Recruiting: Down in the Gutter - Second Phase, Life in Redmond's Newest Street Gang Options

[HeySparky]

Could someone - a GM or authors - take a pass at assigning Contact levels to the various NPCs?

That'd be GREAT.

[Slipshade]

All

You can pretty much guarantee that any question that starts with:

Can I change...
Can I get more of...
Can I tweek...
Can my character be more special than everyone else... (sorry I just couldn't stop myself (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) )

or any derivation there of, will be met with a No.

[Slipshade]

Sparky - Hmm, loyalty will differ, but I think figuring out what resources a contact has would be good. Kind of a baseline for each contact and then add the loyalty factor on top of that. Something to think about.

[Neuntöter]

aye, already figured that. I was just asking since i know GMs that rule that as 35 net points instead of overall 35 points.

on a similar note, i do not have a copy of Arsenal yet, but since i read the second pdf preview, is DitG using any of the additional armor rules? In particular stuff like degrading armor and such.

[Spike]

Spike - 1st Tier gangs can have contacts with the syndicates, but the gang you would be joining would be 3rd Tier. So the syndicates don't even look at us. Really it helps to think of this game as being the lowest of the low. You wouldn't work for a guy in the vory. You would be working for the friend, of the guy, of the guy, of the guy that thinks he works for the vory. Pretty much any contacts that are directly or even close to directly syndicate connected will be shot down.


Dantic - I looked over your number as well and they look good and jive with what Vegas found. We will past it on up the ladder to WR to look at.

It'd be nice to have an idea what sort of contacts ARE appropriate then. I don't want to make 'yet another' pimp, who's contacts are all hookers.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I'm not sure where the power level of 'tier 1-3' on gangs comes from so I'm thinking its a book I don't have. I was working from the assumption that the higher level street gangs were more like Organized Crime syndicates in powerlevel, not flunkies of the organized crime, but I'll admit to general ignorance of how it's supposed to be here.

From the sounds of things, at best all my contacts would be restricted to bartenders and streetkids, at which point I could just do without (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) Can I just do without? Just a single 1/1 contact?

I'm being silly, of course. Just trying to reconcile my understanding of street gangs and organized crime in low rent communities with the one we'll actually be using. I'll get it right, eventually.

[Dantic]

It'd be nice to have an idea what sort of contacts ARE appropriate then. I don't want to make 'yet another' pimp, who's contacts are all hookers.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I'm not sure where the power level of 'tier 1-3' on gangs comes from so I'm thinking its a book I don't have. I was working from the assumption that the higher level street gangs were more like Organized Crime syndicates in powerlevel, not flunkies of the organized crime, but I'll admit to general ignorance of how it's supposed to be here.

From the sounds of things, at best all my contacts would be restricted to bartenders and streetkids, at which point I could just do without (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) Can I just do without? Just a single 1/1 contact?

I'm being silly, of course. Just trying to reconcile my understanding of street gangs and organized crime in low rent communities with the one we'll actually be using. I'll get it right, eventually.

Just think about modern gangs, We're not "Crips", "Bloods", or "Latin Kings", we are a start up gang, trying to gain control of a few shitty blocks, fighting other gangs trying to control a few shitty blocks. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[Whipstitch]

Well, you could ask about Sailor Beauchamps from the NPC page on the Gutter wiki. He sounds like a friendly sort (honestly, you could write in your background that you know him because he was the competition and there's a good chance you could still count him as a contact-- he's that kinda guy) and while he sounds kinda honest for having a ganger contact, the fact of the matter is he does auto repair in the Barrens and he had to be getting those parts from somewhere, so he seems like a natural fit, although you'd obviously have to talk to staff about what Connection level he'd be. (I'd guess around 2, but I'm no authority.)

[Spike]

Just think about modern gangs, We're not "Crips", "Bloods", or "LA Kings", we are a start up gang, trying to gain control of a few shitty blocks, fighting other gangs trying to control a few shitty blocks. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

That's what I'm sayin'. The Crips and Bloods are just as powerful, if not more so that the real world mafia, they are on the same power level. They don't have contacts with those groups, at best the negotiate WITH them as equals.

