Enforcement Guide ErisEn

Ironhammer Advertisement

Ironhammer Security was hired by the Captain aboard the CEV "Eris" to provide both security and protection for the expedition. Their mission is to simply prevent the other factions from destroying each other and providing security for the scientists and crew as they disembark on exploratory ventures.

This page serves as a go to read for anyone wanting to play as an Operative of Ironhammer Security. Reading this will help you out a bit and may prevent you from getting lynched by the crew 30 minutes in the round.

The Agreement

For anyone working for Ironhammer Security (IHS) they must understand the Agreement and what it means and how to enforce it. The Agreement is a combined document and charter that every organization aboard the CEV "Eris" abides by to prevent each faction from becoming hostile to one another. Vagabonds are the only members throughout the ship who may or may not have any idea what the Agreement is about.

The Captain is your current employer, so betraying him will obviously put your pay at risk. Leave the thinking to the Commander and follow what the ship's Captain says where it doesn't contradict him.

Enforcement of any law under the Agreement is entirely up to operative's discretion. You are not RoboCop, you are a living human being with free will and the authority to make decisions. As such, the penalties under the Agreement should not be taken as absolutes, nor should the laws be interpreted literally. This does not mean you should be excessive in dealing out punishment, only that you have the leeway to be harsher or lenient as you see fit. Take the opportunity to make money for yourself.

The Blue Paragraph

The Blue Paragraph represents effective misdemeanors and petty crimes. As such, those placed in Command Positions such as the Guild Merchant, Moebius Overseer, Moebius Biolab Officer, Technomancer Exultant, NeoTheologian Preacher, First Officer, or Captain cannot be taken into custody for violation of the blue paragraph, but financial penalties may be imposed.

The Red Paragraph

The Red Paragraph represents major criminal actions such as, murder, sabotage, forced conversions, mutinies, and mutants.

IHS reserves the right to punish all members of the factions for violation of the Red Paragraph regardless of position. When it comes to the Captain of the ship, an operative should use their discretion or leave the decision to an Inspector, the Gunnery Sergeant, or the Commander.

IH Basic Guide: how to hopefully) Avoid Death:

This is a guide for the unrobust, the weary or newbie. If you are Chad Thundercock, grab master, vagabond nemesis, do whatever I guess. Disclaimer: this will not teach you the SS13 mechanics or the Eris codebase. Get familiar with it first, practice loadout management, quick item switching, hotkeys, reloading, then pick IH.

The IH Paradox

You must always rely on your teammates: an operative's greatest strength is their fellow operative.

You must never rely on your teammates: the average operative is rock dumb, and will hamper you.

This means, try not to go alone in dangerous places, carry out arrests and attacks with at least a buddy , but don't ever rely on them saving the day, by themselves or in groups. Doing so is foolish, and only makes it easier for that vagabond to robust IH and loot the armory. Yes, you are the stupid and incompetent operative to someone else.

Using Commons Sense:

I've received plenty, endless amount of advice that was: shoot first, apologize/ask questions later, and while I do abide by it sometimes, it's a bit more complicated than that. This is of course for green alert, and blue too (I will use the alert levels to indicate the threat level. THis being Eris, the alert level is hardly ever changed, so act accordingly to the perceived the threat).

I kid you not, sometimes just approaching someone and asking them to come with you or lay down works. I've done it with moderate success. Playing nice and professional doesn't just help with your survivability (because yes, the other guy will shoot and kill you faster than you can draw your own gun), but helps with your reputation. Everyone prefers to deal with an operative that's not some feral ape that valids anyone that doesn't strip themselves naked. This is especially important if you want to arrest someone in a department, which is far from uncommon. If you get into cargo guns blazing, you can expect everyone to shoot you back to defend their buddy, legal arrest or not.

Therefore, try to make it legitimate and professional. Declare why you're arresting your criminal, ask them to come willingfully, or lay down, and get cuffed. Bonus points for a warrant (you make those with your PDA and display them with a warrant projector found in the sec vendor). If anything, you get to look smug and competent, and at least people will know why you are taking them in if only for a questioning. Double helpful with departments: their coworkers and their boss won't cry "Unfair! Lynch the IH!" as much; taking people by force makes them think you will just execute them. Bring them in, do your thing, let them go without treating them like an asshole, and I can guarantee they will not jump you with lethal ammo while you are taking a shit in the club.

