Escalation Policy
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Escalation Policy
This policy lays out how conflicts are expected to be resolved, and any breaches of this policy will be classified as either over-escalation or self-antag depending on the severity of the breach.
Escalation Steps
- Completely non-harmful and unarmed actions such as shoving into a wall or table
- Unarmed but harmful actions such as punching and kicking, or armed but non-harmful actions such as using a disabler or stun baton.
- Armed combat - using any item as a weapon to cause harm to someone
- Crit - you are responsible for seeing that your victim receives medical treatment.
- Kill - If you properly escalate to this step, no medical attention is required.
Key terms
Aggressor: The person who initiated conflict. The aggressor may not escalate conflict to the next level, however they may stand their ground and match the force used against them.
Defender: The person who has had conflict initiated with them. Defenders may use a level of force one step above what an aggressor has used. This also allows the aggressor to match your force, so don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
Pursuer: If you pursue someone that is attempting to escape a conflict, even if they are the aggressor, you become the aggressor and may no longer escalate. Use reasonable self-defense, but once your attacker is repelled it is no longer self-defense. The captain and identifiable members of security are never classified as aggressors by this clause - it is their literal job to protect the station even if the perpetrator flees the scene.
It is considered to be pursuit if someone is followed:
- From maints into a main hallway or department
- From a main hallway into maints or a department
- From a department into maints, a main hallway or a different department
Guerilla: If you retreat only to attack again immediately (within five minutes), you are the aggressor of a fight even if you attempt to retreat again and are pursued as described above. Don't try to be a little shit and expect a fair fight.
Valid: If a player is valid, they may be killed immediately without additional reasoning. Players are only valid as dictated by server rules and the species chart at the bottom of this page - a player is not valid until you personally witness the conditions that prove they are.
Types of Escalation
Normal escalation: Normal escalation is followed step by step, an aggressor that shoves you may be met with unarmed combat + incapcitating weaponry. If a player is incapacitated and unable to fight back you may not continue to harm them under normal escalation. If the fight continues and they stand their ground, you may escalate to armed combat. If they still do not back down, you may crit them so long as you see that they receive medical treatment. If two players are having an unarmed brawl with neither willing to back down, it is not over-escalation when one eventually falls into crit, however medical treatment is still required.
Lavaland escalation: Means you can skip any conflict in which you are not the aggressor immediately to step 5. It is still generally bad taste to immediately kill someone that shoved you once, and you may be told it’s excessive if you’re found to be baiting people so you can kill them.
Antagonist escalation: Antagonists may kill their objective targets, players interfering with the completion objectives and witness to their crimes even if the other player does not initiate conflict. For any conflicts unrelated to objectives, antagonists follow Lavaland escalation - be careful who you mess with. Being intentionally obvious in order to chase down and kill “witnesses” will be classified as murderbone.
Special Cases
Security Clause: Security officers, the head of security and captain may escalate and skip to lethal force in accordance with Space Law's use of deadly force. Non-antagonists may not use lethal force against security until after they have used it against you. This means critting or killing security that is doing their job properly is over-escalation. As a non-antagonist, you are expected to disable/bamboozle security and run away or submit to the arrest
Trespassing: Trespassing is defined as being in any department you do not have appropriate permission to access (stolen access is not permission). Players who are trespassing are automatically the aggressor in any conflict that starts with someone who is assigned in the current department. As usual, the aggressor may not escalate beyond the level of force used against them. If you wish for a trespassing player to be removed from your department, contact security before taking matters into your own hands whenever possible. Normal escalation follows when a trespasser is immediately aggressive.
Repeat aggressors: Once you have been the defender in a conflict with the same player three times, you may escalate immediately to step five for the current and all future conflicts in which they are the aggressor. This means you may not revenge kill them on sight if they receive medical treatment, but you may immediately toolbox their brains out again if they decide to shove you.
Dying to crit: If the defender is unable to render aid before someone in critical condition dies, but a genuine effort was made, it is not over-escalation. They are still expected to resuscitate or clone the other player, unless the station is in such a state that this is deemed not reasonably possible. If you ghost out of your body early and then report that the other player killed you, you will be slapped for ban-baiting.
Breaking up a Fight: If you witness a conflict in progress or wish to come to the aid of a co-worker, you may follow normal escalation to do so by attempting to shove players apart. You may not take sides in a fight if you do not understand the context for it unless one of the players chooses to intentionally escalates against you.
- This means stunning one player while openly allowing the other to mortally wound them is over-escalation.
- Obviously if you try to break up a knife fight, there's a reasonable chance you will be accidentally stabbed, and you should not retaliate
- If security is involved in a conflict, it is always self-antag to side against them when breaking up a fight, unless you can identify them as an imposter. Legitimate shitcurity should be reported via ahelp.
Species and Faction Escalation
(WIP) Different faction validity and types of escalation they should follow goes here, i.e. Lavaland Syndicate and simplemobs