Those that read my posts know that most of my thoughts come from way off, so here's another from left field:

What if in an area (or town depending on the run) were controlled by street sams. Not a few loner types, but a "gang" of organized street sams taking orders from a leader.

Those that know history know that the original samurai were warriors in the employ of a daimyo (who were in turn in the service of the shogun - most of the time). There were of course "ronin" or masterless samurai - is this where that name keeps coming from???

Anyway, getting back to my thought, what if several sams decided that they were tired of doing things on their own and decided to follow the lead of a charismatic and very able daimyo. This "gang" could be anything from an organized crime nightmare, to people who really want to make a positive difference in their 'hood with the daimyo serving as a a combo judge and police commishoner (sp?).

Just some late night ranting....

Let me know what you think.

- theartthief

So what differentiates this "gang" from, well, a gang?

Depends on how you want to define 'street sam'. If you want to define street sam as a PC lvl cybered killin machine, then there might not be enough of them to make a gang (3-5 guys is hardly a gang).

Then isn't that 'this group of pcs who wants to do gang-type things'?

The real 'power' in a gang of street sams would mostly be in thier lack of 'dumb-ass' factor that normal gangs have in spades.

And the extreme competence in their ability to back it up.

What if these samuria set up fuedal system in the barrens? A whole cast system? Peseants to do their labor, deckers as the "financial advisers" or local governers, mages as "spiritual advisors" or local governers, and artisians of sorts to make things for them, things could go on from there. Warring clans going after each other only teaming up to fight the Oni or Giajin (other gangs)? Then they set out to do all the fixing in the area, hiring out their Samuria or deckers to other "Lords" (a.k.a. corps or diamyo they have put into place). The samuria would do the bidding of their masters in turn for payment, either money, gear, or a fiefdom in the world they are creating. These samuria could also lead "armies" for their masters to take over more land, other sections of the barrens. Then you could get ninja clans to hire and use against rival samuria clans and also do the bidding of masters. If they do it that way they could start leading Barren lands in to a new era of law and order, albeit a fuedal law and order ran society.

If done that way you go the "robin Hood" route to wanting to better the lives of the helpless barrens dwellers, but as power is achieved and handed out, personalities would clash, desires will rise and back stabbign will follow. Which then would lead to organized crime nightmares fighting robin hoods, you would then also get Ronins again fighting to make their pockets bigger, or their master was slain now looking to get revenge. The whole time the back drop of the outside world would be putting pressures on them. Just like real Japan, the diamyos fighting for power, then the west shows up making demands on the Japanese, in this case the wanna be diamyos.

Sounds like fun, I might start writing some of this up for our games.

A "gang" made of Street Samurai is just wasting their resources. They could live better and sleep better hiring out their skills anywhere in the world, such as Palace guards to some dictator. Maybe it'd feel good psychologically (for character or player) to push around weaker people for a while, but gang life is pathetic, and pays next to nothing. If you price your drugs/BTLs higher than other gangs, the customers will just fade away. If you try to push your suppliers for better prices, they'll just take their business elsewhere. If you try to cut out the middleman, you're no longer being a gang, you're cutting into organized crime's racket.

I don't know where you guys are from but drug lords in the US do that sort of thing all the time. They will set up a drug racket that starts on the corner if they are good at what they do they will eventually get stronger and stronger, eventually running the whole neighborhood. Some places are known to be completely run by these drug lords.

If you wipe out your competition then you can set your prices at what ever you like. If you move enough product your suppliers will cut you a deal (past experience).

What I wrote should have ben taken to mean what Austere said. Peseant sure as hell wouldn't be farming, they would be working on their backs or pushing dope on a street corner. They could also run the theft racket in the area. Also if they have the contacts to get ware to fit the stereotypical street samuria archtype, then they could theoretically fence stuff. So a bunch of barren kids would go to them to fence their goods and to pay tribute.

What exactly makes a street sam? Is it all the ware he is sporting or his skills, or his code of ethics? Their are a lot of back stories in the SR universe that shadow posters relay about wannabe street sams, all the gear and no skills, or all the gear and no code of honor. SO what would define a Street Sam in this gang?

Some of the peasants might be farming.

~J

"Fish" Farming to be more specific (It's a huge industry... really.)

im hella gonna run with this idea, as for the why would the sams do it: itll be kinda cult-like, theyre disenfranchised with society etc. then a super charismatic guy comes around espouses these old samurai ideals, which these sams will have already looked up to/revered then he says that its the best system of things, they say yeah. he says lets do it, you guys take this here patch of barrens, make the locals serfs in our drug/chip factories.


the 2 cool factors with this scenario IMHO:

the prevalence of romanticised feudal japanese society in a very cult-like unviable way, making these people all look like loons pretty much

the fact that all the opposition will be hard-core sams, im talking .01 essence with alpha (the higher-ups having beta). This situation will create a huge power imbalance in the sprawl, since these guys will kick the living shite outta all the otehr locals, and could give many other parties a hard run for their money, making it economically unviable for corps/gov to evict them (public dont/know or care anyhow, and maybe you want to make them one of your street level vassels). So the mafia might hire the runners to first snoop out, then discredit them or blow up their factories or whatever.