We're some tiny little start up, our contacts will be either just people we know (low contact levels) or people above us (higher level gangs that look at us as a part of their 'turf') which includes various syndics (high contact level).

Anyway, its unimportant, I'm posting the 'completed' character below and will re-write his background a bit more throughly after final approval.

[ Spoiler ]

Attributes: 5/4/4/5/3/3/2/3 Edge 4 (200 +20 pts)

Skills:
Clubs: 4
Unarmed: 2 + grappling Spec(Subdual?)
Athletics Group: 1
Intimidate: 2
Perception: 2
Auto Mech: 2
Pilot:Ground: 1+wheeled Spec
Con: 1
Ettiquette: 1+street gang spec
Survival: 1

(80 points)

Knowledge Skills:
Street: Seattle Gangs 3
Lang: Russian N
Lang: English 3
Lang: Orzet 2
Interest: Pit Fights 4
Interest: Sports 2
Street: Vory 1

Qualities:
First Impression (5)
Guts (5)
Tough (10)
High Pain 2 (10)

Criminal Sin (-10)
Sensitive Sys (-15)
Incomp:Comp (-5)

Total Points (0)

Gear:
3 baseball bats (wood, Aluminum, polycarb resin)
Ruger Warhawk
1 bullet
Metalink Commlink
Shades w/Flare Comp + Image Link
earbuds
Duffle Bag
Monofilament Chainsaw
Cloths. 5 sets (identical) (used 'leather jacket' for stats/cost. Open to correction over viability of stats to represent heavy work pants/boots instead of a jacket.
facemask: (used Helmet stats. equivilent to the real world ballistic face mask (heavy duty riot/hockey mask).
Low Lifestyle, 5 days (real meat provided by street kids selling dead devil rats,etc, housing provided by arrangements with hookers and couch surfing)

Points: 1

Contacts L/R:

Gracie 1/1

Former hooker for the Brick Boys, 'orphaned' when the gang was destroyed. Codependent relationship with Maus, who she uses as a stand in pimp (protection from real pimps), but who occasionally takes some of her money (more or less at random). Like many barrens occupants she is chronically malnourished and addicted to recreational drugs, though she lacks any singular monkey that dominates her life. She's addicted to being addicted and bounces from bottle to beetle to needle as availability takes her.

Gregor 1/3

Fight organizer, claims ties to the Vory, but is pretty low rent even for them. Gregor occasionally likes to think of himself as Maus's 'manager', though the extent of management is arranging fights and betting on them, splitting proceeds with 'his boy'... though he occasionally bets against 'his boy' or picks fights that are bad matchups, and given the chance lies through his teeth over how much he owes. Gregor is a small, skinny older dude with spiked hair bleached white and he constantly smokes black cigarettes imported from some third world hellhole. Its anyone guess what the damn things are made of, 'cause tobacco surely don't smell that bad. He occasionally will fumble a new one from the pockets of his oversized pea coat while he's still smoking one as a nervous gesture.

'Tock' 2/1

Tock is a higher functioning ghoul and is fairly friendly to Maus. They know each other because one of the less savory duties that Maus has had over the years is 'body disposal', Tock is where he drops the carved up meat. As neither one is a stunning conversationalist, and there isn't much a ghoul can do for a human there isn't much here. Tock doesn't speak english, but his name is onomatapeia of his peculiar laughter.

Points on Contacts (9)

totals:

Attributes 220 (20 on edge)
Skills 80
Qualities 0
Gear 1
Contacts 9

Total: 310

Notes

[ Spoiler ]

Removed explicit 'OC' contact while keeping flavor.
Added armor value (2/2) for legs as style and sense in one. Less than concerned with having armor.
Added 'facemask' and included helmet values as this sounds like something a 'professional' pit fighter would reasonably use.
Maus is entirely mundane. Added edge in replacement of magic/adept, would use Edge heavily to compensate in fights.
Uncertain about legality of having a 4 in a knowledge skill. can reduce if its offensive.
As intended, though enhanced by the revamping, Maus is reasonably charming and capable in social interactions. This represents his innate magnatism and mimicking the behaviors around him rather than a polished understanding of human interaction.
Will double check Wiki page to ensure I did not trip over a minor rule change I missed.