Don't play all nice, of course. Try to be authoritative: ask them firmly to stand down and, if need be, to lay down on the ground. Try not to point your gun at them while you do that; it's green alert, after all.

Now, when do you break that rule? Simple. On red alert, which is as close to martial law as it can get, when the perp shoots you (duh), or when they run. If they really don't cooperate, stun gloving them (use blue intent with active stun gloves for added knockdown/disarm chance), using a flash or flashbang or pepperspray is a good incentive. Don't forget to grab them: you put cuffs on faster if you aggressive/blue grab someone(grab , then press Z with the grabbing hand or click on the hand).

In short, don't be an asshole, it's the fastest way to get you and your department killed, and can lead to futher meta hate against IH and your character. Despite what you think, your guns (which aren't top of the line) and armor mean nothing if you can't use them (and this is also why you are reading this guide). As I mentioned before, the person you are tying to arrest and/or his buddies are more robust or better equipped than you. Treat someone nice and fair, and they will comply more often, in the same and further rounds.

Run and Gun:

Now, onto an "optimal" loadout, and how to use your gun. Keep in mind, this is my personal loadout and what I suggest to new or not combat robust people. It works, is versatile and there is plenty of space for customization and variation. Don't hesitate to try your own loadout, find what you are comfortable with. It's worse to be a walking armory and not being able to manage your equipment under stress, than having only a small pistol you know how to use. Still, a basic all-inclusive loadout is helpful if you have no clue what to bring with you or what each thing does, so here it goes:

Storage:

The tac belt: Essential. What I put in it, regardless of loadout: crowbar, one flashbang (sierra in the sec vendor), flash and/or pepperspray. What I fill the space with, depending on inventory management requirements: ammo, cuffs, a second grenade (almost exclusively pepperspray grenade), a medium cell. I can't give you the perfect combo, you need to figure it you, but the belt should be reserved for what you want to have ready and easy to grab. If you are an operative, try this: crowbar, flashbang, either flash or pepperspray (better the flash, less counters for it), two sol magazines, one pistol magazine, one medium cell, cuffs. This should be enough for green alert and normal patrol.

The Pockets: Save exceptions, first pocket slot (leftmost) should have a pistol holster (the one you find in your locker), the second a flashlight. Make sure to change the flashlight battery with a 200s cell. In the pistol holster, put either your ballistic gun or your taser (by default and respectively, the Paco and Martin), depending on which gun you want to quick draw (H key) from a suit holster (explained), and which one you need to manually click to draw.

The Satchel: This is pretty much free game. Basically, you put whatever you can't put into your belt and pockets in here. What I personally carry in there: three S cells (spares for your taser and flashlight), one extra cuff (exclusively zipties), any extra ammo, misc tools (warrant projector, tape, screwdriver...) usually in a box, a spare grenade. In the end, this is the most varied part of the storage part, I can't give a perfect guide. If you are not new to SS13 and Eris, which you should not be if you are playing IH, you'll figure out how to optimize storage space. Always remember to keep things you need in your hands fast out of containers.

The Holster: Go down to the FS vendor in your lobby and buy one of the holsters there, there is no mechanical difference between them, and attach it to your jumpsuit. Holster a gun in there by clicking on it like the pocker holster, or better yet, use the H key for quick draw. Which of your pistols you put in it depends on you: the paco or the taser? whatever you feel like you want to fire fast without looking at your inventory.

The Ear Slot: Surprisingly versatile. Holds a bunch of small items, from handful of bullets, to a screwdriver, to hailers. Or cigaratte packets and cigars, if you want.

Armor:

Best option would be to grab a full bulletproof kit (body and helmet). I really don't recommend not wearing at least the body piece at all times, your basic operative armor is terrible for actual fights, this can buy precious survivability, and it covers all limbs unlike base armor. Take any helmet with it, if you don't want max protection. This does not apply to inspectors, and this is also where I mention how to be an inspector: keep wearing your fashionable coat (a little armored), investigate, find criminals, and don't get into firefights. Call the monkeys, also known as operatives, to do the dirty work. They will be equipped for it. You can do arrests, I mean, but bring the muscle. Let them get shot, you are too cool for that.

