Event Guidelines
Authorization & Logging
Getting an Event Authorized:
In the CM Staff Discord, #event-auth forum, create a post with a description of your event and ping @Event Authorisation for review. Staff may ask follow-up questions or set guidelines for the event. Once your event is authorized, you are clear to run it within 48 hours. (If something comes up and you are unable to run your event, you can request re-authorization.)
Good Event Authorization Requests:
You will want to include the following information in your request:
Event Type: Major/Minor, include if your event will include changing game mode or will be outside of standard lore.
Event Description: Give an overview of the set-up and intended story arc of your event. It’s okay to leave things open ended, but please include a well-thought out concept.
Event Characters or Mechanics: If you will be using NPCs or changing mechanics as a major part of your event, please include that info in your auth request.
For Example:
@Event Authorisation PMC deployment/survivor round: Gather two key blueprints that were stored on the colony and save the colonies chief engineer who was working on various FTL tech.
PMC ROE:
• Do not fire unless fired upon
• Once an enemy is incapable of firing back they should be secured and restrained, avoid lethal force
• Any combatants wounded in conflicts involving you must be provided medical treatment and or brought to someone who can provide said treatment
• Avoid areas of USCM/Xeno combat.
Also, check out the #Event-Auth Archives for examples of successfully authed events.
Logging Events:
All events except Aesthetic must be logged in #event-logbook, including Interaction and Objective Events and events which are IC intervention. (If in doubt, please log it)
Event Types:
Aesthetic:
Minor visual changes or spawned items to enhance or spark RP. May also be used as a reward for good player-created RP. Fax Events without objectives fall into this category. Edits to items and equipment are permitted, but they should be appearance/name/flavor text only. No item’s power/effectiveness should be changed. (For example, The CL takes the initiative to work with research on new stimulants, and eventually a tamed Xeno hive, progress is documented/rewarded with cash/donuts/letter of recommendation/special-looking lab coats to bribe researchers with/ect)
Examples: Change color or appearance of an item or mob (within reason). Send IC letter or postcard. Send small, non-weapon IC gift from home. Send a small food/drink care package from W-Y to a CL sending good faxes.
Perms Level: Mod+, Tmod with supervision of Trainer/Event Maintainer/Manager
Auth Required: No
Must be Logged: No
Objective:
Objective events should bring variety and RP opportunities for shipside roles and should not affect flow of the round. Antag objectives are okay, but should be kept within reason, and allow for non-violent conclusions. Objectives can be given at any point during the round, at round start or in response to a fax or player-created RP. Objectives do not have to be antag, but can be within reason. If you give an antag objective, please make sure it is not round disrupting (ie destroy CIC Command Bubble, Kill all MPs, Ect) and that it can be completed without violence (through lies/bribes/stealth for example)
Objective events can be similar in scope to Minor events. When running an Objective event you may spawn in reasonable items, send IC messages (via SM, Fax, Phone), use sound effects, narration. Objective events should focus on the Objective eligible roles and shipside players. Try to keep Objective events from spilling into CIC, any groundside aspects should be limited to FOB/Secured areas.
CL Objectives:
Examples: Encourage research to work on new medications that can be marketed to civilian consumers. Send new products for testing. Arrange a tournament or Contest. Hire marine to take photos of colony damage/xenos. Hire marine to escort CL to AOE to recover confidential files. Hack ARES to disable blackbox recording. Delete confidential mission files and replace them with improved financial data.
Perms Level: Mod+
Auth Required: No
Must be Logged: No
MT Objectives:
Examples: A mechanical problem is found in escape pods/lifeboats/cryochambers and needs repair. An ARES system update disables a number of automated systems. A crate of grey market goods (brand name cigarettes, alcohol, candy, designer sunglasses, VHS Movies, Magazines, ect) ends up on Almayer, sell them for profit. A stash of alcohol is uncovered in maints, time for a classic SS13 Construct-a-bar.
