@silentsophia
I'm in that situation myself, trying to get a new job and all that set back up. It's pretty crazy and hectic. Also, maybe it's just me, but if one thing happens that's unexpected (like car issues or something), it creates like a Charybdis of worry.
This is pretty specific, but just because you live in an old town neighborhood that's escaped the rest of the city's gentrification and still manages to have a lot of the old cultural landmarks ("and quirky stores and awesome brewpubs and good music venues and I can't even") does not make you better as a human being. It makes you an asshole for bragging about it.
@Cobaltasaurus
Mix that with people who haven't learned basic hygiene skills and/or douse themselves in patchouli oil, along with the vague clinging scent of pot smoke, and you've got your average MAX line ride.
PLOT TWIST: I did. Which was weird, because I'm straight and don't know him.
I've got Torchlight 2 as well and would be down for this sometime! My steam name is soma_satori, and I'm pretty sure my Runic games name is probably some variation of somasatori/soma_satori. You'll never guess what my XBOX gamertag is.
What about Dwarf Fortress: The MUSH?
At least then it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to become sickened by miasma, slip on your own vomit, lose your will to keep going on, then go into a prolonged depression followed by homicidal rage.
omg that is super cute. it would go so well with my winter tops.
But seriously, that's pretty awesome, SS. Everyone on this topic is all kinds of right crafty.
They also use The Tiny a few times, which was a cool band before people started getting into them.
Edit: That knee-jerk reaction brought to you by living in Portland too long. Jesus.
Unfortunately, Pushbutton doesn't seem to work properly on my phone. I did Pushbutton updates for the main NodeBB site, set a few high traffic forums as watched (as per the app's specifications), and all I get are a shitload of updates through my email. According to the NodeBB co-founder:
@julian said:
@kud In short, we build NodeBB with mobile devices in mind -- nobody should have to use an app just to browse a forum.
I don't want to say anything inflammatory, so I mean this in the best way possible: NodeBB is designed to make Tapatalk (and other apps like it) obsolete.
It does work for me on Chrome; my OS is Jellybean (specifically 4.1.2) on a Nexus. I'm not sure what device you're using but you might try backing up your files and contacts and doing a reset, then make sure to do all updates. There could be a configuration setting that's causing issues.
@Coin
I have nothing more to say on that than "yes, all of this." It should be directly placed into the news/theme files for criminal PCs that you should be ready to deal with all of that.
@Coin said:
If you want to come into the game playing a drug dealer, that's great. If you want that dealer to deal in a place where there's already deals going down, you're going to either have to find a way to ingratiate and integrate, or you're going to have trouble. The key is to remember that both of these possibilities are roleplaying experiences, and running from one or the other isn't going to get you RP.
Exactly. If you're coming into an area, you need to either establish a reputation through going against the current structure (which, unless you have friends or supernatural powerz, will likely get you killed), or be willing to use the current structure for your own means until you have enough clout to branch off (again, which will likely get you killed).
Either of those are incredibly good ways to build your character. Nothing in the criminal world exists in a vacuum. You will ALWAYS be on someone else's territory, and you will always be running up against antagonism from the police and from your fellows. Even if you're part of an established organization, many criminal organizations dislike one another. While there can be situations where they'll work together -- especially with ethnic organizations, this can't be overstated; in the United States, ethnic communities are still isolated bastions of the old world and if you're a white dude selling coke in Little Saigon, you're going to get some negative attention from the locals -- there are far more rivalries.
How do you deal with that? Using the old GM/Storyteller gem: what do you do?
It also depends on what kind of crime you're using. Traditional street crime is done off-the-cuff, and usually by people that aren't professional criminals (which is generally a rarity). The people who are professional criminals (using the term extremely loosely) are doing what they do to get by, and a lot of it is pretty petty. While dealing drugs and theft doesn't seem petty to the people doing it and the people it's done to, these are typically low-end criminal activities that don't really earn much attention. They can ruin your life, certainly, since if you steal over a certain amount or are caught dealing/carrying over a certain amount it counts as a felony which fucks up your life in ways most people don't realize (even then, when I was a DoJ agent, we had a list of businesses that would still hire felons to ensure that there was a light at the end of the tunnel financially, plus advocacy programs).
Your organized crime like the 1%ers, various mobs and cartels and the whole smorgasbord of ethnic and local groups that make a business out of horrible fucking shit we do to one another on a day-to-day, operate differently. A good example is "The Wire," with the Barksdale organization. Crime, unfortunately, does pay pretty well. You'll notice that most of the low-end street characters fit the description above - and it's true, a lot of people end up in over their heads with groups like that. You see it with teens and the like that end up getting addicted to drugs or out on the street or escape an abusive situation or any number of things that leave them high and dry, so they have to resort to moving product (drugs, stolen merchandise, working cons) or selling themselves (though this is generally not something someone goes into on their lonesome, usually there's a handler or a partner involved). While there is a way back from that, it's genuinely unpleasant and usually involves institutionalization. A lot of the street dealers are expendable, which is also the point.
