The Infamous Bags & Bagmen, Way of the Gun in 2072 - whats in the bag?! Options

[noonesshowmonkey]

A trope of every crime drama is the inevitable 'bag of money'. American Gangster has a scene where the main character discovers a trunk containing several hundred thousand dollars and, as an officer of the law, must turn the money into the evidence room. Problem is, he is part of the dirty, filthy NYPD in the 1960s and 70s. By not taking a taste, he not only screws himself out of a 50 footer and a nice house in Florida, but ensures that he will never have a partner again.

Way of the Gun has a whole series of scenes dedicated to the troped Bagmen of the crime drama.

The Wire has scenes based around DEA money going native after a sting operation goes south.

Problem is that 2072 Shadowrun doesn't really use cash anymore. This makes no sense to me. Having come back recently from the developing world - a close analogue to the underclass in SR4 - I can say that the only currency used is hard, dirty cash. I realize that SR4 has the certified credstick, but even that, so the book says, is going the way of the do do. There are passkeys, hard drugs, BTL chips...

What is in your brown bags / locked briefcases / spare tires?

Does your SR universe have hard currency still in wide circulation amongst the underclass?

[Doc Chase]

The best kind of untraceable money - Certified credsticks.

[Draco18s]

Certified credsticks.

but even that, so the book says, is going the way of the do do.

[Johnny B. Good]

Alternatively black certified credsticks, which have a minimum balance of 100,000 Nuyen.

[Doc Chase]

Why would any corporation try to phase out untraceable funds? They couldn't pay shadowrunners otherwise.

[Lanlaorn]

They could just wire the money to your numbered one time account.

Also I don't think anyone is "trying" to phase out credsticks, it's just a matter of hardly anyone using them anymore.

[noonesshowmonkey]

Also I don't think anyone is "trying" to phase out credsticks, it's just a matter of hardly anyone using them anymore.

I find that part hard to square with how the majority of the world does business. All of SE Asia, outside of Thailand and other well-greased-tourist-chutes run cash only. You leave the cities and it is cash only. Hell, you go into lower class parts of town here in the US and things rapidly become cash only. Cash is great. Cash isn't going anywhere. Am I crazy?

[Draco18s]

I find that part hard to square with how the majority of the world does business. All of SE Asia, outside of Thailand and other well-greased-tourist-chutes run cash only. You leave the cities and it is cash only. Hell, you go into lower class parts of town here in the US and things rapidly become cash only. Cash is great. Cash isn't going anywhere. Am I crazy?

I can mug you and steal all your cash.

Isn't that great?

[Critias]

It doesn't have to be outright money that's in a bag -- though I'm a big fan of paper scrip, myself -- anything valuable will do. Diamonds, drugs, chips, electronics...

[Mäx]

Problem is that 2072 Shadowrun doesn't really use cash anymore. This makes no sense to me. Having come back recently from the developing world - a close analogue to the underclass in SR4 - I can say that the only currency used is hard, dirty cash. I realize that SR4 has the certified credstick, but even that, so the book says, is going the way of the do do. There are passkeys, hard drugs, BTL chips...

You should really get your hand on Feral Cities, the wholly electric funds think is only true on the first world countries and i would say that even in those only on upper-middle echelons.
In places like chigaco and lagos electronic nuyen is even more useless then a bag full Zimbabwe dollars is today as you cant even wipe your ass with electric currency.

[TommyTwoToes]

APDS rounds work for currency in my book.

I will accept payment in APDS ammo and I will compensate others for their goods with slightly used APDS ammo.

[Doc Chase]

What's in the bag?

A five pound brick of orichalcum.

(I HATE THAT STUFF I CANNOT SPELL IT ARGH)

[CanRay]

Fine, money is gone.

Jewels, artwork, coins made of valuable metal (Or bars for that matter), bearer bonds, truckloads of pawnable goods, beer, food...

In one of my stories, I comment about a Mr. Johnson that hunts for a hobby, and paid a group of Ork Smugglers with deer meat.