Guns:

For the purpose of this guide, don't bother with anything else for now, stick to these: Sol carbine, Paco, Martin. The first two are in your locker, the latter you spawn with. Sol in the suit slot, in case you were not sure, the pistols in the two holsters. The ammo for them is simple:

The Martin is versatile, Z in hand to change from stun, to lethal, to charge (ignore the latter). Keep it on stun unless you need to kill someone through glass, are out of lethal ammo or don't have time to reload. Btw, you can shoot through some airlocks with lasers, provided they let light through (i.e. the ones you can see through).

The Paco loaded exclusively with lethals, not joking. Pistols with rubbers are shit, just use the taser if you want to stun someone with a pistol. Grab two lethal mags with it, one in the gun and one spare (if you remember, in the belt). The Sergeanr or Commander will hand them to you if you ask, or buy them if they are not there.

The Sol, well, it is a different beast. As it is now, with lethal ammo it is a great gun, can take down anyone with no more than a magazine, accounting for misses and armor. Unless you can manage to reload the Martin really fast, which is clunky to do as is with all energy guns, got bigger cells for the martin or a bigger taser, take rubbers with the sol. It is not as good, no gun is with rubbers, but this is every day carry, not emergency. It'll do for normal threats and defensive shooting, since every rubber that hits inflicts pain and slowdown. I'm trying to teach you to arrest people and survive, which is hard to do since the easiest way to survive is to use lethal ammunition exclusively, which everyone but you will have plenty and ready on any alert level. Regardless, bring with two at least two lethal magazines for the sol, in your backpack/belt (separate from the rubbers), for when shit escalates and you need real firepower quick.

The sol with rubbers, and the martin, are what you will use to take criminals or anyone that resists arrest alive.

How the fuck do I reload?

Misleading title. You should know how to reload. Don't be IH if you do not how to. This section is all about how to use your equipment, when to use it and when not to. I'll be brief:

