KaiserBlackwood - Commanding Officer Application

Whitelists Commanding Officer Applications
1

Commanding Officer Application - KaiserBlackwood

What is your BYOND key?

KaiserBlackwood

What is your Discord ID?

kaiserblackwood

What is your timezone in UTC?

UTC +0/ GMT +0/ GMT +2

Player Name You Use Most?

Andreas ‘Jaeger’ Hellstrom

Ban Appeals, Whitelist and Staff Applications:

KaiserBlackwood - Commanding Officer Application - #28 (Withdrawn)

Have you been banned in the last 3 months?

No.

If so, why?

Command Knowledge:

How familiar are you with command positions?

Three out of 4 of my most played roles are command roles.

I’d say I am “reasonably higher than average” level of competence in command roles, as I know CIC layout by heart, I can run entire operation barring REQ and Medical by myself and I am well aware of Map layouts for all of the maps in rotation. I am fairly good with OBs and their placement, as well as calculating coordinates without needing somebody to lase them on the front. I love mixing up tactics and I am good at employing them in a reasonable capacity that won’t hinder marines or grief the round.
As for leadership qualities, I would say I am good. Marines listen to me and I got praised for being aware of my surroundings as SL.

Hours in XO:

89.3

Hours in SL:

117.7

Character Information:

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

In Hellstrom’s family a tradition exists that at least one child of the generation has to join the military to fight against UPP. It is about 200 years old, correlating with UPP’s capture of Sweden when his family left the country to avoid being arrested and their assets stolen by communists. While in previous generation the person to join the RMC was his uncle, in this generation it fell upon Andreas to take the fight to UPP. He initially joined the RMC in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (I don’t remember actual Alien universe ranks for TWE officers), eventually being promoted to 1st Lieutenant and then Captain in his RMC company. His involvement in conducting joint operations with USCM landed him favourable light in the eyes of his command, so he was suggested to a USCM-RMC integration program, fusing his company into one of more battered ones in 3rd Division of USCM, forming a healthy mix of TWE and UA troops.

TL;DR: Vengeance, Glory, Tradition.

How did your character attain the position of CO?

It’s honestly a bit anti-climactic, but the USCM Major in whose Company Hellstrom served eventually got too old and tired to conduct constant RMC-style operations and retired. With some strings pulled by his family and friends in RMC, Andreas was given a promotion to the rank of Major at age of 30.

Provide a short story of your CO.

Command Actions:

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

CO Pardons are a powerful tool in one’s arsenal, but they carry severe consequences when applied incorrectly.
In my opinion it is appropriate to pardon a prisoner if they fill most of those prerequisites:

  • Their crimes aren’t violent or do not bear sabotage-esque nature (Manslaughter, AWDW, Subterfuge, etc.)
  • They show remorse for their actions
  • They can be trusted to not do something stupid
  • Their release would be beneficial for the operation or would save lives (or if their actions saved marine lives)
  • It won’t provoke further conflict or reignition of previous issues.

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

Case #1:
Without telling anyone, ASO flies down the Alamo personally to deploy marines on first drop, due to the lack of a DP. When confronted about NOD and breaking their own SOP, they state that Alamo is part of their department, and therefore they didn’t leave Almayer.
Would not Pardon. Clear lack of understanding what is implied by deployment, as well as lack of communication with the rest of the CIC.

Case #2:
Specialist has been evacuated from the AO via CASEVAC, after they get out of surgery they are ordered by a SO to re-deploy to the FOB via paradrop, but refuse to do so, when MP tries to drag them onto the dropship, they stab MP with a knife. They get arrested for Major Insubordination and Assault With a Deadly Weapon. Operation is going reasonably bad, with marine defences buckling under xenos’ attacks.
I would not pardon them. Having a fancy gun doesn’t equal being allowed to not act up to acceptable standards.

Case #3:
Two Squad Specialists, Sniper and SADAR were evacuated from the secondary LZ after marine force was routed during an assault on the Hive. Both were admitted to Medbay with fractures and damaged organs. After receiving their treatment they are ordered to re-deploy to the FOB by me. Both refuse to do so, stating that FOB won’t hold for long, as comms are down. When MPs are sent to get them on Normandy for a paradrop, both specialists resist, Sniper using shoves and running, SADAR uses a chair and then a knife to fight the MPs. SADAR is charged with RA, AWDW, Major Insubordination and Desertion. Sniper is charged with RA, Assault, Major Insubordination and Desertion as well, as per CMP’s orders. Situation in the FOB is critical, as Queen and T3s are currently breaching it, and I was about to deploy when CMP informs me about their appeals. Both plead to be released, but the only charge they are appealing is Desertion, stating that they didn’t want to deploy via paradrop because they didn’t trust the paraflares. While both appeals will be approved, they still have to serve another twenty minutes. Sniper seems to be more chill in his disposition and offers his apology for their actions, while SADAR keeps screaming about needing to deploy, so they can kill the Queen. CMP seems to be quite pissed about both of them.
Now that the situation is rapidly deteriorating and I am needed on the ground with any kind of support, I inform the CMP that the Sniper specialist will be pardoned due to exceptional circumstances, and the fact that I need them to make sure that FOB doesn’t fall. SADAR is to remain in their care until their sentence is over.

