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+--- Thread: Nova Ignis HOS Application (/showthread.php?tid=23211)
Nova Ignis HOS Application - Babel - 09-20-2024
Usual character name: Nova Ignis
BYOND username: LibraryOfBabylon
Discord username (if you are on our discord): LibraryOfBabel
Recommended by (if applicable): N/A
Goon servers you play: RP 3
- Reason for Application -
While I believe there is no shortage of incredible people who're already wearing the beret, something I have noticed as I've spent more time on Station 3 is that there is no such thing as too much help. Even if you've got a fully stacked security team, without proper leadership, guidance, and communication, the department will descend into chaos faster than an Escape Shuttle during a Changeling round. Many times have I seen security rushing around the station, independently fighting alert after alert, until a TTV bomb inevitably goes off and causes an early end to the round. Of course, I have also seen the inverse; security teams rushing down antagonists early, giving them zero time to actually establish a gimmick or storyline, and then turning the shift into a glorified Extended round where the antagonists are too scared (or imprisoned) to actually do anything.
It's important to understand that the RP servers are not about winning. If you want to beat an antag to the ground the second they pull out a suspicious-looking flute, you can always go play Classic; otherwise, the RP servers are for making the most engaging storyline possible within that hundred-minute time limit, and in my opinion, the crux of every RP server storyline is the Security team. Once you really break it down, the entire gameplay loop of SS13 is Security vs. Antagonists, and if one side is putting in too little (or too much) effort, the entire thing falls apart. The main foil to the disconnected, chaotic (save for Gangs, Revolutionaries, Nukies, etc.) Antagonist force each round is the connected, orderly Security team. And in order for Security to stay connected and stay orderly, there needs to be a HOS there to guide them. Otherwise, things fall into chaos faster than... well, you get the idea.
I believe that through my experience as Security both without and with a HOS gives me the necessary knowledge of both the game and the RP server's community itself to properly act as that guiding foil, and join all other current HOS-approved members in making the rounds as enjoyable as they could possibly be for everyone, both by showing new SecOffs the ropes and giving the Antagonists the proper room they need to breathe.
- Security Experience -
I've played weeks-worth of Security shifts on RP 3, and during that time I've played against every single antagonist in the game (yes, even the one's typically not allowed on RP servers, due to admemes), on every single map in the game (yes, even Atlas), and died more times than I can count, learning a new thing each and every time. I've bombed the hell out of Nukies, been Batwoman about twice, and once even had a talking, chainsaw-wielding monkey sidekick named 'Chainsaw Monkey' that communicated entirely by screaming "CRIME!!!" and "LET'S FIGHT CRIME!!!". Though, while the gimmicks are always fun, my favorite part of playing Security has always been the investigative-slash-interrogative build-up to an eventual antagonist encounter. Finding a body in maints drained of all its blood is never not an exciting experience, and from that first body there's always a downhill spiral until the Antagonist responsible is found. Sometimes the antag bumbles their way into getting caught early due to luck or inexperience, but when you've got an experienced antag, you've got a game of cat-and-mouse that'll last the entire shift and give you the best high of your life once you and your team finally take them down.
Of course, going back to unlucky antags, I've had many rounds where an antagonist's gimmick is cut short by things out of their control, like Space Lag or a lack of knowledge. During rounds such as this, I try my best to give the Antagonists room to breathe, either by explaining why exactly their plan failed or looking the other way while they keep that totally-legit ID that says 'Awesome Syndicate Guy' as their profession. Whenever I encounter somebody blatantly breaking the law, I always try to talk to them first, even if they take that opportunity to run right past me. Regardless of this leniency though, a standard I keep every single time I play a round as Sec is that, the moment an Antag goes lethal, it's straight to the Brig. It's important to me to remember that the aforementioned bodies you find in maints aren't just faceless victims to facilitate your cat-and-mouse fun, they're actual players, who are counting on you to make sure that not only you keep up a fun, engaging shift, but the antagonist does the same. There's no quicker way to end a shift early than just letting Murder Jones walk by you, shooting people in the skull with is gun. So maybe suggest to Murder Jones that he changes his ways and his name; but only after you've introduced his skull to the pavement and taken that gun.
- Questionnaire -
- What advice would you give to other sec players?
Don't take things too seriously, and take breaks if you have to. If a guy is genuinely ruining the shift by powergaming or breaking the rules in some other aggravating way, your first thought should immediately be to Ahelp it, not argue in OOC chat or murderbone him. Each shift is only temporary; dying once due to an asshole isn't going to fuck up your entire day unless you let it, or unless you get yourself banned by an admin for the aforementioned arguing. Take things in stride; even I'm guilty of getting a bit heated at times. It's okay. The game will always be waiting for you if you need to step away for a bit.
- What was one of your favorite security moments? (Either playing as a sec officer or interacting with one)
One of my favorite interactions with Security was a recent round where I played a Changeling Pyre Ignis, Nova Ignis's scientist father, and got caught immediately after my first victim. While I managed to escape the officer first on the scene, I somehow managed to IMMEDIATELY run into Ranni Stella, who was the HOS for that shift. Instead of tasing me so hard that lightning bolts shot out of my ears, Ranni simply stopped to talk to me, giving me time to recharge my Self-Biomass and escape. It was that one moment that facilitated a shift-long chase that all culminated in a SecOff named Morrow getting the satisfaction of choking to me death minutes before the Escape Shuttle arrived. Even though I died in the end, the shift always stuck out to me as a prime example of how to handle an early-antag encounter as Security, and just how much better a shift can be made just by stopping to talk to somebody instead of going in guns-blazing.
- What's a security gimmick that you've ran or wanted to run?
Like I said earlier, Nova has found herself with multiple monkey sidekicks; during a Batwoman shift, a monkey named Crazy Floid came up to me and asked to be my sidekick, complete with already having a full costume. From then on, they were Batwoman and Robin, fighting crime side-by-side, and Floid didn't even have to speak a word for it to be the most fun I've had in a round.
RE: Nova Ignis HOS Application - Ortmid - 10-23-2024
Now that my application has finally run its course, I'll throw my hat in for ol' Nova!
In my time as Josuha I've worked quite a few shifts with Nova, which has always been a treat as Sec! She is often quite effective in the role and similarly able when it comes to positions of leadership. As she says herself she also, unlike some other Sec I've seen, has a nose for when to let things roll in the favor of an antag and when to put a crimer where they belong.
I've had some fun RP moments with her, involving some Tele-Sci mess, leading to a "Who's really Nova" situation where she and a scientist had swapped minds. Even when there's not a major gimmick, she's not a cardboard cut out like some people can be.
Well wishes to Nova! Please consider her thoughtfully!