Although I'm planning NOIR as an anthology, I also have plans in place for an over-arching campaign that focuses on working out which of your close contacts will betray you (Which will be randomly generated with each playthrough.) Clues for this larger mystery will be spread between chapters - A kind of board-game campaign going on above the level of individual missions. 

Again - This is not yet in the build here on Itch, but I'm laying down the foundation for it to come into play as we fill in chapters. 

I'm using this post to introduce the character archetypes and their mechanics. I say mechanics because I like the idea of marrying characters to functions just in case you play through the game regarding them more as systems than characters, you might still regret losing their favour etc. 

Here we go:

[FRIEND}

You give : Time 

You get: Help with puzzles

The Friend character is one of the few people to be in your contact list at the beginning of the campaign and with whom you have a long history and attachment. This means that she will confide in you far more openly than other characters but will also be more sensitive to your choices. 

[REPORTER}

You give : Information

You get: Money

The reporter character starts as a work provider for one of the cases but later turns into a permanent option; to sell out gossip for hard cash, which will later be published in the local newspaper. Of course, some characters don't particularly like being talked about so you will have to weigh the consequences of the information you sell. 

[RIVAL}

You give : Money

You get: Answers

The rival character is also a freelance detective much like yourself and has developed a system for getting to answers in the fastest way possible. This service is also available to you although his prices are quite steep he might be able to get you out of a jam when you need it. 

[GAMBLER}

You give : ...A challenge

You get: Money

After you've bumped into this character, you'll find that her interest in gambling goes beyond normal games of chance. She's more than willing to throw bizarre challenges onto your existing cases for additional awards. Can you bring the bodybuilder to tears? Can you reuinte a pair of lovers? Again, these challenges will be randomized from a pool, giving a degree of variance to replays etc. 

[TEACHER}

You give : Time

You get: ...perspective?

I like the idea of a character mechanic that doesn't fit neatly amongst the others - The teacher doesn't give you external rewards like money or time, they just engage you in conversation that might help you explore the ethics of what you are doing and suggest how you approach your investigations and interviews. 

Of course, these are only the mechanical side of things - The actual characters behind these mechanics are a completely different matter... It's going to be a lot of fun putting these guys into a system and seeing how they bounce off of each other.