local ecosystem. It consumes waste and scraps from the larger departments, such as reishi from the Servitium regions or old welders from the well-known Cargonia. Greytiders are a tremendous mass of manpower, providing ready material for other departments and occasionally actually "assisting" them with various projects. And when the habitat is threatened by dangerous invasive species, such as the lethal Agentus Nuclei, this mob of bullet sponges forms a nigh-impenetrable barrier to protect the station from external attack. Yet this same defensive mechanism makes the 'tider a dangerous foe if crossed. While a single grey jumpsuit might be little threat for a well-armed Quaestor Validus, the 'tider is so named for its ability to rapidly congregate in one place. A group of greytiders is termed a "murder," and much like the crows of Earth they were originally named after, a murder of 'tiders will rapidly strip nearby regions of shiny things unless discouraged by locked doors and laser fire. Although nameless and faceless as a rule, 'tiders may flock to a single well-known personality, with the group even becoming named after this one exceptional fellow. The "Ssethtide" swarmed local stations a scant few months prior to this documentary, and although that particular "tide" is now receding, its marks are still evident on the local habitat. The 'tider has many predators, chief among them the Tribunus Shitcuritas. The "redshirt" patrols the station's central corridors, often ducking into Maintenance passageways to pursue if it sees the flash of a grey jumpsuit. The hard-headed Machinator Osiatum may attack a 'tider on sight, fearing a sudden attack for its own treasured yellow gloves. 'Tiders may often attack each other as well, whether in pursuit of food and scarce resources, territorial disputes, or the local custom known as "iunno man i was bored lol." Yet the deadliest predator of the humble 'tider is the different species of the dangerous Adversarius genus, such as the blood-sucking Aversarius Lamia. The 'tider is an odd creature, simultaneously revered and reviled by its contemporaries. Although individual 'tiders are collectively given short shrift, all of the station's inhabitants, from Engistan to mighty Commandotozhka, must nevertheless acknowledge the power of the Grey Jumpsuits. Though on the bottom of the local pecking order, through soap, cable ties, and sheer robustness, the 'tider may threaten even the most lethal of predators. Few will acknowledge them, but all must respect them.

Glad you liked that 'un! There's a balance to sardonic CC shitposts, in between "being an entertaining asshole" and "just being an asshole." If you're up for it, I might use the Sankinovs for more CC riffing in the future.

I'm a longtime Seccie myself, and I'd have to agree with many of the earlier issues raised in this thread. More to the point, I'd argue that quite a few of them are closely connected: -The learning cliff: Security is an extremely difficult job to learn, requiring both robustness and knowledge of station SOP, server rules, and a thick enough skin to survive a storm of criticism. -Actual shitsec: While often just undeserved whining, much of that criticism is actually quite fair. I've seen prisoners left in cuffs for 15-20 minutes in Processing, utterly ridiculous criminal records placed (a 15-minute charge for just "resisting arrest," lol), and more undeserved harmbatoning than I can count at this point. -Poor oversight: Between the HoS, Warden, IAA, Magistrate, and Captain, there should be enough on-station personnel to correct bad behavior. I'd argue that much of the problem preventing that from happening is simply being overwhelmed: the HoS is desperately trying to keep a semblance of order, the Warden's watching over officers in the field, and every officer is desperately needed to fight the baddie of the week NOWNOWNOW. This leaves the IA agents and Magistrate with little to do, and when coupled with the high requirements for Magistrate and low job options for IAA, results in the positions usually being undermanned. This, of course, then worsens the problem of "bad apple" officers in the first place. -Staffing: All of the above, coupled with the reasonable likelihood of dying to valid-salad, makes Security a chronically understaffed force. Any measure to address Sec's issues must mention its horrible, horrible staffing problem, because everything else is secondary to it. No one's got time or energy to train newbies when they're constantly running after the next threat, and no one's got time to process prisoners properly when there's an officer down in Med-Sci Maint yada yada yada. And when there's no "low-speed" Security role, no one signs up for the job if they want a slower shift; it's either ASS TO THE GRASS BALLS TO THE WALL HARMBATON IN FREEFALL YEEHAW or it's playing Janitor instead. Note that this is a well-known real life phenomenon, often called a "staffing crunch:" with too few staff members on a job, pressure