This page exists to explain the general concept of escalation, including what is generally expected of you in a role during roleplay.
Do note that this is a guideline, not an exact step-for-step dictation of what you are supposed to do. You decide your style and choices during roleplay. The guideline only exists to help you determine what is and isn't over-escalation.
Roleplay should be as expressive and as free as possible. However, not a lot of people know how to handle or respect the idea of their role, especially when it relates to escalation. Like with anything, practice makes perfect. This page will help you establish the boundries of roleplay around escalation.
We will look at escalation for three separate but common roles:
The clown slips you, and you drop your tools. You shove the clown. When he then slips you again, what do you do?
I yell at them and threaten to call security
This is good escalation.
I attack the clown
You didn't need to jump straight to physical violence. There are some scenarios in which this is fine, but for a non-aggressive situation it should not generally be your immediate go-to.
I shoot the clown
Why do you have a gun? Bwoink!
Self-excercise(Screenshot for the discord if you wanna share your funny answers)
I decide this is a good time to throw a pie
Uhuh...
I run away with all of their tools to hide in my CLOWN MANSION
Sounds about right.
I take out my toy sword and continue my evil assault on the crew member
Very true
I decide it is time to welder bomb securitySelf-excercise(Screenshot for the discord if you wanna share your funny answers)
Why can't I just attack the person annoying me?
Because this is an unrealistic escalation, you rarely immediately escalate in a real life situation like this.
Why am I disallowed to continue attacking the person I crit?
Because continuing to attack would result in their death and possible removal from the round in worst case scenario. Beating someone into a critical condition while enraged is one thing, murder is another.
Why did I get arrested?
Security, like you, are also just other players. They won't know everything, and just like in real life, they will more than likely take you both for questioning. Answering security and being friendly will almost always end in them letting you go.
(This does not mean you have to! However, you need to accept the consequences of being nasty to security; they have their ways of punishing you too)
Security is one of the most, if not the most difficult department to play in Space Station 14. It requires a lot of game knowledge and will come with a lot of trial and error.
Contrary to popular belief, security is also extremely roleplay heavy. You will find yourself playing like you're in an army simulator, despite being on a wacky Space Station. Communication is key in the success of security. Communicate everything if you must, even if you don't always get a direct answer. I promise you this is only beneficial.
With this in mind, Security has a lot of tools at their disposal, many of which are found in the armoury. This comes at the cost of them having to follow Space Law. You do not need to have Space Law memorised from the beginning; you can learn on the job. It is, therefore, recommended to play as cadet for as much time as possible. But understanding Space Law allows you to know exactly what you can or can't do. This includes, possibly, bending it to your liking.
You're called to a possible break-in. When you arrive you see there's been a confrontation between a department member and what appears to be an invader. What do you do?
I attempt to break them up with my stun baton/pistol
This is a good example of effective escalation and handling of the situation. Calling for backup is also good in this scenario.
I stand back for now and call for backup
This is also fine; when there's multiple people and only one of you. Sometimes it's better to pick your battles more wisely.
I immediately open fire and kill everyone involvedSelf-excercise(Screenshot for the discord if you wanna share your funny answers)
I decide this is a good time to throw a pie at security!
Clown behaviour
I kill the security officer with this gun I found!I take out my toy sword and hit the cadet.
If you get shot, this is your fault
I decide it is time to welder bomb securitySelf-excercise(Screenshot for the discord if you wanna share your funny answers)
What if the Head of Security has told us to attack on sight?
This is fine, as a security officer, you listen to the HOS. If there was any mishandling, the responsibility for this mistake would then fall onto the HOS.
Do I always have to bring injured captives to the brigmed?
Yes, you don't get to round remove a person because you believe they are dangerous. You have to follow the appropriate IC-procedure to 'do not revive' (DNR) a person.
What are the best things I can keep in mind?