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

Battlefield Executions are an extremely powerful CO tool to maintain discipline and remove unwanted elements from the round. Every BE should be given a proper thought before getting done, as it permanently removes the player from the round.
This implies that situation in question can’t be handled by MPs (for example, MPs are all dead or simply not present nearby to provide a timely response), if actions of the person about to catch a .454 round in the head can’t be rectified (Round-Removing another marine with malicious intent), they are demanding my head (Mutiny), or if their roleplay is beyond acceptable standards (Marine hitting a default dance on CO conducting a briefing, farting and other unsavoury stuff).

Keep in mind that preference for MP arrests should be given when aboard Almayer, as it is in general way easier to catch a marine stuck shipside rather than groundside.

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

Case #1:
Squad Leader #1 has fired upon another Squad Leader #2 and killed them due to a dispute over whose coordinates should be used for Orbital Bombardment while CO is in the field. I would BE Squad Leader #1 for committing a Capital Crime (Murder) and being a disruption to the operation’s integrity (NOD. Failed to perform adequately for a SL).

Case #2:
Marine insults me when I speak in their squad’s channel to their SL, discussing their deployment via paradrop. When I order their arrest for DASO, they evade the arrest and later when we board Alamo they come in and start hitting me with a chair in relation to me ordering their arrest.

I would Battlefield Execute them for threatening their CO’s personal safety (Assault).

Case #3:
When I am deployed, a Squad Leader or a Specialist refuses to follow my orders to take their squad and secure comms, stating that “You will get all of us killed! You stupid and worthless fuck!” Their actions are putting the operation at risk, leaving us without communications and giving xenos a free tower to control.
BE for Major Insubordination and Sedition.

Case #5:
Squad Specialist is being disruptive during Briefing in the Hall, throwing chairs at people and shouting obscenities, slamming their helmet against the glass and distracting other people from me giving orders. There are MPs and CMP present in my direct line of sight.
I will order them to be arrested to remove the distraction. (Disorderly Conduct).

Case #6:
Squad Specialist is being disruptive during Briefing held in the Hangar, throwing chairs and shoving people, which distracts marines from the briefing. When directly ordered by me to cease acting like this, they flip me off and carry on with being disruptive. There are no MPs present in my direct line of sight.
Battlefield Execute them.

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This guy is honestly a pretty good RPer on the (many) roles i’ve personally seen him play on, calm and collected attitude when its needed, +1

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I have not been the most active guy for a while, but I don’t recall having any bad interactions with you, or you having any with others, I am all around in your favor for your community engagement.

Good luck!!! +1

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Pretty good SL and XO, played allot under them and except one M37 PB FF accident on Hybrisa I never really seen them do something unreasonable. General good game sense and quite robust.

+1 Good luck!

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The UPP didn’t exist 200 years ago, it’s 80 years old at most (we’re in 2182), so this sentence doesn’t make sense.

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I can re-work that part, since it won’t change much about character.
I was under the impression that Sweden was annexed in ~20th century by communists.
Do you know anything about that?

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Huh? the UPP doesn’t exist until 2108, the UPP isn’t a direct contiuation of the USSR as far as i’m aware,

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If you have lore questions I would direct you to DMs or #lore-discussion on discord :smiling_face:

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Anyways, hi Hellstrom I have some questions for you, please answer them to the best of your ability.

Assume for all of these that the Almayer is fully staffed, you have a full CIC and MPs.

  1. You’re in CIC commanding the operation when you get a call from research. They ask you for permission to create greenos, but the marines are performing well against the xenomorphs as is so you don’t see any need to create additional risk - you deny it. 15 minutes later you see a marine on general comms shout “Stomps near research,” so you go to check it out. Once you get there you see research has gone against your orders and created a Queen and 2 other greenos. What do you do?
  2. You’re 2 hours into a round and at a stalemate with the Xenos halfway between FOB and the hive. You order the marines to fallback and begin to fortify the comms relays, intending to buy a nuke, when one of your SOs tells you that you’re making a mistake and just need to push the xenos just a little while longer. When you refuse to change your order and announce for the marines to continue falling back, the SO calls you a “fucking idiot,” tells you that you don’t know what you’re doing, and orders their squad to remain on the frontline. What do you do?
  3. You’re in requisitions speaking to your Quartermaster, your CMP, and the CMB (who have been called in to investigate black market dealings) when the MST calls you over to try a “special dish.” Believing your CMP able to handle the situation, you go over to the canteen and the MST serves you a particularly large burger. When you ask what they made it with, they lower the canteen shutters and you see a couple of corpses lying next to the gibber. What do you do?
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Hi,

