To begin, HS13's main focus is to have fun, and how you accomplish that is inevitably up to you. I want to preface this by saying that while you should never feel forced to roleplay, in can be fun to put some effort into it from time to time.

We will cover the 'Why', 'How' and 'When' of roleplay in that order, to ensure everyone is getting the most out of their gameplay. Always remember the two golden rules: Whatever happens in a round, stays in that round, and to always assume that in-game occurrences (Such as being called a shit pilot for crashing the Spirit) are IC rather than personal attacks.

WHY

Why roleplay? Is everyone else just a furry? Is it cringy?

First off, yeah, there's probably a lot of furries (And you can tell based on how detailed their roleplay is) but it should never be regarded as cringy unless it literally does induce physical cringe, in which case you might be better pumping that M90 and filling the overly horny Unggoy with buckshot instead of whatever the fuck 'Jizz nipple juice' is. Roleplay can not only build a personal character that in turn shapes and modifies how you play the game, but it also significantly helps reduce monotony. Everything that happens in a given round is unique, and that progression isn't just made via combat alone. Even the simplest action - A Covenant soldier being called a heretic, or a Sergeant screaming to hold a position with your lives - Can all change the ebb and flow of the round. While you could always just execute the heretical Kig-Yar or ignore the Sergeant because he's bald, playing along gives everyone something to do, even if it's not the most beneficial route to take. If nothing else, remember this: You don't always have to win. Losing can be fun too.

HOW

How do I roleplay? What should I say and do? How should I respond?

I'll try and keep this brief, but it should be noted that roleplaying in a manner that's both enjoyable for everyone and not so over-the-top that you're writing whole books is a learned skill. At its heart, HS13 is still SS13, and that means that combat can be quick and punishing. If you're too busy playing out your Marine Sergeant Avery Johnson snowflake to notice the Hunter charging you with its shield, you're roleplaying wrong. This partially plays into 'When', but both questions have their mutually inclusive ideals.

To roleplay, the first thing you should always consider is how your character would react in a certain situation. For example, lets say a marine, 'Rico', just died in front of you, and you kill the Covenant soldier that killed them. You could just go on, but at the same time, your character may be angry, distressed, or mortified at Rico's death. You may try to save him, you may call for a medic over comms, you may try to take his dog-tags and say a prayer. While these seem like pointless actions - He's dead, after all - They build character and make you seem more human. On the other hand, you may butcher the Covenant that killed Rico - This presents you with a grizzled, desensitised character-building trope, and despite being the most common, it's also commonly the most poorly done. If you're ever at a loss or unsure how to present your character, look to the marines in Halo games. Even despite their military status, the game developers knew exactly how to portray them when they're facing the most deadliest and ruthless threat Humanity has ever encountered.

For a Covenant player, you are part of a massive religiously motivated Empire. You (probably) believe that humanity is unclean and needs to be destroyed. However, that is only a baseline - There are many races within the Covenant, and each have their own unique mindset. Unggoy are easy to persuade and command, but also prone to break down or be tricked. Kig-Yar are hunters and lone wolves, placing more trust in their kin than in the Empire, and are the most likely to turn sides - A physical item has more value to a Kig-Yar than a Oath. A T'vaoan is a step above this mindset, with less of a focus on Kinship between Kig-Yar and a larger focus on the individual. A Yanme'e operates as part of a hive, and are known for their technical abilities - Not quite as adept as a Huragok, but still capable. A Jiralhanae would fall on its instincts and the rush of adrenaline during combat, making them incredibly brutal, although not necessarily psychotic. A Sangheili is honourable and well-respected, and should use its martial and strategic skills to command the other races and demoralize the enemy.

That isn't to say you MUST portray your character like this. There have been Sangheili oathbreakers, honorable Kig-Yar, persistent Unggoy and (relatively) nice Jiralhanae - But subverting these expectations requires a good excuse and an even better execution.

If nothing else, remember this: Humanity fights for its survival. The Covenant fights for their religion. It is also a good idea to briefly read through something like Halopedia for a more detailed explanation on the species you are playing as.

WHEN

When do I roleplay? Should I always be roleplaying? When do I shoot the brain-dead Prophet?

