Just an idea I thought I'd toss out, what about an old/abandoned community center/YMCA for the gang hideout?

It could have the following interesting uses/facilities:

- Gym and weight room for obvious reasons
- Pool, possibly empty, could be used for partying or an underground pit fighting arena, in a literal sense
- Various offices and conference rooms for planning nefarious deeds
- Plenty of storage area, usually there's a loading dock or something for them to handle all the weight equipment and such, I'm sure we could think of other uses for it
- They're typically designed to have one main entrance, with secure doors for the rest. With a little effort, we could repair the other doors and use the main one as a security checkpoint, great if we ever at war and need to hunker down for when it gets really nasty
- Lounge/recreational areas are a big part of these things, those are obvious in use
- Usually in community centers they have class rooms and such for classes, which could be turned to use as sacking out space, work areas for those gang members who could use it, especially in technical or magical fields, storage areas, etc.
- Kitchen food area, great for storing beer and for parties, and also in case we are under siege and have to 'go to the mattresses' as the Mafia would say.

That's all I whip out off the top of my head, but the point is there's certainly room for a variety of uses and would make a very viable Gang HQ. It doesn't have to be huge, even a two story average YMCA would have most of the things listed above, if not more. Thoughts?

Yes, it could have foosball. And some places even have pool tables too! Even if not we could always steal one anyway.

Isn't it amusing that with drugs, BTLs, prostitution, alcohol, etc., gangers could still be playing foosball in 2070?

MK ultra- feel free to write in a relationship with Auran. If it's very detailed and lasted over 6 months, sure you could say they did the sex thing. Auran isn't one to give it up that fast if she's actually dating, but hey.... a girl's got needs too. Feel free to write as much as you want, and I may build off of it where I can.

Alright, I've decided. Big bonus for Technomancers over in the houserules under Complex Forms. You guys (doing technomancers) will need to redo your characters, most likely.

Oh, and I reverse an earlier statement. Technomancer software is important for threading. I still don't know if there is a use for techno hardware.

Since we are nearing the start of our nefarious activity…i.e. gaming, I have a few questions in general about ganging in 2070.

On Making Nuyen:

Will we be able to sell drugs at the listed prices? More? Can we get them at a bulk discount?

What does the gang think about running a chop shop? I’d like to steal cars and bikes, but we’ll need a sharp plan/process to move them quickly from “hotter than hell” to either parts or modified enough to not be easily recognized as stolen. I think that stealing cars for this purpose is going to need a techy as well as a mechanic in addition to the person (JJ) directly stealing the vehicle.

Since we won’t be doing the normal “runs”, do we have leeway to create our own activity? I think this goes in to what TG has been saying about everyone creating/developing the story, but I want to know the gang’s position on what can be done without getting gang approval (or maybe it is just Slam’s approval).

Any of you girls up for some prostitution? I’m sure we could get some great rates for you. If not, how about a bait and switch…the mark thinks they are getting you, but instead they get gun in their face and we skate out with their belongings. Of course, video blackmail is an option for some nuyen too.

I’d like to hear some more ideas on ways to make nuyen from everyone else too.

On our Gang:

Are we going to have a tag (besides Felix) or sign or symbol?

Are there any special things we do/don’t do?

Is there a rite of passage to get in the gang? This would mostly apply to new recruits, but we’d have all been through it.

Rite of Passage:

If we're the Railers... you get the tar beat out of you. Then tied up and stuck a freight train headed to the wharfs (west). Oh, and bring us back a nice souvenir from your trip.

Auran is not a prostitute. Seducing rich sleezeballs, and taking their money or their car is not above her however.

Making $$$ - mugging, protection rackets, being pimps, Chop shop, robbing stores, pulling cons, selling drugs, selling btls, stealing trucks off of the 410 (We're like land pirates on that one ), taking over the rest of seattle, stealing from other gangs and selling their stuff (helps us with money and against competition), racing, blackmails, kidnappings, ransoms, or even hostile takeovers of businesses.

On our gang-
We should get a name first, then make a symbol/color scheme.

special things.... umm... we cover each other's backs, and don't mess with each other.

I definitely think there should be some sort of rite of passage. Maybe not to join (we need all the hands we can get for now) but perhaps to be annointed into a leadership/lieutenant role.

Yeah, was just trying it out.

Wish I'd known how to do that earlier, I wouldn't have had to make so many pages for JCS.

Herrow,


I've updated 0day's sheet with his take on others


I think we should make cash as and when we can.

I like the chop shop idea though, and we can extend it to electronic goods (stolen commlink anyone?).

In addition, racketeering from the neighbourhood businesses, a small cut for 'protection' and BTL trade.

Maybe also being hired as muscle/backup.


bladepoet

Put me down for mugging, robbing stores, cons, hijacking trucks, er...just put me down for anything.