[HeySparky]

Sparky - Hmm, loyalty will differ, but I think figuring out what resources a contact has would be good. Kind of a baseline for each contact and then add the loyalty factor on top of that. Something to think about.

Right. Where I said Contact levels, replace Contact with Connection. That's what I meant. You buy and write up your own Loyalty with the NPCs but have no influence over their Connection level.

[Eyeless Blond]

Aw, so noone wants to look at Drip?

I know he's not completely done yet; there's still the matter of IC quotes, prettying up his gear, and his takes on the other gangers, but if there's anything that needs to be changed I'd like to get that out of the way first, if possible.

[Vegas]

@Eyeless

I know it's awesome to get feedback all along the way, but honestly Slip, WR and I don't have time to check and re-check and re-check again CS's and gear and and and... I think you get my point. It's fun enough getting a TON of emails everytime you guys update pages on the wiki (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (so no tweaking after going up for review kids, I see the changes (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) )

It's the reason we ask for EVERYTHING to be done (Gear, Stats, Background and Takes) all formatted and everything before "submitting" the PC for review. If you have a particular question about any gear/stat combo or potential background landmine, feel free to ask specific questions and we'll do our best to get them answered in a timely manner. If Slip or I don't answer outright (like for gear legality) it's because we're usually conferencing with WR1 off the boards when we all can manage to eek out a few extra minutes to speak to one another since he has the final say on those issues (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) Life is beyond insane for WR, Slip's getting busier and has family in town right now and speaking for myself I'm working on a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff for the gang (and other DSF games) while trying to manage the recruiting for the last few of you guys not fully approved (or past the first review hurdle) not to mention trying to run a business and have a life (*gasp* I know, what am I thinking, A life?!?!).

Believe me, we're not forgetting about you... we also need a few extra minutes to digest new rules/mods/qualities brought about via Augmentation and Arsenal (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) A few of which you threw at us in a "curve ball" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Not foreseeing any problems if the character and gear stick to the rules/chargen guidelines we have established or doesn't break the "rational" litmus test (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) The only thing I noticed in specific (I haven't gotten to the drones/vehicle stuff yet in detail, but a quick glance/check at this point) was that you took the Genecrafted Quality at 10 pts when it's a 5 pt quality. Other than that I haven't really had a chance to sit down with books and check everything over. I really won't do that till he's complete as mentioned above.

Hope that helps.

[Eyeless Blond]

Believe me, we're not forgetting about you... we also need a few extra minutes to digest new rules/mods/qualities brought about via Augmentation and Arsenal (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) A few of which you threw at us in a "curve ball" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Not foreseeing any problems if the character and gear stick to the rules/chargen guidelines we have established or doesn't break the "rational" litmus test (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) The only thing I noticed in specific (I haven't gotten to the drones/vehicle stuff yet in detail, but a quick glance/check at this point) was that you took the Genecrafted Quality at 10 pts when it's a 5 pt quality. Other than that I haven't really had a chance to sit down with books and check everything over. I really won't do that till he's complete as mentioned above.

Er... that's because the one I took was Genetic Heritage, and idiotically switched the names. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleepy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif) And it's precisely the curveballs that I'm asking for commentary on; the gene one kinda cuts to the core of my character, so it definately needs to be resolved before I get too ahead of myself, and the vehicle one could force me to redistribute all my gear if it doesn't pan out. The rest of the character won't be completed until later this weekend, possibly into next week (I am totally with you on the busy life thing, though I'm not running a business or anything crazy like that; I wish you luck with that!)

Hope that helps.

