Player and Character Roles

From the Desk of Robert

"

Why hello my fine, feathered friends! Let’s talk roles.

Ever since I mentioned them during the most recent update, I’ve been receiving quite a few questions about the mysterious “player roles”. What are these strange concoctions -- will they force you to play differently? Will they ruin Enclave forever? Will they steal your SOUL? Allow me to answer these excellent questions:

No.

Simply put, Player Roles are a way of classifying the way a player acts when they are playing a certain character in the context of their greater team. Everyone with multiple characters knows that one acts very differently when playing different characters beyond just their personalities: each character, after all, has something different to contribute to a team (which I will discuss later in “Character Roles”). Player Roles take this process one step further by examining how a player contributes to their team as influenced by their character (as opposed to how a character contributes to their team as influenced by their class).

Allow me to briefly elaborate: Player Roles are meant as helpful mnemonics to allow all players to understand exactly how they contribute to an Enclave squad. This is purely pragmatic and is meant as a way for people who are interested in playing Enclave as well as possible (rather than just for fun) to optimize their play.

I cannot stress enough, however, that Player Roles are NOT MANDATORY. They aren’t even rules! All they are are descriptions of tropes that players tend to fall into when they act as certain characters.

The goal with Player Roles is to allow Enclave players to better understand their dynamics together as a team -- for example, if you know that you play one character in a way that’s really counterproductive to the team, let everyone else know beforehand so their characters can better work with it. Honestly, players already do this in many ways, but with Player Roles I hope to officialize the whole thing as well as make it easier. Your Player Roles will also affect how other people play, allowing you to better know what is expected of you well in advance.

Here’s a classic example of Player Roles in action: for quite some time, Hair Greg was very reluctant to go on high-value missions with his character Tabitha. Whenever he could somehow be persuaded to do them, he would never leave the side of Religion Greg’s character Valnak (who is definitely a Caretaker/Strongarm, among other things), occasionally justifying it by saying things like “I know that he won’t let me die!”

You see what I mean? Even though Hair Greg wasn’t necessarily in-character, he was heavily influenced just by how Religion Greg plays his character.

Also bear in mind that, while Player Roles are similar to Character Roles, they are NOT directly comparable in any way. Certainly some Character Roles do lend themselves to comparable Player Roles, but they can never be 100% guaranteed as such. For example, a character with poor defenses and no healing could still be classified as a Caretaker in terms of Player Role. As a more concrete example, I would classify Bishop as a Leader in spite of the fact that the Zerum class has literally no abilities or features that lend themselves to such a role. But the way that Richie players Bishop happens to lend itself perfectly to such a classification.

Get it? Got it? Great!

Below is a list of what we have found to be the twelve quintessential Player Roles along with some information that can help them be used to their maximum potential. Bear in mind that each character you have will likely have around 3 different roles associated with them, so there’s a lot of openness here to mix and match. As usual, I would love to hear any and all feedback you guys have for me, on the concept of Player Roles or on the roles themselves.

Bear in mind as well that the whole point of Player Roles is to have their features affect other players (as well as, by extension, their characters). For example, a General’s abilities might help them strategize and move with their allies, but that does NOT necessarily make them a good Leader.

So have fun looking through them and thinking more about how you, as a player, contribute to your Enclave squad when you play!

1. Leader: When a group needs marshaling and organizing, a Leader’s the one to do it. These individuals are great at calling upon all the unique potential their team has to offer and galvanizing their allies to always do  better. Leaders often have strong but approachable personalities.

1. 1. Team Needs: Leaders really need people who are willing to listen to them and should always try to be aware of their allies capabilities.
	2. Potential Issues: Nothing can derail a mission more than a poor or misguided Leader, so they have a LOT of responsibility on their shoulders.
	3. Example Characters: --
2. Go-Getter: If something needs doing, you know who’s going to do it. Whether they’re with the team or going it solo, Go-Getters never beat around the bush: when they know what needs to be done, they go and do it, no questions asked. Go-Getters tend to have direct and pragmatic personalities and don’t like to complicate things.

1. 1. Team Needs: It’s important that Go-Getters have allies who can help them actually figure out what they need to go get.
	2. Potential Issues: Similarly to a Leader, a misguided Go-Getter can seriously screw-over a mission
	3. Example Characters: Akagitsune, Raeshkal, Valen
2. Consultant: if Go-Getters are the “doers”, then Consultants are the “thinkers” -- these individuals take what the group has achieved and learned and attempt to piece things together to eventually target a new objective. Often work closely with a Leader to plan out the groups movements. Consultants are often more introspective and reserved.

