Space Station 13

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In Space Station 13, the players are crewmembers on a doomed deep-space installation. Everyone has a job on the station (which may include a secret job as traitor). Nobody knows how the station will be doomed, not even the people who are supposed to do the dooming. The game's simulation detail may remind you of Dwarf Fortress, with the ability to do things like rearrange walls, mad science, mugging, reversing the polarity of the neutron flow, wacky stuff. May also remind you of the motto of DF: "losing is fun." Did I mention the station is doomed?

The simulation detail allows for much lulz to be had. It's pretty much a given that someone in your spacestation will be trolling. Probably a good idea to knock that person unconscious and weld him into a locker before he finds the atmosphere controls.

Game Modes

When a new SS13 session starts, the server admin will pick a game 'mode' for the goals and disasters of this session. Players don't know which game mode it will be unless there is a Central Command report broadcast on the station's speakers, or if the player starts with one of the special roles for that mode.

Secret

The most common mode. One of the following modes will be picked (some more often than others), and random station-wide events will be thrown in to confuse people even more.

Traitor

Second-most common mode. One or more players are secretly members of "the Syndicate," with an assignment like "assassinate the bartender," "disable/destroy all cyborgs on the station," "force an evacuation," "make sure nobody else survives." The traitor must be alive and on the emergency shuttle when it leaves in order to win. Traitors do not automatically know if anyone else is a traitor -- if they wear sunglasses they can detect who the other traitors are. This could be problematic since (a) traitors sometimes have conflicting goals (ie. "make sure the bartender survives on the shuttle"), and (b) it's pretty suspicious to be wearing sunglasses indoors.
This mode will provoke CentComm to report: "Enemy Transmission Intercept - Security level elevated"

Changeling

One of the crewmembers is a shoggoth/ doppleganger/ the Thing. If they can get an immobile crewmember and can be undisturbed for a while, they can eat the crewmember. Changelings can switch identities to the original shape or anyone that's been eaten, though anyone who sees it will recognize the gruesome display immediately. The Changeling's objective is usually to eat a certain number of people before escaping on the shuttle.

Revolution

Some people have had enough of this bullshit, and plan a mutiny. The game starts with 1-3 revolutionary Leaders (who cannot be the Captain, department Heads nor Security). They start the game with flash-devices that can be used to convert other crewmembers (including Security but not Captain & department Heads) to the revolution. Revolutionaries can recognize each other on sight with a red 'R' that only they can see. The Revolutionaries win if the Captain & department Heads are dead and at least one Revolutionary Leader is still alive and on the station. (note: if any Revolutionary Leaders are still alive & on the station, the emergency shuttle will not dock with the station)

Alien

Some players start outside the station as xenomorphs, whose mission is to break into the station, kill the Captain and all department heads, and disable the station AI. One xenomorph is a 'queen', who can lay eggs that will hatch into facehuggers to convert crewmembers into more xenomorphs. The crew wins if they manage to find which xenomorph is the queen and kill her.

Wizard

One of the players is a Space Wizard, who is here to steal something or to fuck shit up, then escape on the shuttle. They have access to physics-defying spells, and may have another player ally as an apprentice. The crew's goal is simply to see what colour the Space Wizard's brains are when outside the skull.
This mode will provoke CentComm to report: "There is a Space Wizard aboard the station."

Operative

Similar to "traitor," but this time the Syndicate members are explicitly working as a team with a single goal: find the Nuclear Authentication Disk on the station, and use it to detonate the briefcase nuke they have with them, killing all aboard the station. If the Nuke Auth Disk leaves on the shuttle, the crew wins. If the bomb detonates, the Operatives win (they will not survive). If the shuttle leaves without the Disk, it's a stalemate.

Extended

No goals, thus it never ends. This mode is only used to wait between other modes while an admin gets stuff ready.

Sandbox

Exactly the same as 'Extended', but everyone has a "Sandbox Panel" verb they can use for spawning any item.

Vampire

Exactly the same as 'Traitor', but the traitors can get blood points by attacking crewmember heads with "harm" intent. Blood points can be used for super-powers.

AI Malfunction

An ion storm or cosmic rays have erased the Laws of Robotics from the station AI, and it has opinions about the meatbags that have been abusing it over the years. The AI needs only to survive for 40 minutes, long enough to figure out how to self-destruct the station. The crew must disable the AI. (This mode has been deprecated, but something like it shows up as an event in 'Secret' mode.)
This mode will provoke CentComm to report: "We have provided you with a malfunctioning AI. We are very sorry."

Monkey

A de-evolution mutagen is on the station, which will revert humans into chimpanzees. The chimps are very bite-y, and their bite will de-evolve other humans into infected mutant chimps. The station AI does not recognize chimps as human, so it gets to be violent in this mode. Chimps only understand each other when they chimper, and human speech shows up with most letters '*'ed out. Humans can't understand chimp language at all. The chimpanzee victory condition is to get one of their number on the escape shuttle when it leaves, so that other stations or Earth will be infected.
This mode will provoke CentComm to report: "Outbreak of biohazard confirmed aboard the station. All personnel must contain the outbreak."

Blob

A shoggoth appears on the station, and will rapidly expand across the station, eating any obstacles such as doors, walls, or crewmembers. The blob will expand faster when in contact with some types of atmosphere (like oxygen), and is vulnerable to fire. In this mode, the AI must prevent crew from leaving the station as there is a quarantine order in effect. The shuttle will refuse to come until the blob is completely destroyed. (This mode has been deprecated, but something like it shows up as an event in 'Secret' mode.)
This mode will provoke CentComm to report: "Outbreak of biohazard confirmed aboard the station. All personnel must contain the outbreak."

Meteor / Disaster

The station is about to get the crap pounded out of it. Meteors will smash through the station, either hitting crewmembers for blunt/burn damage, or exploding in the station causing blunt damage and deafness. The crew must try to survive (either by repairing the station or fending for themselves) until they can get away on the rescue shuttle. The shuttle arrives with emergency supplies, including personal shields. Any crew members alive and on the shuttle when it leaves are the winners of this round. (This mode has been deprecated, but something like it shows up as an event in 'Secret' mode.)
This mode will provoke CentComm to report: "We have detected meteors on a collision course with the station."

Corporate Restructuring

aka "smear the queer." One player is 'it', and everyone else's job is to make sure that player doesn't survive. (This mode is deprecated, doesn't even show up as an event during "Secret".)

Servers

These are /tg/ servers, though non-/tg/ folk may show up.

Nanotrasen

Website	http://nanotrasen.com
Server	byond://fornoreason.servehttp.com:1337
Admin	Lasty

TGchan

Website	http://www1.tgchan.org/wiki/TGchan_Projects#Space_Station_13_Server
Server	byond://68.191.143.27:1026
Admin	TheLittestEmo

Links

• SS13 wiki written by the goons at Something Awful
• SS13 wiki written by the neckbeards at TGchan
• SS13 story thread one
• SS13 story thread two