Oh it does, it does. I just get a little worried that everyone's ignoring me sometimes; I know I can be more than a little pestering sometimes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Dantic]

@Eyeless

The only thing I noticed in specific (I haven't gotten to the drones/vehicle stuff yet in detail, but a quick glance/check at this point) was that you took the Genecrafted Quality at 10 pts when it's a 5 pt quality.

Hope that helps.

I think he wants Genetic Heritage which is a 10 point quality and does what he describes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

<edit> Yeah you caught that already, post jumped me. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dead.gif)

[Eyeless Blond]

I do wish I had the cash left over for the Vegsin mod too; it would be a perfect thing for this type of game.

But it's 12k, even with the 20% discount; I'd have to give up either the car, the commlink, or everything else to pay for it. And, yeah, that ain't happening, if I can help it; the commlink is his livelihood, and the car is just too cool to give up. I hope the ruling doesn't come down against me. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Oh, quick question: since the Doberman has Walker mode, is there really any reason for the car to have a drone rack? Or can it just jump into the back seat? If it can, I think I'll have it do that; it would even sound cooler, especially since Drip treats the thing like a real dog, and not a machine.

[Slipshade]

I do wish I had the cash left over for the Vegsin mod too; it would be a perfect thing for this type of game.

But it's 12k, even with the 20% discount; I'd have to give up either the car, the commlink, or everything else to pay for it. And, yeah, that ain't happening, if I can help it; the commlink is his livelihood, and the car is just too cool to give up. I hope the ruling doesn't come down against me. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Oh, quick question: since the Doberman has Walker mode, is there really any reason for the car to have a drone rack? Or can it just jump into the back seat? If it can, I think I'll have it do that; it would even sound cooler, especially since Drip treats the thing like a real dog, and not a machine.

Eyeless - Sorry, we actually are not ignoring you and if we have come off that way then I apologize. Unfortunately a number of things you have inquired about are things that WR1 is going to have to make the call on. As Vegas said, I will be next to useless for the next few days. Not only are the in-laws in town, my wife just got very ill with a stomach virus, so I have to spend all of my extra time entertaining the grandparents.

[Spike]

That's okay, Eyeless, I'm not even at all certain I've been okayed to bring Maus to the game (or at all really), though that could just be that I'm having a hard time parsing how badly I flubbed my first couple PM's, and I've done everything ass backwards (start from the wiki, design character, open PM dialog, find thread, post everything out of order with no idea what I'm doing... yeah, I'm a MASTER of this...) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/twirl.gif)

[Slipshade]

It'd be nice to have an idea what sort of contacts ARE appropriate then. I don't want to make 'yet another' pimp, who's contacts are all hookers.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I'm not sure where the power level of 'tier 1-3' on gangs comes from so I'm thinking its a book I don't have. I was working from the assumption that the higher level street gangs were more like Organized Crime syndicates in powerlevel, not flunkies of the organized crime, but I'll admit to general ignorance of how it's supposed to be here.

From the sounds of things, at best all my contacts would be restricted to bartenders and streetkids, at which point I could just do without (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) Can I just do without? Just a single 1/1 contact?

I'm being silly, of course. Just trying to reconcile my understanding of street gangs and organized crime in low rent communities with the one we'll actually be using. I'll get it right, eventually.

We are a third tier gang which means we don't have syndicate contacts....directly.

Let me see....viable contacts. Bar owner...street kid...prostitutes...drug dealer...street doc...mechanic...member of another gang (have to ok that with WR)...Talismonger...Pimp...priest...thief/conman...low level fixer ("Psst...hey buddy. This just fell of the truck. Give it to ya for 10 nuyen.")...smuggler...corrupt street cop. There are a number of people you can go with, just don't give them an affiliation. WR1 may give them one if he wants, but you probably won't know who they work for until he wants you too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I hope that helps.

[Slipshade]

Right. Where I said Contact levels, replace Contact with Connection. That's what I meant. You buy and write up your own Loyalty with the NPCs but have no influence over their Connection level.

Sparky - You may very well have the correct term, but I think we are on the same page. I will try to look into it when I get some time.

