Jay: What are we gonna do now!?!
Box: Keep it tight. Help is on the way.
Look, is that a civilian!
ARC – The Underworld includes more than just the 16 ARC Operators and the 20 REZ Characters. As one would expect, there are still civilians hiding or possibly restrained in Crawford, as well as in the REZ lair. The answer is a resounding yes.
There are four possible Civilian Characters: Merry, Andrea, Jay, and Bob. That raises some crucial questions. Crawford looks completely deserted, so where are they? How do we find them? What are our options?
The population quickly ascertained that something was amiss when their fellow Crawfordites started to go missing. They may not be skilled in military operations by any stretch of the imagination, but once they appear, they may be armed with a civilian-level ranged or close combat weapon (how does a hammer sound?).
Two of the thirteen scenarios focus on securing and then rescuing two Civilian Characters. In these cases, ARC has the advantage of knowing where the Civilians are and where they need to be guided to reach safety. Otherwise, ARC isn’t so lucky.
Through REZ’s play of the HELP ME! Card, ARC is tasked with protecting an unexpected, previously hidden civilian. ARC’s ROE (Rules of Engagement) dictate that they must protect and extract all civilians; there is no question about their next steps. While ARC can’t abandon its mission, it now has an additional factor to consider and safely manage.
The REZ is well aware of the importance that Crawford’s population represents to ARC, and they plan to capitalize on it.
Since both forces live and operate in darkness, the REZ force may include disguised Characters that, from a distance, appear to be Civilians. Given ARC’s ROE, the REZ utilizes these disguises to lure ARC Operators along specific routes or potentially into traps. Cleverness isn’t limited to just the human brain.
Non-armored REZ Characters may equip a Civilian disguise. It does impose some limitations on what the Character may equip, but little does ARC know what to expect. Once in line-of-sight (LoS) of an ARC Operator, he must maintain LoS and move towards the disguised REZ Character. After all, aren’t they here to help?
Previous ARC – The Underworld InsideGMT Articles:
ARC – The Underworld: Combat Mechanics
ARC – The Underworld: Character Skills
ARC – The Underworld: Movement and Attributes
Author: James M. Day
