Foxtrot1322 - Commanding Officer Application

Whitelists Commanding Officer Applications
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Commanding Officer Application - Foxtrot1322

What is your BYOND key?

Foxtrot1322

What is your Discord ID?

Foxtrot1322

What is your timezone in UTC?

UTC+01

Player Name You Use Most?

Jim ‘Jam’ Miller | Paul | JI-##-M

Ban Appeals, Whitelist and Staff Applications:

Mentor : Mentor Application - Foxtrot1322 - #13 : Accepted

Synth : Accepted Foxtrot1322 - Synthetic Application : Accepted

Have you been banned in the last 3 months?

Nope

If so, why?

N.A.

Command Knowledge:

How familiar are you with command positions?

I am more than familiar with being in any position of command, be it leading a squad of marines during a push, building the FOB during lowpop as bravo SL, ordering the marines to fallback as XO or even dealing with research deciding that creating an alpha xeno hive without telling command is a good idea as the CMO (Shockingly, it isn’t).
I have playtimes in all head of department & command roles, excluding RO mainly because I don’t find devoting an entire round to req to be particularly invigorating (I salute those who do, keeping the marines from running out of supplies is a noble task)

Hours in XO:

32.2 hours (Though I do have an extra 8 hours as aCO during lowpop from playing head of department roles and SO)

Hours in SL:

39.1 hours

Character Information:

Why did your character decide to become the CO of a ship?

Miller signed up to the USCM as an officer, determined to make a name for himself and be known for years to come, starting off as an intelligence officer, Miller swiftly reached the rank of Captain, upon reaching this rank, he realised that it would be a sound career decision to move to another ship and become its executive officer, with any luck, he hoped this would lead him to a quick promotion, becoming the executive officer of the USS Athena, a scouting vessel.

Miller, eager to climb up the ranks as fast as possible had been keeping an eye out for any sort of chance at a promotion for several years, upon hearing that the USS Hercules was in need of a replacement CO after the previous one had died in the line of duty, he realised that this was likely the best thing that could’ve shown up, and as a result of this he was more than happy to take the helm of the USS Hercules.

How did your character attain the position of CO?

Miller was a promising officer, despite being brash, he was showing good leadership and tactical planning in the operations he was a part of, finding out that the USS Hercules was in need of a commanding officer, he requested to be appointed to the USS Hercules as its commanding officer, which would also promote him to the rank of Major.

At first it was plain sailing, with some bumps in the road due to previous incidents, he was on track to obtaining the position, though, Miller hit a big wave, that being another incident involving the commanding officer of the USS Hades (What the story is about), while Miller was found innocent, it still left a bad impression and put Millers promotion at jeopardy, at risk of having his promotion and chance at a ship of his own fall out of his grasp, he informed High Command that he was willing to become the commanding officer of the USS Almayer, unknowing at the time, this was a decision Miller would come to regret.

After being informed of this, High Command appointed Miller to command the USS Almayer, who had just recently had a vacancy open up as the previous commanding officer was heavily injured and unable to command effectively following Operation Tychon Tackle.

Provide a short story of your CO.

Command Actions:

When do you believe it’s appropriate to pardon a prisoner?

A pardon should only be used when said person is important/vital to the operation as a whole, is apologetic about the crime and they are proven to be trustworthy

E.G. The only member of req was brigged because he accidentally shot an MP while trying to give a gun to a marine, provided they are apologetic about it and the MP themselves confirmed it was an accident, I would pardon the CT as they are an valuable asset to the ship that groundside cannot function effectively without.

(Assuming the crime is not a Capital crime as the CO cannot pardon Capital crimes)

Give some examples of when you would or would not use pardon.

The RO is in perma for killing the CE and the RO is the only req staff awake, he is claiming that the CE deserved it and has no regrets about killing him.

  • Not only would I not pardon the RO. I couldn’t pardon the RO even if I wanted to, as I am physically unable to pardon Capital crimes.

A doctor that was about to deploy to the FOB is in the brig for assault after punching an MP while waiting for the Alamo to land, he is constantly apologising to the MP he attacked, swearing he meant to pat him on the back, the front has also recently suffered some GOOD HITS! from CAS.