[Eyeless Blond]

Oh don't worry about it. Like I said, it's all just my paranoid insecurity acting up again. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Anyway, back to getting into character! *pulls out reference material*

[Spike]

Okay, since I did things all wonky like in my own inimitable fashion it seems I owe a more complete 'character concept' than the really badly chopped up one I PMed (and good thing, because I had to make significant changes...) and the semi-generic one I posted here with the bad 'hide' tags before the edit.

Thus, I give you the complete Maus*:


And apologies for the length and any presumptions that require correction, I've tried to account for all the comments I've read so far. I expanded the original background for him to include more details and to account for things that came out of the creation process (such as contacts).

[ Spoiler ]

He was born to a Kyrgizstani whore of the Vory z Zakone, a nameless woman brought over to work as a sex slave in one of their many brothels. He doesn't know her name, doesn't know how he avoided being aborted. He certainly doesn't know who his father was, its doubtful anyone does. What he remembers is that he lived a somewhat quiet, benevolently neglected existence in a big, dark house filled with people. He remembers something terrible happening, though he is fuzzy on the details as he was very young, and he remembers being chased from the house and locked out. After a few miserable days of starvation he fell in with a gang of feral street kids of mixed origins where he learned the streets, learned to survive.

That is where he got the name Maus, one of the older kids gave it too him.

Life is hard for feral children, as hard as it is on anyone in the barrens. Meaner Ghouls prey on them for food, as do some of the wild critters, feral dog packs and the like. They survive without shelter, hunting rats for food, scavenging and stealing whatever they can. They are little better than smart animals, and many people, including gangs, consider them nothing more than vermin.

So it was that an Orkish gang known as the Dog Boys wiped out Maus's little pack one day, as these things go. Like a lot of gangs, they didn't mind taking in some of the older survivors as potential recruits. Sort of. The Dog Boys main activity was running dog fights. Dog fights, cock fights, rat fights... anything they could get people to sit down and watch, and bet on. The bloodier the better. They had no intention of adding some half starved, snot nosed pink brats to their gang, but making them fight each other? That was money.

Maus's first fights were against his own brothers. They were to the death. He was 10. Maybe. Later they pitted him against dogs. As long as he won, he stayed alive. As long as he made them money they treated him alright, like a prize animal. He lived in a cage, was trained, well fed, even rewarded for his victories. Training was inhuman, discipline was absolute, and Maus was a champion.

He survived four years, until Lonestar broke up a fight after learning some corp citizens, slumming for the bloodsports had been killed over gambling debts and came in with a vengence. Maus was still in the pit and he was sentenced to three years for aggravated assault at the Port Orchard Pit. He hadn't won yet or his sentence would have been much worse.

Once in the prison, essentially a giant walled yard with minimal facilities within and all important services built into the walls. The incarcerated Dog Boys wanted to keep Maus under their thumb, the Humanis prison gang wanted him to join their gang. Maus shocked everyone by simply refusing to do anything. That sort of thing never goes over well, and despite the fact that the guards really only cared that the prisoners didn't murder one another, sent someone to shank the upstart. Maus, operating on finely honed instinct killed him. Despite the Self Defense plea, he got 6 months of Solitary confinement with mandatory SIM immersion in a psychotherapy SIM. The plan was for 8 hours a day, but since no one was paid to care, he spent the entire period on a medical tray with his brain being pumped full of psychotropic commands.

Despite the brutality of the treatment, its the only reason Maus is able to function even remotely as a human being instead of a beast.

Once out the Guards recruited him for their own amusement to fight in the 'pit' in the prison yard. They 'taught' him, typically with shock rods, that obeying them, and not killing his opponents, were good things. The rest of the time he spent with the old yard birds, the lifers that no one cared about, who were beyond the prison gang set. They became, for a time, his new 'gang', they were just as happy to have the strapping young fighter to stand up for them against the occasional harassment.

