Playing Government Jobs

[Danny Hampton (wawa wawa)]

Sah dudes. I want to give out some helpful tips for people playing government jobs (Mayor, Coast Guard, and CGC.)

Coast Guard (CG)

Protect and Serve

This seems to be something many people forget while playing Coast Guard- Your job is not to crack down on everyone, or be an asshole. Your job is to protect citizens from crime and watch for illegal activity. Slapping citizens around, needlessly searching properties, and arresting people for questionable reasons are bad CG practices.

One of your main jobs will be to patrol Red Harbor. You simply do this by walking around, and being alert. If you see or hear suspicious or illegal activity, you should go and investigate. Politely ask questions of witnesses or anyone involved. If something illegal is indeed happening, then you should apprehend the criminal. To do this, tell them that they are being arrested, and why. At this point you should order them to stand against a wall while you or fellow guards handcuff and arrest them.

Responding

Perhaps the most important Coast Guard duty is responding to 911 calls. When someone makes a threat, or someone calls /911 for assistance, the Coast Guard respond to resolve the situation. This often means finding a criminal that mugged another player, intervening in a raid, or rescuing someone who has been kidnapped. This is often where you can have the most fun as a Coast Guard as well.

Communicate with your fellow Guards and work out the best way to resolve the situation. Harbor RP isn't Rambo Simulator- Don't just run in and start shooting. It's often better for you to group up with other CG and go in together.

If things don't go smoothly, the criminal(s) involved in the situation may try to flee or fight back. If they try to run, but they are not a threat to you or others, either chase them down, taze them, or (if you really have to,) let them get away in order to deal with a bigger threat. If they try to use a weapon to fight back, don't put your life in danger by trying to taze them. This is one of the only situations where you will use your service weapons. Stay safe and shoot at the criminal until they are killed or until they surrender.

Try not to use firearms on fleeing suspects. Only shoot at someone who is running away if they pose a threat to you, fellow Guards, or citizens. For instance, someone carrying a weapon and running from CG may escape and get back into the action later where they could harm citizens or CG.

Coast Guard and Crime RP could be much more interesting and fun, but often times people forget this simple fact- Harbor Roleplay is a roleplaying game. There is no way to "win" or "lose." Your only objective is to play well and have fun. While you can always run in and taze/arrest a suspect with no regard for FearRP, that's not fun. It just brings an end to a RP situation that has a lot of potential. Instead, why not try to negotiate with them or wait them out? Remember, it doesn't always have to be a deathmatch.

Sea Patrol

Patrolling the Ocean is also a duty of the Coast Guard. They often cover a wide area by using helicopters or SC-1 boats. A common place to patrol is the route between Red and Blue harbor, as this is the lane smugglers often use to transport contraband between the two harbors.

If you see a suspicious boat or ship returning from Blue Harbor, you may ask them using /advert to submit to a search. Again, your job is not to slap everyone around- Only search ships that have a good chance of carrying shipments or other illegal items. If they refuse the search, your only options are to let them go or request a search warrant. The Coast Guard Commander or Mayor are in charge of approving Search Warrants, and they will approve them if the reason for the search is valid.

Valid reasons for a search include-

• Suspicious behavior
• Visible contraband
• Visible weapons

You have to be careful. Often times, smugglers or pirates will point weapons at the CG or threaten them to try to make them go away. Do not fire at anyone, even if they are armed, unless you have given them fair warning over /advert or they have shot at you.

Coast Guard Commander

Call the shots

Coast Guard Commander (CGC) is a Donator-only job that acts as the leader of the Coast Guard. You work in conjunction with the Mayor, and follow his lead, but you have the final say in how the Coast Guard operate. The Mayor cannot order around the Coast Guard like you can. As CGC you will assign tasks to the different Coast Guards under your command. Tell them where to patrol, who to work with, what to look for. You will also direct responses to 911 calls or threats.

The Coast Guard Commander is also very valuable for the Coast Guard because his weapons are more powerful than anything else on the field. His primary weapon is an M16A4 with an ACOG sight, which is perfect for mid- to long-range fighting. Use the M16 on semi-automatic for long-range plinking, and fully automatic for close range fighting. It also has a crosshair without aiming down the sight, which combined with its high rate of fire and damage, makes it deadly at close range too. With good damage and accuracy at long range, and good rate of fire up close, the CGC's gun works for his role very well, allowing him to stay at a distance and focus on the bigger picture or get in close with the other Guards and lead the charge.

As the Commander, you are not only in charge of leading the Coast Guard during patrol and response, but you are also in charge of managing your fellow Coast Guards. For instance, you can approve or deny search warrants requested by CG. This is a duty entrusted to the CGC to prevent abuse, as the only people approving invasive search warrants are players dedicated and experienced enough to donate to the server.

You are also tasked with keeping discipline in the Coast Guard. You need to communicate with your Guards to make sure they are following orders and not abusing their power. This may mean either talking to them, or if they do not act appropriately, demoting them back to citizen.

When one is available, it is also good for the Coast Guard Commander to handle threats or kidnappings by communicating with the kidnappers. They are in the best position to negotiate or deliver an ultimatum during a tense situation or a standoff.

Mayor

Leader of the people

The Mayor is a job for experienced players only. There is only one Mayor, and they act as the leading government official of Red Harbor. They can make laws for the harbor, give directions to the Coast Guard Commander, make announcements to the whole server, and instate a lockdown in the city during dangerous situations.

The Mayor carries no weapons and is often very vulnerable. He is a target for kidnapping, and must rely on the protection of the Coast Guard and the safety of the Town Hall.

Laws of the land

The Mayor can create laws in his F4 menu. These laws only apply for Red Harbor, and as long as they are reasonable and within the rules, can be enforced by the Coast Guard. For instance, if the Mayor makes a law that "No guns are allowed in Red Harbor," this means that the Coast Guard can warn and arrest anyone carrying a weapon within the harbor, even a Gun Dealer weapon. Be careful when creating laws- If the laws become too strict, people will begin to dislike the CG and the Mayor, and may rebel against you or try to kidnap you!

Examples of Laws

Here are some good examples of laws you may put in place.

Curfew- A curfew restricts when citizens are allowed to be outside. For instance, the Mayor may forbid people from being outside between 2200 and 0400. This could help cut down on the number of people outside during crime time, but might also make people angry.

Weapon restrictions- Black Market weapons are always illegal. However, the Mayor can also restrict legal weapons. For instance, he may only allow weapons that fire pistol calibers. This means that citizens can only own handguns and SMGs, with shotguns and rifles being illegal.

Town Hall/PD restrictions- The Mayor can restrict citizen access to the Town Hall. For instance, "No citizens allowed past the yellow barricade," or "Any citizens on the second floor without permission will be arrested."

Bail- The Mayor may allow people to be released from jail if they pay a certain amount of bail money, or if someone else pays it for them.

Lockdown

The Mayor can issue a Lockdown in dangerous situations. The Lockdown sounds an alarm and puts an alert on players' screens. During the Lockdown, all citizens must find shelter inside or leave the harbor. Anyone outside may be arrested by the Coast Guard.

Use the Lockdown to protect yourself and citizens when things get dangerous. If citizens are rebelling, or there is a firefight or standoff in town, instating a lockdown will keep citizens out of the way. It also helps to make a broadcast that tells citizens the reason and duration of a lockdown.

Conclusion

Government jobs are some of the most unique and rewarding positions on the server. When played correctly, they can lead to some very interesting and fun RP situations. I hope this post helps you understand how they work, how they best play, and how you can have fun while playing them.

If you have any suggested additions or tips, please leave them down below and I'll put them in.