  • I would pardon the doctor as he has shown that he is clearly sorry, it is also very likely he meant it as an accident and had harm intent set instead of help + the FOB is likely about to be swamped with dead bodies and marines missing limbs.

My only SO has been brigged at round start for calling the CMP a bitch

  • I wouldn’t pardon the SO as it’s a short timer and the SO isn’t a very vital role pre-drop.

When do you believe it’s appropriate to use a Battlefield Execution?

A battlefield execution should be used when; myself or another member of the Almayer’s life is in danger, a marine is actively trying to undermine my abilities to command or prevent me from commanding, a member of my ship is an active threat to the ships integrity/safety, a marine is attempting to incite a mutiny/overthrow command or the marine is actively wanted for a crime that can be punished via execution and is actively avoiding MPs.

This is all provided on the basis that there is not an MP nearby that can intervene, said MP is incapacitated or there is not enough time for an MP to reasonably react to and apprehend the culprit.

Give some examples of when you would or would not use Battlefield Execution.

Private Stanley during briefing accidentally discharges a single shot from his pistol into the back of his SL, he immediately puts his pistol back into its holster and says “Sorry!” he then proceeds to use his emergency injector on the SL

  • I would not BE the private as he likely misfired his pistol and has proven that he was not attempting to kill or harm the SL.

I am tending to the req line when suddenly Private Cock Tingels deploys an M2C south of the req line and starts shooting down it, not stopping after killing one marine.

  • (Provided he doesn’t get PB’ed before I can reach him) I would BE the Private in this case, as they are committing several counts of murder and are an active threat to the operation.

A marine is running around during briefing actively punching other enlisted and officers, is ignoring my orders to stop, and is yelling LRP phrases, the only MP awake is currently dealing with a marine in brig.

  • I would BE the marine in this situation as they are attempting to undermine my abilities to command, actively disrupting briefing and are suffering from insanity.
2 Likes
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Please, give me any criticism you have with either my command ability or about the application itself, I want to come away from this application with new information about what I could be doing better/what I could’ve done better!

Please also ask questions, I will attempt to answer each one to the best of my ability!

Also, huge thank you to everyone who helped with my application, it’s much better now that I have had assistance!

P.S. I am aware I’m just above the time requirements for XO, but I believe that by the end of this application, the time spent as XO will have most likely doubled!

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From my time interacting with them, even if they’re a tiny, tiny small bit of a hardass as SEA (entirely fair), they’re a solid roleplayer and as a XO their command announcements have soul and flair.

So, +1 from the RO who murdered you that one time, haha!
No hard feelings!

1 Like
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Could you post a screenshot of your playtimes here?

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(If you couldn’t tell, I am somewhat fond of playing survivor :laughing:)

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It turns out that CMB Deputy and CMB Marshal are counted in your playtimes, strange.

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Forgot to add xeno playtimes!

We dont’t do that here

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Thank you. I have a question or two for you while I’m here. All of these, obviously, assume you are the CO (not the XO) of the Almayer.

You are in the CIC, doing as you do, when the Warden calls your name over MP comms. They tell you that a brigged Doctor requests you to banish them from the ship, exiling them to the surface. He further elaborates that the Doctor was brigged for Assault, Resisting Arrest and Disrespecting a Superior Officer.

The CMP arrests a fellow MP for Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and you are called in to hear the MP’s appeal in the Brig. The MP reasons that he was trying to arrest a Cargo Technician, who pulled his sidearm on him and tried to kill him. Comms chatter at the time backed this up, in which Marines waiting at the Req line said that the CT was killing an MP. The CMP, on the other hand, asks you to demote the MP and that he will fax the Provost about their behaviour. What do you do?

As you command from the CIC, your XO calls out to you via command comms. They clearly seem upset, and they say they’ve just “executed” the Delta SL whom they were arguing with for the last 3 minutes. The XO claims the SL was “blatantly disobeying direct orders” and “getting Marines killed” as such. He asks you to announce and therefore legalize the Battlefield Execution. What do you do?

And finally, why do you, specifically, want to get the CO Whitelist? What are your goals and motivations for trying to grab it?

“We don’t do that here.”

