Pseudo-Antags: Corrupt security as a force of good

[Douk]

So there’s been a lot of talk about the current inadequacies in current security conduct and how we might remedy the ongoing “toxic mindset.” It is my belief that there really isn’t that much wrong with security at the moment, but let’s humor the thought for now. It seems that the biggest complaint about security at the moment is taking tactics that are most commonly used during team antag rounds and applying them to traitor/ling/etc rounds. A lot of the current suggestions basically revolve around retuning the rules to crack down on “unwanted” behavior, but at the cost of making security an entirely undesirable role to play once more.

What if we took a different approach though? A big problem with most team antag types is that it boils down to sec vs antags. What if we offer an alternative through? What if there was a persistent “team” antagonist that was not restrictive in terms of who could be “converted,” but was not as destructive as regular team antag?

My idea is for the introduction of two “pseudo-antag” roles: accomplices and supports (the names of course being placeholders, we’ll collectively call them underlings for now). These roles are acquired via conversion items that would be available to multiple antag types (namely traitor, double agent, gang, and nuke ops), and would entail the recruitment of players for the purpose of aiding the converting antags, but restricting their activity to MOSTLY non-antagonist activity (ie no actions that will directly cause the death of other players).

So what are these roles exactly, and where do they fit in when it comes to gameplay?

The Accomplice
A special antagonist role created through the signing of a contract. Unlike other antagonists, they operate on a far stricter ruleset; namely they are unable to murderbone or destroy the station (at least not on the scale allowed by other antags). Rather, they are only allowed to assist the antag they signed the contract with in an indirect manner (“accidentally” leaving a back door open, “misplacing” a few departmental items, fudging a record or two as security). An accomplice is not REQUIRED to aid the antag they signed up with, but they are given leeway to do shifty shit ONLY IF it aids the antag in question. That means either being told directly to do something (obviously keeping in mind they can’t murder/blow up the station) or being able to justify how the actions taken aid the antag (vague justification like “causing chaos as a distraction” does not in itself count unless it is a highly targeted action).

The Support
The support is a step above an accomplice in terms of loyalty to the antag., and is created through implantation with a support implant. A support is COMPELLED to act on the behalf of the antag, though still under the same restrictions that the accomplice has. Additionally, the support cannot under any circumstances reveal the identity of the antag they signed up with or were implanted by.

The Recruiter
This role is a subset of the support, though is created through implanting with a recruiter implant. They follow the same rules and are created largely the same way, but have a cooldown ability to craft the Contract item if they have a pen and paper in hand. They’re job is to recruit additional crew members as accomplices on the behalf of the antag, as well as potentially managing contract payment distribution if they are trusted with a Manager Chip. This role exists primarily to allow the antag to have a proxy when it comes to crew interaction. Specifically, it allows things like the recruitment of security without the high-risk tactic of having the antag themselves approach them and potentially getting thrown in perma for it.


I mentioned a few items throughout the role descriptions that require a bit more elaboration. Here are the key items that would be purchasable via antag uplink (whatever form that is).

Contract Kit
Includes: x1 Contract, x1 Manager Chip, x1 Underling HUD Implant
This would be the low-tier item, thus the lowest cost.
The Contract would be a single-use paper that, when a non-antag player uses a pen on it, turns them into an accomplice. By requiring a signatory action, engaging in a contract is a voluntary (maybe with a side of coercion under certain circumstances) action. Contracts are not deterred by mindshield implants, thus anyone can be recruited.
The Manager Chip would be an additional item that can be added to the antag’s PDA, which is necessary for ensuring point payment is received by accomplices and support. Payment confirmation must be periodically renewed by the antag via PDA (or maybe action button if PDA is equipped somewhere in their inventory), which can be pulled for specific accomplices/supports at any time via menu. The renewal process is intended to incentivize accomplices and supports towards ensuring that the antag they serve stays alive and out of long-term security holding. If the antag can’t access their PDA, then further point accumulation towards underling incentives is cut off.
The Underling HUD Implant is an item intended to be used by the antag on themselves. When used, it indicates via HUD icon players who are currently under the implanted individual’s service for quick identification. The implant also warns of players who are currently banned from the accomplice/support role. This ensures that antags are not potentially blowing their cover or endangering themselves over players who are simply unable to take on the aiding roles.

Support Implant Kit
Includes: x1 Support Implant, x1 Manager Chip, x1 Underling HUD Implant
This would be the mid-tier item, thus would be middling cost.
This would be a single-use implant that would turn a player into a support. This implant does not bypass mindshield, thus cannot be used as a defacto reconversion tool on deconverted staff or force a security member to act as a plant. Nullification of the implant is only possible via cloning or surgical removal.

Recruiter Implant Kit
Includes: x1 Recruiter Implant, x2 Manager Chip, x2 Underling HUD Implant
This would be a high-tier item, thus would have high cost. This would be like the support implant, but turns the implanted individual into a recruiter.
An extra Manager Chip and Underling HUD Implant are also included if the antag in question wishes to fully entrust the recruiter with accomplice managerial duties.


Now on to mechanical concerns as it effects actual players.

