I’ve seen it way too many times where a syndie has a job specific item and then are instantly arrested later purely due to the job. There’s a point where it’s past in character and goes to metagaming without any proof. I think a metashield making it so you can’t instantly link the item to a specific job could help.
Examples I’ve seen:
Cerberus/Holy Hand grenade exist: Chap arrested without other proof.
Hot Potato used: Chef arrested without other proof
Proximity Mine Wet Floor Sign: Search the whole station for janitors to arrest
Crew has a bunch of Pythons: Investigate botanists for gatfruit
Real Fake Cap gun - Arrest clown/mime
You get the idea. Cerberus is the only one where the creature itself isn’t even an antag and just a familiar, and isn’t even contra…but I digress.
Maybe these are all stuff that are supposed to be a-helpable? I also get a lot of these are contextual. But i’ve seen people say ‘they aren’t metashielded so it’s ok’ a bit much. I think needing more justification than just the job would be a good step. Perhaps it falls under powergaming rule on MRP? I’ve never rly gotten an answer for that, but I think a shield for this would help in the long run.
and this isn’t even a right arrest. as the syndicate gambling crate can give you job specifics even if you aren’t in that job. also the powergaming MRP rule is going to be changed due to how vague it is.
and in the case of gattfruit you can also get it from botany anom or scavengers.
If you have syndie contraband, you are going to get labelled a syndicate. It makes sense IC
What would be metagaming would be using metaknowledge to say things like “this one is probably not a syndie cuz they don’t have an uplink” or “salv can find this in wrecks, so they are not syndi for having one”
Simply don’t use contraband if you are not willing to get labelled a syndicate.
If someone bombs medbay with a holy hand grenade and the Chaplain is seen running away from the crime scene… Is that really metagaming? Feels more like a natural conclusion to arrive at.
If no one can place you at the scene, just say “Not me, must’ve been a surplus crate”. The job connection of the item is a good starting point for an investigation and can lead to further evidence but a surplus creates enough plausible deniability.
I understand scenarios where’s there’s actual proof, like seeing someone throw an grenade, although that’s not really the point; I’ve seen it happen quite a bit where there is none whatsoever besides the job and its meta gamed pretty hard
Most common one to explain that I’ve seen is simply Cerberus existing on station = arrest chap.
I just think removing the IC link that item = job would do some help. Although the surplus argument could work IC and is a good idea
Oh, yeah. That sounds like a fair situation to ahelp metagamers.
But people DO have to ahelp that kind of stuff. Admins are not omniscient, and it is easy to slip on the metagaming knowledge, specially the specifics of what you can and cannot know.
If they get your uplink, check its product list and find a grenade, they could mark you as suspect for the crime (on top of being syndie, for crime stacking i guess). But i feel like that is as far as it should go.
If you see a holobarrier in the crime scene and there is only one atmos on station, you still cannot just arrest that atmos without at least DNA or fingerprints (how do you know someone else didn’t break into atmos or that the culprit cryod?). The same should apply here.
That is what the suspect label is for.