The initial misconception that most players have is SITU is an acronym. Unfortunately it is not an acronym but an acronym of acronyms. More on that later...

The first step you should take is to understand that the first instance of SITU occurs in n1. Usually a player will introduce SITU before the second phase of n1 but before the last player blocks by refusing.

However, if SITU is mentioned after the first proposal it is likely that the player(s) in question are just trying to distract you from the most recent INTEGRAL node, due to SITU's complex nature.

The most basic concept of SITU is that it should not be explained during the game as it will alert hackers to the phase of SITU that you are currently operating under. NOTE: that SITU meta works for both agents and hackers alike.

SITU will however not work if a bot is playing unless you have already the COMPILED phase, more on that later...

The S in SITU stands for SMB - Safe Move Backup

This is what you both do at the start of SITU meta and when things don't go to plan. It is best read after the pre-tense of the guide but at least before the final two parts.

First of all, you need to think about countering SITU meta. The most common mistake is to under-think it and just focus on protocol. Unfortunately you see many new players to the game commit such a fallacy.
The best assumption to make is that your opponent doesn't understand the subtle art to SITU so simply ask "Are playing SITU in this game my brother?". Which the the optimal play regardless of the game. Next identify if you are a hacker or an agent. After that, choose the person counterclockwise of yourself if on n1 and it is not immediately obvious that they are a hacker and you are not.

Assuming that you have had to fall back on SMB you should re-initiate ICE. More on that later...
If you have not gotten up to that point then identify your likely grapple point partner.The next move forward is to identify r2a/r2b and consider if now is the optimal moment to commence ICE. If not, continue following the general flow of the game until pb > than r1+r2 and all associated risks eg. r3).

Congratulations. you are now ready to move on to the next step. More on that later...

The I is SITU meta stands for ICE - INTEGRAL COMPILATION EXERCISE

The INTEGRAL phase is the phase most integral to an aspect of SITU meta. It is best conceptualised as a pool table in your friends basement. In this simple thought experiment you are a hypothetical human named Hue. Hue has a friend and hue guessed it! they own a pool table. When you are invited to go down to play pool in a basement you are yet to enter, you stop. The first risk, risk one; which for all intensive purposes we will label r1, is that there is no pool table. Much like this, r1 in the context of SITU is there is a hacker in a node. But r2a is that your friend does not know how to play pool and you will have to teach them once you enter the basement. This best correlates with a potential delay that can occur once a team has been decided upon but a delay occurs when agents are securing a node making all players minus the hackers suspicious. However, from a hackers point of view the risk lies in r2b. In that Hue knows how to play better than you, despite the fact that you actually own the pool table. Moreover, r3 is that your friend invited more than just you to play pool with them and you are actually walking into your surprise party because it just happens to be you birthday on the following Tuesday. In that case, there is more than one hacker in your team and the node is hacked (I guess you won't be getting a slice of that cake!!!). Now with the risks clearly outlined, you must understand the possible benefits which will be denoted as pb (not to be confused with personal best, which is important to track your progress amongst the SITU meta. More on that later...). The pb is that you find drinks beside the pool table curing you of dehydration, or in the case of Mindnight - doubt! pb2 is likelihood in which you beat your friend in pool which is most important during the integral phase when you compile your team.

So if pb > r2 then ICE should be initiated as shown in UI
However, is pb < r1(+r2 due to the standard risk evaluation, more on that later...)
Else, assume pb to be positive.

Next COMPILATION occurs where you pick those who are clearly on your team, whoever that maybe. As it should be clear now that you have completed the integral phase. This is the most integral part as it is where you dual grapple onto another player. This player is the one player you know above all else is on your team (especially if you are a hacker).

The next thing to do is reinforce the EXERCISE by bringing up SITU. If players are quick to dismiss the notion of SITU then it's best to assume that they have not completed the integral phase. You should just continue to bring SITU up every third proposal unless node three has been secured. Then just move on to the TRM. More on that later...

The T is SITU stands for TRM - Technical Refusal Manoeuvre

Under a given circumstance, where such a circumstance is unfavourable I would highly suggest refusing. Once an individual such as yourself has done that. Re-evaluate! This is an important step to track your pb, showing your ever-growing depth in understanding in the SITU meta.

But remember, it takes more than just you to refuse such a proposal as mentioned in the given hypothetical circumstance. You need to be a beacon of light with shall guide the other wayward SITU TRM ships. The best thing you can do, is to convince other members to rejects the proposal. This is best done without threats. As remember, a lighthouse does not steer ships away but brings them closer to the bay unless the ships do not want to dock at the port which the given lighthouse keeps.

If everyone has completed ICE, which you should have already determined by now you should only not refuse if it will not be seen as suspicious. The best play is to accept what your GPP proposes, as if everyone does this the no hackers should be able to get in on n3 or above.

