Recruitment (sorta): SR4 Ganger Game, Collaborative Fiction on the streets Options

[TinkerGnome]

There's a reason this is only "sort of" a recruitment thread. I'm proposing the running of a SR4 game based around a Seattle street gang. However, such a broad concept is difficult to pin down since I want the players (or potential players, or just interested folks) to have a hand in creating the gang and its environment.

To that end, I've put together a Wiki where we put together things as they come of age. While we have the Wiki, I expect a large amount of discussion to actually occur in this thread. The Wiki is simply a good way to spread out the work of putting it all together.

A short FAQ:

You're using a Wiki to discuss the gang, does this mean you're not running the game on this forum?

No. I'll be running the game in the traditional fashion on this board. The Wiki is simply a powerful tool to use for a group to write a shared story.

Is this game going to be different from other SR games?

It will definitely not be a typical "group goes and gets a run from a Johnson, goes on run, collects pay" type game. For one thing, it'll be much more driven by the players. This is both an empowering and potentially destructive thing as the GM is not the one mainly responsible for the pace of the game. The GM will, of course, be throwing in events (like a rival gang beating up someone, NPCs hassling PCs, etc.) to create situations and combats, but other things will be entirely in the hands of the players to initiate.

I'm here first, does that mean I get to play?

Hold on there, there are going to be some differences between this and a regular game. For one thing, there isn't going to be a hard cap on the number of players. Gangs are larger than shadowrunner teams and the individual gangers are weaker. Thus, it's easier to have ten gangers playing than it would be to have seven shadowrunners. However, the first few days of discussion are likely to set a strong course for the gang, so the earlier you jump in the better.

Can I send you a character?

It's still too early for that. Feel free to take a look at the draft character creation rules on the Wiki (or over in the SR4 forum), but keep in mind that those are draft rules. We'll get to that point eventually.

An Overview of the Gang

The following questions appear on the gang overview page and I'm placing them here to get things started. These are the first things we'll need to tackle, but they aren't the only things.

Where is the gang based?

There are gangs all over Seattle. Anywhere from downtown to the depths of the Barrens. Where this particular gang is located will determine a lot about the ways in which it can behave. The Seattle sourcebooks can be a big help, along with this map.

What is the gang's focus?

Simply staying alive in a Z-Zone, getting rich off BTLs, and defending a neighborhood are all possibilities for the primary focus of a street gang. That doesn't mean that the gang can't delve into other legal and illegal activities, as well, but the main purpose is important.

How big is the gang?

Are there ten members or thirty? Somewhere in between? Too few or too many is a problem.

What is the racial composition of the gang?

Certain gangs are made up of humans. Others are made up of elves or orks or trolls or all three. There are even a few dwarven gangs around. The racial composiiton of the gang is an important question.

What is the gang's relationship with the residents of its territory?

Is the gang on good terms with the local populace, or is it feared? How does the gang treat the regular, law-abiding citizens in its territory?