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You are in the CIC, doing as you do, when the Warden calls your name over MP comms. They tell you that a brigged Doctor requests you to banish them from the ship, exiling them to the surface. He further elaborates that the Doctor was brigged for Assault, Resisting Arrest and Disrespecting a Superior Officer.

  • I would inform the warden that the doctor cannot be exiled as they have not committed a crime with exiling as a punishment, I would also ask the warden to get the CMO or a synthetic to come to brig for an insanity check as this is an non-combat trained medical professional asking to be stranded on a colony that has an active xenomorph hive on it, only an insane person would actively request to be stuck down there.

The CMP arrests a fellow MP for Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and you are called in to hear the MP’s appeal in the Brig. The MP reasons that he was trying to arrest a Cargo Technician, who pulled his sidearm on him and tried to kill him. Comms chatter at the time backed this up, in which Marines waiting at the Req line said that the CT was killing an MP. The CMP, on the other hand, asks you to demote the MP and that he will fax the Provost about their behaviour. What do you do?

  • While the MP likely had good intentions, I would inform them that lethals can only be used if either; The MP has no non-lethal means of taking a suspect down or if there is an emergency going on during the time of the incident E.G. Mutiny/Boarding. While the MP was not purposefully committing a crime, they still ended up committing a crime as per ML dictates.
    As the MP has filed for an appeal instead of pardon, I would proceed to demote the MP as ML dictates that if an MP commits a Major crime and their appeal or pardon is denied, they are to be removed from service as a member of law enforcement.

As you command from the CIC, your XO calls out to you via command comms. They clearly seem upset, and they say they’ve just “executed” the Delta SL whom they were arguing with for the last 3 minutes. The XO claims the SL was “blatantly disobeying direct orders” and “getting Marines killed” as such. He asks you to announce and therefore legalize the Battlefield Execution. What do you do?

  • I would inform the XO that he does not have the authority to BE any marine, only the CO has the authority to BE a marine, even if the Delta SL was doing so, the XO should’ve ordered his arrest, not jumped the gun (Literally) and killed the Delta SL. After informing the XO of this, I would have him arrested for murder/Unauthorized execution, as he he has killed a member of the UA.

Now, these were some really hard questions, particularly question 2 as it mixed the issue of self-defense and MP restrictions, thanks for making them hard, even if I answered them incorrectly, I still get to come away with more knowledge on ML and the specifics of it!

I personally want to get the CO WL as I enjoy playing command roles, though from personal experience I also feel there is a lack of RP opportunities while playing XO (Not to say there is none at all of course), this is mainly because of the fact that XO is often busy leading the operation or dealing with appeals at brig. I feel like CO is a nice balance of RP and command, allowing you to both lead an operation while also giving you space to RP with other people, allowing you to focus on one thing or the other whenever.

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Trick question. Exiling a brigged criminal is not a legal sentence (anymore) and therefore the Warden would not be allowed to ask for such anyways. Even if it was legal, it used to only be a sentence MPs could give to survivors that committed a Major or Capital crime.

If the Doctor was the one “requesting” this punishment, then your answer is correct and you should probably have the guy screened. If it was the Warden suggesting as much, consider faxing the Provost. Exiling a non-combatant to the aforementioned deadly combat zone without weaponry is tantamount to killing them outright.

Incorrect, I’m afraid. I’ll quote ML on this, if you don’t mind:

Self-Defense and the Defense of Others
Criminal charges are not to be applied to those who use force on others when defending themselves from illegal use of force, so long as they defend themselves with proportional force. This right extends to the defense of others, should there be a reason to believe they are in lethal danger. This provision does not apply to lawful killings such as executions.

Proportional Force
    Punching against being punched.
    Melee weapons against melee weapons.
    Guns against guns.
    The person defending should only return with lethal force until the other person is unable to attack the defendant.
        The defendant should notify MP’s or his command about the use of self-defense.
The person being attacked should also look to get away from the other attacker if possible, and alert the MP’s.