After his three years were up he was released with a shiny new barcode tattoo of his criminal SIN on the back of his right hand, and utterly unequipped for the free world quickly found himself back in the barrens, where he fell in with the Brickhouse Boys, who wasted little time jumping in the bruiser. Not having much use for a pit fighter, they put him to work in one of their Chop Shops, where he put skills learned in the 'prisoner training program' to work for all the wrong reasons. One of his other duties was to go around and shake down Pimps for the BB's cut, and on multiple occasions to apply some pain to one who was a little to rough with his girls. Maus became a pretty regular face to the various working girls in that part of town, and a somewhat welcome one.

But Maus was a creature of habit, an animal learning to become a man by imitation, and he missed the fights. So while the rest of the Brickhouse Boys were partying it up, he could be found in gutted warehouses and overgrown lots fighting people for money, for a cut of the bets on him, or even because his 'manager', Gregor thought someone needed some hurt on them and was willing to pay for the priviledge. As long as Maus shared the wealth, the rest of the gang were cool with it.

Of course, like any ganger, Maus did lots of things, mostly things involving muscles and pain. Sometimes he did it because the gang needed muscle, sometimes he did it because Gregor told him to. He did home invasions, rumbled against other gangs with his brothers, and commonly was the goto guy to get rid of a body. That's when Maus got the chainsaw. Its also how he met 'Tock' a relatively intelligent ghoul who happened to speak Maus's mother tongue exclusively, and a great way to get rid of unwanted meat, no questions asked.


* NOTE* Nearly everything that follows from this point is written from the assumption that the Crash/Event that shattered most or all of the feeder gangs occur at some point in the past, as the game is already on going. I have no intention of stepping on GM toes, and if inappropriate it can be viewed as a guideline of how he WOULD act if other PC's did not get involved. The only thing I foresee needing a 'rewrite' if that view is taken is establishing a more solid historical link to Gracie, the 1/1 hooker contact, the work of moments.

However, even if that is the case, and the following is best ignored, I should point out that full description of the character physically and psychologically, along with a very brief summation of the core concept and theme of the character all follow at the end. *END NOTE*

It was during one of these side jobs that the Brickhouse Boys got burnt out. All he knows is that he came back to the chopshop where he lived and worked and found it a burnt out wreck. None of his calls to other members of the gang were answered, and no matter where he looked, he couldn't find them. Being a creature of near obsessive habit, along with being highly conditioned to look to his leaders for instructions, Maus fell into a routine of patrolling the Brickhouse Boys former turf, crashing with an endless sea of faceless prosituites or sympathetic souls. He also turned to Gregor for more work than ever, more fights. Not quite willing to accept Gregor as a 'leader', he managed to avoid attaching himself to the old man like a lost dog, barely.

One of Maus's regular stops is one of the few Brickhouse Boy 'family' he could find, Gracie. Her full time pimp was among the presumed dead, and she needed protection from the sharks. Maus needed 'family' for guidance and an uncomfortable arrangement formed. Maus seperates the world into to catagories, people who give him orders, and people he can Hurt. Gracie stands with one foot in each world... as the only surviving BB he can find, she is his default leader, as a hooker and incidentally someone who is utterly incapable of hurting him, she's definitely someone he could hurt. Worse, since Maus tends to mimic the behavior he sees, he knows he's supposed to order her around, maybe slap her some, and take her money. However, he doesn't know how to take charge, no one tells him when he's supposed to slap her, and when he does take her money its entirely at random because he never learned how pimps do it. And since Pimps are REALLY someone he's supposed to hurt, he's very uncomfortable trying to be one.

Gracie, for her part, doesn't like hooking much, doesn't want a pimp and doesn't much feel like taking care of a lummox, much less letting him take her hard earned money whenever he feels like it. On the other hand she does need him to keep the real bastards at bay, and occasionally, very occasionally, she feels sorry for him. And for all his faults he's far from the worst pimp she's had, though when he comes to her bleeding and unwilling or unable to fix himself up, or he spends the night with her, interfering with her life or work, she really tends to resent him.