The Incentives
When it comes to your average grey-suited crewman, there’s little need to sweeten the deal when allowing partially antagonist actions is on the line (when it comes to voluntarily signing onto contracts that is). However, the same cannot be said for people like department heads and security, who are far more likely to reject a contract on the grounds of either ideas of loyalty or too much risk for too little reward. Not much can be done about the former issue, but the latter can be addressed.
When a player becomes an underlying, much like traitors, they are provided with a code usable via PDA. This will bring them to a special menu that allows them to purchase a select list of items. This list of items is NOT the same as the full traitor list, though would likely include some traitor items (especially in the stealth category), and would have altered pricing. Most of the items in question would be things that improve general quality of life, improve job ability/performance, or just items that are generally fun.
To step away from average crew and look at the real targets for this (heads and security), here are a couple of examples. The CMO might want equipment that either is more effective at treating patients or provides the parts necessary to acquire early upgrades to things like the sleeper pods and cloner. The CE might want to get things like extra hardsuits, more RCDs, extra gloves, or wholesale power supply alternatives for when singulo/tesla gets fucked. The RD might want items that can speed up research (or allow progression into research tiers beyond what normal items lying around the station allow), tools to aid the efficiency/safety/utility of xenobio, or maybe even straight up minerals if mining is being particularly lazy that round. HoS and security would probably want unique weapons, better armor or armor upgrades, chemical/implant augmentations, and healing items that can be used rapidly in the field. HoP/Captain would probably want just about anything mentioned above, as well as items that a full access ID wouldn’t otherwise afford them.

Why Corruption in Security is a Good Thing
So this is where I go into a bit of detail addressing the clickbait title, and to do that we first have to look back. Specifically, we have to look back at those horrific times when security could still be antag by default. Nobody can deny that security being antags usually did more harm than good when it came to making rounds more fun, but why? It’s usually because of the measures that most antag security members take to either achieve their objectives or explore their traitorous possibilities… which usually meant randos getting dragged into maintenance and beaten to death. Security back then was far less effective as a cohesive fighting force. Teammates were constantly looking over their shoulder waiting for the moment someone would get a taser shot to the back. Other crewmembers dreaded getting apprehended by security more than we’ve ever seen since, as there was the constant threat of simply “disappearing” at the hands of an overwhelmingly better equipped force with much greater legitimacy than oneself. At that same time though, having security be allowed to be antags often meant that, when they weren’t antagonists, security tended to be much better in quality. It was cathartic to be able to use the power they had once only wielded in the tightest restriction towards whatever goal they pleased: a reward to an otherwise thankless job. The thought much later (long after security antags were removed) was that rolling for antag first and having antag take precedence over antag-disabled job preferences fixed the problem by ensuring that frequent security members could still enjoy antagonist roles. However, I don’t feel that we’ve seen the intended effect, and that’s because we ultimately are still removing those players from their “home” environment. In order for them to more fully explore who they are as a character and as players, we need to allow people to have an outlet for creative play in their preferred roles. This is a design philosophy that security has been almost exclusively exempt from.
Through having what is essentially a less harmful antagonist role, it offers security the opportunity to have that in-role outlet. It allows catharsis without subtracting fun from other players in the process. More than that, this idea offers security an underlying moral choice: go crooked or not, which is a choice that might be more grey than one might initially think. Most would likely think that “good security will always stay legit, bad security will go corrupt,” but there is also the consideration that a good security member still might go corrupt in service of a smalltime antag either specifically to remove the necessity for violence on the part of the antag, or to receive benefits that help that security member pursue a more dangerous enemy.
One must also consider how it affects the security team as a whole. Trust becomes a far bigger factor between members, and how the department is run will reflect the degree of trust had for specific members. For example, if a HoS trusts his officers, he would have no problem with them maintaining records and processing prisoners without much oversight. If he does not trust the officers though, he might clamp down and ensure that only the warden handles prisoners if it is felt that the warden is the only known trustworthy member (at the cost of brig potentially getting backed up with prisoner processing).

Enforcement of the Rules
I know what most of you are thinking: this is an opening for a hell of a lot of abuse. Obviously there is a degree of wiggle-room when it comes to rule interpretation as it pertains to what is acceptable and unacceptable accomplice/support activity. That is why temporary bans for accomplice/support roles should be fairly liberal. To be eligible to act mildly traitorous should be a privilege, and should be a reward for those individuals who are capable of working within the ruleset and are capable of utilizing RP to achieve concrete goals.


I’ll be posting a companion idea discussing changes that I feel should be made towards the gang gamemode sometime tomorrow. Feel free to fling shit at me for how bad this idea is in the meantime. If need be, I’ll elaborate a bit further specifically as to how I think this idea can improve gameplay towards any number of playable areas/jobs.

[MrEousTranger]

tl;dr I don't get it.
title doesn't help
so confused.

[John_Oxford]

or we just let the "problem" continue to go on.
security players that do genuinely unwarrented bad shit get banned in the first place, this is simply in response to a vocal minority of players who do bad shit and expect to get away with it.

[ShadowDimentio]

Is this a new conversion antag

I think this is a new conversion antag

[BeeSting12]

There's nothing wrong with security as it is now, but having something like this would be cool but hard to moderate.

[Screemonster]

There's nothing wrong with security as it is now

except that you're in it