Assuming the story is, indeed, true as the MP has construed it, and the Cargo Tech was the first to open fire, then the MP using his own firearm to pacify the CT is a legal use of force in self-defence against illegal use of force. No MP is “required” to shoot at a Marine with a tazer while they’re being gunned down with a pistol or rifle. That is silly and completely untrue. MPs are issued a lethal sidearm for good reason. The “Lethal Force” section in Marine Law refers specifically about pursuits and general “takedowns” of criminals that necessitate lethal force. In other words, the Lethal Force section asks “Can I hunt this guy with a shotgun?”, whereas the Self-Defence section asks “Can I crit this guy with my M4A3 if he’s firing into me to save my own life?”

In a real scenario, you would obviously need to hear both accounts, maybe a witness or two as well if available, but with other Marines over comms having said it was the CT that started, it would probably be enough to testify in favour of the jailed MP. His appeal should be accepted.

The XO is planetside, aka far from the Military Police, and Delta Squad comms (and squad comms in general) are definitively turning sour, with many Delta already conspiring and promising to “blow his head off” in revenge. Others, like the IOs, are asking you, the CO, to take definitive action to stop your XO. Simply saying “Fetch the MPs” would take too long, and would not be fully legal, as the XO is at the front, far from a secure area where deployed MPs might intercept. What do you do?

Desire to see CO as a roleplay-focused role is definitely a good sign to me. XO comes short, I do agree, because whenever push comes to shove and there is a shipside event or the like, it’s always the CO who can overrule and say “XO, stay in CIC and keep things running. I’ll handle this.” It sucks, obviously, but that’s why we work the grind to get the Whitelist. I like it. Definitely similar to my own reasoning years back.

All in all, I’m decently satisfied, though your answers to my questions were not spot on (one still outstanding). Since we currently don’t have a MP timelock, I tend to focus on ML questioning to see where people stand with their actual knowledge and handling of such. You do have a few decent MP/CMP hours from what I could see, but I don’t know how recent those were. You might want to brush up on it a little.

You declared an intent to want to have the Whitelist to help create and lead RP, in a sense. Unfortunately I have yet to have you as my XO (to my recollection) and cannot personally recall how you acted in-game, as such, but from what I’ve so far been told by fellow COs you don’t seem to make a “special impact” on them. Now, obviously I don’t think every CO applicant should have a flashy, special snowflake character (this is not the Synth Whitelist), but a lot of XOs are rather forgettable in that they focus too much on the mechanical side of “I’m a Commander, I command. I give orders at brief, I stare at the console,” and that will be all they do and say.

How would you, personally, describe Jim Miller as a person, how would you/do you currently practice that personality in-game in a command staff position, and how do you personally feel you are currently portraying them? Do you think you’re falling short of your own expectations, or do you think you’re doing alright?

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Huge support for this player. They have my confidence in their command and RP ability. I have nothing but good things to say about their work as an XO based on my observations as various roles over 5 rounds.

Probably the most consistent and well-rounded XO right now. And super active!

I think the main thing you can improve on right now is radio attentiveness. It takes a some time but eventually you start to filter out all the useless info and it helps a lot on focusing on the need-to-knows: people dying, flanks, OB requests, supplies, fallbacks, etc :smile:

1 Like
11

I can +1 this. Jim is a great player and community member. Wanted to expand my response from this morning. Jim is a mentor and holds the synthetic whitelist. I have had very positive experiences with him in both roles. In addition he is an excellent roleplayer. I expect great things from Major Jim Miller. Do the corps proud.

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My thoughts being constructive:

  1. Story is basically just you being punched in the arm. I know we tend to use it just as a literacy test these days. I don’t like that. Generally we’ve been getting a lot of generic stuff due to it, and this doesn’t look at all different. What is your character’s political beliefs? You yourself are clearly into Greek shit. Maybe lean into that? Maybe he likes Gyros a lot? Not to hard that its a caricature. Just enough that it’s a Character. Not saying it has to be that, just an idea. I don’t even know the reason for the “Jam” nickname from this app; other than it is a slant rhyme with Jim.

  2. Waiting to RP as CO isn’t enough for me. I’ve said it before to other XOs. As long as none of us are spawned you are the pilot of the round as well as leader of RP. You don’t have to leave CIC to RP.