The U of SITU stands for UI - Universal Intelligence. This is the known facts that have been deduced by logic, that is known by all players. The objective of Universal intelligence is to maker yourself known as an agent. While this may seem like the more traditional meta that has plagued the early days of Mindnight, we are in those dark ages no more! We must look beyond the old days and appreciate the fact that the only universal intelligence we should accept is pure fact, regardless of the truth. Which is the facts we make along the way while undergoing SITU Meta.
Don't forget that if pb > r2 then ICE should be initiated. Because now it is UI that pb is > r3 (at the minimum).

They key to U! is a deep understanding of the collective consciousness. Not in the traditional sense but in away that broadens your understanding of that round and those you are working with. Without helping those who you are not working with.

The I in SITU stands for IPN - Interference Player Node.

SITU is an incredibly discreet strategy, as to be expected from a game of deception such as Mindnight. Due to set of probabilistic inferences, hackers and agents alike can trust it's nature to discover the best option for the node moving forward. For instance, on n1 a player should bring up SITU (see earlier in the guide as to how this should be done in order to maximise the result). However, players must also appreciate how discreet this strategy is and why it should not be elaborated upon during the game. If a player is asking what SITU is, it is likely they are trying to distract you from the game. However, it is best that you explain it just in case the rest of your team is not operating on as high of a level as you are.

At this point of the guide you may want to be working in more absolutes than what has previously been done in the sections before this one but not after this section. To do so we shall extrapolate on the lore of Mindnight while also explaining what SITU is.

The adventure begins with Situ, a young man sitting above the waterfall of dreams. Situ looks up and stares at the moon and has a flashback about his father he never met.His father Situ the 0th was an agent, genie, hate ninja of 2031 patrolling the central node situated on the moon. Unfortunately like all things, it could not last. His best and only friend Kurt hacked the central node. Situ shocked by the development that his day long friend was part of the H.cker Coll.ctive realised he had just been electrocuted. As Situ the 0th closed his eyes the last thing he saw was the destruction of the moon. Back in the year 2038 Situ the 1st looks down below him and sings "O father of moon, if I live I am alive". However, before Situ could sing the next line out the tree he was resting on spoke. "Situ, I am your father", the tree said. Situ the 1st was in disbelief, "father, it can't be..." he exclaimed. "I always thought you would be a great man but it turns out you are just a rude tree who interrupts people's songs... I don't even know who I am anymore". "Situ!" his tree father spoke. "you are the one who shall restore the moon and bring balance to both agents and hackers". Situ the first asked "but how are you a tree". Situ the 0th said in a low whisper "It's okay son, I downloaded myself to this tree so that Kurt could not infiltrate my brain implant"."Who's Kurt?" Situ asks. His father replies "I'll explain later". With that Situ the 0th was no more. Now Situ the first knows what he must do, so he heads home and goes to sleep. The next morning he opens his favourite cereal box that reminds him of the glittering butterfly he once found by the river near the car park. Yet instead of cereal he finds a bottle. "Hand sanitiser!" he exclaims. With that he goes to the garage and rubs it on his antique bike from 2004. Finally he has the means to detect berried treasure.Now all he needs is a crew crazy enough to sail the 8 seas. He enlists the help of his dad's old friend Kurt and together they set sail after stealing a local cruise ship.The sea has been heavily polluted, as the sea now is a thick metallic black, reflecting the nature of 2038 San Francisco. The bike starts to levitate and Kurt shouts "this is it!". Unfortunately the first thing Situ heard after that was loud sirens of police electric jet skis, of the low, low price of $300 + tax, life vests not included. Situ knew that it was only a matter of time until the police caught up on their police electric jet skis, of the low, low price of $300 + tax, life vests not include due to the walled-gardens of San Francisco. However, the bike had already retrieved the sunken treasure - it was a moon gun! All Situ had to do was shoot the moon gun at the sky and the moon would be restored. Situ aimed the moon gun at the sky. All that was left to be done was for him to pull the trigger. But before he got the chance Kurt threw the gun into the water. Situ instantly understood that he made a grave mistake because it was Kurt who killed his father and destroyed the moon. The police boarded the cruise ship and arrested Kurt for trespassing on a stolen cruise ship. Situ did the only thing he knew a hero like him could. He jumped into the polluted sea to retrieve the moon gun. It has been 2 months since Situ had been seen but the prophecies say that when the world needs him once more, he shall rise from the depths and restore the moon. Until the happens the government has projected a digital moon into space, so that none shall suspect that the hackers destroyed the moon.

It should now be clear how superior the SITU meta is. However, I also encourage discussion in the forums so we can broaden our understanding as a community. If you are at all unsure about aspects of the SITU meta you can always refer to the forums. The SITU meta is forever growing and if you make any new striking developments you can always run it by the forums. The SITU meta is like a seed in the wind and it is your responsibility as a member of this proud community to adopt it and raise it like it was your favourite child.