1. 1. Team Needs: If things are moving too fast for a Consultant to think, there’s little they can do to help.
	2. Potential Issues: Consultants can easily overthink situations, leading to convolution and a lot of wasted time.
	3. Example Characters: Bricklin, Richardson, Ryan
2. Follower: Where there are Leaders, there will be Followers. Far from brainless or weak, Followers really thrive when following another’s orders. They will almost always stay with the group and are a huge asset for those who need able bodies to carry out their plans. Followers often have willing and earnest personalities.

1. 1. Team Needs: As one might expect, Followers really need good Leaders as well as a cohesive group unit.
	2. Potential Issues: In a fractured or poorly-led group, Followers can often find themselves confused, useless, or uncertain of what to do.
	3. Example Characters: Nem, Rugbert, Samhain
2. Caretaker: A Caretaker takes it upon themselves to protect their allies and make sure no one comes to harm. They also tend to favor sticking with a group, since it allows them to better service more of their companions. Caretakers usually have kind and stalwart personalities, though they can be overbearing and uncompromising at times.

1. 1. Team Needs: It really makes it easier for a Caretaker when their allies aren’t flinging themselves into danger 24/7.
	2. Potential Issues: The Caretaker’s preoccupation with keeping everyone intact and not taking risks can cause a mission to really slow down or even be compromised.
	3. Example Characters: Ames, Bastiaan, Lulu
2. Researcher: The plans of the Leaders and the ideas of the Consultants are often based on the information gathered for them by Researchers. Whether in the field or from afar, the Researcher’s job is to try and report as much about the situation at hand as possible. Researchers will generally have curious, objective, and academic personalities.

1. 1. Team Needs: Similarly to the Consultant, a team that is moving too quickly and heedlessly will prevent a Researcher from positively contributing.
	2. Potential Issues: If a Researcher takes too long to gather their information it can bring the mission’s progress to a grinding halt; also collecting unhelpful or misleading information can quickly send the whole affair careening off-track.
	3. Example Characters: Jennings, Oliver, Pesoy
2. Lone Wolf: Who needs a team when you can just do it yourself? The Lone Wolf will usually split from their squad as soon as they start to become inconvenient to accomplish what they can by themselves. They will usually have reclusive, self-sufficient, or wary personalities.

1. 1. Team Needs: All a Lone Wolf really needs is a team that won’t mess things up without them.
	2. Potential Issues: A Lone Wolf who refuses to cooperate with their team can often be a serious problem. First of all, many other roles rely on having the group together. Second of all, a Lone Wolf can easily ruin a mission by trying to do something themselves when it would be much easier with a group. They have a lot of pressure on them, because if they screw up it’s ONLY their fault.
	3. Example Characters: Jazz, Tom
2. Showoff: Part of the fun of Enclave is the spectacle and the dramatics, and this is where the Showoff comes in. As their name implies, the Showoff keeps up the excitement, interest, and (by extension) the morale of their group by executing awesome, flashy actions that keep the blood pumping! Showoffs are typically ostentatious, self-centered, and energetic.

1. 1. Team Needs: What good’s a show without a crowd? Showoffs do way more for their team when other people can watch them.
	2. Potential Issues: In their quest to be cool, Showoffs can often be brash and unthinking, leading to some messy outcomes.
	3. Example Characters: Aetus, Varrec
2. Strongarm: A Strongarm doesn’t even need to use their powers to be helpful: in an act of “reverse-intimidation” (for want of a better term), the “threat” of a Strongarm using their powers to help their team will give their allies to confidence to get things done, even if it doesn’t even have to come down to it actually happening. As one might expect, Strongarms will regularly have threatening or harsh personalities.

1. 1. Team Needs: A Strongarm really needs allies who understand and respect their power, as it gives them the mystique and clout to really be effective.
	2. Potential Issues: A Strongarm who isn’t respected (or whose powers aren’t even all that impressive) will do little good for their team when their bluffs are called.
	3. Example Characters: Ivanovsky, Salem
2. Competitor: In great stories, antagonists drive the plot; the same can be said for Enclave squads. Competitors are characters who are often disliked, feared, or even just annoying, and with just their presence (and the threat of them actually doing something bad) they can indirectly spur their team to greater efficiency. People are far less likely to mess around with a Competitor present. As mentioned, Competitors are generally dislikeable in some way, be it due to their innate nastiness or because of their self-centeredness/scorn of others.

1. 1. Team Needs: Like any bully, a Competitor needs victims, people who will fear or hate them. But unlike a bully, these feelings tend to be constructive to a team’s effort.
	2. Potential Issues: Competitors can easily get carried away and agitate their targets to the point where they can rapidly dissolve the mission into a chaotic, in-fighting mess. Also, without any targets or after being called out, a Competitor can quickly deflate and be rendered ineffective.
	3. Example Characters: Adelai, Hektor, Yo
2. Goof: “Missions go well when people are laughing.” - Richard Comstock, 2014. Truer words were never spoken. The Goof’s job is to keep up the group’s morale by being funny! Even if they aren’t always super-helpful with the mission, they’re a pleasure to have around.

