Your SS14 Username: Ratsmageddon
Warning Admin's Username: MasterElzoi
Round ID (if applicable): 16385
Reason for Warning: Powergaming as SecOff
What lead up to the warning: After a nuclear operatives team hits the station and gets wiped out, a forced red alert from blob growth is announced, leading to me preparing a C-20 to be used for combat against a blob, that blob is killed and auto green is called, I put the gun up, a minute later a second blob is called, so I grab the c-20 with incendiary ammo and run to fight the blob, I get ahelped before killing the blob that syndicate equipment should not be used by security unless it is nukies / one of the special alerts (delta, etc), and that I'll get a warning for this action.
Why it should be removed: Two reasons, one reasonable because of the other.
My understanding of syndicate equipment being valid for security use was on the basis of extreme conditions causing the necessity to save all life on the station, with this understanding, having an alert by an automatic system in the station itself saying all crew are needed to stop a hazard felt reasonable in RP to use that equipment. In hindsight, that equipment was extreme for the situation and I definitely should not of used it, but,
I asked clarity to which rule the violation was under, Rule 6, checked the wording, and could not find specification of that type of powergaming, only, "Powergaming is best described as the usage of meta mechanics and/or reasoning in order to gain an IC advantage over other players (e.g. arming up Security at the start of the round because you know antagonists exist. This is also frowned upon." To which I think what I did was not meta in nature, it's reasonable for my character to feel that a situation was extreme enough to warrant using that equipment, and there isn't any detail that encourages an in RP reason to not use that equipment.
I made a ticket noticing this issue of clarity with Rule 6, Ticket 2429 (open as of time of appeal, and houses the entire ahelp dialogue I had with Elzoi), with Sal putting forward they would add more clarity, and Elzoi agreeing that the specifics of powergaming is vague, especially for something as important as limiting equipment to make a situation fair for everyone. I have made suggestions as a player on ways to make it more clear to players, especially newer players, to ensure this action is only done through malice or disregard of rules, instead of ignorance.
These ideas, so they're put in a more permanent message, included altering Rule 6 Powergaming description and adding that none NT-Equipment is not to be used unless in crisis in the Security Training Manual.
Not a reason, but something I do want to say to establish that this use of powergaming was not malicious in nature, and just ignorance, I very directly asked on security comms if I could use a C-20 to fight the blob, the only response I got was "anything with incendiary."
This appeal is not to argue what I did was right, nor that it should be allowed, just that my action was caused by ignorance that could not be helped because of the action not being clearly detailed for a player to ensure not to commit. Even if the appeal is not accepted, I am glad future players will have more clarity on the issue and not make the same mistake I did from not having an official rule on this problem.
