Terminology
Admin
The people who run the server. Have a variety of power-abuse to keep the game from being fun.
Adminhelp
A command which lets you send a message to the admins. Can be accessed by typing Adminhelp in game or by pressing F1. Use this (instead saying it on the OOC-channel) if you think someone is griefing or if you otherwise have something to ask the admins about (questions about game mechanics, etiquette, etc). It should be noted that even when no admins are online, any messages sent in adminhelp are logged.
Aft
Nautical term. It means the back of a ship, or in our case, south.
AI
The Artificial Intelligence, the station's computer which can access machinery on the station.
Analyzer
Most often refers to Health Analyzers, but can also refer to Atmospheric Analyzers, Botany's Plant Analyzers, or Research & Development's Destructive Analyzer.
Asimov
The default laws that the AIs and therefore the Cyborgs are held to. Taken from Isaac Asimov's short stories and the Three Laws of Robotics. Basically makes robots follow orders and unable harm people.
Atmos
Either an Atmospheric Technician (which are also commonly known as Atmos Tech) or the Atmospherics area itself which deals with the air supply.
Ban
Blocking a person from access to the SS13 server for a period of time. This can happen if a person is not obeying the given rules. Read the guide to evading getting banned for further guidelines.
Badmin
Bad Admin, refers to an admins who abuses their powers.
Beepsky/Officer Beepsky
A Securitron that starts in Security. Will chase, stun, and handcuff anyone set to be arrested in the security records.
Blob
Can refer to the Blob game mode, or the Blob that spawns in Blob mode and sometimes in random events. A big green jelly thing which spreads quickly, consumes oxygen to grow, causes enormous damage, beats the shit out of people and is weak to fire. May or may not be able to evolve.
Bolt/Bolted
A feature of Airlocks. When the bolts are dropped, the door cannot move from its current position, be it open or closed. They can be lifted by the AI or hacking the airlock.
Borg
A shortened version of cyborg.
Braindead
Used to refer to a player who has logged off or been disconnected before dying. Can be detected due to them standing in place and revealing a red "has a vacant, braindead stare..." message upon examination. Often used to denote cloning/scanning failure, either because they're disconnected or because they're busy peeping on people as a ghost. Should be left alone as griefing rules still apply.
Bridge
The command center of the ship where the heads start. Found in the center of the station.
Brig
An area of the station north of the Bridge and just under Security HQ where people are held by security after being arrested.
BYOND
The shitty, laggy platform SS13 was coded on. You need it to be able to play the game, unfortunately.
Cargo
A shortened version of either the cargo bay, or the whole of the supply section, not including mining dock and mining outpost.
Catatonic
A player who has ghosted while alive, disabling them from returning to play. When such a player is examined, it gives a message stating there is no hope of recovery.
Cuban Pete
He is the king of the rumba beat and when he plays his maracas it goes chick-chicky-boom chick-chicky-boom and the arrival shuttle never stops burning.
CE
The Chief Engineer.
Centcom
Short for "Central Command", the administration branch of Nanotrasen which runs SS13. Will periodically send messages to the station which are usually of debatable usefulness. Also refers to the area the Emergency Escape Shuttle goes to when it leaves SS13.
Cloaker
Someone using the Cloaking Device traitor item, or the item itself. Can only be seen by the AI and people wearing thermals. If one of these guys are around, you are going to die a horrible death, unless they've been stolen from whoever ordered it.
Clownmart
Some clowns on the station are more enterprising than their HONKing brethren. If something goes missing on the station, chances are the clown found it and is trying to sell it to someone. Now located in several convenient locations near you!
CMO
CO2
Carbon Dioxide, an invisible gas kept in black canisters. Will knock you out and suffocate you. A small trace amount of it makes up breatheable air.
Comdom
A derogatory name for an incompetent and abusive Captain.
Crew
This is everybody on Space Station 13 that is not a Syndicate, Wizard, Alien, or whatever. Typically what they do is get the station into shape, like setting up the singularity and ordering supplies. Oh, and beating the shit out of the other groups of players, of course!
Crit
To be in a critical state. Pretty much when you are almost dead, and have lost consciousness.
Cryo
The big green glass things in Medbay. Putting dying people in here can save them.
Cult
Refers to either the Cult game mode, or the cultists within.
Deadchat
A chat channel dead players speak on using the say command. Can only be seen by other dead players.
Deadmin
Most commonly read as dead-min (as in dead admin), but actually stands for de-admin, meaning the action of removing administrative powers from an administrator.
Disk
The Nuclear Authentication Disk, used in Nuclear Mode. If you are the captain, keep it on you seriously why make it easier to find by keeping it in a static location are you fucking retarded? If you are a traitor with it as your objective, GET DAT FUKKEN DISK.