and requirements increase on the remaining ones, increasing their stress and causing them to quit (further worsening the staffing problem). Poor staffing is the heart of Security's woes; we can put patches over other issues, but none of them will stick unless we can ensure that there'll be more than just the Detective and Warden at roundstart. The term I've heard in RL law enforcement is "paradoxical policing," where inot only are there too few cops, the ones that remain are tired, burned out, and angry - and it shows. Conclusion: Recruitment&Retention is the key, everything else is secondary. I'd love to see a lot of the ideas in this thread implemented, from 'slings getting another rework to additional Code Red access, but ultimately the biggest problem with Sec is simply that there aren't enough of them around. Any suggestions for fixing Security's issues should focus primarily on getting more people to stay in the job. Issues and potential solutions: It's very, very difficult for even an experienced player to transition into playing Security. Others in this thread have already covered most of the reasons why, so I'm going to cover some of the issues inherent in resolving the problem and my proposals for addressing 'em: a) Hostile learning environment vs. protecting the "learner" role: Unsurprisingly, no one in red catches a break. I think there's simply no substitute for a "learner" Security role, a la the cadets that Kyet proposed earlier (personally, I'd go with "Constable" myself to avoid too much newbie stigma; I personally wouldn't mind playing a low-speed Sec role sometime). To separate cadets/Constables from the rest of Security's valid-salad, I'd suggest trying to draw a divide between them and the rest of Sec. Keeping other Sec roles more exclusive could be done with either a minimal karma-lock on Security roles (5 points to unlock "Security roles," a.k.a. the Brig Physician, Sec Officer, Warden, and HoS), or simply requiring a bunch of playtime (6+ hrs) in the "learner" role before being able to play as a Sec Officer. Combine this divide with limited equipment for cadets/Constables, restrictive instructions, and a limited degree of social protection. We can't entirely stop the low-speed Sec role from being a loot pinata, because they'll still need Brig/Holding Cell access and Security comms to do their job. However, limiting their equipment to less-effective tools like flashes and pepperspray a) forces them to actually use that gear, instead of relying solely on the holy harmbaton, b) limits their ability to get rekt by their own weapons used against them by greytiders, and c) makes them less attractive as a target. Similarly, the starting instructions (and hopefully over time, the basic standard and expectation) should tell cadets/Constables to remain in public areas and to not go patrolling off alone. There's no guarantee that they'll follow it, but it should keep at least some newbies on the straight and narrow. And finally, this divide between "always legit" Security targets and "try not to kill/humiliate" newbie role can be enforced through social interaction. Public shaming for antags, or even greytiders, who deliberately dunk on newbie Seccies can limit some bad behavior, especially if there's a clear divide between who's obvious valid-salad and who isn't. b) Lack of connection vs. a physical presence: One common problem with Sec roles is that there's no 'belonging' to the rest of the station. You've got antags to fight and greytiders to bash, and there's very little interaction between you and other departments. Even within Security itself, there's very little face-to-face time outside of hanging around in Processing at the same time, and the constant barrage of trouble on the radio means that there's very little of the team-building off-topic conversations which are so common in other departments. This worsens the issue of poor communication between Security and the rest of the station, increasing the divide and allowing for an easy bandwagoning of "shitcurity!" calls, whether deserved or undeserved, which make people that much less likely to play Sec again. I'd like to suggest departmental offices if feasible, the standard 3x3 (or 2x3 in a pinch) cubicles that come with basic ID access and departmental radio encryption. I'd suggest that cadets/Constables spawn at these offices right at roundstart, and serve as their public face of Security to different departments; I imagine this'd provide a more supportive environment for someone to learn the job, and would in turn provide that department with a tangible Security presence. Having a department to guard and a little Security checkpoint office to call their own would help make the role more than just a "learner" one. Security's currently responsible for the entire station at all times, which in practice means that you're running around pissing on brushfires here, there, and everywhere. Having a single department to guard and a small group to watch over would