Name	Description
Crowbar	A must, always have one. Opens depowered airlocks and emergency shutters. You'd be surprised how many operatives were blocked, trapped, killed or suffocated by a powerless door or fire-alarm. Unironically your best melee weapon, especially vs roaches. Store it in the belt, where is it both easier to grab and occupies less space than in the satchel.
Flashbang	This one is a large area stun. Without eye protection, it knocks down and blinds people, and also deafens, blocking anyone in place, you included. Toss it, and run. Carry one, always useful against overwhelming odds and to retreat
Pepperspray grenade	Will blind, cause pain, and knock down anyone without face protection (gasmasks, balaclavas, voidsuits). Don't use if they have one of those things and/or you do not. With a gasmask and goggles on, you can safely hold it and detonate even in your hands, don't worry about being too close to it.
Flash	Blinds and knockdowns anyone without eye protection or not in a voidsuit, but they can still crawl and resist your grabs. Good tool for disarming and stunning people.
Pepperspray	Like a flash, it blinds people and knocks them down, but works differently (this also applies to the grenade version). Without eye protection, the target will be blinded. Without face protection, the target will be knocked down; this knockdown is 'upgraded': they won't be able to crawl or resist (like electricity stuns). Very good tool, useless if the target has face protection. It stuns for almost as long as it takes to cuff someone. Refill it at engineering, and you need to toggle the safety off before using it
Medium cell	This is used to power the stun gloves. When you use up even a bit of the gloves, change it at the first occasion, trust me. Make sure to always have a charged one in the gloves, and charge the spare when safe. You find these in lower armory (the one with all the racks, armor, and crates)
Small cells	Already mentioned, for the martin and flashlight. Also in lower armory.
Cuffs	For restraining criminals and other rabble. Find them in vendors and lower armory (in a box), and you spawn with one. Don't work on voidsuits and hardsuits.
Zipties	Technically worse cuffs (easier to break out of), but only these work on voids and hardsuits. Bring one normal cuff and one ziptie on you, at the very least, all the time.
Warrant Projector	Optional, but a cool gadget if only for the looks. Use it to select a created warrant (made with PDA) and use it on someone (i.e. click on them) to display the warrant.
Police tape	Useless, for all purposes. An RP tool, but you can get inventive with it (cordon places off, signal dangerous zones, broken floors...)
Hailer	Attracts attention by screaming loudly a phrase. Right click sets a different hail scream. Bonus because cool robocop voice. Useful, but situational. Arguably way more useful than the tape and warrant projector. I mentioned that rarely people will listen or comply immediately, but this can grab their attention.
Screwdriver	Used to close airlocks with their wires exposed. In case you did not know, an airlock with the panel open cannot be opened at all, unless without power or by swiping the ID (slow if you need to use the door again). A baby can block an entire IH kill team by exposing the wires on any airlock. Sits comfortably in the ear slot.
Knife	You put this one in your boots, and you can macro it to quick draw. Extreme backup, don't use this in combat unless you literally have nothing else. The knife is a tool: works like a screwdriver and wirecutters both, albeit slower. It can close exposed wires on an airlock, and even mend wire splicing (don't try it without insulated gloves). Pretty much an alternative or backup for the screwdriver.
Flashlight	Self explanatory. They have limited batteries unlike other codebases, so use them when needed and keep spare cells. Change the battery like an energy gun.
Paco (with lethals)	Backup gun when you need to use lethal force. Below average AP, good damage. Works well with unarmored or light armored opponents. Switch to it in a pinch or when you cannot afford the time to reload. Keep it topped up at all times. Ten shots, like all other non-revolvers; .35 pistol magazines.
Martin	Your main stun gun along with the sol. Ignore charge mode for now, keep it on stun and use lethal when a window is between you and the criminal and you want him dead, or when you want to finish a wounded off. Extremely low magazine: only 4 shots with 200s cells, what you have freely available in armory; takes S-cells.
Sol Carbine	Good with lethals, mediocre with rubbers. Main gun you will use, it will serve you well. Low recoil, burst fire mode (the only mode you should use), accurate, fast firing, 30 rnd magazine. Fits in a satchel or other big storage items; .25 magazines.
Ammo Packets	No reason why you cannot fit one or two of these in the box you spawn with. Lower Armory has freely available in the crates .35 and .25 rubber packets, you can get these from the Sec Vendors in barracks, and the Sgt or Lt can hand you over .35 lethal packets. You click on them with a magazine to refill them. Optional, but like the rest of your loadout, they are intended to keep you running and active without walking all the way to brig for rearmament for a long time. Top up spent or used magazines, and you won't run out of ammo save in the most extreme cases.

;HELP EXCEL:

This is for when red alert or, occasionally, blue alert is in place. For when fecal matter hits the ventilation device. First thing: in red alert, toss away your equipment and start again. Seriously. Go back to brig asap if you can to rearm. Get full armor, ditch all the nice tools (warrants, tape, even cuffs if you must, but keep zipties. Remove all the rubber ammo, and get lethals for every gun if you do not have them, or get more. Get more grenades too, wear your gasmask, have oxy tanks on hand, make sure everything is accessible and fast to retrieve in your satchel. You are getting rid of all that is taking up space and is not necessary to kill and face true emergency and chaos. Make sure you have ammo for plenty of fights, because you can't count on retreating back to safety. Don't overload, of course, but better to have two magazines more than two less. Chances of death are at the same time higher and the usual compared to green alert. You are here to make it alive, of course. Or try your best to kill the baddies. The latter it best, even if you die trying.

Second thing, this (technically) gives you authority. Not that the crew will listen. Playing Eris, you know people are their own private armies armed to the teeth, and therefore will kill without trouble, be it either the commies or you trying to force them to obey. What red alert means, is that you have all the rights to be violent and not take anyone's shit. You ask someone to surrender and lay down their weapons, and they do everything but that? shoot them. Someone causes trouble? Shoot them. You are authorized to use lethal force, and you must enforce your authority. Compared to the other alert levels, the situation is even more delicate. You can't afford to being an asshole still and gun people down indiscriminately (despite what I told you before), but if you previously built trust in IH, you'll have more people on your side and shooting your enemy than you, even if they don't follow your orders. Break into departments, flash people, commit sweeping arrests, whatever it is, act fast and hard. this is the time of the 'shoot first, apologize later' philosophy. Everyone on Eris is out for themselves and/or their department, and you will do the same. Protect your department, protect your life at all costs even if it takes killing someone merely sketchy and innocent than nevertheless attacked or resisted, but now more than ever, don't be reckless and don't lose all common sense and caution.