Donk/Bangin' Donk
wait wait hold on, you know what you wanna do with that right? you wanna put a bangin' donk on it
Emag
Another name for the Cryptographic Sequencer traitor item, which permanently opens doors and can also open locked crates.
Emagged/Emaged
Used either as a verb to describe the action of using an emag on something, or as an adjective to describe an object that someone has used an emag on.
Electrify
Another feature of airlocks. If an electrified airlock is touched by someone without insulated gloves, they will receive an electric shock, taking damage and being stunned for some time. The AI and Airlock hacking can activate or disable electrification. Some grilles are also electrified - cutting a cable without wearing insulated gloves will also electrify you.
Engine
The large area in the south of the ship which should contain a black hole. If it doesn't, beat up some engineers.
ERP
Erotic Role Play (ERP) is the action of when a player or players engages in roleplaying that is erotic in nature. An inherently controversial subject, people's reactions to ERP ranges from upset and rage to taking off ones clothes and joining.
E.V.A.
A room just southwest of the Security wing where space suits, magboots, jetpacks and the RCD are kept. Stands for Extra-Vehicular Activity.
Fore
Nautical term. It means the front of a ship, or in our case, north.
Ghost
Refers to a command you can type when you have died to become a ghost, and to the actual ghosts themselves. Ghosts can speak on deadchat, move around the station freely, see everything, and can't interact with anything meaningful. They are used to observe the game after you have died. Cannot be seen directly by living players except when really super trippin', brah.
Gibs
The bloody, torn apart remnants of a former living being. Created by people and monkeys exploding. A cyborg that blows up has it's own version of gibs- robot debris. To gib something is to turn it into gibs, usually by a bomb or the Chef's machine that turns people into meat, the Gibber.
Gimmick
Can refer to a player gimmick or a gimmick round. Basically a round or player which plays with a certain "theme". Can be amusing once or twice but doing this regularly runs it into the ground very quickly.
Green text
An alternate way of describing a victory as an antagonist. Derived from the green text used for 'success'.
Grief/Griefing/Griefer/Griffed/Griff/Griffon/Gruffer/Grover/(Pulling a) Cuban Pete
Intentionally ruining the game for others without the metagame pardon of being syndicate. Note that this is subjective and up to the admin's interpretation, not yours. Report this using adminhelp to keep the servers tidy!
Griefsky
See: Beepsky.
Hacking
The act of breaking the security measures on equipment such as Airlocks or APCs by illicit means.
Heads
The station's Heads of Staff, each in command of a department. They are also the targets of a revolution.
Honk
hhhoooonnnkkkk wwhhhyy iisss seeccuuurrrtttyy bbeeaattiinngg mmmeee hhhoooonnnkkk
HoP
Head of Personnel. Should assign jobs and shit, but usually ends up giving himself Captain-level access, ignoring his job, and acting like a supercop in an owl costume.
HoS
The Head of Security.
Hulk
Used to refer to the superpower or a person in possession of it. People with the Hulk gene turn green and become super strong, being able to punch through walls, windows, and other fixtures. Hurts like hell if one hits you. Hulks are an exception to some killing rules (see the Admin decisions log for details)
Hypo
IC
In Character. Stuff that is happening in the game.
IC in OOC
The act of describing anything happening in the game over the OOC channel. The rule of thumb is if a person not involved in the incident or not observing the game can still tell what's going on, it's IC in OOC. Usually comes with a chastising and a thousand mini-mods squawking out "IC IN OOC FAGGORT" but excessive use results in a ban. (See the Rules page for details)
Internals
Usually an oxygen tank of some sort and a gas mask. Basically any worn item that lets you breathe when you otherwise can't.
Internals Box
That box which comes in a spawned player's backpack containing a transparent medical breath mask and one emergency-sized tank of pure oxygen. A great place to keep things you don't access a lot but want to keep on you.
Lag/Spacetime distortions
Concept common to almost all online gaming. Not worth explaining in depth here - basically it's the server (server-side lag) or your own computer (client-side lag) being slow and causing gaps between you doing stuff and it actually happening to grow. Sometimes referred as 'time warp' or something similar when players are in character.
Law/Laws
Rules which the AI and Cyborgs must follow. Are somewhat open to interpretation by the player, but the majority consensus and badmin rulings are what really count. May be modified or changed at an AI Upload Terminal using various modules, wiped back to the basic three using the Reset Module, or purged entirely with the Purge Module. Note that core modules cannot be removed by the standard reset module.
Ling
A Changeling.
Lockdown
Mostly refers to a removed function accessible by the AI or from Communication Consoles which triggers every fire alarm on the station at once, closing all firedoors. Some players also refer to individual, local fire alarms as lockdowns.
Malf
Short for malfunction. Can refer to either the Malfunction game mode, or to describe the AI in said mode.
