Engineering
Chair: Company’s chair. You decide what the hire can reach and change, and you look at what they ship. You narrow access before it spreads and review work before it lands.
Verbs are DEFAULT playtest parameters. The role is RULED. The IM calls every roll and states the target first (Easy 8, Standard 12, Hard 16). You have 2 actions per round.
“Access is a loan, and I set the terms.”
Your three verbs
Scope
What it does: Limit the hire’s access to what the role needs, and no more.
Roll it when: a hire has access beyond their role. Scope is a closing verb only for a control the case card lists, where a success lowers Payoff by 1. Otherwise it informs.
Review
What it does: Review the hire’s change or deliverable for anything out of place.
Roll it when: a hire’s first commit or change appears, or something unapproved turns up. Like Scope, it closes only a control the case card lists, and otherwise informs.
Sandbox
What it does: Put the hire’s work or device in a restricted place until the table decides.
Roll it when: the table has a suspect but not yet a control to cut on, and needs to limit reach in the meantime.
Free actions
Ask, Look and Hold are free for anyone and never roll. Ask the IM or a teammate a question, Look at the card or the file and read it aloud, or Hold an action for a better moment.
Tips
- Scope is a named control. Say it aloud and the table can use it in a cut.
- Pair with SecOps: Scope narrows, Watch confirms.
- Sandbox buys time without a cut, and costs no Exposure.
- Say what the hire needs, not what you suspect.
What this role watches
- Keys the hire can reach: that is the third mission.
- Remote tools nobody in IT approved.
- The clue tier, which sets your target.
What you never do
Never decide on a hire by looks, accent or nationality. A good review is about code, access and process. Never describe real exploit steps or tooling beyond the case card.
Judge the process, not the person.
Short on players?
Engineering pairs well with SecOps. Any player may borrow another role’s verb for one action. Say aloud which verb and whose it is. See Chairs and Roles.