From everything I read in Ghost Cartels, the Verge seems like a pretty dismal place to be: three different gangs fighting wars to control the area (Crimson Crush, First Nations and Dogmen all mentioned), volcanic dust, illegal electrical hook-ups and an area disputed by Metroplex Guard and Salish forces.

And then, low and behold, it is listed as a Low neighbourhood, despite frequent referrals to Asian and Native American squatters, in Runner's Companion.

Is that right?

Please bury this thread as soon as the question is answered, kind moderator.

I wish I had a good answer for you on this one. The description given in Ghost Cartels would probably be more appropriate as an example of the Squatter-class lifestyle than a Low lifestyle, at least to me, but maybe all the money and traffic through the area gives it an unexpected bit of prosperity relative to the rest of the Barrens.

It's a mistake. The Verge should be lumped in with the "Most of Redmond Barrens."

And hence, the reason I have enslaved... er, recruited... proofers.

Ah, thanks, Tigger. I am helping a player create a bit of a background for his new character, and the Verge seemed like a massively convenient place to be from, given how much of the action of GC centres around it, but he did opt for a low lifestyle. I've opted to put him in Auburn, with the family of a factory worker on one side and a fireman's family on the other. Someone in the fireman's family is probably going to be another tempo statistic at some point; poisoned by someone who has cut it with something unpleasant while Dad is at work.

Edit: Is Auburn a suitable spot for a low lifestyle?

It is possible to secure a low lifestyle in the barrens, you just have to bring in the amenities you need and pay the gangs for protection. Sure the neighborhood sucks, but the star won't be breaking down your door either.

Thanks, OOB. I think my guy is happy with where I've put his TM in Auburn. I think putting her right in the middle of all that shite might have been too hot for her, and I don't know how well the Barrens are in terms of being able to access the matrix, something rather important for a TM.