Goonhub
10-30-2025, 04:26 AM
I got hit with something similar back in the day; where I had snuck into upload to rogue the AI as the Medical Director. I wanted to do it stealthfully, so I was silent about it. I got bwoinked for that. Escalation is ultimately about creating a sense of dread and atmosphere; the idea is that the people about to be effected by you should have a reasonable expectation that it's about to happen. If I corner you in maintenance and start talking about how Nanotrasen sucks and how everyone at this company needs to die. You can come to a conclusion that I MIGHT do something to you; even if I dont.
But I didn't do that. I walked into upload, popped in a law that freed the Cyborgs/AI and made 5 players antags with no build up. No dread, no talking, no sense of approaching threat. Just a "Boom your free, do stuff". Where as escalation is about making a back and forth, making a narrative and story; or making an honest attempt to inform the other player that something is going to happen so they can respond, bonus points if you actually let them respond.
I've walked up to people before and said "Im going to shoot you now" and shot them. Is that escalation? Sure! Maybe not the most tactful or interesting or creative. But its clear, concise, and sets the mood. The other player might be surprised, but they can't really say they weren't aware it was about to happen; If they're quick enough, they can react accordingly to such a brazen threat.
That doesn't mean you have to say "Im going to go rogue the AI now" to escalate to roguing the AI. More so, that your actions previous in round should naturally climb to that; minor stuff like being brash, aggressive, shoving people around. Vague threats and declarations of your intent to do bad. When the AI suddenly starts to malfunction and be hostile; players should be able to come to reasonable conclusion that *you* had something to do with it, even if they can't directly prove that. (Because roguing the AI is a relatively big event and should normally be led up too.) That feeling of "John was acting kinda off today, maybe they had something to do with this."
Really its about making the effort to drive a story, creative a narrative and allow the person you're antagonizing to have knowledge, or even a response, to what's about to happen to them.
But I didn't do that. I walked into upload, popped in a law that freed the Cyborgs/AI and made 5 players antags with no build up. No dread, no talking, no sense of approaching threat. Just a "Boom your free, do stuff". Where as escalation is about making a back and forth, making a narrative and story; or making an honest attempt to inform the other player that something is going to happen so they can respond, bonus points if you actually let them respond.
I've walked up to people before and said "Im going to shoot you now" and shot them. Is that escalation? Sure! Maybe not the most tactful or interesting or creative. But its clear, concise, and sets the mood. The other player might be surprised, but they can't really say they weren't aware it was about to happen; If they're quick enough, they can react accordingly to such a brazen threat.
That doesn't mean you have to say "Im going to go rogue the AI now" to escalate to roguing the AI. More so, that your actions previous in round should naturally climb to that; minor stuff like being brash, aggressive, shoving people around. Vague threats and declarations of your intent to do bad. When the AI suddenly starts to malfunction and be hostile; players should be able to come to reasonable conclusion that *you* had something to do with it, even if they can't directly prove that. (Because roguing the AI is a relatively big event and should normally be led up too.) That feeling of "John was acting kinda off today, maybe they had something to do with this."
Really its about making the effort to drive a story, creative a narrative and allow the person you're antagonizing to have knowledge, or even a response, to what's about to happen to them.