Maus is a near OCD creature of habit. He has several identical pairs of pants, all carefully cleaned and pressed. Several identical belts and at least two identical pairs of highly shined black leather work boots. that is the utter sum of his wardrobe. Lacking any other motivation he rises each day at the same time (an hour before dawn) and walks the exact same route around the Brickhouse former territory, and at nearly the exact same time everyday, at the exact same spot outside the burnt out chop shop he freezes for less than a single second in mid stride before continuing on, usually ending in the same empty lot where he waits, unmoving, until Gregor, or anyone, shows to offer him work, a fight, or even simple coversation. If no one shows he waits until the sun rises (or a close approximation, this is Seattle after all) before moving on.

Through the day he'll typically make the same stops, talk to the same people if they are there, even repeat verbatim the simple conversations he has.

It is important to realize that this is not an actual compulsion, but simply the only way he knows how to act in the absence of family, in the absence of a leader figure(s). It is a holding pattern. And it is not as inflexible as compulsion. At some point in the day he'll decide to make arrangements for the night's lodgings. At some point in the day one of the dozens of nameless children in the hood will swing by with a couple of dead rats or a cat for his food in return for money or a favor. He'll do odd jobs that people ask of him, ranging from the benign (fixing a car, putting shingles on a roof) to the diabolic (torturing a man to death for whatever reason), though he knows enough never to do it for 'free'. As lives go, its remarkably similar to the life he lived with his brothers.

It should be noted that he is almost impossible to provoke into random violence. A direct attack will earn a direct response, and orders are obeyed as a general rule, but even the greatest provocation only spurs him to look around for someone to tell him what to do. Even when violence is expected of him he will wait, straining at a leash only he can see until someone says 'go'. Anyone will do, its the permission he needs. Luckily almost all organized fights have someone to start them...


Maus is a distinctive figure wherever he goes. Tall enough to look a grown Ork in the eye and muscular enough to arm wrestle them, he is a huge slab of carved meat. The 'Star' electrochemically removed all of his hair as part of their delousing program, and he never thought to have it reversed. A nearly pure protein diet as a child, and the 'training' the Dog Boys gave him ensured he grew up big. He looks to be about 20 or so, though he doesn't know his own age, and depending on the angle could pass as any number of ethnic types. Kyrgiz are swarthy asiatic types, and whatever his father was levied it enough that he could be just about anything. Not that its uncommon in 2070, or in the barrens in particular. So nobody much worries about where this 'not quite dark, not quite asian' human came from, they hear his thick russian accent and that's all they care about. Aside from a shockingly small collection of battle scars, he has only two distinctive marks: the Criminal SIN barcode on his right hand, and a vulgar phrase in cyrillic down his left forearm.
He is moderately handsome and graceful for his bulk.

His look, as it is unchanging, is pretty recognizable as well. He wears heavy duty work pants, baggy to allow for easy movement, belted (black synthleather and steel buckle) and shiney black stomper boots. That's it. Regardless of rain or cold or even fights. His eyes are often hidden behind mirrored shades, and when he's fighting or doing such nasty business as home invasions he'll strap on a face mask that looks like a post industrial hockey mask made of ballistic resin and hammered iron. These days he is rarely found without his truly ancient duffle bag, so old its original color is hidden entirely under greasy oily stains, black and wretchedly filthy. It contains exactly three baseball bats (one of wood, one of aluminum and one of polycarbonate resin... added to the game in 2034...), his favorite weapon, and one he is a near master of. He can occasionally wax poetic about the virtues of each material, the sound they make against bone, and so forth, but he prefers to reserve that for when it is needed. He also carries his chainsaw, great for doors, rough 'chop jobs' on cars when speed is more important than value, and the turning the occasional body into ghoul chow. it also has some plastic bags, both empty and full of his very neatly pressed pants.

It also has his battered old Warhawk and a single bullet. This is purely a 'motivational tool'. He has no idea if it even works, but he does know that making a show out of slotting the bullet, spinning the chamber and pointing it is wonderful at getting people to do what he wants. He has never thought that he might use it to actually shot someone deliberately.

