Maintenance Preds OOC Guidelines

For Maint Pred players:

YOU ARE NOT AN ANTAG IN THE TRADITIONAL SS13 SENSE. DO NOT TAKE THIS AS A FREE CARD TO GREYTIDE. YOU ARE STILL EXPECTED TO ROLEPLAY. RANDOMLY ATTACKING PLAYERS AND DAMAGING PROPERTY IS NOT ENGAGING ROLEPLAY AND WILL RESULT IN A BAN FROM THE ROLE, OR THE SERVER.

Wow you’re a weird monster hiding in maint. This means that you get the opportunity for some interesting and emergent roleplay, or to just eat people as a big monster. These roles were created for this reason, and so we want to see you enjoy them while also allowing others playing to enjoy them. Below is a breakdown of the general guidelines regarding each predator, suggestions for play, and expectations. We stress that these are simply recommendations and general guidelines for play. If you have something in mind, or want to play something outside of the norm for one of these races, feel free, but try and keep at least some aspects of these races in mind to maintain a sense of continuity.

Xenomorph

Whats written on the can. You’re a xenomorph.

Playstyle Recommendation:

It is preferred that you play as a stalking, intelligent super-predator. Don’t pick fights with things you don’t think you can scarf down, try and stay out of sight, and display intelligence. You cannot communicate, but you are intelligent enough to understand intentions beyond a purely animalistic sense. You are quite shocking when seen, so avoiding people and not leaving witnesses are your first priority. Of course, you can have any spin on it you want. Want to be a spooky monster disappearing people? Great. Want to smoke cigars and hang out with a cool Xenobiologist? Great. Just maintain some believability.

It is recommended that you avoid security if being chased but being caught might be as interesting as not being caught. Try and work with the other players to create a fun environment. Remember, wild goose chases arent very fun if they’re drawn out and made frustrating. Think cat and mouse.

Morph

A gross sack of meat that can morph into various mobs and other players. This can be represented in a multitude of ways, from something like Odo from Deep Space 9, or The Thing from…The Thing.

Playstyle Recommendation:

You’re generally not very intelligent beyond bestial instinct, but have a penchant for mimicry and blending in. You’re an ambush predator, through and through. Try and not be seen in your base form. Use your powers in a way to gain access to areas and bully people, or be bullied. You probably cant understand common, but can mimic it, finding means to communicate one way or another.

It is recommended that you avoid security. You’re definitely an abnormality so xenobiology might be interested in you. Morphs are not implicitly malicious and do not hunt for sport. Eat food (people), get big, become a productive tax payer with a wife two kids and dog. Or be the dog. The world is your oyster. Same thing applies to the morph as it does to the xenomorph when it comes to being chased. Try and make it interesting, cat and mouse, or be compliant.

PLEASE do not actively try to harm someone’s IC reputation by acting so out of character that its jarring. A morph is interested in maintaining its disguise for as long and as effectively as possible. This is not enjoyable for that player, and its very far out of character for what a morph is capable of. You can, of course, have your own spin on how morphs interact with the crew, but don’t turn into someone and start greytiding just to get them in trouble and laugh at their misfortune.

Sect Queen

BIG BUG hive queen.

Playstyle Recommendation:

Congrats, you have chosen to continue the illustrious history of monarchial rule through the engagement of an insectoid form! As the queen, you are big and imposing and generally damn noticeable. However, that does not mean you should be running around in the open hallways of the station. Think like an insect, or to be even more specific think like the insect that must oversee any others.

Like the xenomorph above, lurk in the tunnels with a rudimentary intellect focused around securing a hive for your species. This could mean claiming some abandon room within the maint tunnels, or staking out an entire maint level to hunt around within. You cannot speak common, but unlike a smaller and simpler insect drone you have enough smarts to gauge risk and reward, as well as the basic intents of other creatures based on proximity and body language and vocal tone. If someone else is playing a Sect Drone (or maybe even another Queen depending on spawns/admin shenanigans) work with them! Engage in hive cooperation, chitter at them as you both seek to gather a food surplus in your abdomens. This is all very loose suggestions to get one into the mindset of an insect, but generally so long as you don’t try to become a giant murder bug you will be in the clear.

