/tg/Station 13

what is it

i am still known formally as jonathan "xemo" thebiblemelts, prior serving headmin and ageless spectre that has haunted /tg/ for millenia. i like running events, making wild shit happen to people ingame, and shitposting in our discord servers. i also enjoy running community event maps like the Charlie Reclamation project, and Succession Station.



what does it want

i want to continue my work with trimming down our rules, modernizing our precedents and discarding irrelevant bloat from both the main rules page and beyond - speaking of bloat, i also intend to keep up with regular admin inactivity sweeps. i left this part completely unchanged from my thread last year because the intent remains the same as it did before.

i also stated in my previous terms election thread that community unity and cohesion was a big goal - one that i feel we have improved significantly on since the start of my first term. i would like to keep that going and brainstorm with the community on shaping server policy with both the playerbase and administation in order to create the best gamespace for as many of our players as possible. i would also like to keep keyed in on movements on the coding side of our community and do my best to relay information, concisely share concerns, and allow space for conversations to happen when possible.



what has it done

a condensed version of some tasks i set myself on during my last term as an example of what i busy myself with and the manner in which i do it:

*reworded several rules altogether to get rid of extra fluff while still maintaining the SOVL spirit of the rule.

* rule 12 was cut altogether and rolled into rule 3, which saw a facelift of its own.

* rule 4 was made into the catch-all "antagonists" rule which previously had its precedents and wording scattered between several other rules.

* rule 5 was adapted from a "don't commit suicide as a vital role" to something that both encouraged a higher quality of play from Head of Staff roles, and granted them increased power to do so with a degree of metaprotection in running their departments.

* escalation policy was rewritten from a flowchart that ended up being abused in ways the original writer hadn't desired into something less gameable overall.

* pruned, removed, or baked in over a dozen old headmin rulings into the main rules while still keeping rulesbloat down.

* workshopped a new Space Law that hasn't seen a good updating in nearly 10 years, and codified that keeping in line with it is what grants security their metaprotections.

* along with those more 'visible' actions, i have also been constantly working in other capacities to ensure that the "human resources" oriented part of headminning doesn't go by the wayside, and encourage my team to treat things with levity and humor where appropriate, and not lose themselves in the burnout.

after my last term concluded, i continued on as i had before with offering regular advice to admins dealing with difficult situations, and have otherwise been mostly enjoying my time on /tg/ as a player when i'm not inclined to do some funky button pushing, as evidenced by my feedback thread. viewtopic.php?f=37&t=229



what will it do

continue trimming the rules, continue adapting/meshing our IC and OOC policies where possible (ex. the space law change), keep policy threads and appeal forums as clean as i can, and when necessary, investigate and make sure that if a harsh action is required to be taken (ex. deadminning, or quality-control bans) for the health of /tg/station at large, due respect and time are put into the process to ensure that it is the correct move.

i enjoy employing the use of policybus as a way to get a melting pot of ideas, opinions, and debates going around policy, and will see it used again this term for players to speak their minds about changes or proposals.

a few things higher on my list for another term would include:

*adjust and make rule 8 more clear. we should be using this rule to prevent creeps from sexualizing peoples characters, and to weed out anybody who seems to be using the game space to be horny on main. i do not think it should be used to prohibit dirty or crass jokes where there is no applicable erotic implications - we have rule 1 for people who take their insults too far with certain language, and we all like to make a dick joke on occasion without fear of being sent into the seventh layer of hell.

*make our MRP ruleset less wordy, more concise to what our goal is for it, and make the enforcement feel like less of an admin roulette. i would personally love a policybus thread on this in particular to figure out what people like, don't like, and what confuses them about it.

*address sybil, basil, and campbell - i want to see sybil, or some form of a non-EU box LRP server thrive again and experimenting with something from my Mergening concept where basil is the low-threat LRP server and Sybil the high-threat might be a way to drum interest and offer playstyle variety. limiting the map pool on sybil to maps that may encouraging latejoining could also be beneficial. it's also time that we give up on campbell as an EU MRP server and just let people go nuts with what it's already being used for - a longform sandbox server. config changes like enabling respawn, and encouraging it to be used as a safe space to teach new friends SS13 would be ideal in my mind. alternatively, the idea of making basil an MRP server where people can go for lowpop vibes/taking some of the chaos from overpop on manuel is appealing.

*try to bring back the concept, either by way of encouraging enforcement, or policy clarification, that immersion is a vital component to ss13 - and not just in the sense that you're not being blatantly OOC while you chat with people ingame. the best ss13 happens when everybody has some kind of buy-in of suspension of disbelief that allows them to see their actions have consequential reactions, and for them to have consequential reactions to others without going out of their way to make it clear that they and everybody else are just playing a round-based game where nothing matters. failrp is a real thing, and when too many people are engaging in it, individuals who may put more effort into the game are put off from trying altogether. i want to help bring back the idea of the sanctity of the layers between IC and OOC - even MRP is often failing in this aspect, maybe even moreso due to the heightened expectations on it.