A book writen by a samurai, in fact one that never fought in a war, and wrote what he thought a true samurai should be like. He romantisized the culture well before samurais were long gone. It could be a real hole filler if you want to give "your" barren fuedal warlords a good feel of the "movie samurai." In fact the author of the book never had a to really live up to the samurai code as it was before he wrote it down. The book also was not meant to be a manual on samurai behavoir, it is thought to be his private manuscript on samurai and letters to friends and family about what he saw in the capital city during his service to his master. It was not until after his death the manuscript was found and then published. Still a very good book on samurai.

Step 1: 5+ runners with a number of contacts in the barrens area and gangs. A group vendetta to the mega corps is a good start too.

Step 2: Play for long enough to have good rep and standing with the gangs and barrens area. Make sure you have a good control over the area. The above mentioned feudal lord system.

Step 3: Before it starts to break down hit a mega corp for a hell of a lot of money. I mean so much they are going to want you deader then dead.

Step 4: When the mega corp comes after you use this money to equip all willing gangs and fuedal troops with equipment to withstand them. Hire in runners and gangs that hate mega corp in question.

Step 5: Enjoy full on war between a mega corp and the streets.

Step 6: Fill out own toe tag and craw into body bag....as it is inevitable that the corp would win.

No, step 6=use the remaining cash to get extremely extensive plastic surgery, a genetic resequencing, and a ticket to South Africa.

~J

This "accidently" happened in one of our campaigns. The feudal description is actually quite apt.

Our crew decided to set up shop in a warehouse. But we decided we wanted the gang in the neighbourhood to operate as a security force for it. So we invited a dozen of them into our warehouse to have a chat with them. Our much enjoyed "paint by numbers" scenario followed.

The Face: "We have decided to pay you a monthly sum of money to ensure the protection of facility."
Gangboss: "Yeah, you'd better believe you'll be paying us 'protection money.'"
Sniper in rafters over radio: "One?"
Gun bunny sitting at desk over radio: "Wait."
Gangboss: "What?"
The Face: "Yes, but we demand and actual level of protection for this sum."
Gangboss: "Well, that's not my problem."
Gun bunny: "Four."
Sniper executes fourth gang member as numbered on entrance with a single silenced shot. Only sound left is the screaming from five due to over penetration...
The Face: "Actually, it is your problem."

The acceded to our demands. We also decided to inspire some fear/obligation in them by delivering the head of their rival gang's boss in a cooler with eleven beers. It was a vicious campaign.

At some point later in the campaign we also equipped their entire gang with ak-97s and ammo. They liked that. We frequently used them to create distractions.

At the risk of harping on CP2020 -- nomad packs are basically what you're talking about.

It seems likely that some samurai managed to carve a chunk of the Barrens out for himself and managed to develop a "feudal" system -- certainly a warlord-esque existence.

And between the "hydroponics 101" skillchips and whatnot, it seems very likely you could conscript some SINless as farmers. Outfit them with "Loyalty" and "Obedience Unto Death" p-fix chips and you've got a crew going.

Especially if you tie a feel-good BTL chip to either of the above p-fix chips as a sort of Pavlovian reward system.

On the other hand, a lot of starving, desperate refugees might just flock to the samurai's "banner" if he can back his play.

And as long as the samurai didn't get himself too noticed by the Corps, the Star or people with guns, and a "don't frag up or we'll have to notice you and squash you underheel" attitude, it might even work.

-Siege

I think it's most likely that a single samurai might take control of an existing gang, as alluded to in the previous post. You're not going to find 20-30 street samurai all in one place, who all happen to share the same code of ethics, and who are all willing to follow one leader (and 20-30 is a rather small gang, by SR standards).

I do like the examples of runners dealing with gangers. Most runners keep safehouses and whatnot in the Barrens, and it's always nice to build good relationships with your neighbors.

You know, in case you need them to feed your cat or something when you go out of town.

