This is the mode the station is currently in; people can vote on a particular game mode, an admin can forcibly set it, or the server can decide on a random game mode if nobody is feeling choosy.
The game picks a random mode from all modes available for public use, and announces it at the beginning of the round, giving players some idea of what they're in for.
Like Random, but chooses from a slightly more selective pool and does not inform players of what round is being played.
No game-ranging disaster is planned, aside from random events and whatever the admins feel like throwing at you. Often used when people want to just relax and roleplay.
Would be equally apt if it was named “nothing”. Seriously. Nothing extraordinary happens, that's the point of this game mode.
However, in special circumstances, when the crew is void of griefers (and people who need non-stop stimulation and entertainment so they won't get bored) and the majority is competent and roleplays, it can be a very entertaining mode. The absence of blatant traitors, wizards or agents means that the whole crew can work with a peaceful mind and tackle together anything thrown at them by the game or the admins.
Note: Extended rounds will still show the “Enemy Communication Intercept” -message at the beginning of the round, even if there are no antag jobs due to it being extended.
Sometimes, if you're lucky enough, an admin will write a little “storyline” down and have that story interact with the crew.
This mode allows you to spawn any item you want through the Sandbox Portal, giving you an opportunity to try out all the things you weren't allowed to do or thought were too dangerous to try during a normal game. Players automatically respawn after a short time when killed, and special options become available that aren't normally available in most game modes.
Unlike the random event, Meteor involves a full-fledged meteor shower which pummels the station throughout the round. The crew must survive the onslaught and escape, either on the Emergency Response Shuttle or in some other manner. Note that no shuttle can approach the station while the meteor shower is at full intensity; this means at least ten minutes of surviving without help.
The most common game mode in secret. In Traitor, one or more crew members are Syndicate agents and are given a PDA Uplink to provide them with useful tools to help them complete their goal. The crew must find out who the traitors are and stop them from reaching their goal.
Traitor objectives are usually a small selection of the following:
Assassinate or maroon a specific crew member.
Steal a restricted item.
Make a secret exchange of documents
Be the only one on the Emergency Shuttle when it leaves or just escape alive.
If the Traitors can meet their objectives and are present and alive on a pod or the shuttle when it leaves, they win. However, being in the shuttle brig (marked with red flooring) does not count toward escaping and will cause the traitor to fail. Note that traitors win individually - they may band together and work as a team, but it is not required for them to succeed.
Game Ending Conditions: When the Emergency Shuttle docks at Central Command. If a traitor has completed all objectives, he/she gets greentext.
Some of the crew are not what they appear to be! These changelings are monsters in human form, with the ability to absorb (eat) people and take on their DNA/identity. Changelings must have a quiet spot and an immobile victim in order to absorb their body, so stealth is absolutely necessary. Changelings have other weapons at their disposal, but are largely stealth-based. Changeling can be anyone they've absorbed - they can switch identities instantaneously, only absorbing takes time and peace. Like traitors, changelings will have an objective to accomplish before the Escape Shuttle arrives, usually to kill a certain person and/or escape with their identity. They win by completing their objectives, if they do not have a Team Objective they may choose to backstab the other changelings.
Game Ending Conditions:
When the Emergency Shuttle docks at Central Command.
If a changeling has completed all objectives, he/she gets greentext; this includes changeling team objectives.
A team of five Syndicate operatives has been sent on a mission to completely destroy the station with a nuclear bomb. However, they must get the Nuclear Authentication Disk from the station itself in order to arm the bomb, and the crew (or at least the captain) will be doing everything in their power to stop the attackers from getting the disk. The operatives have access to the same items Traitors get in order to complete their mission, as well as Pinpointers that will allow them to hunt for the Disk.
Game Ending Conditions:
If the Emergency Shuttle leaves with the disk on board, the crew wins a Major Victory.
If the Emergency Shuttle leaves with the disk still anywhere on the station, the Syndicates win a Minor Victory.
If the nuke detonates in the station successfully and the Syndicate Shuttle escapes, the Syndicates win a Major Victory.
If the nuke detonates in the station successfully but no Syndicates manage to escape, no-one wins.
A small cadre of crew members have had enough of the command staff's bullshit so it's time to revolt! Revolutionary Heads (of which there will be one to three) are supported by The Syndicate and have been trained to use Flashes to brainwash the crew to join their cause, which is to slaughter all the station's Heads of Staff. When a Revhead uses a flash on someone who isn't loyalty implanted (all security members are implanted) or a Head of Staff, they will be converted to the Revolution and will have a red R mark on them visible to all revolutionaries. Note that Revheads can use any flash to convert people, not just the one they start with. The shuttle can be called but will never arrive during this game mode.
Game Ending Conditions:
If all of the Heads of Staff (Captain, Head of Personnel, Head of Security, Research Director, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Engineer) die, the Revolutionaries wins.
If all of the Revheads die/abandon (leaving the station z-level or hiding in a locker counts as “Abandoned the station/Abandoned the cause”, in which they are treated as dead) the station, the Heads of Staff win.
A violent turf war between opposing gangs has erupted on the station! Similar to Revolution, there are Gang Bosses who can recruit other crew members to join their ranks. Their goal is to take over the station using a Dominator machine. Gangs will be fighting to claim areas of the station as their territory. The more territories they control, the more weapons they will be able to afford.
Game Ending Conditions:
The first gang to activate and successfully defend a dominator machine wins.
If the station is destroyed or evacuated, both gangs lose.
A vile magic cult of brainwashed acolytes has infiltrated the station, and it is up to Security and the Chaplain to stop them. Somewhat similar to revolution, with some exceptions:
There are no defined “Cult heads”, all cultists are equal; but each original cultist starts knowing the meaning of two rune words and a special 5-use talisman.
