Obsessed is a masterclass in side-antagonist design

[Itseasytosee2me]

What a wonderful design that provides a compelling narrative, challenging a rewarding to complete. Frankly it's the only human side antag worth it's salt. It feels cheap, and won't ever shatter the round. Is it possible to design an minor antag that even compares? Do you have any ideas for side antags within a similar vein?

[Rageguy505]

Obsessed is super interesting and i've had this idea to have a hologram of the target via a holorecord photograph you talk to and eventually kill your target in front of.

[Indie-ana Jones]

There's lots of ways to make a side antag that doesn't affect the round if that's what you mean by, "doesn't shatter the round".

[dendydoom]

imo most other side antags are either too petty or too quick to build up to an impactful task such as killing someone. obsessed is so badass because you can't harm your target until the right time, and completing the tasks requires roleplay in such a way that outing yourself becomes more inevitable the longer you work on them. it is very well designed.

my concern with small side antags is that i usually prefer those sorts of things to develop naturally in the game so that people respond naturally to it instead of "valid detected." take the old thief for example: now that "being a thief" is a codified thing, it becomes separate from the IC act of stealing shit because you just needed/wanted it out of a natural chain of events through the round. it becomes more... mechanical? contrived?

it's a real fine line to walk between what deserves to be its own distinct side antagonist in a mechanical sense, and roles inhabited by players who have just found themselves in that situation through their own emergent RP.

[BlueMemesauce]

I only get obsessed as security and its super easy you just arrest the guy and kill him

[GPeckman]

I have it turned off because it can roll while you're already an antag, and dealing with the mood debuff induced slowdown while trying to do antag things absolutely sucks.

[Itseasytosee2me]

Yeah that's true it probably shouldn't hit preexisting antags.

[Kendrickorium]

obsessed is a lot of fun, its also the one i see most regularly greentexted

i think it should only happen to the warden though

[TypicalRig]

I ended up disabling it because three of the times I got it in a row my target SSD'd in a locker with their suit sensors off so I was just normal crew with a mood debuff. terrible antag

[Bawhoppennn]

Just watch some of the old cheesy TNG episodes for ideas of good side antags