Perms Level: Mod+
Auth Required: No
Must be Logged: Yes
MP Objectives:
Examples: High Command needs the Almayer to temporarily hold and interrogate a non-violent HVT. Provost Inspection is looming, close out an unresolved case before the department gets sent for training. Odd fax that appears to contain a coded message arrives for a Marine not stationed on Almayer, crack the code and send the intel to UAAC-TIS. Formation training, guide MPs through combat and ceremonial formations in standard, dress and riot gear. Mail Day! Gifts and letters from home have arrived for Shipside staff, scan packages for contraband and then deliver them.
Perms Level: Mod+
Auth Required: No
Must be Logged: Yes
Survivor Objectives:
Survivors may be given shipside or groundside objectives. Groundside objectives should never include going into or near the hive, or have the requirement that they must be completed before first drop.
Examples: Re-deploy with marines collect a list of items from around the FOB area and return them to the CL to collect a bounty, hack into colony computer systems to determine what happened to a lost colleague, get your hands on a recorder and get evidence of the CL trying to strongarm survivors into NDAs, trade MPs evidence of CLF/UPP activity on the colony in exchange for a first class ride off the Almayer and to a nearby ship/planet.
Perms Level: Mod+
Auth Required: No
Must be Logged: Yes
Minor Events:
A minor event should have some element of story to it, and the players involved should be able to affect the way the story unfolds. While there is some leeway to have a humorous event, or an event that falls outside of lore, these deviations should still be plausible, if unlikely. If the event is intended to be humorous or outside of established lore, it should be included in the authorization request.
A minor event can include elements such as, but not limited to ERTs, Player or Staff controlled event characters, Spawning items, simple mobs, effects, changing turf, and through good RP can include minor perks or hindrances that give a slight edge or disadvantage, but do not disrupt the flow of the round.
In minor events, it is important to communicate with players, and respond to RP. For example, if you create a mechanical malfunction on the Almayer as a plot device and the CE and two MTs show up and RP troubleshooting the problem, try to acknowledge their efforts, even if it’s to tell them the source of the problem seems to be coming from elsewhere, or that the damage is too severe to fix without getting in some replacement parts.
A minor event does not need to be overly structured, but to be approved, it should have a story set up, goal to accomplish or problem to be resolved and resolution. A minor event can involve antagonists and combat, but should not include anything that will take players out of the round without them directly engaging in combat. (For example, if you want to establish a mysterious, deadly force, use event chars or NPCs, rather then killing PCs without warning)
Perms Level: Mod+
Auth Required: Yes for Mod & SMod
Must be Logged: Yes
Major Events:
A major event may have a noticeable impact on the flow and/or balance of the round. Major events may fall outside the scope of lore, or shift tone, but should still include a clear set-up and story, and should still be plausible within the setting you are creating for the event*. (For example, if your event features genetically engineered marines with telepathic ability, and research tries to use their blood to make a pill to spread the ability vs. genetically engineered marines with telepathic ability learn research is trying to make a pill with their blood, so they begin biting other marines and gain the ability to fly and turn into bats)* If your event falls outside of lore, please include this in your request for authorization.
There are no restrictions on tools to be used for a major event, please use your discretion on both story and server resources.
When running a major event, remember to set Custom Event Info, and it is recommended to ping @Event Notifications on the Main Discord a round or so in advance to let players know, and to make an OOC announcement during Lobby countdown.
As with minor events, majors can include antagonists and combat, but should not include anything that will take players out of the round without them directly engaging in combat. (For example, if you want to establish a mysterious, deadly force, use event chars or NPCs, rather then killing PCs without warning) Please limit Major events to 1 per around a 12 hour period.
Perms Level: Admin+ (SMod+ may work with Admin+ to design and run a Major event, but Auth and logging must be done by the Admin+ staff member)
Auth Required: Yes for Admin, SAdmin, Management and Hosts can Authorize their own Major Events.
Must be Logged: Yes
Staff Intervention Event:
Using in-game ERTs or Mod/Admin spawned characters to resolve issues via in-character intervention or consequences in lieu of OOC rule enforcement. (Provost Inspectors, Riot MPs, HC Officials, WY Auditors, ect. These shall be logged in the log book, and the main responder should be a staff member. If no staff members are around, the person sending in the ERT may take control of a character for the purposes of finishing the intervention. (If a staff intervention event is used to sort out an MP breaking ML incident, please cnote the issue for record-keeping) Staff Intervention Events differ from ERTs in that they are used for the specific purpose of resolving an in-game issue IC. Other Staff actions intended to resolve IC issues via IC staff action and RP would fall into this category.