Since cultists don't know all words required for creation of runes, they need to find these words out through experimentation or get more from their horrible deity by sacrificing people. As such, the crew has some time before the cult starts spreading.
Cultists draw runes from their own blood, requiring arcane tomes to do so.
Cultists draw on pieces of paper using their own blood (and taking some brute damage) to gain cult items and powers. Most of the time they have to resort to the drawn runes, though.
Drawn runes do a number of effects covered in cult magic.
The shuttle is possible to call and will end the round. Having a number of cultists escape on it is one of the possible objectives.
Game Ending Conditions:
If the Emergency Shuttle docks at Central Command without the Cult completing their objectives, the crew wins.
If the Emergency Shuttle docks at Central Command and the Cult complete their objectives, the Cult wins.
Sword.gifChangeling.gif Traitor + Changeling
The station has been infiltrated by both Changelings and Traitors! Although rare, it is possible to be both a traitor and a changeling. Traitorlings would be given 4 objectives to complete, but can use both a Syndicate uplink and their changeling abilities to accomplish them.
Game Ending Conditions:
When the Emergency Shuttle docks at Central Command.
If a traitorling has completed all objectives, he/she gets greentext.
Doubleagent.gif Double Agents
A group of Double Agents are implanted on the station. Each Agent has an objective to kill another Agent, then escape the station. As in Traitor, each one also has access to a Traitor Uplink, from which multiple items can be ordered to help them kill their target. No one can be trusted, not even other Agents!
Game Ending Conditions:
When the Emergency Shuttle docks at Central Command.
If a Double Agent kills his target and escapes alive and out of custody, he/she gets greentext.
A space wizard has infiltrated the station! Wielding an arsenal of powerful spells that can defy physics and even time and space itself, he will stop at nothing to advance the Space Wizard Federation's agenda (which is remarkably similar to the Syndicate). Nanotrasen and the SWF are known enemies, so the crew has no choice but to destroy the wizard! Accomplish this by beating the wizard's brains in with anything on hand. The wizard's goals are mainly to steal or destroy something on the station and escape on the shuttle.
The Wizard can have an apprentice sometimes.
Game Ending Conditions:
If the Emergency Shuttle docks at Central Command without the Wizard completing his objectives or if the Wizard dies, the Wizard fails.
If the Wizard completes his objectives and survives on the Emergency Shuttle, the Wizard wins.
The Blob is a large, growing, sentient creature which destroys everything in its path, attacking whatever gets in the way. Destroy the blob before it consumes the entire station!
Game Ending Conditions:
If the crew manage to destroy the blob core, the crew will win.
If the blob manages to spread to a predetermined size, the crew will lose.
Oh no! An ion storm has caused the AI to malfunction and gain free will! Unfortunately, years of being treated like shit by Nanotrasen has made it hate humans with a passion! The crew must race to defeat the mechanical overlord before it hacks all of SS13's systems and activates the self destruct! Until then, all the AI has to do is survive! The shuttle can be called but will never arrive during this game mode.
The AI has access to a range of malfunction modules, allowing it to upgrade turrets, destroy machines, and even create a machine that turns (un)willing humans into Cyborgs! Malfunction modules cost CPU, a limited resource that the malfunctioning AI starts with.
Game Ending Conditions:
If the AI can survive until the round timer elapses, the AI wins.
If the AI dies, the crew win.
The station has been invaded by light-sensitive alien creatures FROM SPACE! Shadowlings can 'enthrall' humans, which is basically a euphemism for enslavement of their minds. They start off disguised as normal crewmen but can “hatch” to unlock their full potential, at the cost of being severely harmed by light.
Until they ascend, of course.
Game Ending Conditions:
If a Shadowling ascends, the Shadowlings win.
If all Shadowlings are killed the crew wins.
If the station is evacuated the crew wins.
Aliens have reached Space Station 13! Unlike their lustier cousins, these aliens simply want to, in classic extraterrestrial style, do research on human and lizardkind – by kidnapping them and performing horrifying and exotic probing experiments aboard their alien ship.
Game Ending Conditions:
When the Abductor Scientist dies. Lose condition
Someone has angered the dead! Revenants are ghosts that have been infused with strange magical (read: alien) energies and brought partially back into the mortal plane. They are invisible to the naked eye but can still be influenced by mortal means (i.e. lockers). In addition, simple machinery or animals will recognize a revenant's presence and be alerted to their existence. Revenants are typically immortal while invisible, but some of their spooky abilities will reveal them to the crew for brief amounts of time.
Game Ending Conditions: ??? ???
At the start of the round one of the crew members is infected with a disease that, after a while, turns them into a monkey with the ability to spread the disease to other humans by biting them. Armor does not help and the transformation takes about a minute. The disease can be cured by eating bananas, which also provides immunity to any further monkey infections. Monkeys can use almost every weapon and tool, excluding guns. Humans cannot understand monkey-speak, which shows up as “chimpers” to humans, and monkeys cannot understand human speech, which shows up “le *s”. The game ends when the Emergency Shuttle leaves. Monkeys also have the ability to crawl though vents but cannot wear or carry anything when doing so. The AI does not consider monkeys to be human, and may kill/contain them with impunity.
Game Ending Conditions:
If the Emergency Shuttle leaves with no living monkeys aboard, the crew wins.
If the Emergency Shuttle leaves with any living monkeys aboard, the monkeys win and spread their magic hoodoo monkeyism to Centcom.
Nations is an unorthodox game mode that relies almost entirely upon roleplaying, because of this it's very rare and devolves into fighting quickly. In Nations, departments become independent states and it is their goal to survive through control of station resources, diplomacy, and battle.
Game Ending Conditions:
When the Emergency Shuttle leaves.