To bring this back into focus regarding the hobby -- also keep in mind that this is very US-focused -- if you're playing a low-level street dealer, hooker, thief or even muscle, you shouldn't expect to have much status among the community. Most people would rarely have heard of you, and usually if anyone knows who you are, it's limited to a neighborhood unless you hit the headlines with your name or do time. Something that should probably be taken into consideration would be a reputation system, which would work outside of any sort of status system. Where status is like rank, your reputation is your social currency. People might know you're the dude to get horse from and what you sell is relatively clean, but it doesn't necessarily mean you're automatically in with the cartel that's supplying it. It just means that you'll have more scrutiny from the police (because confidential informants will probably tell them, if they don't find out when one of your customers gets busted), and more scrutiny from other people who would prefer that you give your business to them.
If you're playing a character that's higher tier in their organization, you also should realize that you're pretty expendable as well. Most high profit criminal merchandise (drugs, cheap knockoff shit that breaks patent law, stolen goods and vehicles, people) is trafficked into the United States (or from one state to another), it rarely originates here. The things that are produced in the United States are usually trafficked out to other countries unless someone is running a solo business. To get from point A to point B, you need someone on either end. As a for instance, my state has a problem with drug trafficking organizations that originate from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia (the last count was around 35 international groups, if I recall), and production cycles of methamphetamine occur out of the state and are usually brought in. So, you've got the dude that's running the operation elsewhere (either out of the country or out of the state) and the guy that's facilitating the transfer of material into the area. That second guy, while useful, isn't the only person that could do this. If compromised, production and distribution won't cease. It may slow down for a good few months, but it'll kick right back up like nothing happened.
So, in playing a criminal character, the idea that you're really not all that special and someone else could do your job just as easily as you could should be reinforced. In running a Crime sphere, you should also focus on things like ensuring that the PCs have communication lines within their DTOs or rings. Ideally, you would have a core group of storytellers that would focus on interpersonal stories since you kind of have to look at a criminal PC as you would any other PC with a job. You will rarely RP out a scene where your character is doing data entry at his office; as such, you will just as rarely RP out your drug dealer PC selling cocaine, heroin, prescription drugs, meth, etc. It's background noise. So, the focus should be on criminals working together. Yes, it's understood that your character is a drug dealer/hitman/car thief/whatever, but how does s/he get along with her/his superiors? That should be the focus of the sphere, with the occasional scene done where you have a specific thing you need to do, such as run muscle during a production cycle (which is a fancy term for when someone brings something into the area) or if you need to grab a specific car or kidnap someone or whatever. Most of it should be attempting to jockey for favor with your boss, like in a regular job.
My final thought on this is that thematically, crime is very similar to how WoD Vampire functions. People are possessive over what scraps they manage to pull together. While there are quite a few people who will work together for the good of the organization, there are just as many people who would kill you or sell you out for a piece of your pie, either due to jealousy or simple greed. Anyhow, that's all. And also extremely long. Sorry for that.
@GunbunnyFuFu said:
Kaden@Depraved Creations (I can't remember this bit for the life of me, but the SO says I was there..Euthanatos Mage) - No Longer Active
You certainly were there. You were my Etherite's best friend and Cabalmate. Remember Samantha?
My only craft skill is carpentry. I do kind of want to try it while I'm RPing, considering the above suggestion re: knitting between poses.
<OOC> Sorry for the delay, I was sanding a chair.
@Coin -- I really want to see that.
In regards to Asian criminal syndicates, if you haven't seen it, check out Election. It's a foreign film if you don't mind subtitles. Anyway, I would totally play the shit out of a Hong Kong-based Directional Court Changeling crime game.
Another interesting thing to do with that would be to set it in the late eighties/early nineties, before Kowloon Walled City was taken down. The cool shit you could do with KWC and Changeling is pretty much endless.
Combine this:
Supernatural Mafia (supers, illegal crime, and the cops may be TFV)
With this:
Modern Changelings in Hong Kong (with the Directional Courts only)
...and you'd have an awesome crime war game with opposing Freeholds being different Triad organizations.
According to the NodeBB forums, Pushbullet would be the best choice, though it needs to be added as a plugin for the forum in MuSoapBox's configuration settings to allow notifications from it. It'll show upvotes, replies, and new responses on boards you're watching/speaking on. I'm testing it right now, but I'll report back regarding its functionality.
@Coin said:
I would do away with the compacts and conspiracies and then let storytellers make NPC monsters with the Dread Powers from "Mortal Remains" (which is the book you were referencing). Let each individual hunter decide what their moral compass is regarding killing and not killing monsters.
This little compact blurb is a great idea and a fantastic suggestion. Keeps the Killin' The Monstarrrs thing, but also keeps the pathos mentioned in some of the splats.
@Glitch -- I'd suggest Blackbirds and Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig, if you haven't read them. Also, it's not fantasy, but House of Leaves is personally my favorite novel. It's a bit hard to get into at first, but you're a smart guy; it's a horror novel. Outside of that, I'm pretty sure you've read American Gods and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman; if you haven't, they're amazing.
Hm. Oh, Michael Shean's Wonderland books: Shadow of a Dead Star and Redeye. Loosely connected is another book called Bone Wires. Also very good. He's a former MU*er as well and a friend of mine. It's cyberpunk, not fantasy.
There are probably more, but I can't think of any right off the bat. I'll second the Scalzi suggestion by @Darinelle and the other suggestion by @Coin. The Death-Gate Cycle is really good.