1. 1. Team Needs: For a Goof to actually help, they need to be with people who they can easily riff off of and will appreciate their efforts.
	2. Potential Issues: As with many other roles, too much Goofing around will slow down or derail the mission entirely.
	3. Example Characters: Etienne, Gnabb, Iontas
2. Chameleon: Any character who can easily switch between roles depending on the needs of the team is classified as a Chameleon. These flexible individuals may have other roles besides just that of Chameleon, but in that final “slot” they are extremely adaptable (even if they don’t actually realize they’re doing it).

1. 1. Team Needs: All a Chameleon needs is to know what their team is lacking.
	2. Potential Issues: The worst thing a Chameleon can do is misjudge their team, but even if they do they should be able to easily correct themselves.
	3. Example Characters: Cowboy Will, Tabitha

So we now understand Player Roles, right?... Right?...

Good! Because I saved the easier concept for second: CHARACTER ROLES!

So what the heck are Character Roles? Well, for one, they’re a hell of a lot simpler than Player Roles; that’s for damn sure. But what’s the difference between the two? In a nutshell, the easiest way to compare Player Roles to Character Roles is as follows: Player Roles are to Characters as Character Roles are to Classes. See what I mean?... No?... Well then…

Whereas Player Roles describe the standard tropes that players tend to fall into to support their team when playing a specific character, Character Roles represent the different playstyles that a character has access to when playing a specific class. See what I mean? Player Roles are more emotionally-founded and can yield excellent character development if properly considered; Character Roles are mechanically-founded and can yield some good playstyle information if paid attention to.

Noticing a duality yet?

ONCE AGAIN, Character Roles are not rules, nor are they mandatory in any way: they are a simple attempt by yours truly to categorize the incredibly diverse cast of classes in Enclave such that people can start to recognize at a glance what classes tend to be good at. FOR EXAMPLE, ever wish you could just see if a class had some good stealth options? Well, that’s the sort of thing Character Roles do very well -- give basic information on the class’s kit without any need for pouring over the sheet.

Each class will be given 5 Character Roles, split into two categories: three Primary, and two Secondary. These names are pretty intuitive and can be easily compared to having a Major or Minor at university. Roles are listed in vague order of their importance, so a character classified at the Primary level as a Gun, Mage, Support would tell you a very different story than one classified as a Support, Gun, Mage.

Unlike Player Roles, however, there are a whopping THIRTY-TWO Character Roles to be mixed and matched (wow!).

And as a final note, even though I mentioned it before, Player Roles and Character Roles will not always sync up; though they are surely related and may seem deeply connected, they are gauging two very different things. So don’t just assume that since the class you are playing is classified as a Fact-Finder that your character is definitely going to be a Researcher, since there’s so much more to what a character becomes than just their basic kit.

1. Adapter: Adapter classes are highly versatile are very apt at changing with the times; whenever they face a new threat, they are quick to find a way to deal with it.

1. 1. Example Classes: Mutant, Trickster, Warped
2. Agile: Unlike Mobile classes, Agile classes can’t always cover a ton of ground; however, they are very good at weaving in and out of combat, using their grace and dexterity to avoid getting hit and squeak around obstacles.

1. 1. Example Classes: Freerunner, Rogue, Streetfighter
2. Area: Unlike the concentrated efforts of Pursuit classes, Area classes are very effective when hitting groups of targets at once, making them great for crowd-control but far worse in a one-on-one context.

1. 1. Example Classes: Invader, Loose Cannon
2. Baser: Setting up shop to form a secure “work area”, Baser classes do best when the action is brought to them after they’ve had time to set up.

1. 1. Example Classes: Engineer, Mycologist
2. Command: These authoritative classes don’t play by the rules: they set them. Command classes tend to have great sway over others, ruling either with charisma or an iron fist.

1. 1. Example Classes: Deviant, Tyrant
2. Company: Company classes try to create a group that they can thrive when working with. Gathering their allies around them, a Company class can do much more than one might do alone.

1. 1. Example Classes: Alpha, General, Warlock
2. Control: By cutting off areas and restricting enemy actions, Control classes endeavor to limit enemy options and capabilities, giving their team the upper hand.

1. 1. Example Classes: Police
2. Counter: Unlike the Control classes, which deals with “physical” limitations to action or mobility, Counter classes use their powers to completely shut down their enemies “nonphysical” options, such negating their magic or dispelling their enhancements.

1. 1. Example Classes: Adjudicator, Angakkuq, Witchhunter
2. Dark Horse: You can never really be sure what exactly a Dark Horse will do; they are unpredictable in every sense of the term…

1. 1. Example Classes: Doomed, Gambler, Pixie
2. Detractor: Rather than outright killing their enemies, Detractors specialize in weakening and crippling foes to allow them to be brought down easier.