Third thing, your superiors (and this is true to any alert level and situation) are your reference. You listen to them, and obey them to the best of your capabilities, and their orders take precedence over what I said. Your Sgt tells you to kill someone in green alert, or viceversa, take someone alive during red? You do it. The Lt says to flash and assault RnD, without taking the one person you need calmly? You do it. This, however, requires the superiors to actually know what they are doing. In a way, they are excluded from the IH paradox, and it is better that way. Even if they are as dumb as you, follow them; it will take the pressure of decisions off you, it's better than being passive. If they are dumber, or you think you have better judgement, ignore them. Remember, this way you take all the responsibility for shit going south and your own failure. If you really think charging engineering alone, do it, I don't care. Don't salt in deadchat you were gangbanged by technomancers, and remember the rest of IH will be in trouble because of your actions. Then again, if the commander tells you something clearly suicidal or which you cannot do, explain it to them, but only once. Tell them to fuck off, the second time.

Misc and Helpful Tips

- Whatever you are going, always watch closely your target regardless if you are arresting, interrogating or shooting them. It can mean the difference between your success or demise. A distracted operative is dead weight and free loot.

- No matter if you are taking someone in peacefully, always be ready to draw your gun and keep your mouse on your rifle. People love to gun you down suddendly and treacherously, and especially when you are typing (intentional or not).

- Most of the time, people will shoot you with lethals even if you merely poke them. Your average target won't care if he gets mortally injured, he wants to kill you, and he will succeed it even if he dies in the process or sits half an hour healing. Lethals are plain superior and the only reliable way to stop someone for good, everyone loads them because they don't need to take people alive.

- Almost as frequently as being welcomed with lethal force, people will resist and undermine whatever you do or say. IH has a bad reputation, mostly due to meta reasons since the average brainlet IH (from operative to commander) is a bully who cannot enforce his assholery. They know or think you are unrobust, clueless, unpleasant to play with and will generally only fuck them over regardless of innocence. They will take their chances to eliminate you and, again, they have all the tools to do so.

- Type with one hand, make every single spelling mistake until what you wrote is a new language entirely, speak in caveman talk, I don't care. Say what you want you say fast: the text box hinders you greatly as is typing. You need to be fast and responsive, after all. Don't stop in the corridors arguing with an arrested criminal, do that when they are buckled to a bed or chair.

- To avoid excessive typing, macro useful sentences ("Get down, please", "Down, now!", "You are under arrest, come peacefully and cuffed", "lay down your weapons", "stop!" etc) and your favorite one-liners. I recommend ALT + a number key. You can blurt them while running, reloading or performing any other task, and it saves your skin by avoiding to type an order to cease and desist.

- While you are at it, write before hand the arrest charges and copy-paste them in an instant as you announce an arrest. Works in place of or in conjuction with a warrant.

- Use common sense. Don't risk your life and equipment against impossible odds, don't over extend without support, don't travel with guns out when not in combat or about to be (mostly because you can be knocked down and robbed of your gun).

- Nothing kills an operative faster than misjuding the situation. Take your time to read the room and assess who you should shoot and who you should not. It's bad to kill the one person on your side, and having the antag kill you while you are with your guard down and wounded, and it's even worse killing an innocent or someone that will cause an uprising. Don't be anxious to validhunt.

- Keep your distance. It applies to any role. Much like in real life, if someone gets right in your face, he is likely planning to shank you, disarm you or grab-fu you.

- Learn all about grab combat, stuns and knockdowns. Flash + cuffs does not work on eris, they can crawl away and reset the cooldown. Against someone actively resisting, a full knock out or pain crit is required to restrain them. Also great is dislocating limbs: red grab someone, harm intent, and click on them when selecting a limb.

- Don't trust anyone

- Trust your fellow IH

- Don't trust your fellow IH too much

Now, activate those stun gloves, wear those jackboots and ~~get fucked~~ show that vagabond who's boss.