Role Archtype

A Role Archtype is a non-canon term that describes as closely as possible what a Participant in a Criminal Plot is expected to do, without referring to any specific Plot. An agent's Role Archtype in not reported in-game, although it is functionally superior to data that does, like Roles or Ranks. Each Participant may fulfill one or more Role Archtypes at the same time.
To learn the Role Archtype of a participant, look up his Role on the appropriate Plot page.
==Definition==
A Role Archtype is a term used only on this Wiki, and does not appear anywhere in the game.
The Role Archtype of a Participant defines the scope of his actions in the plot, as well as the general timing of those actions and the correct timing of his arrest, without referring to any specific Criminal Plot.
For example, an agent can be described as an "Organizer", which indicates to us that this agent is responsible for contacting and "Activating" other agents as part of the plot. A "Minor Agent" will perform at least one Minor Crime during the process of the plot, and a "Courier" will pass an item from one agent to another agent. Since the Role Archtype describes a general set of activities to be expected of the agent, two "Organizers" in two different Plots will behave similarly - even though the specifics of what they do will be different in each plot.
A participant may fit two different Role Archtypes at the same time. This signifies that this agent is expected to perform more varied actions in the plot, and so the proper timing for his Arrest is more complicated to figure out.
Learning the Role Archtype of any participant requires knowledge of the Plot being performed, and the Role of the participant himself. Refer to the List of Criminal Plots, select the plot being perpetrated, and look up the agent's Role on that page. It will show you the Role Archtypes this agent belongs to, enabling you to figure out quickly what that participant is expected to do.
While describing agents and their actions on this wiki, it should be customary to note the agent's Role Archtype(s).
==Difference from Roles==
Once a suspect has been identified as a Participant in the plot, their Role will be displayed in their Suspect File. This is a very specific title, and many Roles are unique to one or two plots. For example, only one plot contains a Participant with the Role of an "Assassin". The Role defines the exact details of the character's involvement in the plot, and can be used to figure out exactly what actions the agent is about to undertake, which other agents he will be in contact with, which items he will acquire during the plot, and so on. Available Roles include such titles as "Thief", "Planner", "Researcher" and so forth.
Unfortunately, the Role itself does little to reveal what an agent is actually expected to do unless you are very familiar with the course of the plot. For example, the title of "Kidnapper" in one plot indicates a major operative who is the lynch-pin of the entire operation, responsible for receiving a few items and carrying out a Major Crime. In another plot, a "Kidnapper" is a low-level operative whose job is finished some time before the plot's Major Crime is perpetrated. The same Role is used for both, and unless you are familiar with the Plot, it's impossible to tell what the agent will do just by learning his Role.
Similarly, two agents in two different Plots may have completely different "Roles", and yet fulfill what is essentially the same task. For example, a "Supplier" in a Bombing plot and a "Researcher" in a Theft Plot perform what basically amounts to the same exact action - acquiring a specific item and delivering it to another operative. So you would need to familiarize yourself with both plots before you realize that these two agents will behave the same.
This is where Role Archtypes come in. With the above example, both the "Supplier" and the "Researcher" belong to the Minor Agent Role Archtype. They are both expected to receive a message from an Organizer, then perform a Minor Crime, and deliver an Item to the Major Agent for the purpose of committing the Major Crime of the plot. Therefore, to make things simpler, instead of referring to them as a "Supplier" and a "Researcher", they are instead referred to as Minor Agents. This requires no familiarity with specific Plots, only with the 7 different Archtypes which are far easier to remember.
By using the Role Archtype, it is also possible to identify the right moment to Arrest an agent (once he has completed the tasks associated with his archtype).
Category:Role_Archtypes