*i don't know how much of this is a config promise versus a code promise, but i think the way that roundstart reports set an expectation for the threat scaling of the rounds dynamic mode has been used in ways that are completely detrimental to gameplay both from an in-character perspective and out. i'd like things to go back to being more of a surprise and allow suspense to build, and not have people committing suicide based off of a white/green orbit report.


also i'm going to allow timberpoes to post in any appeal thread he wants anytime he wants and render him immune to the peanut policy rules. dendy too, for that matter.





credit to my problematic (now permabanned ) homeslice chappy for the funny greenman flag displayed above

How will you trim down rules, while also making it less of an admin roulette? Rules are already very vague(it seems like they are meant to be) and the roulette is resulting from interpretation from what I see in appeals, with headmin reviews being so common. Will it be a change visible to players, or something internal about admins?

Roadto3k wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 12:39 am How will you trim down rules, while also making it less of an admin roulette? Rules are already very vague(it seems like they are meant to be) and the roulette is resulting from interpretation from what I see in appeals, with headmin reviews being so common. Will it be a change visible to players, or something internal about admins?

functional rules should keep things simple and encourage the spirit of the rule as opposed to following it like a silicon law. last term, i cut the rules page down a ton along with escalation policy. the ideal ruleset to me is composed of a handful of flavored ways to refer to rule 1. example:

rule 1: dont be a dick.
rule 2: don't cheat, that's being a dick
rule 3: people are here to roleplay, don't be a dick by ruining that for them
rule 4: antagonists can be dicks, as a treat
rule 5: don't take command slots just to hog the resources and access and then fuck off, that's a dick thing to do to people who want to play them as intended and fulfil their duties.
rule 6: administrators are empowered to determine the level of dickery afoot, and poor rulings can be disputed on the forums.
rule 7: i see you there, trying to be sly about being a dick. don't do that.
rule 8: don't make people feel like you're touching your dick while you interact with them.
rule 9: i don't know how to hamfist the word dick into this. get outta here if you're under 18.
rule 10: sometimes you get dicked. shit happens.
rule 11: we really shouldn't need a separate rule entirely just to say not to be a dick to people based on harmless lifestyle or inborn traits. if you're why we need this rule, you're a double-dick.

I can absolutely say that TBM was an amazing headmin to work alongside. He has the game's best intentions in mind, and puts 110% into his efforts to improve things.

I think TBM did a fantastic job last time they were headmin, and I would be happy to have them as headmin again.

TBM is always a treat to admin with. They do crazy fun events using the admins tools. I find myself paying attention to the admin logs when they are cooking, to see if I can replicate what they are doing in some way.

I agree with their takes in Bus constantly. I have also seen them play quite a bit in the last few months. I think TBM is in touch with the community and deserves one of your top votes.

who the hell let these people into my thread

i'm looking forward to serving alongside TBM this headmin term as we bring the GOOF 2024 platform to fruition together

iamgoofball wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 10:41 pm i'm looking forward to serving alongside TBM this headmin term as we bring the GOOF 2024 platform to fruition together

i'm going to hit you with a lamp. this is in my campaign thread, and is now a campaign promise.

TheBibleMelts wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 10:37 pm

iamgoofball wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 10:41 pm i'm looking forward to serving alongside TBM this headmin term as we bring the GOOF 2024 platform to fruition together

i'm going to hit you with a lamp. this is in my campaign thread, and is now a campaign promise.

Endorsed.

Lacran wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 2:37 am

TheBibleMelts wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 10:37 pm

iamgoofball wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 10:41 pm i'm looking forward to serving alongside TBM this headmin term as we bring the GOOF 2024 platform to fruition together

i'm going to hit you with a lamp. this is in my campaign thread, and is now a campaign promise.

Endorsed.

I think we agree on points about OOC in IC needing to be more robust and leaving less room for immersion breaking stuff, but I do wonder how you would handle points of disagreement with me as I think maybe we are more diametrically opposed than the other mrp admins running for the election in terms of policy and philosophy, I am also wondering how you feel about the state of LRP, greytiding and antagonism on LRP specifically

GamerAndYeahMick wrote: ↑Sat Aug 24, 2024 6:09 pm I think we agree on points about OOC in IC needing to be more robust and leaving less room for immersion breaking stuff, but I do wonder how you would handle points of disagreement with me as I think maybe we are more diametrically opposed than the other mrp admins running for the election in terms of policy and philosophy, I am also wondering how you feel about the state of LRP, greytiding and antagonism on LRP specifically

solving point one would be my biggest gripe with tiding/antagonism on lrp. people pretty nakedly treat it like a game, and reinforcing the fact that we expect people to behave as though they were in-universe would alleviate a lot of my issues with people breaking into places just to powergame/acting like a dick because they know it's a game with no consequence.