If security comes knocking, once again the guidelines for the xenomorph work here. Try to avoid being caught, but don’t turn the round into an overelaborate goose chase. Some xenobiologists might enjoy trying to learn from such a developed insect (and might even be inclined to provide food for good behavior).

Sect Drone

SMOL BUG hive drone.

Playstyle Recommendation:

You are the drone. The backbone of the hive. The cog in the machine. The bacon to a complete breakfast. Unlike the larger queen, you are almost more robotic in nature. Your mind and body-plan are created by the Sect Queen to optimize your work habits. There is no individual, there is only the hive. So, almost like an organic synth! If you are stuck on your lonesome, think about how a synth cut off from a network may act. Try to perform various hive tasks like digging within maint, or searching for food to bring back to the ‘nest’. Investigate the surroundings, chitter at strange things that aren’t you and potentially consume them to give you energy to keep up your work! You could even accidentally identify something else on station as your Queen, and work to please them (Ugandan clicking noises not guaranteed).

If there is a Sect Queen playing, consider working with them! Hive RP can be a fun team effort, the bugs working together around a common nest or area to engage with the station. Outright hostility is a bad idea (as you are all paper tigers in terms of stats anyways) so see this as a chance to create engaging opportunities based around RP and not combat.

If security starts bearing down on you, try your best to avoid them but always know that being caught can still lead to enjoyable RP. If you are a solo drone, it might give you and your hardwired insectoid brain something to focus on. If you are with a hive, it might appease this strange station to have a drone or two to focus on and study instead of your Queen.

Giant Rat

Prey at night, stalk at night, ect ect. You’re a big rat, what do you want?

Playstyle Recommendation:

With this increased size comes with a very slight increase in brain mass, so you’re not completely stupid, but you’re still playing a feral animal. Act accordingly, but being a rat you are more inclined towards acting in a way we would translate as cunning. Use your environment to your advantage, try and avoid things bigger than yourself, flee when pursued, and keep the natural behaviors of rodents in mind. Nests are an interesting thing to create or claim. Other than that, be a big rodent and don’t chew on wires. You’ve lived long enough to be the one that makes all the rules, so you’re less inclined to do things you will know from living in the station’s maint tunnels that will harm you.

Giant Lizard

I drive a chevrolet movie theatre.

Playstyle Recommendation:

Much like the Giant Rat, you’re an animal. Your wants and whims are generally going to be more instinctual and bestial. You have even less higher reasoning than the rat, and should act accordingly. Desires are acted on without much thought of the consequences. If you’re hungry, seek food. If you’re cold, find warmth. And so on. Lizards generally are quite stupid when compared to other creatures. Young crocodiles, for example, can be caught by the same trap in excess of three times in a single day before realizing that it’s a trap. Have fun, act on instinct, but don’t do it in a way that is disruptive, or in a way that an animal instinctively knows will harm it, such as leaping off a tall height.

For player characters:

We cannot stress enough that you have to suspend SOME disbelief when interacting with player-controlled creatures. Would your character usually tolerate being around a xenomorph? Unlikely. But remember this is a game where everyone is trying to have fun. Just because you see a player controlled creature, doesn’t mean you get valids on it. Interact accordingly with your character, but immediately trying to kill it is a pretty poor excuse for roleplay. There are (or will be at the time of this being written), IC guidelines for your character to know and follow according to their job/role on the station. At the end of the day, try to have fun, interact, and have emergent stories that develop from these creatures. They’re here to mix up the usual types of predators you see. If you find that the only way for you to have fun with a maint creature is to try and kill it, avoid it as much as possible.