The quickest and easiest section to understand, by far. Knowing WHEN to roleplay ensures you're not berated by other players, and more importantly, not interrupting the flow of the round in a negative way. This can briefly be summarized by, 'If someone's shooting, you should be shooting, too.' No matter what species or faction you are playing as, everyone (excluding special cases like AI and Spartans/Honour Guard) should value their lives. Do not expect to live long by running out into a hallway and screaming 'don't shoot!'. Most won't even pay attention to the chatbox and will just shoot you on sight. Do not ruin everyone else's experience by wasting the slot you occupy and immediately giving up - Try and fight, try and save your friends, try and win.

On the inverse, if you do win, it can be worthwhile to take prisoners. This is where the majority of roleplay happens between the UNSC and Covenant. First, ask your leader if you can take prisoners (Or give the order to take prisoners if you are the leader) and inform communications of the prisoner's name. Handcuffs aren't always required so long as they're unconscious, and it should be the highest priority to make sure they don't die. If you have been 'captured' and want to stay alive longer to play into the roleplay, using the 'Sleep' verb in the IC tab massively increases your lifespan and reduces bleedout rate but prevents you from waking up until after a certain time period (Around 30 seconds - You will need to keep using the Sleep verb until either you die or are brought back up to health). From there, take them to a secure location: The ONI Base for UNSC or the Brigs on the Covenant CRS (Depending on gamemode). ONI Researchers can create devices to translate Covenant languages, and many Covenant roles can speak English by default. From there, extracting useful information should be your priority - Torture and experimentation is not always necessary.

CONCLUSION

While this only slightly touches on the gargantuan behemoth that is roleplay as a concept, hopefully you've gotten some ideas from this post. Perhaps the single most important thing to note is that not everyone wants to roleplay. Some just want to shoot, and they will blast you if you try to make a push. Knowing who will and won't do a scenario is important to enjoying the server and making sure everyone's having fun.

This guide also doesn't cover Colonist or URF roleplay in the slightest, which is its own self-contained thing. Generally, if you're playing those roles, you probably already have a basic idea of what to do.

TL;DR Don't ERP.

Ckey: Yacobpo157

Discord Name: The Space Force#7285


In-character Name: Sentry


General Character Info: Born into one of the many hives in service to the Covenant Empire, Sentry has experienced over a decade of conflict in invading, oppressing, and destroying the various outer colonies of humanity. Carrying with him a proud lineage as a Drone Ultra, Sentry is quite utilitarian in their actions and mindset. Always carrying a plethora of meds, tools, and explosives, Sentry is the jack-of-all-trades for his fellow Yanme-e

Reason for Joining: With the most playtime out of anyone on Halostation, I've enjoyed playing all three sides and am wanting access to higher roles within the Covenant. I have all WLs for the URF, UNSC, and now I'd like some variation with the roles I can play within the Covenant faction. During typical typical rec/take and hold rounds I try to play the faction that is the weakest or has the least amount of people. With that in mind I'd like to have a wider variety of roles I can play as. This way I can better tip the scales and support the underdog by playing as a brute or a hunter instead of just another drone.

Roleplay Example/History: As an ODST, Jacob Stone, I captured and questioned a T'voan Murmillo named Six. After questioning him in the field following some triage, Stone put the bird under anesthetic and delivered him to the ONI base for interrogation by ONI researcher Joseph Strome. In return of the resources gained by capturing their gear and a living EPOW, Jacob Stone took the armor reinforcements given to him by Joseph Strome, boarded the Covenant ship, and according to his helmet camera footage he killed one grunt minor and an Elite Major named Garme 'Lokamee before departing having utilized C-12 explosive charges to severely damage the interior vendors and machines of the vessel which included disabling their weapon controls.

Ckey:toroidalzer0


Discord name: RedOctober#0066

In-character name: Walter Seidner

general character info: Wanting to fight for Humanity he enlisted into the UNSC, and eventually became a fully fledged Marine.

Which role is your character's main: Marine

Reason for joining: I liked the gear and roles of the UNSC faction and I usually play Marine

Ckey- alucard#4060

Discord Name- alucard#4060

Character Name- guilherme hurtes

General character Info- A desensitized marine who puts Corps before his own life and has much predominance with the soldiers in his command

Character main roles- Marine sergeant/Staff sergeant

Reason for Joining- Wanted to try being a ODST or ONI in UNSC

Ckey- Dylanishere

Discord Name- Thot Destroyer(Dylanishere)#9929

Character Name- Dylan Wilson

General character Info- A desensitized marine who puts Corps before his own life and like to blow things up.