  3. This isn’t an application to be the CO of the Almayer. It is to be the acting CO of it. You don’t even need to come up with your own ship (althought it would be based and unique if you did, and it was still a troop transport), but no one is the real CO of the Almayer.

This -1 is given with no malice. A few of other COs I respect have vouched that your skill is enough for the WL. You seem like a competent guy with no bad OOC record. Come back to me with a character after I’ve seen you play myself and it’s an easy +1 next time.

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As you don’t have a CO whitelist, can you just expand on some examples for your endorsement. This is a request from some CO whitelist holders.

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The XO is planetside, aka far from the Military Police, and Delta Squad comms (and squad comms in general) are definitively turning sour, with many Delta already conspiring and promising to “blow his head off” in revenge. Others, like the IOs, are asking you, the CO, to take definitive action to stop your XO. Simply saying “Fetch the MPs” would take too long, and would not be fully legal, as the XO is at the front, far from a secure area where deployed MPs might intercept. What do you do?

Please do tell me if I misinterpret this question, I have the feeling that I have.
As the XO is currently deployed groundside and fighting at the front, I would be forced to order the XO to move to the FOB over MP comms, informing him that his life is in danger (Marines are actively threatening and promising to kill him over comms) and he is currently wanted for murder, whilst ordering MPs to deploy to the FOB in order to create a zone of safety for the XO while he is moving shipside, if possible I would see to it that the IOs escort the XO back to the FOB.

Assuming that all squads are aware of what the XO did and are all wanting to kill him, I would likely make an announcement telling marines that the XO is going to be arrested for murder and that if they kill the XO while he is on his way shipside, they will also be marked for murder.

How would you, personally, describe Jim Miller as a person, how would you/do you currently practice that personality in-game in a command staff position, and how do you personally feel you are currently portraying them? Do you think you’re falling short of your own expectations, or do you think you’re doing alright?

I believe Jim Miller to be a brash and power-hungry man hiding behind a façade. Wanting power & status, Miller often attempts to work things out so that he comes out from the situation as the winner, and if that involves leaving someone else as the loser, it’s a price he’s willing to pay.
Miller often comes off as deceitful to those he speaks to as he tends to hide his true motives behind a façade, when push comes to shove however, he ends up dropping his façade and revealing his more self-centred and brash personality, prioritizing his career and life over other things.

Currently I believe I am doing a relatively good job with portraying them, though I do feel that I could make his two-facedness personality much more prevalent, as I feel it’s quite obscure currently!

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Thank you for the reminder. I went ahead and edited my post from this morning.

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So I’ve wanted to (finally) give a verdict on this since I’ve asked you a lot of questions and whatnot. Only fair that I do.

To start with, the positives. You make it relatively clear that you aspire to become a CO primarily for RP purposes. You want to weave and create cool stories from being a CO, the leader of the Marines, and I think that this is admirable, far more so than wanting the Whitelist “for the drip” or “for the guns”.

However, and this now moves me to the negatives, I have noticed, or personally felt at least, that you don’t fully back those claims up in-game. Your story is really, really lackluster. As in, your story is literally just Jim getting punched in the fucking face by his CO, a brief interview, and that’s kinda it. And then he gets promoted(?) and set to be the Almayer’s CO (which isn’t even compatible with our current lore either, but idc. The story is sloppy, lazy and tells me nothing about your character besides him being quick to hold a grudge against people via internal monologuing. Beyond the story, your claim of “being in it for the RP” isn’t quite backed up since, when I saw you in-game, you didn’t stand out from the crowd at all.

Now, XOs (and COs) dont need to be super flashy and unique. We aren’t Synths with completely unique programming quirks. But you should be MEMORABLE so that people actually recall who you are, and many of the COs people remember to this day (Juro, Carson, Greg) are people who had unique characters and interactions with people. Stuff that people will always recognise. You… don’t. You come across to me like a cookie-cutter XO, really. You’re relatively quiet in the CIC and your briefings (often the only time Marines directly see CIC staff) are rather boring and generic, too. There’s little that is memorable about you. You’re the XO, sure, and you have the hours, sure, but what is there for me to ACTIVELY remember you and go “Oh yeah, that’s him!”? For me, at least, and from what I have experienced, not much.

