Nonthreatening Deuteragonists; a Suggestion to make Rounds Interesting

[DeadLantern]

Theoretically, the middle between the protagonists (station) and the antagonists would be some deuteragonist. A second party that is neither expressly good nor bad; they may be adaptable, or they may just be a curveball that provides something to do and interact with without the chaos that comes with Antags.

An example of a "deuteragonist" are merchants; they appear randomly and are just a little thing a crewmember (or even antag) can interact with. My suggestion here is to add more of these third parties to keep rounds progressive and evolving even without an apparent antagonist. These deuteragonists may present a "threat" or may be benign. An example of a "threatening" deuteragonist would be an SCC Inspector or some similar role coming aboard the station to assess the professionalism, cleanliness, and productivity of the station/ship. This would provide something the crew can respond to without it being inherently violent or life-threatening but still requiring attention, thus creating roleplay. Captains and HoPs could coordinate crew to create a welcome party or strategically place assistants in the Inspector's path to please the Inspector. The point is that the mere presence of a third actor can make rounds less dull. Additional deuteragonist ideas:

CIVILLIAN refugees seek clemency aboard the station/ship

SCC scientists need to transport a few dangerous animals/materials to the research department for temporary storage

SCCERAA (SCC Emergency Response Assessor Agents) inform the ship/station that a simulated boarding threat will attempt to hijack important assets. Medical would get dummy bodies to heal; engineering would be tasked to create barricades in certain locations; Security would be tasked to man such fortifications; Cargo would be tasked with staying normal for a shift. Then either SCCERA Agents can come test out some of the fortifications, run a few wargames, comment on the performance of security personnel/medical personnel, etc etc etc

These deuteragonists can also be related to the area that the NBT is currently in. If the ship was in Dominia, the ship could be receiving some important noble ambassadors or a Dominian fencing tournament could be held on the station. In Hegemony space, a group of battered Kataphracts may want to refuel and resupply at the ship; in Jargon territory, the ship could be searched by authorities; in Light's Edge, [REDACTED]. You get the point. I feel like these neutral party deuteragonists that are not necessarily threatening but require attention would serve to make extended/low intensity rounds a bit more interactive and compliment Antag rounds/high intensity rounds by adding more excitement and chaos to the mix. This is just a general idea and it does need to be refined; I, however, think it has merit, and I really think it can make rounds more enjoyable overall. 

[Marlon P.]

Love it all. Great post, and very constructive.

[Captain Gecko]

This is interesting indeed, I support the idea.

I think there should be something to adjust the scale of what Deuteragonists you get... Obviously you wont' do the Wargame on deadhours with two crewmembers.

[greenjoe]

it sounds like some ghost role spawns in the NBT will be just this, I believe 

[DeadLantern]

15 hours ago, Captain Gecko said:

This is interesting indeed, I support the idea.

I think there should be something to adjust the scale of what Deuteragonists you get... Obviously you wont' do the Wargame on deadhours with two crewmembers.

It would have player limits/minimums just like antagonists have.

13 hours ago, greenjoe said:

it sounds like some ghost role spawns in the NBT will be just this, I believe 

That is the vibe I'm going for, but they won't necessarily be in the middle of the round. They could never, though.