Mass Driver
Computer or switch operated devices found in Toxins, the Chapel and arrivals Disposals. Any objects on them when they are activated will be thrown forward at high speed, either into the bomb testing area (Toxins) or space (Chapel).
Mini-mod
Those players without admin or mod powers or responsibilities who chastise other players and list server rule infractions incessantly. They should be ignored.
Mod
Could be used to refer to Moderator, the rank, or any admin.
Notes
A command which displays "Notes" kept in your characters memory, which you add with the "Add-Note" command. Some notes are automatically added depending on the circumstances, such as revolutionaries having the list of rev members memorized, traitors having their radio frequency memorized, Syndicate leaders having the nuclear bomb code memorized, and the time of your death.
N2
Nitrogen, an invisible gas kept in red canisters. Mostly useless but makes up a certain percentage of breathable air. Not to be confused with chemical reagent nitrogen from chemistry.
N2O
Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas or anesthetic. White gas kept in red canisters with a white stripe, that will knock you out and suffocate you at high enough concentrations.
Nanotrasen
The autonomous super-corporation who built and operates the station, according to the backstory. Common misspellings include Nanotressen, Nanotransen, Nanotracer, and You Know That Fucking Company We Work For. (See CentCom for the difference between Nanotrasen and CentCom)
Nuke
Can refer to either the Nuclear game mode (also known as Syndicate), or the Nuclear Fission Explosive used in said mode.
O2
Oxygen. Invisible gas usually kept in blue and white canisters. Vital for reasons that you should already know, but deadly for reasons you may not.
One-Human(ed)
Referring to a custom AI law that designates only one member of the crew as a human. Usually accompanied with an order to purge "non-humans."
OOC
The blue bolded chat channel which is shown to all players. Don't use this to talk about anything going on in the game (until right at the end of the game generally). Might get switched off occasionally if it gets too idiotic. You can toggle the visibility of the ooc channel by using the corresponding command.
OOC in IC
The inverse of the much more common ===IC in OOC===. Whenever a game mechanic, metafeature, or player-to-player conversation is referenced in the say or emote channels. Heavily frowned upon as it ruins MY IMMERSIONNNN!
PDA
A handheld device that acts as a pager, flashlight and other useful functions, depending on what cartridge is inserted.
Perma/Permabrig
A place in the fore section of security, where prisoners are kept permanently.
See: Prison Wing.
Plasma
A.K.A. Biotoxin. Purple gas kept in orange canisters. Poisonous and flammable. Research into uses and properties of plasma is the station's prime reason for existence, according to the backstory.
Port
Nautical term. It means the side of a ship on the left when one is facing forward, or in our case, west.
QM
Usually refers to the Quartermaster, but can also mean the Cargo Bay or the people who work there.
Radio
Normally refers to the headset on your head which can be used with the command 'say ";help that faggot traitor is griefing me"', for example. Can also refer to station bounced radios and intercoms. Shows up as green text with a symbol and frequency appended to it. Additional department-specific radios also exsist. To use the equipped department radio's default department frequency use 'say ":h Hello Department!"'. (See Radio for details or how to use the radio when it has multiple department frequencies available)
Rage
If you don't know what this is just where did you come from?
RCD
Rapid Construction Device. A piece of equipment which can quickly make and break floors, regular walls, and airlocks.
RD/HoR
Research Director. The job used to be called Head of Research, hence the HoR abbreviation.
Records
Comes in two flavors, Security and Medical, both accessible from terminals with red or white screens, respectively. Medical Records are mostly useless and thus mostly unused, but Security Records contain useful fingerprint information and can be used to have Beepsky arrest people on sight.
Red text
An alternate way of describing a loss as an antagonist. Derived from the red text used for 'fail'.
Redsuit
Report/Centcom Report/Traitor Report
A document printed out from communications consoles at the start of most game modes. Lists who might be the traitor and what might be their targets. Inaccurate to the point where it's usually false. Do not treat this report as proof or guilt. So don't arrest anyone just because their name or prints are noted on the report.
Rev
Could refer either to the game mode Revolution, or a member of the Revolution in said game mode.
Revhead
One of the leaders of the revolution in Revolution game mode.
Revive/Resurrection
Bringing someone back to life after they have died, through either Genetics, Robotics, or admin fuckery.
RnD/R&D
Refers to Research and Development, or the Laboratory that carries it out.
Robust/Robusting
The game's ROBUST COMBAT SYSTEM. To robust someone is to beat the shit out of them or at least win in a fight. To be robust means you often win fights. Fighting without reason is considered griefing.
RP
(MY IMMERSION) "Role Play". Basically acting within the mental/emotional confines of your ingame character and not yourself. This is encouraged on our servers.
