Requisitions overhaul

In theme, have this company keep the crate carriers but buy them out along with all shipping and distribution routes. Instead of the items in crates being generated, it will fall to the players hired by this company to determine what needs to be sent where. This can go farther in terms of corporate play as corporations push to get their product sold as a priority in the convenience stores of the dome. It could also be used to starve competition or bar certain items from certain social classes. To clarify, this wouldn't change any of the crate delivery mechanics, just create a corporate oversight to their operation.

The pros (in summary):

-Give an underused corporate role an active purpose.

-Create a need for the topside fixer or trader.

-Create both topside and Mix RP and competition.

-Work with the theme of the game by having the current independent businesses become franchises for a mega corporation.

As it stands it's a good job for someone who has a LOT of other things they want to be doing. It does seem to have a lot of limitations on what you can and can not do. I don't want to go too much IC, but after having superiors specifically say what you can and can not do, there seems to be a relatively narrow window to do things in the capacity of the job.

Requisition Officers are essentially the fixer for each corporation.

This isn't a corporate exclusive issue. A good fixer is hard to come by and few people excel in the role. It is extremely nuanced. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Past corporate requisitions players I've come across have been treated much like the janitor job in the past - you go in, do your task, RP elsewhere for the most part. Its automated. This is from an outside perspective, though I also tried to roll a character to specifically play as a corporate requisitions specialist a year or two ago and was pushed away from pursuing it as a career goal for similar reasoning.

Maybe its a matter of changing attitude or having there be a bigger push toward requisitions being able to talk to people and needing connections to get hands on more expensive or rarer items for their corporations?

This is definitely a box you need to work outside of if you want things to avoid those characteristics.

Basically all I'm saying is it seems like there's more gameplay potential in the requisitions office using reimbursements over using their requisitions system. And I fully admit- I've not played this role before, so I don't know the subtle nuances that I'm sure are present.

https://i.imgflip.com/4vit82.jpg

This isn't just requisitions, but universal.

I don't think asking for supervisors to make their expectations known to encourage people into risky behavior is asking for any such thing. Do you?

Having your superior tell you, "look... you're doing the bare minimum delivering this stuff... when Bob McBob was here, he also kept an eye on the bottom line. If you want to get ahead, maybe you need to start doing that." Is not encouraging crime. It's dropping expectations on the player.

Unless you weren't commenting to me. At that point, I know as a player, that if I want to get ahead, I need to really figure out how to either fix the process, or skirt the line while keeping my job. It encourages me to look.

If all communication is "use the system" and nothing else. Guess what any sane character would do? Follow the system and take my risks elsewhere.

I don't doubt that, I just want readers to be aware that one person's experience is... One person's experience.

You have to acknowledge there are simultaneously IC and OOC expectations.

IC, the expectation is for you not to fuck up and follow the rules.

OOC, the expectation is for you to fuck up and break them.

The two exist in harmony and its where plot stems from. Find a reason ICly using an OOC mindset to take the plunge, whatever the field may be, with the acceptance of knowing whatever happens ICly isn't just okay, but encouraged on an OOC level.

I understand more than anyone that IC retribution can be more than discouraging and an absolute gutpunch, which is why I was such a big advocate for a "mixed" response when it comes to IC failures (not -just- browbeating PCs with NPCs, healthy balance).

That being said, you still have to roll the dice, take the initiative, and take the risks ICly before anything else falls into place.

But... here is why I am suggesting what I am.

At least what I see... knowing I could be totally wrong... the IC expectation is to be a corporate crate runner in the system. Okay cool. That gives me plenty of time elsewhere to do what I want. I've even been told that ICly. Again, I'm not the best at stirring the pot, but I do try in other areas.

Going back to what I'm suggesting. If there is incentive to tell players to do better in an area, they'll try to do so and it makes the RP easier to believe that just going off on someone just for OOC understanding. When the game is aligned IC and OOC people are more willing to take those risks... because there is perceived reason to do so, other than... I'm bored entertain me :) It also gives different opportunities for OTHER players to take risks when Corpies are given more incentive to get out and about.

Take these two interactions:

Interaction #1: Bob orders a widget. I use the system. I deliver Bobs widget on time with no fuss. I have interaction with Bob and the system and it's pretty minimal. I get kudos from Bob and maybe my superior for doing by job. I get promoted because I'm good at what I do.

Interaction #2: Bob orders a widget. I have been told to keep expenses down. I contact a fixer or even go somewhere I might get a discount. Maybe I contact a couple of fixers to see if I can get an even better price. I source the item from one and get it to Bob. I get promoted because I'm really good at what I do.

In interaction 1... there's little chance for it to go wrong and the RP opportunities are limited. In interaction 2... even if I keep to legit sources, there are other people involved who can sell paydata. They can try to mug/rob/kill me when I'm out and about. All kinds of things can go wrong.

To me, if you want more face punching, you'd be behind any suggestion which would naturally get people into scenario #2 more. That's all I'm saying. Because even if I'm not going to face punch, I leave myself open to someone who will punch me in the face. You need aggressors and aggressees for everything to work.

For Interaction 2 you wouldn't even have to change much... just the occasional hint to a player in a role on what might REALLY be expected of them if they want to get ahead. Not... go do fraud/crime. But... hey, let's keep costs down, okay. See what you can do to manage that.

If you want to talk about the "best" option, keeping your head down and patiently playing a character for that amount of time is what most characters in the corporate world "should" be doing. But that's part of the whole reason for the promotion time change. It isn't a comfortable amount of time OOC to see progression and if you aren't doing things, the boredom will start to gnaw at you on an OOC level. ICly, it makes perfect sense though, doesn't it? Why promote some bog standard character to Senior in less than a year's time? "Realistically", what company would do that?

People should just stop projecting on to each other. Every player is different. Some are able to navigate the cognitive dissonance between OOC motivations to have fun versus IC "what WOULD my character refuse to do" thoughts. Some judge the risk differently - a risk to their character which is a chance for a gameplay win is not going to stop them from roleplaying a bad choice. Roleplay it out. You're like an actor - if the script says your character would take a chance, figure out how it makes RP sense. Oh, and it's your script, too, so, if you decide that something which looks like something your character wouldn't do is something you would like to try out anyway, write that episode's script, act it out, and see how it cliffhangs before the next episode. This is a player driven game. Letting characters drive us, rather than the other way around, is way more fun. If everyone played the same risk-averse way, there wouldn't be one single decent story happening anywhere, not even ones you're looking at from the outside.

OOC we could force it, but that would be terrible characterization and completely meta. If you want a character IC to do this there needs to be a reward dangled there, something that furthers their purpose.

Guaranteed rewards are the fastest way to guarantee someone quits the game out of boredom. Opportunities for reward are just that - opportunities. If you can't see the potential reward, that's one thing, but to see them but decide against risking it, that's a whole 'nother thing.

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