Assembling the Escape Team

Assembling an escape team in Beholder: Conductor involves identifying and recruiting individuals with specific skills or resources crucial for a successful departure from the totalitarian state. Each team member typically brings a unique contribution to the overall plan.

The composition of an escape team can vary depending on the specific escape scenario, but common roles and their associated characters or requirements include:

The Forger: This individual is essential for creating believable forged documents, such as passports, visas, and travel permits. Without high-quality forgeries, any attempt to pass through official checkpoints is doomed. Often, the forger is a secretive character operating from a hidden location, requiring specific items or favors in exchange for their services.
The Transporter/Smuggler: Someone capable of arranging discreet passage out of the country. This could be a train conductor, a boat captain, or a truck driver willing to take risks for a price. They often have specific routes or methods that bypass official scrutiny.
The Financier: Escapes are expensive. A financier, or a source of significant funds, is necessary to pay for documents, transportation, and bribes. This might be a character with hidden wealth, or it could be a role you, as the player, must fulfill by accumulating money through various means.
The Information Broker: An individual with connections or access to sensitive information, such as Ministry patrols, border security schedules, or safe routes. They can provide vital intelligence to avoid detection.
The Distraction/Diversion Specialist: Sometimes, a diversion is needed to draw attention away from the actual escape. This could be a character willing to create a disturbance or a situation that occupies Ministry agents.

Recruiting these individuals often involves:

Completing personal quests: Many potential team members will only agree to help if you first assist them with their own problems or desires.
Building trust: Gaining their confidence through repeated positive interactions or by demonstrating your reliability.
Paying for services: Most will demand payment for their expertise or resources.
Overcoming moral choices: Some recruits might require you to compromise your own moral code to secure their assistance.

For example, to recruit a specific forger, you might need to retrieve a stolen item for them from a Ministry official, or to secure a transporter, you might need to smuggle contraband for them first. Each team member adds a layer of complexity and opportunity to the escape plan.