 Organized Street Sams, What if...? |
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 Mar 23 2004, 08:30 AM
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#26
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Canon Companion  Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187  |
Because the guy who set up those defenses used to take down those corp strike teams on his day-offs and elite strike teams when he is paid? Just becuase your sammie is underpaid and overexploited doesn't mean he's not a corp ass kicker. |
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Mar 23 2004, 09:18 AM
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#27
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,314 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lisbon, Cidade do Pecado Member No.: 185 |
All this begs the question - what the hell is a guy (let alone 10) who can afford 100k+ nuyen in cyber doing wasting his time in the Barrens ?
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Mar 23 2004, 09:50 AM
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#28
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Target Group: Members Posts: 96 Joined: 19-August 03 Member No.: 5,523 |
Easy. "I AM the law."
If he's got 100k+ in cyber, it's not like he's going to be able to 'live life' Downtown. The barrens is one of the few places he/she could wander around without much concern about being picked up by the Star, or triggering some sort of security alarm at the local starbucks. We're not talking about running here, but the everyday existence that takes place on those weeks between jobs. Granted, there's a whole other aspect of surviving in the barrens, psycho-nutcase gangs aside, but hey .... that's what the 100k+ of cyber is for, right? |
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Mar 23 2004, 11:16 AM
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#29
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
You play characters that go around killing SWAT-guys and HRT-members as a hobby, eh? Seriously, if your characters don't even blink at slaughtering a few battalions of elite corp special operators, there's something seriously fucked up in your games. And if a corp really, really wanted you dead, they could just hire a few million worth of shadowrunners (8 teams for 500,000Y each, for example) to kill you. And also send those few battalions of elite corp special operators. Such a small community cannot survive an all-out war with the corps, no matter what they do. Nope, nuh-uh, never. It's questionable whether they could even manage to piss a corp off enough to care about their little feudal anti-utopia. |
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Mar 23 2004, 11:33 AM
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#30
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,213 Joined: 10-March 02 From: Back from the abyss. Member No.: 2,316 |
Gangs create little fiefdoms all the time in RL and in SR, so why not a sammie gang? The sammie gang would be no different then an all troll gang or an all mage gang. I don't see why a few people think if a hand full of Sams get together and try to take over a bit of the barrens, it would cause the world to shift on its axis and bring down fire and brimestone. So what a few sams creat their own little world making the non-existent poor their slaves in the Sams Utopia, what would a corp even care? What would the government even care? Why would anyone care? That is of course no one would until the sams get to big for their britches. As for the Organized crime groups, why would they care? Where do you think the sams would get the wonderful toys? The mobs would be getting their cut, unless the sams decided to cut out the middle man and either boost the stuff themselves (or their slaves) or they make contacts with smugglers, which the mob would still get their cut on the front end. Either way the Sams I would think wouldn't raise too much of an eyebrow, until they do something really stupid, not just be in exsistence.
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Mar 23 2004, 04:10 PM
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#31
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,013 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
That's probably also true for most of the more signficant areas of the corp security systems. ~J |
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Mar 23 2004, 04:53 PM
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#32
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
Why not? if he's got the cash for a high lifestyle, he's competent and doesn't leave behind tissue samples and noone's ever seen his face or any distinguishing characteristics there is no reason he can't live in a high lifestyle penthouse as long as he can afford it. That's the bonus that anonymity gives you. Also known as a competent Shadowrunner.
Incidentally it was directly quoted in Corporate Shadowfiles or the Corp Download that the shadow community only exists because the corps allow it to exist. If the corps decided to actually end all Shadowruns they could eradicate the entire community very, very easily. This is not a game of the little man making good against the big evil coproration. It's a game of the little felon doing jobs for multinationals against other multinationals that pay his bills in exchange for his skills as a hardened criminal. The scenario described here is not that of a gang, it's pretty much entirely organized crime. Yak style neighborhood protection racket. In SR you don't want to stewp on the toes of organized crime because they have their own SR's that you can assume are at least as good as you, and they likely can way, way outdo you in numbers to boot. |
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Mar 23 2004, 05:22 PM
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#33
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,213 Joined: 10-March 02 From: Back from the abyss. Member No.: 2,316 |
What toes would they be stepping on in the barrens?
No one is runnign a protection racket in the barrens except gangs. Like also said earlier, the mobs would be benefitting from a tougher gang. The mobs use gangs as proxies in mob wars, why should Vinny Greaeball kill his own goons when he has thoes low life punks on a hook looking to make the big time? |
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Mar 23 2004, 06:09 PM
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#34
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916 |
In a face-to-face confrontation, sure. But all it takes is one, unagumented kid with a satchel charge to seriously ruin 100k in cyberware. And if the samurai piss off too many gangs, it'll be a horde of kids with satchel charges and so on. They have an edge, to be sure, but the gangs have their own advantages to be sure. -Siege |
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Mar 23 2004, 06:12 PM
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#35
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,013 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
You don't mean kids, you mean dwarves.
'Minds me, I'd like to see the sammies that could stand up to the Red Hot Nukes. ~J |
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Mar 23 2004, 06:12 PM
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#36
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
If organized crime could make any meaningful profit in the barrens with this type of thing they would already be doing it. This is the type of thing they do.
Im mainly trying to get the point across that this is not a gang. This idea is several steps remoived from what a gang is. This is far closer to a yakuza preotectorate. |
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Mar 24 2004, 05:50 AM
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#37
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,405 Joined: 23-February 04 From: Honolulu, HI Member No.: 6,099 |
I wonder if it would require significantly more care and patience than a group of wired up samurai would have.
You'd probably have to rule out the sams being the wired reflex types, even with reflex cutoffs, they'd be used to living life on the edge, wired and fast. The process of setting up a little kingdom might be agonizingly slow to their perception. At any rate, I imagine the group of sams would be better off trying to absorb an existing gang in exchange for their skills and superior technology. They'd have to be low key, or decide to align with one of the existing powers in the Barrens. I believe Sprawl Survival Guide or Seattle sourcebook (probably seattle) mentions that the Barrens is a hotbed for would be yak and mafia enforcers who want to claw their way out by joining one of the various syndicates. You'd also likely have to deal with a bunch of young would-be's for the syndicates trying to up their cred by tackling this new fiefdom of the sams. On the other hand, it might work if the sams (or whoever) started small. Not enforcing or imposing their will, but quietly attracting those who WANT to be a part of their 'gang'. Even still, eventually you'll have to deal with the approaches of the syndicates as they feel you out and try to convert or subvert your operations. |
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Mar 24 2004, 12:57 PM
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#38
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916 |
I think it depends on the nature of your operations -- yaks and similar "organized" crime wouldn't mess with a group in the Barrens just to pick a fight unless they felt threatened in some fashion.
Street gangs, on the other hand, probably would for fun or to test the mettle of the new kids on the block. (augh! bad songs!) Mind you, this is strictly from the "I'm setting up a perpetual rave with a peasent farmers and my own support system" mentality. -Siege |
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