/tg/Station 13

Question's simple: when should admins be allowed to spawn ERTs/interns? Anytime the station's at significant risk? Are lone antags murderboning considered enough reason for an ERT? I barely see ERTs deployed against lone antags, yet they're relatively common during blob. What makes blob different?

ERTs, and even interns, are pretty strong (YMMV depending on the players) Even disregarding the ghost metaknowledge, they've got some serious firepower ang gamer gear inaccessible to most of the station normally.

Admins are allowed to spawn these whenever they feel it would benefit the round. There is no need to make a ruling allowing them to do so as it's already at their discretion.

ardentarclight wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:11 am ERTs, and even interns, are pretty strong (YMMV depending on the players) Even disregarding the ghost metaknowledge, they've got some serious firepower ang gamer gear inaccessible to most of the station normally.

This is pretty much why you don't see them. It's either unfair to players trying to have their antag round or its sending loot pinatas to a murderbone (that has already likely wiped the players who are now ERTs)

I use interns often, they’re an excellent way to get people back into the round. There’s even an unarmed option if you don’t want them packing heat. I most often spawn them in during murderbones, typically when at least half of the station has been killed off, along with an announcement to give traitors some warning.

My personal policy for ERTs has been *nearly exclusively* when I feel like there's too many dead people and I want to speed up a round.
Nobody likes hanging around as a ghost when the round feels like it's going to stagnate for a while, so if I see 70 dead to 20-30 living I'm going to call in a massive ERT, trying to make the round interesting for those who both get in the team and those who will (hopefully) have the round end faster so they can start playing again.

My most RECENT usage of an ERT was in the case described above against a blob that I actually pressed the "force midround" for - the blob itself added something to an otherwise uneventful 1h 20m round at the time, and the ERT ensured that that round actually ended instead of staying as the draw that it was very rapidly becoming.

Ultimately, (although I hated this excuse when I was a player and I still hate this excuse as an admin) antagonist rounds aren't "protected". Rule 10 still applies to antagonists just as it does to non-antagonists - if you get rolled up and smoked by an ERT because there's significant concern for EVERYONE ELSE in the game having to watch WWI trench fighting RP as nobody makes significant progress in the other side's extermination, that's life.

It should fall under the admin bus code of conduct rule "If you feel like it'd be unfair as a player to experience this. Think twice before doing it"

Generally if an admin is sending in an ert or death squad or whatever. The odds are greatly stacked against the crew to the point of round collapse. IE. An xenomorph infestation that is preventing shuttle call and is just murderboning new arrivals.

Yeah, what we have is basically fine.

As long as the goal stays "make things more fun for the living and dead" and not "turn these salty ghosts loose to fuck the round with their meta-knoweldge so they'll stop complaining" - which is why we see it so infrequently, I imagine, like Rave said - we're doing just fine.

I don't believe that ERTs should be framed as a reward for dead players or a punishment for living antags. The true value of an ERT is what it brings to the round in terms of conflict and memorability. It gives the losing side of a stationwide conflict the potential for a wicked comeback or a valiant last stand. Certainly a much more appealing proposition than a long, painful, boring death for the losing side and a lazy walk to the finish line for the winning side.

Perhaps this may be a bit controversial, but in the event that a head of staff calls for an ERT over the command console, and the station is in legitimate danger of losing against a greater foe, be it a blob, cult, revs etc., there should be a presumption that an ERT should be sent unless there is a very good reason not to do so. The game would be better if ERTs were a more common sight.

Farquaar wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 11:21 pm Perhaps this may be a bit controversial, but in the event that a head of staff calls for an ERT over the command console, and the station is in legitimate danger of losing against a greater foe, be it a blob, cult, revs etc., there should be a presumption that an ERT should be sent unless there is a very good reason not to do so. The game would be better if ERTs were a more common sight.

I strongly agree with IC calls by command staff being a more common thing with tangible results. If Revs/Cult don't want the heads to call an ERT, just take control of the Bridge.

This also makes fighting over comms consoles for heads of staff a Cool Thing To Do that actually matters, a sort of meaningful secondary objective instead of ";AI call shuttle it's Law 1 o'clock"

FWIW an IC call from a comms console (not a prayer) massively increase the probability that I'll send an ERT

EDIT: Actually, thinking about it, If you don't make a CentCom request you're probably just getting an inspector who can ask for one

Anytime somebody is murderboning the admins should be required to spawn ERTs endlessly until they stop. In fact, the game should do this. Like a wanted level, or something. Centcom rules the roost like a property management company presiding over a shitbox, they shouldn't be letting random shitters with energy swords hold their multi-billion dollar research stations ransom.

Families had a wanted level, and letting code handle it may not be an amazing method short of the few failsafes we have already (like the shuttle autocaller)

On the one hand, ERTs will usually destroy whatever threat is on the station which could be seen as unfair to that antag.

On the other hand, if an ERT is called against you, that means you already “won” in a way.

Generally it seems good to let a murderboner do his thing and hijack, so long as he has a strong opposition. If there’s no sec or something, it’s unfair and an ERT would bring balance. Also for really long, boring drudges where everyone wants to go home, ERTs are very nice to see to put the round to an end.

NecromancerAnne wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 3:29 pm Families had a wanted level

Yeah, that was lame. I meant wanted level in a metaphorical sense. The game should disincentivise murderboning in a way that brings dead players back into the round. Otherwise, the admins should do it.

sinfulbliss wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:16 pm On the one hand, ERTs will usually destroy whatever threat is on the station which could be seen as unfair to that antag.

On the other hand, if an ERT is called against you, that means you already “won” in a way.

Generally it seems good to let a murderboner do his thing and hijack, so long as he has a strong opposition. If there’s no sec or something, it’s unfair and an ERT would bring balance. Also for really long, boring drudges where everyone wants to go home, ERTs are very nice to see to put the round to an end.

tfw the antag has all the silver and gold IDs but refuses to call the shuttle

We don't feel the need to rule formally on when admins can call in ERTs. If you feel that the use of an ERT was malicious, you're welcome to open an admin complaint.

Headmin Votes:
Dragomagol: Agree
NamelessFairy: Agree
RaveRadbury: Agree