TheBibleMelts wrote: ↑Sat Aug 24, 2024 8:10 pm

GamerAndYeahMick wrote: ↑Sat Aug 24, 2024 6:09 pm I think we agree on points about OOC in IC needing to be more robust and leaving less room for immersion breaking stuff, but I do wonder how you would handle points of disagreement with me as I think maybe we are more diametrically opposed than the other mrp admins running for the election in terms of policy and philosophy, I am also wondering how you feel about the state of LRP, greytiding and antagonism on LRP specifically

solving point one would be my biggest gripe with tiding/antagonism on lrp. people pretty nakedly treat it like a game, and reinforcing the fact that we expect people to behave as though they were in-universe would alleviate a lot of my issues with people breaking into places just to powergame/acting like a dick because they know it's a game with no consequence.

Are you positioning yourself as anti-tide?

ekaterina wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2024 11:43 am

TheBibleMelts wrote: ↑Sat Aug 24, 2024 8:10 pm

GamerAndYeahMick wrote: ↑Sat Aug 24, 2024 6:09 pm I think we agree on points about OOC in IC needing to be more robust and leaving less room for immersion breaking stuff, but I do wonder how you would handle points of disagreement with me as I think maybe we are more diametrically opposed than the other mrp admins running for the election in terms of policy and philosophy, I am also wondering how you feel about the state of LRP, greytiding and antagonism on LRP specifically

solving point one would be my biggest gripe with tiding/antagonism on lrp. people pretty nakedly treat it like a game, and reinforcing the fact that we expect people to behave as though they were in-universe would alleviate a lot of my issues with people breaking into places just to powergame/acting like a dick because they know it's a game with no consequence.

Are you positioning yourself as anti-tide?

when it hits the point of deteriorating the quality and experience of gameplay for others, for sure. bad tiding to me is doing it because you're not applying IC logic to what you do. good tiding is doing it because you're getting into the bit of a crazy maintenance hobo and you need to sneak in and steal supplies to survive a known threat or serve some purpose that's not purely selfish, ex. black markets, seedy medical and augmentation shops, drug dens.

So good to see you're up for another term, TBM! It's been so cool watching you reintegrate into the community.
I know we've talked about this kind of thing a bit before but I'd like to ask it here.

Coming back to the community means coming back to a lot of change, from many events and many people.
What were the positive changes you noticed?
What were the negative changes you noticed?

As for MRP Policy:
In the first year or so of Manuel I tried to boil down the core traits that I think would mechanically enable good RP:
Style, Pacing, and Sportsmanship
Style - A skill sink to show off with and sandbag to give newer people a fair shot at participating in narrative.
Pacing - Keeping in mind a three-act structure to allow antags to develop something interesting and to set expectations on how things should develop.
Sportsmanship - this feeds into the two prior, it just underlines that there are more important things than winning. Give other people a fighting chance on the rulest where peak gameplay is not the focus.

I don't think this is something we can enforce so much as it's a set of virtues we should seek to put sunglasses on and have do finger guns so everyone knows that it's cool.

I think that this is both simple and effective, this sat in the rock tumbler of mind for a minute so I feel it's quite polished. But it's still missing something, lacking in execution or in need of some other adaptation.

So, given your interest in simpler and modified MRP and our potential to be sharing a room together for the next 6 months:
What do you think of the traits, anything you'd change?
If you were to engage this as-is or modified, what do you think the best way of encouraging these traits in the community?

i've been thinking on the changes to MRP i'd like for a few days, and think ultimately i'd like to settle on them being a simple overlap or modification of the core ruleset rather than an entirely separate thing people have to read, cross reference, and understand.

removing the entire 'roleplay rules' tab and doing something like this on the main rules page - where i just go through our Roleplay rules page and try to connect the lines and intent between what was already written there, and an existing rule. for example.

3. This is a sandbox roleplaying server.
Keep IC out of OOC, and OOC out of IC. Your words and actions ingame should be distinguishable as an in-universe character, and not as a person playing a game. Playstyles that disregard all opportunities for engagement and roleplay can be met with administrative action. There is an exception for OOC in IC where terms like 'clickdrag X to Y, or look for the tab' is used to help a player.

[MRP] With a heavier focus on players interacting with one another, powergaming, or playing in a manner that can be seen as a play-to-win mindset is discouraged. Playing your character should always be more important than playing the game.

Rule 3 Precedents

the stay-your-lane rule could be tagged onto rule 5 similarly, and RPR 5 and 6 relating on handling antagonists onto rule 4.