He speaks slowly, with great deliberation, and with a lot of clipped words, particularly in English. In Russian, he is still slow and careful but the words flow quite a bit smoother. In some ways his English is like his movements, lacking extra flare and very deliberate. Maus still has a habit of keeping his movements to a minimum to avoid 'discipline'. He will never move his arm if just his hand is enough. This only looks a little odd. In fights he uses bursts of movement alternating with stillness as he waits for an opening or an attack, though he becomes almost balletic in the ring when he does move. He is utterly sure of himself and fearless.

When fighting unarmed, Maus is a pure grappler. Only rarely does he actually hit or kick anyone, and then only to soften them up. He has been known, when the occasion calls for it, to simply fold his opponent up until their bones break, up to and including necks and spines. With a ball bat, or other club, he is a surgeon, taking them apart with precision developed over hundreds or even thousands of fights.


The Character was started from the pure concept of 'pitbull on a leash'. Those four words fairly sum up the essentials of the character. As the concept was fleshed out, and the character written, a theme was added. That theme is easily reduced to 'The Animal learns to become a Man'. As this is already MUCH longer than I anticipated, I will leave off trying to explain every single facet of the character as built in an earlier post (why first Impression, why put points in Edge, why Incompetent with Computers and what does that mean...) unless asked to.

[Neuntöter]

another one of my "May i... , Can i... , Is it possible to..." questions. *coughs*

Is it possible to withheld Bps at the beginning in order to "buy up" a connection later in the game? Or should that be done with Karma?

I decided to use Maximillian Stuckie as a potential later Rp hook. To custom-tailor Will a Actioneer Business Suit "Kingsgate Edition". Or something along those lines.

If he can ever get enough money for that.

[Dantic]

another one of my "May i... , Can i... , Is it possible to..." questions. *coughs*

Is it possible to withheld Bps at the beginning in order to "buy up" a connection later in the game? Or should that be done with Karma?

I decided to use Maximillian Stuckie as a potential later Rp hook. To custom-tailor Will a Actioneer Business Suit "Kingsgate Edition". Or something along those lines.

If he can ever get enough money for that.

I would say why not just buy it anyway and role-play it in later, if it's going to be a new intro I'd guess you're only making him a loyalty of 1 "just biz", of course if you let him tailor make you a suit he might be a little more loyal following the process, since it's what he realy wants to be doing instead of stitching up gangers and gang colors.

[Slipshade]

Unless WR1 says differently - No you can't save BP. I would guess that all contacts after character gen will have to be roleplayed out and have Karma spent on them.

[Vegas]

Actually guys, if you're using existing NPC's (i.e. those on the wiki) as contacts while building characters I'm going to ask you to stop actually.

WR and I had a discussion about it when trying to come up with connection ratings for the various NPC's and the rationale is thus; one, it kinda frustrates us to see you guys "wimp" out so to speak on things like contacts and gimp them from someone else's work and not put the effort other PC's put into their contacts/NPC's and still gain the "benefit" from them. Two and even more importantly, WR's got plans cooking in the wings for some/a lot of those NPC's and it is gonna suck for him to have to scrap them because someone bought "Wally the Beer Guy" up to a Loyalty of 6 or something insane like that. Not saying you can't have RP or interactions with the NPC's, we'd just prefer them NOT to be contacts for PC's in this game.

Basically we'd like to see you guys all come up with your own personal contacts for your PC's. If there's overlap between an existing NPC or PC's contact so be it. There's not just ONE fence in Kingsgate, or a street doc, or whatever. Just as those NPC's are not the ONLY characters in the 'Gate (well duh, right?) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) So don't worry about coming up with something similar to someone in play already, just make contacts that are true to your PC's. That's all we're asking for right now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Eyeless Blond]

Ahhh... okay. The reason I was considering it was that I thought it would make things simpler for you GMs, so that we didn't all have 2-5 completely different NPCs attached to our names. If it's actually harder on you for us to share contacts, then by all means we'll all have separate ones; that's no problem at all.