On a gang being bullied by a runner line:

this one doesn't exactly fit, because he is a Voodoo shaman. He found a school (abandoned) in the barrens. On the run from his old mentor this shaman has decided to set up his own "church" using the school as a base of operations. I have been going around working deals with "local" businesses and fellow runners to donate time, money nad material to it, also setting up satellite "churches" in store fronts around town to attract wealthier patrons. The college area thogh was my first spot to infiltrate if you will the normal society. Seeig that many kids may need some spiritual guidence. Well bac to the school. I first decided to see who the local war lord/gang leader is. After finding such a man I decided to pay him a visit, with some of my fellow runners in tow. WE made it in no uncertain terms that I will pay "X" amont of money a month to him and him only, not one of his lackies, in exchange that they leave the school alone and provide a safe path from the out side to my school. I made it quit clear I could easily wipe out his gang if he failed to live up to his end. At first I treated him with respect in front of his cronies, but in the back room away from the scum I made my deal. I made sure not to make him lose face in front of his "boys" so he would see I am a fair person and willing to work with him. As I also have rebuilt the kitchen and plane on running a soup kitchen out of it, and try to start a learning center with a health clinic, I gave them permission to come and take part of the facilities as long as they leave the gang shit out side. So far so good, I jst hope the GM doesn't mak some screwed gang thing spill into my school. I he will just to make the game more interesting, I just hope to soon.

On the number of samurai: One is all it takes, maybe a few other 5 or 6 more (I like the whole 7 samurai looking for revenge on the man who killed their master, which were later killed after getting their revenge). After a while though a cult of personality might bloosom, lookat some of the fluff about the Hoodlum Preist that first appeared in Prime Runners, I heard he turns up in a few adventures or other books, I don't remember.

On a side note: Just so you know I have never seen a CP2020 book let alone know about the nomad packs. I just pulled all this stuff out of my hoop. Just a spark of inspiration and the way I see people reacting to a situation. If something comes along that promises to make your life better (it can't get any worse then living in the barrens) people will tend to drift to it in hopes, some will be cinical, Some will be looking for angels, but in truth if something like this happened, I can see a few dozen look in interest and hope, if just a few promises are filled then the hordes will come. Again just idle ramblings and a spark of inspiration from theatthief.

The Seven Samurai

Your small group of samurai might not in itself be a 'gang' in quotes, it could certainly serve as an incredibly strong foundation of a larger gang. People join gangs for a lot of reasons, but very high in the list is security. I'd feel more secure having a group of samurai watching my back than I would a bunch of gangers. But unless the samurai go out of their way not to get them, they'd have plenty of support.

As for why, it seems pretty natural to me. Unless these cyber sams are all the type that get their need for socializing fulfilled by cleaning their weapons or are the type that go to the better sections of town to eat and drink, then return to their hidey hole for sleep only. They don't live in a vaccuum.

If people knew they were samurai, their behavior would alter. Sammies disrupt the food chain. Gang lords are used to being apex predators. Samurai mess with their ego. This makes gang life unstable. One way to settle down the gangs...take them over.

Why form a gang? So that instead of coming home from a run to an empty apartment where you can look cool all alone as you clean your guns <the female solo in Man and Machine> you come home to a bunch of people ready to celebreate your return. Wine women and song. Sex drugs and rock and roll.

I am not saying they wouldn't take over gangs, infact it is inevitable.

I could see sammies carving out a niche in the Barrens, but I don't see them being more than a variety of the usual would-be leader types there. They could push around squatters and maybe claim an area of "turf" from the local gangs, but the second they messed with the corps or the syndicates, they'd be dead meat. Street sammies are not invincible. They can take out a few security guards when they plan it out, but in a stand up fight with security forces, the numbers game will get them. And corporations can field some really nasty enforcers - same goes for organized crime.

A sammie's cyberware only gives him an edge in a confrontation with one or two unaugmented opponents. Sammies have three real advantages: They are usually the agressor (setting the terms of the confrontation), they have a network of street contacts, and after the job they can disappear into the shadows. A sammie who steps out into the open loses the anonyminity of a runner and becomes a target. A sammie who tries to take over or suppress the gangs is on the wrong side of a guerilla war. A sammie who tries to turn a bunch of squatters, whores, junkies, and misfits into a fiefdom will either develop chronic migraines or start becoming the same kind of monster that the criminal syndicates are.

A sammie motivated by idealism would be even worse off - he would be opposed both by the alpha predators of the Barrens and the criminal, tribal, governmental, and corporate factions that have a vested interest in continuing to exploit the denizens of the Barrens. Not that that couldn't become a very interesting campaign, just that the sammie would have lots and lots of problems.

yeah. sams are pretty badass, but ten guys with 4-5 skill using suppressive fire is badasser. seriously, corporations spend billions and billions of nuyen every year trying to improve their defenses, and shadowrunners still manage to get through. what's a 50k-nuyen-a-year bunch of 'runners going to set up, that some corp strike team can't just walk all over on their day off?

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 ?

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?

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.

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?

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

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.

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