Shuttle
Most of the time refers to the Emergency Escape Shuttle which shows up at the end of the round in the northwest of the station. Can also refer to the Arrival Shuttle (where you start if you join late), the syndicate or wizard shuttle (which you'll rarely see, if ever), the Supply Shuttle (which brings items to the Cargo Bay), or the mining and prison shuttles (which move people between the mining and prison stations, respectively).
Signal
A beep sent from a Remote Signalling Device. "Default Signal" is used to refer to the default setting of the devices, which is Frequency 147.9, Code 30. Randomly signaling the default frequency/code is a good idea, and will cause nothing bad to happen ever.
Signs
Wet Floor Signs. Janitor should put these down where they've mopped to warn people unless they don't want to have the shit beaten out of them.
Singulo/Singuloth
The gravitational singularity, what is essentially a black hole that emits radiation, this radiation is converted to power. It should be contained with a shield, if it isn't, don't stop to take in the view, get those legs moving.
SS13
Space Station 13. Used to refer to the game rather than the actual station since names got randomized for some strange reason nobody can understand.
Starboard
Nautical term. It means the side of a ship on the right when one is facing forward, or in our case, east.
Space Wind
Shifts in air pressure which can cause players to be knocked into space. More commonly, that bug in which a player will be pushed towards random directions in open space because of faulty inheritance of momentum from an unrelated process. We've not been able to track the bug yet so we haven't fixed it yet.
Syndie/Synd
Can refer to the organization known as the Syndicate, a coalition of companies that execs their hate of Nanotrasen, according to the backstory, or to raid groups and operatives of said coalition. Traitors, traitor Cyborgs and traitor AIs are Syndicate affiliates and Nuclear mode's premise revolves around a direct Syndicate attack. Ingame, they have randomized company names which usually look something like "GeoDyne West Operative #2" or "Waffle Co. Czar" and there are usually at least two of them and up to six. They also have access to a lot of special syndicate gear.
Tabling
The act of grabbing someone onto a table to instantly knock them down on it, usually followed by a toolbox in the skull or being stripped. This should not be happening anymore due to code updates.
Tele
While usually referring to the hand teleporter, it could also be referring to the full-fledged teleporter in the teleporter room. Most people have no idea how to use it, because you don't often get access to it.
TComms/Telecomms
The Telecommunications, the room holding servers that allows headsets to work. Does not effect Intercoms or Station Bounced Radios.
Thermals
Optical Thermal Scanners. Green glasses which let you see people through walls, in the dark, and people using cloaking devices. The only thing they can't see through is hiding in closets. Available only to traitors and syndicates.
Toxins
That section of the station south of Medbay, better called the Research Division containing Research and Development, Xenobiology, the Toxins Lab and the Research Director's office. It is very rarely not filled with fire, hot gas, poisonous vapors, blood, acid, foam of all kinds and dangers, or the aftermath of all this destruction.
Traitor
Used to refer to the mode, an actual Traitor (assigned by the game mode or by admins), or in character towards anyone fucking up the station or being a dick.
TraitorChan
Used to refer to the game mode, a combination of Traitor and Changeling.
WGW
Woody's Got Wood. A book obtained from the library. This vile tome is highly forbidden, and someone will eventually print it to spam over the radio any chance they get. Doing so will usually result in a station-wide manhunt, or the admin spawning a Space Carp named "Video Games" outside your hidey hole.
Wormhole
A black swirly portal that shows up during the Space-Time Anomaly random event or the verb used when thrown through a wormhole by an aggressor or your own stupidity. Anything coming into contact with a wormhole will be teleported to a random area on or off the station. They can be fairly dangerous or cause temporary blockades. Not to be confused with portals made from the Handheld Teleporter, which are blue or (more rarely) orange.
Xeno
Can refer to Aliens, or Xenobiology.
Voice in your Head
A subtle, in-character message from an admin. Generally, you should follow or do the advice or commands it gives and then whine about it until you're banned when it ends badly.
Vote
A command which lets you call a vote to restart the game or change the game mode (which will restart the game anyway), or a request by other players indicating that the command should be typed. Calling votes when an unruined game is in progress for any reason is looked down upon but it's not like votes work when the game really is ruined either. All votes are liable to being canceled by admins.
Wizard
Usually refers to the Wizard game mode, or a Wizard player who has access to a number of spells and will probably wreck your shit on sight or die in the first twelve seconds of a Wizard game.
Z-Level
Another "area" of the game. Unlike the name implies, Z-levels are simply just areas you randomly spawn into when you go over the edge of an area. Part of BYOND's functionality. For example, the station, the DJ station, the Mining Station, Central Command and the Derelict are all on different Z-levels. Going off the edge of one Z-Level will take you to another. Right now most of these transitions are random. Try to avoid being spaced.