A Discussion on Metatrust

[Solenoid]

Can you 100% avoid metatrust? An anecdote, a security main that has people convinced "this character IC doesn't sound like a person who would antag for me and would be very bad at it!". They rolled antagonist on one round. Secoff A, who tends to not be in inter-round relationship and not always playing the same role, report to the radio that this person is suspicious. Secoff B, who RP a more social character and pay attention on who his character know in the round, decide to answer with "huh, what do you mean suspicious? Aren't they an officer?".

This anecdote doesn't have my idea of metatrust, but I imagine it is kinda normal for your brain to do things based on the pattern you remember and forget things because it is so used to many similar scenario. On the other hand, I think some people have anxiety with meeting new people and rarely talks or interact with anyone they do not know.

Though, I have had situation where certain players would follow around an antagonist as non security to hunt them once they see a suspicious person, then apprehend them, in situation where antagonist hasn't provoked them. Or follow around security as non security (instead of joining as sec) to "help" security when nothing have had happen and there are enough security member. Security player would sometimes just said "so and so plays security often, so it is fine,", even to the point giving them their gear. It also bothers me when the situation that happen involve whitelist.

Though, going back to the anecdote, if you are so used to seeing someone in sec or helping security at certain times, your brain will just ignore it. I do wonder if the situation I brought up are still within the rules, as you can help security and provoke antagonist.

I mean, I don't think you can ever 100% avoid metatrust, just as you can't 100% avoid metacliquing or metagaming, but I also don't think it's bad to discuss the issue and see what other players are thinking on it. I would imagine that recruiting a random staffie outside of a crisis would probably fall under RP rule 1(why would you give restricted equipment to someone that has 0 official training?), but I'm not an admin and don't really have the ability to answer rules questions myself. 

And yeah, I don't think your anecdote is necessarily metatrust in my view either. I've just had experiences before where people specifically ask "Is X here? I need Y done", and when I'm playing a random name or lesser known character as the job as X would usually play/X is busy and I offer to sub in/Y is a job within my department and I offer to do that for the player, I've sometimes been met with a "I would really prefer X to do this" or "I guess you could do Y, but I'd prefer X to if possible", and that's more of my idea of metatrust. Rejecting or only allowing a player to do something as a last resort because you don't have someone you know and trust OOC around to do it.