[stevebugge]

The use of only electronic funds is one area I seriously break from FLAW (FLuff As Written)

In my game Nuyen is exclusively electronic, but local currency is pretty much still available in notes & coins (BTW Crossing US & Canadian Cash creates a truly hideous hybrid note that is a running joke in our game) and used on the street for minor transactions and (by some types for much larger transactions). Mostly this is a nod to the fact that a Bag of Guns and a Bag of Cash are such classics that removing them detracts from the game more than it adds.

[The Grue Master]

Yeah, I love Feral Cities. We have a huge African hub in our current campaign world and excursions into Lagos are some of the most terrifying/fun times we have. Everyone hates the money and have taken to ironically calling the various trinkets Lagosians call currency 'Uncle Hawala Bucks'. Those things will fill up a briefcase pretty fast (and they rattle!). Another favourite in my group, is a package full of low-yield certified credsticks. You pull out something with 10k Nuyen on it, and it might attract attention. If you ask for your payout in small, easily divideable sticks that makes everything easier and helps keep it low key. Finally, I am a huge fan of the previously mentioned barter culture in the shadows. Why must every shadow commodity being moved about be cash. You can just as easily be paid in weapons, ammo, drugs, alchemical reagents, software or lifestyle commodities, etc. After a particularly grisly run against an organized crime racket in Loveland, my team received no direct payment, just some incredible household appliances that happened to have fallen off the back of a truck.

[Doc Chase]

I am totally using that in my upcoming arc.

'Off the back of a truck,' indeed.

[stevebugge]

Yeah, I love Feral Cities. We have a huge African hub in our current campaign world and excursions into Lagos are some of the most terrifying/fun times we have. Everyone hates the money and have taken to ironically calling the various trinkets Lagosians call currency 'Uncle Hawala Bucks'. Those things will fill up a briefcase pretty fast (and they rattle!). Another favourite in my group, is a package full of low-yield certified credsticks. You pull out something with 10k Nuyen on it, and it might attract attention. If you ask for your payout in small, easily divideable sticks that makes everything easier and helps keep it low key. Finally, I am a huge fan of the previously mentioned barter culture in the shadows. Why must every shadow commodity being moved about be cash. You can just as easily be paid in weapons, ammo, drugs, alchemical reagents, software or lifestyle commodities, etc. After a particularly grisly run against an organized crime racket in Loveland, my team received no direct payment, just some incredible household appliances that happened to have fallen off the back of a truck.

I'm a big fan of payment in stuff too.

Random Tangent, did the section of Lagos Port named Tin Can Island manage to make it in to Feral Cities? The fact they have an entire city region called Tin Can Island probably goes a long way to explaining the trrinkets.

[DireRadiant]

Bag contains mafia bosses surrogate child.

[The Grue Master]

Bag contains mafia bosses surrogate child.

Pre or post fertilization?

Addendum - We did have a story arc where a Yak's tragically sterile wife finally agreed to a surrogate mother, but the surrogate (chosen because of her race and magical proclivities) had an unpleasant habit of walking the ley-lines. Group was sent to the British Isles to try and track her down before 'something' happened to her. Nothing makes a group medic jittery like the thought of an unplanned mid-trimester delivery of a million dollar baby in the middle of Tir wilderness.

[Draco18s]

'Off the back of a truck,' indeed.

I believe it is also referred to in some places as "The Five Finger Discount."

(Virtual hugs if you can name a game this appeared in, bonus points for the race).

[Saint Sithney]

Technically, that's not what the term Bag Man means.

A bag man is the guy who handles all the dirty baggage for a boss who can't afford to be connected to criminal activity.

Mr. J is a bag man.

[KarmaInferno]

I trade you chicken for gun, da?

Is very nice chicken.




-karma

[CanRay]

How many cows did you pay for those rifles?

[TheOOB]

If I'm not mistaken, the UCAS still has paper currency, just very little is a circulation. I could imagine a series of runs about finding a jackpot in bills, then trying your damndest to launder it.

[BobChuck]

I trade you chicken for gun, da?

Is very nice chicken.

A real chicken, made from real meat? sure, have my holdout.