Character main roles- Marine sergeant/Staff sergeant

Reason for Joining- Wanted to try being a ODST or ONI in UNSC.

Ckey: albertblackwell

Discord name: AlbertBlackwell#7506

In-character name: Albert Blackwell

General character info: Dedicated fully to the UNSC's Marine Corp, Albert is fully committed to bringing the fight to the Covenant and fighting for humanities' survival. When morale and resources are low Albert often finds himself as a reluctant leader and motivator for those around him restoring their faith in the fight and leading them to victory.

Which role is your character's main: Marine Combat Medic

Reason for joining: The UNSC whitelist is probably the most appealing looking WL for me on this server, combined with the fact that I exclusively main marine. I'll be able to share my experience and learn with other people.

While it bothers me to be the "Guy" that reports people, being a part of the people who represent the Covenant Factions, id like to report the behavior of a shipmaster I and others encountered, and the user who plays them, HomestuckNecktie.

 To begin with, id like to state that its fine to be goofy, fun, and joking, but once you play a role that is responsible for driving the round forward (I.E Shipmaster, UNSC CO, Spartan.) there is a level of maturity you need to have so everyone has an enjoyable roleplay experience, this not only ensures new players see an example of "What to do" but also as a whole keeps us from being an LRP server, below I have provided some screenshots of examples of what they have done. 


 Secondly, a leader in a round shouldn't take failure on a personal level, this person I believe fell victim to that, it's important to separate roleplay arguments and insults (I.E Calling a fellow Sangheili out on an act of Dishonor.)  and actual arguments and insults. (Blaming, or flamming another player be it with personal insults or a reoccurring grudge.) example below. 

   

   

   

 In conclusion, I think the best course of action is to blacklist them for a short time, or until appeal, from the Shipmaster role, until they can see how the role should be played. I hope if you are reading this Home, that you take my advice and know I don't write this as a personal jab to you, but so the community can see it as an example for bettering their own roleplay standards.

Ckey: PostmanPet

Discord name: MEMESOON#4891

In-character name: (characters that I play: Anthony Mathews, Nipploy. Character that I wish to play as: Seferum)

General character info: 
Seferum will start as a Brute Minor. He's a fresh recruit from one of the numerous Alpha Packs, ready to fight for glory- personal and his pack. He's as most of his species, brutish, barbarian, and essentially agressive, especially to his enemies. As a Major and upper ranks, however, some age, battle experience and other occurances managed to whip up a sense of wisdom in him. He'd lower in outright brutish tactics, instead opting to employ tactical advantages or commanding others. 

Reason for joining: I do enjoy roleplay variety. Through I'm not a fun of Covenant as a whole, alien species in general and attempts to understand the way they think and act, as opposed to humans, were always fascinating for me. Brutes are an excellent example of this- while savage and wild, they can also prove to be quite the wise leaders, and so, it would be nice to try my roleplay capabilities playing as one! 

Roleplay Example/History: I've had quite a long history in SS13, with it being about six years now since I first joined. Tabletop games, forum roleplay games- I was through quite a lot, and I feel like to continue the list would be more of a brag right now, honestly. 

Ckey: Anderson Favi

Discord name (username####): agent_skipper#8703

Character Name(s): Vivian Keener

Do you understand the RoE? yes

Do you understand that you are not above the law, and may be persecuted for not following the RoE? yes

Do you understand that you can be removed from the whitelist at any given time, based on your behavior, even when not playing the role you applied for? yes

What do you think your job is as the role you are applying for? To command ODSTs at the front while getting commanded by the XO and CO at the ship

Why should you be whitelisted? There arent much ODST officers

Ckey (lowercased, spaces removed): nameacow01


Discord name: nameacow01#3249

In-character name: Bill Fillip

general character info: Bill Fillip is your usual almost cartoonish southern soldier. He joined the UNSC a year back, hoping for something to contribute more to instead of just farming. After the war broke out between the UNSC and Covenant, he began to fight furiously along side his brother, Jon Fillip. One day, his brother went missing in action after a classified deployment. Now, he continues to fight in the hopes of finding his brother, dead or alive.

Which role is your character's main(ex: Technician, Marine, etc): Marine

Reason for joining : Really liked to switch between the UNSC and Covvie faction as I feel like it, and I felt like putting in this WL too alongside my covenant one. I really just want to experience both factions better, and become a better part in the community.