  1. First of all. Upon hearing about stomps near research Hellstrom will raise alert to Blue. Assuming that we have a full complement of MPs and full CIC, there can be a MP in CIC. Said MP will be armed with HG kit and taken with me as support, while I order the rest of the department to gear up at their respective armoury. When I arrive to Research I will first evaluate the situation. Is the Queen and her greenos still in containment, are researchers armed? Do they have anyone supporting them? If Queen is still contained I will order the MP to arrest the Researchers, warning them that if they resist, they will be Executed on the spot. If arrest goes fine, Researchers will be interrogated to find out which one of them actually created the Greenos. If it’s a full team effort, all of them will be executed as per protocol. If it was one rogue researcher, only said researcher will be executed and the rest will be demoted. Then comes question of the CMO and whether they were involved or not. If CMO was involved in the ploy, they get same treatment as the Researchers. Arrest for Sedition, interrogation, demotion/execution. If CMO was not involved, they will be interrogated by MPs first whether they knew about the Greenos or not. If they didn’t, they will be charged with NOD, as it’s their direct duty to control their department.
  2. Assuming it’s a full CIC, here is what will happen: Hellstrom will put his hand on his mateba’s grip and walk up to the officer, staring them down. He will offer said SO a chance to redeem their mistake by falling in line and making sure his squad gets back to the comms, offering to even waiver DASO charge for the time being. If said SO agrees to the generous offer, they will have to give their 101% effort to get their squad back to comms, unless it already did get there themselves. In that case, SO will be NJPed for DASO by doing 30 push-ups. Should the SO refuse or even dare open their mouth with another insult they will be Battlefield Executed in CIC, in front of 3 SOs, ASO and XO for undermining their Senior Commanding Officer’s authority (Sedition) with an announcement as follows: “John Doe has been Battlefield Executed for refusing to follow my direct orders and attempting to overthrow the legitimate command structure by ordering marines to die in an unsupported assault on xenos.” After that, I will do my best to stabilise the situation on the front.
  3. Pull out Mateba, warn them that if they do anything that I can deem a threat to my safety or try to run I will shoot them and inform MPs over general comms channel that I require officers to Kitchen ASAP. If chef isn’t doing anything threatening, once MPs arrive, they will be arrested for interrogation and investigation (DA). Should the suspicions of cannibalism confirm, they will be executed according to proper procedures for Crimes against Humanity. If they do not confirm and in fact it was a “prank” by them, they will be arrested for NOD. While I would also demote them, unfortunately there is no position I can demote them to as per Demotion Clause I have to demote them to a lower position in the same department. MSTs are marked under “Other”, so they exist outside of the department system, but perhaps one could make them a janitor and make them clean decks until we get back to Chinook. If Chef does anything that involves walking towards me, grabbing a knife or pulling out any sort of weapon, they will be shot and Battlefield Executed for threatening CO’s safety. If they run, they will be shot, but I will try to not BE them unless it’s absolutely necessary.
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Minor correction to case 1:
In addition to NOD, CMO would also be demoted to Researcher position in order to fill positions lost, and Acting CMO will be assigned in their stead from one of the Doctors.

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I’ve had andreas as an SL over me a lot given we both play delta mainly, over the course of that experience I’m going to have to say I do not believe they are not ready for the responsibility of CO.

I have no negative things to say about their capability to roleplay nor to lead the CIC, they’re very good at both of these things, and are a reasonably effective squad leader.

However, it’s become a running theme in games where I am present with them to see them act as though they feel superior to other players, be quick to anger, and quicker to become frustrated when something does not go their way. In and of itself this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, some people are like that and it could be a character trait, but where this becomes problematic to me is that it tends to drag out of the round and into the discord in last-round-chat, where it becomes pretty clear that it’s not just a character trait or an IC thing.

My hope is that with some work separating IC from OOC this can be overcome, it’s a game after all and once a round is over it’s not so much worth worrying about this stuff anymore, for now it’s a -1 from me.

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Hey dude.
Didn’t read your app but just had a round with you as XO, first and only one since your last app, but I know how taxing these can be so I’m commenting.
You’re competent at leading and commanding, and I think you’ve shaped up: You knew me already so I’m guessing you adapted, which is a big part of being second in command, and just basically winning any of the COs you play with, because nobody likes somebody confrontational that you can’t work with very well. You were one of the good ones this round.
I’m afraid you neutered your character to play with me though, cause that’s not the Hellstrom who openly voiced his concerns I played with a year ago. Just saying there’s a middle ground between being borderline insubordinate and not voicing disagreements (it’s possible you had none). Wouldn’t want you to play a whole different character just to please COs only to change after you get it, because no matter your rank or position, there will be always be one dude atop of you.
Unrelated, but playing only XO and SL is often the cause of why people don’t know you as a person, just as a boss, and don’t vouch on the forum. Haven’t been on the server much so it’s just blind advice.
It was fun playing with you. Good luck.

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Hey.
Appreciate the feedback, really do.
As to address the “neutering”. I indeed didn’t have any issues with the plan. I am currently trying to figure out how much of Hellstrom’s personality people can stand before it becomes an issue. I do play non-SL/XO roles, more than I do SL/XO right now.

Been fun having you with me as CO, a nice change of pace from people I usually play with :slight_smile:

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