onearmy
Player name you use the most:
Cayden 'Motormouth' Owens
Make a list of links to all of your applications and (job)ban appeals, including whitelist and staff apps, within the last year. Also, provide "Ban reason; Verdict" beside each (job)ban link:
N/A - I am a good cookie.
Do you understand that any player - even donors or staff members - can have their whitelist status revoked should they break our Server Rules or Roleplay Guidelines?
Yes. This is something that I respect, and a reason why I continue to enjoy my experiences on this server. Such a system of checks and balances is always reassuring and does much to prevent small issues from potentially escalating into something larger, or to prevent issues entirely.
Do you understand how the Battlefield Execution functions?
Yes. The commander has the ability to kill any player at any time with the exception of the CMP. However,
(Sorry, been playing a lot of Spider-Man).Uncle Ben wrote:With great power comes great responsibility.
Such a decision is only to be made if an individual makes themselves out to be an immediate and/or direct threat to the operation at hand. The CO is to make an announcement of the execution, ideally stating who is being executed and for what cause. I see Battlefield Executions as a tool to keep rounds from being de-railed completely by certain actions. For severe issues, you have the staff who can take care of things, but for most things IC, you have the MP's who are the first line of defense, so to speak. Of course, sometimes the crime and/or action that has been committed jeopardizes the operation in such great fashion or is so heinous that the CO's best course of action is a Battlefield Execution.
Do you understand you are not above Marine law, or allowed to enforce it yourself?
Yes. As the commander, you are ultimately in charge of the crew of the Almayer and it is your duty to lead your men with efficiency and in a logical manner. However, this does not mean you have absolute reign. Marine Law exists for a reason, and though the commander is the ranking officer of the ship, the CO is not the law, nor are they above it. Marine Law is to be enforced by the CMP and MP's. The commander can always report personnel to the CMP and/or MP's and have them deal with it, but by no means is the commander the judge, jury, and executioner. You're the commanding officer of a company of marines, not Judge Dredd. There's a hierarchy, and that's what the military police exist for.
What do you think is the job of a Commander?
As stated earlier, as commander of the men and women on-board the USS Almayer, you are ultimately in charge of the personnel under you and the operation at hand. You are expected to lead by example and in a rational manner. As a CO, ideally you should be proficient in command with a strong grasp of tactics and be able to guide your subordinates in the direction you see fit. Good leaders inspire those under them and instill confidence, and as a result will consequently earn the respect of those under them.
Commander is a demanding role. You must be knowledgeable in many areas and you are held to a high roleplay standard. I think a lot of the fun in the role comes from the RP elements. Contrary to the thought process of seemingly many people, the overall goal shouldn't be to win. The end goal is fun, whether or not the marines absolutely crush the xenos, the xenos crush the marines, or it turns into a close fight with a bitter last stand. As the CO, you have considerable control over the direction of the round and thus the experience of everyone involved. As a result, while your overall IC objective is to win, you need to enrich the experience.
Don't do cookie cutter briefings. Many people may be content with something along the lines of "Alright, things be weird out here, so lets go check it out, ALPHA DO THIS, BRAVO DO THIS, etc, etc, ALRIGHT DISMISSED, but doing that is a disservice to the role and everyone else in the round. You need to give reason. Going the extra mile, or even the extra inch in RP can immerse everyone and it's the small things somethings that really immerse you in our 2D spaceman game. For example, instead of the usual, a briefing could be like this: "Alright ladies and gentlemen, listen up. We've just arrived over X location to respond to a general distress signal sent not long ago. We don't know what happened, only that there has been no contact with the exception of the distress. Could be catastrophic power issues, could be an attack, but we're in the dark, both metaphorically and literally because there is no power down there. Squad assignments and rules of engagement are as follows: etc, etc". Then have the CMO or CL give a word if they'd like. But the point is, going that extra length with your RP benefits everyone.
Of course, sometimes your plan doesn't work out or the situation changes suddenly. As Murphy's Law states, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." This is where adaptability is your best friend. People in many leadership roles don't like being told that things are not going to plan and some will even put forth ham-fisted attempts at sticking to a plan even with the notion of catastrophic failure not too far off. In cases like these, a good commander is adaptable, but, of course, you can only adapt accordingly if you know the situation. This is where your SO's and SL's can come into play. Make sure your staff know the plan that is being acted upon, and if changes are made, every attempt should be made to ensure that the relevant information has been communicated to the relevant people. Sometimes, even after every option has been exhausted things just don't work out and, at the end of the day, you still lose. This is okay. While you may be blamed for a loss, there is honor in defeat. As long as you played your role as expected and in a reasonable manner, CM isn't only about winning. We're all just here to have fun. Winning can be nice, though.
If a member of your staff is disobeying orders, how would you handle it?
The first thing to understand is why said person disobeyed orders. Whether there was a lapse in communication and the relevant information was either not relayed in a timely manner or not at all, or if it was intentional. In the first instance, correct the mistake and see to it that orders are followed through. In the second instance, re-issue orders and perhaps make it clear that you're not asking. If, at this point, it's outright refusal to follow orders, you mark them as insubordinate and inform the MP's so further action can be taken. As always, information is key here. Depending on the situation, minor things should sometimes be ignored, but blatant insubordination should be met with a stern response, however, it is important to re-iterate that as the commander you are not the law. At this point, the MP's take care of it.
Why should you be whitelisted?
Since I've began playing here a year ago, I've fallen in love with CM. Not only the game, but also the diverse community that has been built up. I believe I should be whitelisted as commander because I feel that it is a role I have much to offer in and I feel that I have what it takes to do the role justice. In my tenure here, I've played a good number of roles. Everything from the lowly grunt, to MP, RO/CT, MT, Survivor, Xeno, but my most played roles are by far SL, SO, and XO. Commander is not a role to be taken lightly, and as is known you are expected to RP pretty much everything. That's not a bad thing, though. The right mix of competency and good RP is a recipe for some of the best times on CM. While my number of forum posts may be deceiving, I do peruse the forums consistently and I have spent a good amount of time in-game in the last year. Commander is a role I am willing to commit to and uphold its standards to the best of my ability if I am whitelisted.
Whether you agree or disagree that I am fit for the role of Commander, any sort of feedback is welcome. Thank you.
- EXTRA -
Background IC Information
Many commanders have a 'quirk', like synths, or at least a general style consistent with their character. Cayden 'Motormouth' Owens is no different. A career officer through-and-through, that wasn't always the case. Like many, Cayden Owens didn't know what to do with his life and joined the USCM at a young age to get his life in order and perhaps give him direction. After his initial contract was over, however, Owens didn't go back to the civilian life. He craved the order and consistency that military life provided. So he re-enlisted. Within a few short years, Cayden Owens realized that this was going to be his career. The USCM. And this was a future Owens was perfectly fine with. Sure enough, when you spend enough time in an enlisted role and reach the top of your pay grade, you realize there's still more to achieve. A fast talker and natural people person, Owens became an officer and naturally advanced fairly quickly. There are two types of people who typically see themselves in the USCM. People who fit so perfectly into military life you often wonder if they would even survive as a civilian, and people like Owens who, lost at what to do with their life, enlist in the corps and either advance through the ranks, or do their time and get chewed up and spit out. Owens may have been the latter initially, but time proved otherwise.
Coming from a bottom-of-the-barrel background, Cayden Owens isn't an arrogant man with disdain for those under him like many in the corps. A man of commitment but also reason, his calm but collected demeaner and skillset propelled him to where he is.
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