1. 1. Example Classes: Hexer
2. Facilitator: Unlike a Support, which directly helps out their allies by enhancing or rejuvenating them, Facilitators provide non-numerical (indirect) aid to their allies to help allow them do what they do.

1. 1. Example Classes: Parasite, Physician, Runewright
2. Fact-Finder: Whether via observation, divination, experimentation, or anything in between, Fact-Finders try to collect data for their team to answer the questions at hand.

1. 1. Example Classes: Librarian, Sleuth, Time Traveler
2. Gun: As their name implies, Guns specialize in dishing out the pain; these are classes with vast amounts of consistent physical power.

1. 1. Example Classes: Destroyer, Gunslinger, Sidus
2. Macro: Macro classes think beyond the mission -- their enterprises and external affairs often yield far more results for them than the Enclave work they partake in.

1. 1. Example Classes: Chosen One, Pitch Man
2. Mage: In contrast to the physically-oriented Gun, Mages are classes with an emphasis on consistent magical power.

1. 1. Example Classes: Devil, Lich
2. Manipulator: Instead of weakening foes like a Detractor, Manipulators try to trick and influence their foes to get what they want out of them, often avoiding a fight altogether.

1. 1. Example Classes: Fox, Illusionist, Soothsayer
2. Melee: Melee classes thrive in the thick of things, be it combat or something else. They don’t do well when far away from the action.

1. 1. Example Classes: Gladiator, Luchador, Samurai
2. Mobile: Mobile classes are very speedy, able to cover plenty or ground to reposition themselves, carry messages, chase down foes, or all manner of other tasks.

1. 1. Example Classes: Channeler, Stormwalker, Tracer
2. Partner: Unlike Company classes, which try to gather or sculpt a cohesive unit, Partner classes generally rely on one or two very close allies to form a deep synergy with.

1. 1. Example Classes: Dragoon, Friend
2. Persister: Who needs defending when you just won’t die? Persisters are known for being very difficult to truly kill, recovering themselves after a fight to live another day.

1. 1. Example Classes: Immortal, Toon
2. Problem-Solver: Thanks to their analytical proficiency or whatever else, Problem-Solvers (as their name implies) are the ones who generally figure out the fixes to any obstacles their group encounters.

1. 1. Example Classes: Artificer, Madman, Savant
2. Pursuit: Efficient and focused, Pursuit classes specialize in working with a single target at a time, regardless of whether their goal is to help or harm them.

1. 1. Example Classes: Duelist, Organ Grinder, Predator
2. Quester: Quester classes have alternate objectives whenever they go on missions, many of which will yield powerful and valuable results that could even further the primary goal of the group at large (even if it might seem roundabout or useless).

1. 1. Example Classes: Biologist, Sha’ir, Thurgan
2. Remote: Unlike the in-your-face Melee classes, Remote classes do best when far away from the front lines (so to speak). Again, this doesn’t only hold true for combat.

1. 1. Example Classes: Ace, Sniper
2. Scaper: Scaper classes go wild with their ability to dramatically alter the physical world around them, often leaving semi-permanent effects geared towards helping out their allies or making life harder for their enemies.

1. 1. Example Classes: Graffito, Purist, Quaesitor
2. Shield: A Shield’s job is to prevent incoming damage, ensuring that they and their allies come to no harm.

1. 1. Example Classes: Zerum
2. Soak: Unlike a Shield, who endeavors to negate incoming damage, Soaks aim to actually take some hits to draw fire away from their allies, which they do with great efficiency.

1. 1. Example Classes: Friar, Kaiser, Stuntman
2. Steady: Unlike the wild and dangerous Volatile classes, those classified as Steady are extremely reliable -- they can always be counted on to consistently do what they’re good at, even if it doesn’t have the rampant power of others.

1. 1. Example Classes: Automaton, Elemental Warrior, Seneschal
2. Stealth: Keeping hidden and covert, Stealth classes try to work without being noticed in any way (sometimes even by their allies as well as their enemies).

1. 1. Example Classes: Agent, Betrayer, Ninja
2. Support: These classes focus on directly aiding their allies, whether it be by replenishing their resources or directly improving their capacities.

1. 1. Example Classes: Beatnik, Eidolon, Prophet
2. Utility: Thanks to their affinity for loot, wide variety of options, or flexible powers, Utility classes always have the right tool for the occasion.

1. 1. Example Classes: Chronologist, Enchanter, Psion
2. Volatile: Volatile classes work with powers of enormous strength that are often beyond their control; they must use all their skill and wit to keep a handle on these destructive forces are direct them towards their desired ends.

1. 1. Example Classes: Hellion, Keeper, Spell Fiend

"