I'm curious on how others play or have experienced gang encounters in SR.

Having something of a slow day today, I decided to review some of my source books and expansions. The seattle sourcebook for example talks about the various gangs you would encounter in various sections of seattle, and gives the impression they control significant sections of various highways, areas of commerce etc.

How do you play or have experienced gang encounters? Is it kinda rare, to the point that travelling the highways and roadways of the SR world aren't much different than today's real world (cept with armed checkpoints), or across the range to Grand Theft Auto 3 (regular or vice city) where gangs are pretty much a regular thing to deal with?

based on my extensive real-world experience, i have most gangs perform wacky hijinx like kidnapping each others' gang leaders and shaving their heads. the only way to resolve such altercations, of course, involves shaving the offending gangers' heads in return. on occasion, a midnight tap-dance/singing contest under the streetlights may also be used to settle things.

the SR streets are hard, yo.

Whoa. I don't think my runners could take that kind of graphic violence.

Ahh, but tapping dancing to the rythm of a Ares Crusader can be sooo artistic.