In the new Dark Conspiracy, players will create a group of Operatives. Those Operatives will then form a cell, a small group of specialists cut off from other cells (that may or may not actually exist) for reasons of secrecy and security.
However, not all cells are equal, and the nature of the players' cell will define a lot of what they are capable of when investigating and fighting the Dark.
Building Trust
Throughout their previous careers, Operatives will gain and lose Trust through Events and Mishaps. Trust is, ultimately, a mark of how the shadowy organisation (known by many names, but referred to in the Core Rulebook simply as The Company) that the Operatives have been recruited by sees them. Are they valued experts whose experience is to be respected, or are they borderline conspiracy theorists who once got something almost right but are now ultimately expendable?
For example, a Scientist might find that the government has interfered with their work for political or religious reasons. If the Scientists ploughs on regardless, they risk prison... but the Company might like their perseverance and so the Scientist gains Trust. Someone else, serving in the Military, might find themselves constantly clashing with a superior officer. Even if that officer is a buffoon, the Company might well take a dim view of this and mark the Operative as 'not a team player', reducing Trust.
Once all the Operatives have been created, their Trust is totalled, which takes into account not only specific events but also time served, rank attained, networks of Contacts, and skill specialisations.
This defines how the Company sees the group and what resources are allocated to them.
A Home of Your Own
The first thing Trust will get your Operatives is a Headquarters, the central location from which they will investigate, prepare and, probably, hide.
If your group is little more than a joke to the Company, this will be a 'virtual' headquarters. These 'Operatives' will be working from their own bedrooms and meeting in internet cafes or public parks. Probably while it is raining.
Most will have something a little better - a secure office, a mobile home or boat, or perhaps a basement below what may well be a commercial front for the Company. If they are out in the sticks, maybe a small farm.
If the cell is truly valued, then the Company certainly has the resources to grant them the good stuff - maybe an entire mansion far out in the countryside, a high-tech mobile headquarters, or even a hardened, secure, hidden bunker.
That is not likely when the Operatives first start their missions. However, it certainly gives them something to work towards!
Toys and Toys
A headquarters comes equipped though, again, to what level is dependant on how the Company views the Operatives. If they are operating out of a virtual HQ, they might be granted a smartphone each. If they are lucky.
At the other end of the scale, they can be granted computers, satellite uplinks, medical facilities, and a decent armoury.
The Company is, of course, in a position to grant much more than this, and Operatives are free to requisition equipment, contacts and information. What will be agreed to is, again, dependant on their current level of Trust (which will continue to fluctuate after each mission).
Operatives will find that, in general, requests for equipment are far easier than asking for information. The Company generally views the flow of information to be a one way street...
However, they can always ask. If the Operatives are absolutely sure they need an RPG or helicopter gunship to battle the current Dark incursion... they can make the requisition. And it may be granted. They might even be able to convince the Company that this should be a 'permanent loan'.
It should be noted that constant failed requests (or silly ones) have a tendency to reduce Trust...
Home Improvements
Trust, and the resources that come with it, can be traded into improving the cell's Headquarters.
This is where the fun begins.
Operatives are likely to spend a great deal of time in their Headquarters and so they will find it agreeable to upgrade their living and work spaces.
The better a Headquarters, the more of these improvements will be 'standard', already fitted when the Operatives first arrive. However, there is always room for improvement.
For example, they may begin with a small armoury with a small selection of handguns. Upgraded armouries will feature rifles, SMGs, and ultimately, heavy weapons and explosives. Medical facilities, by the same token, are graded in a similar fashion - from a few medikits and a vaguely clean area to a full surgical theatre with diagnosis suite (very useful when sustaining injuries from Dark Minions that may raise awkward questions at hospitals).
There are more esoteric areas that Operatives might want to consider upgrading - data connections to the outside world, confinement areas (the most advanced of which have a chance of holding entities with empathic abilities), research facilities, security measures (culminating in intelligence grade firewalls, biometric locking systems and an optional 'lethal response' ability).
It does not stop there. A junior member of the Company can be recruited to fill in a skill gap, providing specialist support from the HQ while the Operatives are in the field. You can have your own Oracle.
Finally, there are the creature comforts - this is, after all, likely where the Operatives live. At the base level, they will get access to streaming services, a half decent sound system, and maybe a hobby area. Trusted Operatives can upgrade to huge screens with full surround sound, VR setups, gourmet-class kitchens and bespoke sleeping areas.
And yes, there are in-game advantages to Operatives being healthy and happy.
During a campaign, the Operative's cell will describe their capabilities beyond their own character sheets. Their Headquarters may become a character in its own right, fleshed out and equipped to reflect the personalities of the Operatives.
Next time in our previews of the new Dark Conspiracy, we will take a look at the missions Operatives will be sent on.