Breaking a Stalemate:
Staff can attempt to break a stalemate if a round has continued for 2.5-3 hours AND marine/xeno combat has stalled, with neither side being able to make progress.
Perms Level: Mod+ (Or most senior staff member online.)
Auth Required: No
Must be Logged: Yes
ERTs:
ERTs are meant to be used by regular players and come with restrictions that are both given to them via text and are enforced via timelocks. This does not mean that you shouldn’t keep an eye on them, but they are meant to be pretty autonomous.
There are higher rank versions of all the main characters for all ERTs that can be spawned in using Create Human/Select Equipment that should be limited to CO WL and Staff only and considered Minor Events. None of these ERTs are meant to be antagonistic in nature and have to follow regular escalation.
The following ERTs may be used as reactions to IC development/faxes and need to be logged but may not need to be authed if they are purely reactionary.
Investigation - Provost
Is a provost Investigator and an Enforcer, sent to both process HC level appeals and release prisoners that may be in the Brig unfairly as well as investigate anyone in the ML enforcement chain. Remember, Investigators have the ultimate say per ML enforcement, but have to follow ML like any other MP role. This is stressed to whoever roles the investigator as well.
High rank version - Provost Marshal
Can BE and does not have to follow ML, so has to be authed as a minor event.
Investigation - USCM HC
Is probably what everyone thinks when they think of “inspection” - a SO and a Squad Engineer come and perform inspections of all ship departments, that they grade somehow and report to HC. Can be used as a fax/ic reaction without auth to acknowledge say an exceptionally well ran requisitions dept, or an exceptionally dirty medbay. They are not supposed to enforce ML, but can be mad at the MPs for say being sloppy or not keeping paperwork.
High rank version - Any Officer up to Colonel
Remember that the CO Whitelist uses Major, LtCols and Cols as part of regular gameplay.
The following ERTs are always Minor Events and need auth where appropriate:
Inspection - UAAC TIS
Spawns a TIS Intelligence Officer and a Provost Enforcer. The TIS is an external agency that deals mostly with delivering and picking up intelligence, but they can get involved in criminal investigations. The twist is that they are an external agency and may leverage the situation on the Almayer to their benefit, be it through blackmail or other unsavory means. They may also try and perform a good old fashioned rendition. Likewise they may use their position to try and further justice and punish people who are otherwise untouchable via ML. The Marines are also not compelled to listen to their orders, though hostility will have serious repercussions. Think creepy CIA people during the heyday of their Cold War infamy. Remember they are not meant to be antagonists - if things get hairy they are way more likely to exfil than to actually fight.
High Rank Version - UAAC-TIS Special Agents
Are Commanders with a broader mandate to act. Deliberate, dangerous investigators and intel folk. See UAAC-TIS - CM-SS13 for more IC information.
Inspection – Corporate
A PMC Investigator and Detainer sent to make sure that all Weyland-Yutani personnel (mostly the CL and any corporate Survivors) are still loyal to the company. May try a good old fashioned kidnapping if they need to, but should follow ML and SOP unless given the go ahead by the person in charge. They are not supposed to act like lawyers and generally are indifferent to arrested CLs. Their primary duty is to make sure that WY employees are not causing a danger to WY assets or interests.
High rank version - Corporate Directors
Can be used in lieu of the PMC investigators for those extra naughty CLs who deserve a personal execu… I mean talking to.
Gamemodes
Enable Predator Round
You may enable a predator round by request, or if a pred round is a part of a larger event you are running. Please check the logbook before enabling a predator round, and as a rule of thumb, try not to exceed one forced pred round per 12 hours or so. (If someone has been newly whitelisted, you can overlook this guideline within reason, or spawn them in with a training buddy or two in tdome to practice. )
Perms Level: Mod+
Auth Required: No
Must be Logged: Yes
Hunter Games
UNWRITTEN
Tribes
UNWRITTEN
Zombie Outbreak
UNWRITTEN
Human vs Human
UNWRITTEN
Greenshift
UNWRITTEN