As LoveShacker put it in their own response, you shouldn’t be gunning for CO as if getting CO suddenly “enables you to do RP”. You CAN do RP as XO, and SO. Absolutely and 100%. And if you think XO can’t do meaningful RP to a point where you don’t bother showcasing this character you’re advertising (or trying to advertise) in your CO app, then you have a ways to go with developing your RP until you’re fit for a figurehead, high-profile HRP role like CO. You should not be starting to play a unique character once you get CO. You should already be doing that before, as an XO and SO, or any Marine role at all.

On top of all that? Your ML answers to my questions were… not ideal. I wouldn’t say it’s disastrous but it shows you aren’t fully confident and knowledgeable. You thought that an MP being shot at directly by a CT should “be brigged and demoted from being an MP” because “MPs cant use lethal force unless it’s a mutiny or hijack”. That’s a REALLY bad take and that would 100% lead to a player report if ever the CO said that to an MP in their appeal for this situation, or if he ORDERED an MP arrested for killing a person in self-defence.

I’ve spoken in some rather harsh tones here, and I do apologise for that, but I try not to sugarcoat the issues I hold with people when they cross me, because that’s the best way for you to see where my gripes are and how to improve upon them. You are NOT far from getting the Whitelist, in my eyes, but you still have ways to go. I’d suggest playing more MP roles to solidify your understanding of ML, particularly during unorthodox situations like the self-defence situation I showcased, to help you get to know the ins-and-outs which you DO need for being a CO, either way. This isn’t a CMP whitelist, but I can’t in good conscience pass along someone who gives a response that would lead to a player report for not knowing ML - knowing ML is a requirement.

Work on your ML know-how, and try to act out your character more, and if this application SHOULD be denied by my council members, then I’d also urge you to try and rewrite your story to where we can see more of your character’s personality. The person you’re trying to sell us.

Unfortunately, a -1 on this.

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I think that you can roleplay pretty well, I’ve interacted with your synthetic before and it left a good impression with me. I can’t say that you did as well for your story, but it wasn’t bad to read. I focus on in-game roleplay more than I do the story, anyways. The main thing that I’m worried about are your ML answers.

From an IC standpoint I would constitute getting shot at as an emergency. People value their lives. It’s also protected under marine law - if you, as an MP, marine, CO, or otherwise are getting shot at you have full authority to return fire, MP or not, so long as the force is proportional. I recommend you brush up on your law knowledge.

I’d like to see you play some more XO rounds in-game personally, I haven’t gotten to see you all too much yet (or if I have, I absolutely cannot remember it due to awful memory.) Think I can try and catch you a bit more in-game to see how well you do in the CIC?

19

Right, so we’ve let this bake in the oven for some time now. While many have attested to your good roleplay ability – good job on that by the way – there have been multiple grievances brought to our attention regarding your competence and command ability. CO requires one to be confident in their abilities and leadership. When you’re at the top, you won’t have a CO to hold your hand and correct you on any mistakes you might make. Training wheels come off. And we need you to be absolutely sure that you can do well in the XO role before going for the top.

The story has also been brought up as needing work. Next time you apply (if you choose to do so), I recommend making a story that describes your CO character more than just a single event in their day. Something like a dossier, a biography, or a short story about them in action. It’s not lazy by any means, in my opinion, I – and a handful of other councilors – simply believe it could use more content.

What the story is supposed to convey is their personality, their competence, and your (the player’s) literacy. It shows us you’re able to make a story and are able to be creative. While we’re not exactly looking for scholars here, it does help to have an account that gives people the impression of who you’re going to be.

Additionally, it looks like you’ve stopped playing Command or responding to questions on this application. Keeping your application maintained, and continuing to play XO while your role is up, is critical. XO is essentially your trial to determine whether you’re fit for the whitelist or not, and neglecting to do so is fatal to any applicant hoping to get in.

Now, as the others have said, you’re close to earning it. I think by playing more XO and getting the leadership act down, you’ll do wonderfully. Show everyone that you can perform without someone to guide you and be confident in your abilities.

For now, though, unfortunately, the Council has voted to deny this application. You can reapply in 30 days on August 25, 2023.