The Metashield

Something that is "shielded" cannot be known by your character during a round until the "revealing condition" happens. This also means that your character cannot do things based on "shielded" information. Knowing or acting on something that is shielded before the revealing condition is met is referred to as metagaming.

Revealing conditions reveal the shielded information for the round, not for a specific instance. This means that once a revealing condition is met in a round, the shield no longer applies in any case for the remainder of the round.

Lifting the Shield

The metashield can be lifted one of two ways:

  • Any announcement from Central Command, relating to the specific antagonist. Such as:

    • War declaration
    • Unusual activity recalls
    • Enemy communications
    • Biohazard announcements

  • Command members (or any other player who is no longer under the metashield) telling others about specific antagonists

Lifting the metashield (spilling corporate secrets) is considered to be something only done with sufficient reason.

Corporate Secrets

The metashield is an out-of-character term used for admin actions; in character, this would be referred to as corporate secrets. You, as an average crewmember, are not trained to react to potential threats, nor do you remember the events between each round. Nanotrasen policy dictates that the average crewmate is here to do their job, not to worry about any potential threats. It is in Nanotrasen's best interest that the crew is unaware of any potential threat, as that would imply there is something to be afraid of.

As such, all information about specific antagonists is shielded. You do not know the objectives, tools, abilities, etc of any antagonist. Also included in metashielded knowledge is:

  • Non-NT implanters
  • Chameleon items and mysterious fibers
  • Stealth items

However, all command members do not have a metashield. They are fully aware of any potential threats, and are specifically "trained" on how to deal with any threat. If the situation requires it, they are also allowed to tell crewmates what is happening and lift the shield. Security is still under metashield, however it is slightly modified and less strict. Please see the "Security Training Manual" for what they specifically know.

This comes at the expense of being against Nanotrasen policy. Wrongfully lifting the metashield, as a command member, has both IC and OOC consequences. Please see the general Command SOP for when it is considered wrong or right to lift the shield. The fact that Nanotrasen is hiding something from its crewmates is not shielded, but the actual secrets are shielded.

Examples

As a standard crew member, you do not know the objectives or abilities of any antagonist until the shield is revealed. However, you may know about rumors or concepts that relate to a specific antagonist, or that specific items or people are high-risk and require safekeeping. For example:

  • Knowing that someone is a revolutionary is shielded; however, you may report them for unsolicited union activities.
  • Knowing that someone is a heretic is shielded; however, you may report them for assault, kidnapping, etc.
  • Knowing that someone is a traitor is shielded; however, you may report them for theft or murder.
  • Knowing that someone is a changeling is shielded; however, genetic horrors beyond your imagination should probably not be on station. You can report them.

Essentially, do not take any action because you know that someone is antagonist, take action depending on what they have done. Avoid callouts that name the antagonist or game mode, at least until the shield has been lifted. If you find evidence that is inexcusably from an antagonist, bring it to a command member in order to "force" them to reveal the shield to you. Command is your boss, and you should consult them if you don't know what to do, IC or OOC.

This does not mean that the entire shift must play out without ever naming or dealing with the specific antagonists. As stated prior, the metashield is equal to corporate secrets, which do exist in character. This means that Nanotrasen is fully aware of any potential threats; they are just selective to who they give this information to.

Metafriending and Metagrudging

This section provides additional information on a concept that is prohibited by multiple metashield items that are never revealed IC. Giving a person or character preferential treatment based on something that your character should not know is considered metafriending. Treating a person or character negatively based on something that your character should not know is considered metagrudging.

Metafriending Examples

These are all examples of things that are prohibited by at least one metashield item that is never revealed IC.

  • Giving a character additional access or a job because you are friends with the player who is playing that character.
  • Trusting a character because you are friends with the player who is playing that character.
  • Not fighting a character because you are friends with the player who is playing that character.
  • Ignoring your objective to kill a character because your character and theirs became friends in a previous round.

Metagrudging Examples

These are all examples of things that are prohibited by at least one metashield item that is never revealed IC.

  • Not giving a character additional access or a job because you are mad at or don't like the player who is playing that character.
  • Not trusting a character because you are mad at or don't like the player who is playing that character.
  • Starting a fight with a character because of something that they did last round.
  • Starting a fight with a character because they killed you while you were playing a different character.
  • Targeting or harassing a character based on anything which that character did outside the current round.
  • Targeting or harassing a character based on anything which the character's player did while not playing the character.

Explicitly Not Shielded

The following is a list of things that are explicitly not shielded. If something is not on this list, it doesn't mean that it is shielded, but if something is on it then it definitely is not shielded.

  • Non-NT aligned organizations exist, such as the Syndicate.
  • The fact that the nuke disk must be protected and could be used by a bad actor to try to destroy the station.
  • Certain items are high-risk and may be desired by outlaws or outside organizations (such as the Syndicate), and therefore are likely targets of theft.
  • The idea that any Syndicate agent or other bad actor has goals or objectives that they are attempting to accomplish.
  • The number of goals or objectives that a Syndicate agent or other bad actor has.
  • The fact that the Syndicate are enemies of Nanotrasen.
  • A character's typical appearance. Though you should keep in mind that multiple characters can share the same name.