But, I really like the idea of hijacking a truck. Serious ! We could buy a ton of drugs with that!

It also probably one of the more intricate and difficult ways of making nuyens... but I think it would be a blast to plan those hijacking. As long as we don't kill anyone (at least not on purpose), Felix is down for anything

Right now, your main revenue stream are from a minor protection racket (you actually do offer some protection, so it's not that much of a racket) and some low grade smuggling. Feel free to hatch some expansion schemes.

Well,

the Mafia used to do alot of hijacking.

The Gambino family comes to mind.

But they had access to the JFK Airport, and more importantly, inside contacts.
They also often had deals with the drivers, paid them off etc.
Not to mention that they had the union's involved in their power etc.

We have none of that, so it'd work a few times before security is stepped up, or even worse, someone is sent after us if we cause too much damage.

I am unsure it's worth it, the risk to gan ratio is too small


bladepoet

On the YMCA
I like that, but I think the hideout should definitly be situated at the stream, so we can enter and leave it by boat! I thought about an old boathouse, but the YMCA could have this feature to, couldn´t it?

I didn't mean to steal every truck or even regularly steal trucks. But if we just stole a shipping truck for a delivery to a dvd store, or one on it's way to restock an armory. That's one HELL of a score.

But on a more faster note, I see that the fastest ways to get money without making too many enemies is running a chop-shop, finding and pimping whores, and selling drugs.

Second phase may be expansion, running cons, robbing stores and hijacking trucks.

Third phase is the big scores. Hard jobs where some of us may have to get an actual job inside, and major teamwork to pull off. (Hostile takeover of other gangs, major kidnaps, and major robberies)

We need to work out the process for chop shopping. Essentially it involves:

+Steal Car
+Get Car to Garage
+Chop Car
+Move Parts/Car

What I think we need to work on clarifying is what skills are needed for each step and then which of us can perform those skills.

It'd be cool if this was a well oiled machine that we could just run cars through on a semi regular basis.

Maybe we should setup a "jobs" page on the wiki and use it to construct a process with all the finer points laid out. We could then continue to add to it as we come up with new jobs (such as, here is how our drug dealing works, or here is the prostitution ring details, etc.).

[edit]What about the Gang Operations page? [/edit]

I expanded a lot of the flavor stuff on Aziz, including the thoughts on others. You should check it out.

Thank you.

Voorhees - Your character thoughts cracked me up. The funniest part is his thoughts on the girls, specifically, the fact that I know a guy exactly like that. Every girl he meets probably has a crush on him. Good stuff Voorhees.

The YMCA idea sounds good.

I've spruced up Santiago's page.

He has a little over 2k left to spend, anyone want anything they couldn't get?

Also - TG - what would the cost be for a real drum kit? Maybe some other gear (guitars, amps, hand-drums, miscellaneous recording gear)?

Sho... write it down.

Someone stick those brass knuckles on the house rules thread under a gear heading. I'd do it, but I'm half-hand typing under a baby.

Use the Shadowbeat pricing for musical instruments. I think about 50-500 nuyen, depending on quality.

Hmmm. TG, what do you think would be a fair price for one of those big, 4 hose hookahs?

Just by the way, as I´m reading Aziz´ thoughts on the others, all these POV´s are very cool and fun to read! more then once!

EDIT: Added the "Liquid Credstick" Liquor Store & Smoke Shop to places.

As for jobs...

Neo has a Shadowrunner as a contact. If the gang gets lucky, they might get some work farmed out to them, though it'll probably amount to "Go to this place, at this time, and cause as big a disturbance as possible."

Haha, indeed.

Ok, I finally finished my character and it's up for review at the bottom of the characters section.. sorry it took me so long to get it together - I've had to modify my character template file as well as fix some goofed up math (Technomancer calculations were missing for some attributes)

Also took me a bit to read up on the differences between the Technos and your average hacker.. still might take a bit to get into the grove of Complex Forms instead of programs (really had to reduce her Matrix Capabilities, so she's weak there) And I won't bother with Sprites till there's a request for them.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

Sweet, I think I've finished in-character comments on everyone.

Would anyone object to me cleaning up the wiki pages, consitifying charts and stuff?

I'm totally seeing a racket for "stealing" street bikes with the racers of the group, especially the women. Think "The Fast and the Furious" kinda stuff, racing for pink slips and the girls targeting the guys who think they can't race for shit and then eating it when they whoop ass.

Outside of the whole smash and grab kind of idea, or jacking the cars/bikes too.

Thoughts?

indeed, with our setup i think it is almost required that we steal vehicles =P

for the record, my new character should still be able to fill in all the roles my old character did =)

skills may be slightly lower though... technomancery is fragging expensive!