let someone play Security in a relaxed manner, only dipping their toes into the regular chaos when they felt like it. c) Lack of education vs. having a designated teacher: I've seen someone previously suggest a "Security Instructor" role, which was shot down on the basis of "experienced Seccies can teach newbies already." Without getting too confrontational, lemme put it like this: I've played an absurd amount of time on Paradise, let alone other SS13 servers, and in all that time I've seen a 'Sec training exercise' happen exactly once. On extended. That was it. Barring extended all day erryday, we need a framework of regular newbie education. Relying on charity, on someone experienced having the means, motive, and opportunity to take newbies under their wing during a busy shift, is not a viable solution. The poor staffing problem is the root cause of Security's issues, and lack of help for newcomers in the role is a significant contributor to the issue. Other players can certainly contribute, but we need someone whose role is focused primarily around education, to teach newbie Seccies everything from prisoner processing to shooting, and who won't bin all that teaching the moment a 'ling pops up in Sci Maint. I think the previous "Security Instructor" role addressed it handily, and I'd suggest a separate radio channel for "cadets/Constables" to give them space to ask dumb questions like "how do I use a flash anyway?" The obvious response to the concept of a separate radio channel would be "just use mhelp," but as an admin with access to the mentor channel, I can definitively say that they don't. People often just won't ask for help without some prompting ("hey, I saw that scuffle over in Processing, lemme show you how to take cuffs off a prisoner safely"), and other people just won't offer it without a little push. The "Sec Instructor" role is meant to provide that push, because when you log in to that job, you know that you'll need to step up to the plate to help teach newbies. This doesn't stop other Sec players from helping instruct newbies; matter of fact, I'd argue it would make them more likely to do so. It's the basic "bandwagoning" effect in action, where one person setting an example encourages others to join in. The goal here should be to prompt people towards better behavior, to give them that initial push, and to let them carry it the rest of the way. Tl;dr version: I could go on for ages about stuff I'd like to see implemented: additional minor antags like smugglers or drug dealers to add some early-round shenanigans, renovating IA so that people actually want to play the role, improving antag gameplay so that they have greater freedom to act and are rewarded for interesting or exciting acts of villainy, etc. However, none of those things deal with the basic issue of Security staffing, and there's no point in trying to add new antagonists or tweaking high-level gameplay if we don't address the more basic, fundamental problem of "people just don't play Sec." I've seen a lot of proposals to reform Security in the past, and I've thought a lot of them had merit myself. They were almost universally shot down, primarily by admins and coders; in my *ahem* years playing on Paradise, I haven't seen Security itself change. I have seen admin policy towards antagonists and on-station troublemakers get more restrictive, however, and much of that is due simply to Sec's inability to handle anything significant. As @Ping mentioned on the first page, there's an expectation of peace and order on-station, which Security simply isn't able to fulfill. The current system just isn't working, and our piecemeal efforts to address it aren't fixing the fundamental problem. Unless we make a 180 on the idea of station chaos tomorrow, we'll need a larger Security force to maintain order. No matter whether we adopt a "newbie Seccie" role or not, we need to change things up, because the current system isn't functioning reliably. I've seen frequent suggestions made on the forums about antags being too restrictive* and Security being constantly understaffed; once again, everything comes back to Security staffing. Threads like this or this are symptomatic of the larger problem we have downstream of Security's ineffectiveness, not to mention the perfectly valid complaints about Sec misbehavior and general shitcurity-ing. I'd like to think that my proposals above would address a good deal of the "learning cliff" problem, and I'm open to suggestions and trying something entirely different. Ultimately, though, I really don't want us to put our collective heads in the sand, and pretend that the problem can be resolved with a few tweaks - or that it can't be addressed at all. This is a major issue, and adequately addressing it will require a major rework. *Honestly, even as an admin myself, I've disabled most antag roles rather than play them due to being too restrictive. Having to look over my shoulder before doing anything is way too much of a hassle.