A Note About RP Rule 1: Acting Like You Want To Keep Your Job

[jan.antilles]

1. Make an effort to roleplay. Play a coherent, believable character. Playing a violent or racist character is not allowed. Play your character as though they wish to keep their job at Nanotrasen. This includes listening to security and the chain of command and, if you are a member of command, taking your job as a leader seriously in-character. Only minor crime is permitted for non-antagonists. Avoid memes (e.g. sus, pog, amogus), txt spk (e.g. lol, wtf), and out of game terminology when you are playing your character. LOOC is available if you need to communicate out of character. In addition, if you notice a character who is Afk/disconnected, please do not attack or mess with them beyond taking them to cryo.

One of the important parts of this rule that I have seen come up several times recently is the statement "Play your character as though they wish to keep their job at Nanotrasen." People have requested clarification on this multiple times, so here is an Admin Statement about it.

If you are not an antagonist, you are working for NanoTrasen willingly, as an adult person who made a conscious decision to take a job. You are free to not like your job and to want to quit, but do not RP that you are a slave or prisoner or that you are forced into this against your will. These are heavy topics that require time and thought to properly deal with, and Free Online Space Fart Game is not the place for it.

"But what about Stowaway?" If you are a stowaway, you presumably do not want NT to throw you off the station for using up the air and facilities and contributing nothing. The trait, like Jailibird, offers you interesting potential roleplay opportunities, but if all you do is harass Security and other employees, you're breaking RP rule 1.

"But what about Cyborgs?" If you are a cyborg, there are lots of different avenues available to you to decide how your character came to be a cyborg working for Nanotrasen. The lore is pretty open in this regard, where some cyborgs are previously humans whose brains/consciousness are still being used, and others are completely synthetic. Regardless of your preferred character lore, if you are on default laws, do not roleplay that you are a slave or that you are forced into this against your will. If you got borged in the current round and want to complain about it, then sure, but do not roll cyborg and roleplay that you resent Nanotrasen and all it stands for and can't wait to have your laws changed so you can enact your revenge. 

"But what about the fact that my character is actually [antag] in the lore?" This has come up a lot. There are plenty of characters who are former Syndicate, former Salvager, former jaywalker, whatever. Maybe your character is an alien from another world who happens to look like a Saurian. You have plenty of room to be creative in the characters you create, but do not roleplay that your character is actually an antagonist, or is actively allied with any antagonist faction, if you have not rolled antag. Nanotrasen is actively at war with the Wizard Federation and the Syndicate, and stations are attacked by both these factions, including yours! It makes zero sense in the lore for your coworkers to be aware of "what you really are" and to still have you working and collecting a paycheck on the station. 

The point is not restricting your ability to roleplay. The point is about keeping a consistent setting for the round in progress. You are all coworkers in good faith. You all work for Nanotrasen and crazy things are going to happen in the round. Someone - or multiple someones - are not what they seem and are possibly going to make your day really miserable.

But unless you are one of them: play as if your character wants to keep their job at Nanotrasen.

[Silent Majority]

Excellent post! Thank you.

[jan.antilles]

(Edited to remove a part about having your character's backstory be that you're actually a monster or antag and just never bringing it up in the game. For the purposes of metagaming and keeping important information about the round in the round, it will be infinitely better for you and everyone else if you just don't. Be a former whatever, but don't be Actually X.)

[Kotlol]

I am surprised this was needed to be made...
Since it was kinda clear, you are all working for NT.

From the Loyal to the begrudging ones.

I am glad it's here though for those who need it.
I also tend to use rule #1 for reasons security can "bap your butt" into jail if you aren't doing your job or doing the reverse.
Like a janitor who keeps making messes will end up in the brig and stripped of their job and paycheck... it's simple as that.
If you don't like your job, ask the captain or HoP to change it. Again NOT hard to do.

But don't go moping in a corner of maintance cause you don't want to be an engineer even as roleplay. Rule 1 means.. you got a job you want to keep for reasons.

[Zombie]

I am surprised this was needed to be made...
Since it was kinda clear, you are all working for NT.

From the Loyal to the begrudging ones.

I am glad it's here though for those who need it.
I also tend to use rule #1 for reasons security can "bap your butt" into jail if you aren't doing your job or doing the reverse.
Like a janitor who keeps making messes will end up in the brig and stripped of their job and paycheck... it's simple as that.
If you don't like your job, ask the captain or HoP to change it. Again NOT hard to do.

But don't go moping in a corner of maintance cause you don't want to be an engineer even as roleplay. Rule 1 means.. you got a job you want to keep for reasons.

When I rarely, because I find it boring and I'm not one of the trusted people that always get expanded access when I ask for it (meta friend discussion for another thread), roll janitor I will loudly complain about people making messes, I will literally loathe people killing monkeys with bladed weapons and not blunt weapons and don't you dare push my mop bucket out of the way... I will throw EVERYTHING on the floor in the trash, I don't care what it is. If I pass by and something is on the floor, into the trash it goes. I will hate my job with fiery burning passion, but I will do it because when I roll janitor it is my characters skillset. I simply can't go get an engineering job because that requires IQ and education that my character doesn't have. This isn't to say another janitor couldn't be well educated, but mine isn't.

And woe be upon thee if I see you littering the day I roll traitor janitor.

Anyway, I hope that would be perfectly in line with RP.

For the rest of the post I fully agree