The Unofficial SCANZ Field Manual

Welcome to SCANZ.

You are now part of a highly organised group of professional spacefarers who always follow the plan, respect flight procedures, and never accidentally fire a missile inside a hangar.

None of the above is true.

To improve your chances of surviving your first operation, please study the following rules.

Rule 1: Never trust the elevator

• The elevator is not transportation.
• The elevator is a test.
• Sometimes the doors open. Sometimes they do not. Sometimes the elevator arrives without a floor. Sometimes you enter the elevator and leave your physical body behind.
• Press the button once.
• Wait.
• Press it six more times.
• Begin questioning whether the elevator exists.
• Ask in Discord whether anyone else is having elevator problems.
• Receive five replies confirming the elevator works perfectly.
• Fall through the planet.
• This is normal.

Rule 2: Someone will forget their helmet

• Every operation begins with the same questions:
• “Does everyone have food?”
• “Does everyone have water”
• “Does everyone have ammunition?”
• “Does everyone have a helmet?”
• Everyone confirms.
• The ship leaves.
• Thirty seconds later, someone begins suffocating near the airlock.
• They will insist the helmet was equipped when they left the station.
• Nobody will believe them.
• The entire operation will turn around.
• Upon returning, they will discover the helmet was in their backpack.

Rule 3: The expert dies first

• Every group contains one person who understands the mission.
• They know the location.
• They know the enemy positions.
• They know which entrance to use.
• They have completed the mission dozens of times.
• Follow them closely.
• Watch them walk through the first door.
• Listen to the sudden gunfire.
• Wait for the silence.
• The expert is now incapacitated.
• The person who installed the game yesterday will complete the mission while trying to find the exit.

Rule 4: Any organised formation lasts twelve seconds

• Before departure, everyone agrees to maintain formation.
• The fighters will protect the transport.
• The transport will remain in the centre.
• Nobody will engage without permission.
• The formation launches.
• One pilot flies in the wrong direction.
• Another pilot spots something interesting and leaves.
• Someone activates quantum travel without warning.
• Two ships collide while trying to look professional.
• The remaining pilots declare the formation successful.
• Total formation time: twelve seconds.
• A new SCANZ record.

Rule 5: The rescue ship will also require rescue

• A SCANZ member sends a distress call.
• Their ship is damaged.
• Their engines are offline.
• Hostile players are nearby.
• A rescue crew forms.
• Medical supplies are loaded.
• Weapons are checked.
• A pilot announces they know the exact location.
• The rescue ship departs.
• The rescue ship crashes.
• A second rescue crew forms to rescue the original player and the first rescue crew.
• This continues until every available member is stranded on the same moon.
• At this point, the operation becomes a social event.

Rule 6: Never stand behind the person holding the railgun

• This rule should require no explanation.
• It still requires explanation.
• Check where your teammates are standing.
• Check where the railgun is pointing.
• Do not step in front of it.
• Do not step behind it.
• Do not ask the person holding it whether the weapon is loaded.
• It is loaded.

Rule 7: Friendly fire is still fire

• Before a ground operation, identify your teammates.
• Remember their armour colours.
• Remember their names.
• Remember which direction they entered from.
• Then panic and shoot the first person who walks through the door.
• Apologise immediately.
• Revive them.
• Shoot them again because you forgot they were the same person.
• This is known as team building.

Rule 8: The briefing is optional

• An event organiser will spend time preparing a clear plan.
• The briefing will cover:
• The objective
• The route
• Ship assignments
• Equipment
• Communication channels
• Emergency procedures
• Half the group will arrive late.
• One person will be eating.
• Someone will ask what the mission is immediately after the briefing ends.
• The organiser will repeat the plan.
• Nobody will follow it.

Rule 9: Ship capacity is a suggestion

• A ship designed for three people will hold eleven SCANZ members.
• There will be no seats.
• There will be no personal space.
• Someone will lie on the floor.
• Someone will stand in the doorway.
• Someone will bring a ground vehicle nobody requested.
• The pilot will ask everyone to remain still during take-off.
• Nobody will remain still.

Rule 10: Do not ask who is flying

• You will enter a ship because everyone else is entering the ship.
• The doors will close.
• The engines will start.
• The ship will leave the hangar.
• Only then will someone ask:
• “Who is flying?”
• The pilot will respond:
• “I thought you were.”
• Remain calm.
• Accept your fate.

Rule 11: Every stealth mission becomes a firefight

• The plan is simple.
• Land away from the target.
• Approach quietly.
• Avoid detection.
• Eliminate only necessary threats.
• Someone will arrive in a brightly coloured ship.
• Someone will fire too early.
• Someone will throw a grenade in the wrong direction.
• The stealth operation will become visible from orbit.

Rule 12: Never say the server feels stable

• Do not say:
• “The server is running well tonight.”
• Do not think it.
• Do not type it.
• Do not whisper it.
• The moment those words are spoken, doors will stop opening, ships will begin spinning, and every mission marker
• will disappear.
• You caused this.

Rule 13: Nobody owns too many ships

• A SCANZ member might own several fighters, two industrial ships, a medical ship, a racing ship, a transport, and an enormous vessel requiring a crew they do not have.
• This is not excessive.
• Each ship serves a specific purpose.
• The purpose might not exist yet.
• The ship might not exist yet.
• These details are irrelevant.

Rule 14: The screenshot comes before survival

• Your ship is burning.
• The shields are down.
• The engines are failing.
• The crew is screaming.
• This is the perfect time to enter third-person view.
• Hide the interface.
• Find the right angle.
• Take the screenshot.
• Explosion damage is temporary.
• A good desktop background lasts forever.

Rule 15: There is always time for one more explosion

• The event is ending.
• People need to sleep.
• Several ships have already been lost.
• Nobody has earned any credits.
• Someone suggests one final mission.
• Everyone agrees.
• The final mission takes three hours.
• It ends with a collision, an accidental crime stat, and half the group waking up in prison.
• Nobody regrets the decision.

Final instruction

• SCANZ operations do not always go according to plan.
• Ships will explode.
• Missions will fail.
• The server will fight back.
• The rescue team will need rescuing.
• What matters is who was there, who laughed, and who stayed around long enough to attempt one more questionable idea.
• Read the manual.
• Ignore the manual.
• Wear your helmet.

Welcome to SCANZ