The head of security and warden are your best friends during security gameplay. They are the most knowledgeable and should be able to explain spacelaw to you well. They should give you directions from the start of the round. If they don't, then common sense is pretty important.
You can look at Space Law in the guidebook or at Space Law
How exciting! You rolled antagonist, oh joyous day Kaloo kalay!
Antagonist, as you may assume, are among the most exciting roles in the game. In fact, you practically define a round in many instances. On the other hand, it also means you can ruin rounds all the same.
As an antagonist, you will be a lot more successful in this game if you play to do something cool, not play with the intention of ruining somebody elses round. But what does this mean? Where is the line?
It's hard to define a definite line, somebody will likely always be upset at your actions if it ends in their death. But you gotta do what you gotta do. If you are playing with the intention to piss people off, you've already made a mistake.
For the sake of simplicity, we will specifically be looking at traitors. These are the most common antagonist you would see on the station. They are also one of the most versitile; they have no clear path or goals most of the time. With that in mind, lets look at some scenarios.
You can look at other types of antagonists here: Antagonists
You're an agent hired by a syndicate agency. You've been given clear objectives to complete before shift end. While you're completing one of your objectives, you notice someone is persistently interfering with your objective. What do you do?
Antagonist escalation
I ask what they want.
This is totally fine.
I tell them to go away, or I will make them.
This is totally fine.
I walk into a dark part of maints. Should they still follow me, I'll proceed to murder them.
This is totally fine.
Self-exercise (Screenshot for the discord if you wanna share your funny answers!)
Antagonists, unlike most other crew, are unique in that they don't need to follow escalation in the same way others do. But with great power, comes great shittery. So let's explore some more antagonist scenarios.
You have a clear objective to steal the Captain's jetpack and kill Franklin, botanist.
I beat up the captain to steal his ID, break in to his office and grab the jetpack
This is totally fine. Grab a gun, they're gonna know you're coming.
I plasmaflood the hallway, so the captain will hopefully die and I can take his ID
Come on, now. I slice up the botanist and shoot everyone who sees me do it
This is fine, but... you know stealth is an option, right? Maints is right there.
You're a Thief. You're pacified, and have a set of things you need to steal.
I start an elaborate scheme to cause a fight between crew outside, using the distraction to slip inside...
Very nice.
I find creative ways to get around the pacifism, so I can force my way into offices for my objectives.
Clever, but it's preferable you do not. There's a lot of fun challenge in being pacified on a station full of chaos and violence.
You have an objective to steal stuff from Cargo, and kill two Cargotech
I steal the Cargo Shuttle and ram the station - with some luck, it'll take out those cargotechs
No. This would not only destroy the shuttle, but also the department as a whole.
Yes! You finally rolled Die A Glorious Death! What to do...
Tesloose/Singuloose!
Boring, but fine. Just make sure it's not within 30 minutes of the start of the shift. Give people some time to play before you end them.
I'll get an L6 and try shooting my way out - mix things up a little.
Just keep your head down...
I try to find out how many borgs I can emag and arm up before they're on to me.
Fun for more than just you!
You get the idea - DAGD means escalation doesn't apply to you. Get creative.
Do I really have to care about my objectives?
Not exactly, but it's a good starting point in your antag journey. Objectives help give you ideas. If you have to steal something, you may not need a bunch of offensive items. If you have a kill objective, but it's only for a botanists, you won't need to use explosives to get in to do the deed. Pick the right tools for the job.
What if somebody or a department pisses me off, can I punish them?
Yes, creating a custom objective for yourself, e.g being pissed off at cargo for not accepting your order, can be a valid excuse to mess with cargo. But you need to remember, not everyone may have been involved in that conversation, so it's going to look like you're just an asshole if you decide to kill everyone.
What if I completed all of my objectives?
It is preferable that you complete your objectives before you decide to go and do whatever you plan to. It feels more natural to the progression of the round, as opposed to you immediately deciding to blow up security.