Random Events

Random events disrupt and add a bit of chaos to rounds. They tend to be more frequent and destructive the longer a round has been going on. Each event will (normally) be announced with a large Centcom status update.

Minor Events

Includes the sudden appearance of alien artifacts, critters or weeds. NPC merchant ships also fall into this category. Minor events usually don't trigger an announcement.

Virus Outbreak

A potentially harmful virus has been detected on the station. Medical personnel are advised to report for duty.

A few of the crew members have been infected with a random virus, which may or may not be contagious. Usually, the effects range from mostly harmless to somewhat annoying.

Meteor Shower

Class 5 meteor shower approaching from the east. Impact in three minutes.

Giant meteors will begin raining upon the station from a given direction, destroying everything in their path before crumbling into a pile of rock and ore, or exploding into several, smaller meteors. The crew is given a 3 minute heads up indicating the direction and the severity (ranging up to 50). The crew can set up meteor shield generators which pop up shields to block meteors. After a meteor has hit enough objects, it will break, living behind whatever minerals it contained, normally being rocks, or rarely very valuable ores, like syreline or even the elusive starstone. The damage done by meteors is almost always catastrophic enough to merit evacuation. Rarely, admins may cause a meteor shower (normally class 50) to hit the station from all sides. In the event of this happening, please follow standard operating procedure, by hiding in the nearest closet.

Solar Flare

A Solar Flare will soon pass by the station. Communications may be affected.

All radio communication is unavailable, and the shuttle is unable to be called or recalled while the flare is in effect. Machine talk is unaffected. A status update will let the crew know when the flare has passed.

Spatial Anomaly

A severe spatial anomaly has been detected near the station. Personnel are advised to avoid any unusual phenomenae.

A large red tear in space temporarily divides the station in two, appearing at a random location and spanning the entire z-level horizontally or vertically. The anomaly is completely impassible except by teleportation. More of a nuisance than an actual hazard.

Spatial Distortion

Multiple localized spatial anomalies detected on the station. Personnel are advised to avoid any spatial distortions.

Swirling wormholes pop up around the station. Jumping into one will teleport you to a random point in the station, including a burning toxins mixing room, inside a window, or exposed to space on the solar arrays.

Ion Storm

An electromagnetic storm recently passed by the station. Sensitive electrical equipment may require maintenance.

One of the AI's laws, usually the second one, is replaced by a new one. The changes may be hazardous or just weird nonsense such as "The courtroom must be relocated to another part of the station." The Centcom notification comes some time after the new law appears, giving the AI time to act bizarrely before the crew rushes to reset it.

Kudzu

Rapidly expanding plant organism detected aboard the station. All personnel must contain the outbreak.

Thick green kudzu will spawn at a random point on the station and begin growing quickly. The kudzu can be beaten back with welders, flamethrowers, and wirecutters. The kudzu itself is harmless but it will greatly lower your line of sight, normally so much so that you can only see one tile next to you, and dense areas block movement. Note that dense kudzu ceases to spread, so containing the plant is as simple as pruning off the less tangled bits.

Intruder Alert

Our listening devices indicate the presence of a hostile intruder aboard the station. Security level elevated.

A powerful antagonist has infiltrated the station, typically a predator, werewolf or wizard (though other roles may appear). This event usually notifies all eligible ghosts with a loud klaxon sound and prompt, asking if they're willing to be respawned as an enemy role. The lucky player is then selected after 2 minutes, provided they responded to the offer in time.

Blob

Aggressive macrocellular organism detected aboard the station. All personnel must contain the outbreak.

Based on the same principle, but comes with an unique Centcom announcement. As for the blob itself, it is a pulsing mass that grows similar to kudzu, but significantly more dangerous as it will damage anything adjacent to it, absorbing people and breaking walls. If it reaches the outer hull, it will cause a hull breach. Blobs are controlled by a player or (rarely) AI overmind. The best tools for fighting the blob are generally welders and fire. Contrary to conventional belief, the blob can spread without oxygen.

Black Hole

Severe gravitational distortion detected on the station. Personnel should evacuate any areas affected by suspicious phenomena.

A black hole temporarily spawns in a predetermined area, such as in the bar or right next to an unlucky AI, sucking everything towards them, including the floor and otherwise immovable stuff, exactly like the singularity before it was retired, but you may look at a black hole without mesons and not be harmed. Even though it normally disappears shortly after it spawns, the damage it causes is almost always enough to warrant calling the escape shuttle.

Radstorm

A radioactive storm is approaching the station. Personnel should evacuate any areas affected by suspicious phenomenae.

Hotspots of radiation randomly appear on the station, subjecting nearby crew members to a bit of radiation. A high enough dose may also result in a beneficial or harmful mutation.

Spectral Anomaly

Our monitors have detected a spectral emission rapidly approaching the station. Duck and cover immediately.

Everyone who failed to adhere to the last four words of the alert farts and their ass flies off, stunning them momentarily. If your ass has already been removed you will spray a load of gibs behind you. Heralds the presence of a bored admin.

Blowout

Extreme levels of radiation detected approaching the station. All personnel have 53.3 seconds to enter a maintenance tunnel or radiation safezone. Maintenance doors have temporarily had their access requirements removed. This is not a test.

Large amounts of radiation buffet the station. Crew members must seek protection in maintenance tunnels during the storm, and to this end all maintenance airlocks are all-access for the duration of the blowout. Exposed crew members will take heavy radiation damage and suffer possible mutations. After a blow-out, alien artifacts may have appeared on the station. Blowouts are admin-triggered and do not occur naturally.

Chaos Dunk

A massive influx of negative b-ball protons has been detected. A Chaos Dunk is imminent. All personnel currently on the station have 15 seconds to reach minimum safe distance. This is not a test.

Even though its not really "random", it is still very much an "event". Someone got their hands on one of Charles Barkley's missing basketballs and combined it with a secret ingredient, and are about to slam a jam so powerful that its existence threatens the balance of chaos and order. Oh yeah, and it'll probably blow half the station to smithereens, which is also bad. This usually happens when a bored admin decides to make things more interesting. A Chaos Dunk is heralded by the blowout siren and visual effects without the radiation, followed by an enormous explosion centered on the b-baller who initiated it.

Supplementary Video

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