"A burnt child keeps away from fire."
Genres:
Modern, crime, slice-of-life, motorcycle gangs
Location/Period:
The Yare Raiders is set in modern/current times, and begins around the Great Yarmouth area (in Norfolk, England). The MC takes its name from the River Yare, which it largely considers to be part of its territory. Much of the local area is rural, particularly as one goes North.
The Setting:
Founded a mere four years ago, the Yare Raiders MC has already gained a strong foothold in the area around Great Yarmouth and the River Yare. Their clubhouse is thriving, their 'security services' are weeding their way into many businesses (both legal and illegal), and locals seem to be slowly beginning to accept them. However the club still has many troubles and it looks like dark times are approaching.
The Club's president, Hector Zelos, recently died in a crash after getting high on heroin and left the club in a state of grieving and confusion. Whilst many expect the Vice-President Matthew 'Axe' Mcfarland to take his place, some have their doubts and no-one really knows who will be voted in as the next President. Understandably this is causing tensions to build, especially on-top of previous personal conflicts within the group. Personal conflicts in the group stem from a number of issues including drug use, club direction, and love affairs.
To make matters worse the clubs main rival (The Norfolk Reapers MC), have recently begun creeping back into Yarmouth after having been previously pushed out. Having previously underestimated the Raiders, the Reapers are using much heavier tactics and seem to have gotten hold of some firearms. On top of this, some of the casual social clubs in the area have begun getting pressure from the Outlaws to affiliate with them. It's more than likely that over the coming months these small clubs will either disband or be patched over by one of the Outlaw MCs.
How will this work?
You will be playing as either a member, prospect or hang-around of the Yare Raiders MC. Whilst much of the RP will revolve around your characters interaction with the club, this RP aims to get a glimpse of the personal struggles that each member faces and so you will be expected to write many independent posts and even, if you wish to, create your own side stories. So for example, you might spend two or three posts writing about a scouting mission then one or two set at your characters home where they're struggling to keep a marriage together.
Two of the buzz words in this RP will be 'Freedom' and 'Democracy'. You have the freedom to make your character go off and do their own thing, and even go against the wishes of the club and other characters (including mine). As the club is a democracy, you and your character have a right to say what you think should happen and what direction the club should take; in fact one of the starting story arcs is about who is going to be the next president (and that doesn't have to be my character).
The Club House:
The Yare Raiders (aka 'Raiders') are based in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. They have a club house just outside of town on the road to Acle. The club house is called 'The Dragons Head' and is a pub that's open to members of the general public most days; with the exception of event days and times of increased trouble. It has a large garage to store bikes and a workshop around the back. The basement, backroom, and first floor are exclusive to club members and supporters. Many hang-arounds and prospects initially begun by becoming regulars at the pub.
The Jacket:
Like with most MCs, members of the Yare Raiders wear biker jackets covered in various patches. The jackets themselves vary from member to member (as the club doesn’t supply the jacket, just the patches). What you can expect to see on a jacket:
Front:
- “Yarmouth” and (below that) “Original” on the left breast
- Rank on the right breast (if they’re an officer)
- Below rank they will have a patch that says either “First X”, “Warrior”, “Raider” or “Prospect”
- A 1% patch
Back:
- A top rocker displaying “Yare Raiders” written in black caps with a white background
- A bottom rocker displaying “Yarmouth” written in black caps with a white background
- The centre patch featuring the MC’s symbol: A black Viking ship with a red highlight
- An MC patch
In addition to this, members might also add other patches and pins. For the most part random additions are frowned upon (but not forbidden), but there are a few that are bestowed for certain reasons. For example: a veteran can add a flag and a gun pin. Hang arounds are not permitted to wear patches, but they can wear items of clothing that show their support for the club (e.g. hats, shirts, etc.). Prospects are given a patch to wear on the front right breast and a bottom rocker, but nothing else until they are fully accepted.
Officer Ranks:
President - The leader of the club, the president has the final say on small matters and matters where a vote comes to a draw. They are the spokesman for the group and are in charge of calling and chairing meetings.
VP - The VP is the second in charge and stands in as the leader when needed. They make sure that things go smoothly and that operations are carried out properly.
Secretary - The secretary is in charge of paperwork and admin. They take minutes during meetings and ensure that everyone knows what is going on.
Treasurer - The treasurer is the clubs bookkeeper and is in charge of the money. They ensure that club members and protection clients pay their dues.
Sergeant At Arms - The Sgt is in charge of the clubs protection and security. They are in charge of the clubs weapons. They also enforce club rules and deal with members who are causing trouble.
Road Captain - The Road Captain is in charge of logistics when it comes to planning routes and rides. They also help the Sgt enforce club rules.
Membership Status:
First X - Those who founded the MC are known as the 'First X' (It'll be a number, not X, when the RP starts)
Warrior - Those who have served the MC for a long period or proven themselves are known as Warriors
Raider - Those who have officially joined the MC and get their patches are known as Raiders
Prospect - Those wishing to join the MC and have potential are called Prospects. They wear a jacket and get involved in operations.
Hang-around - Those who are friendly with the club are known as Hang-arounds. They may hang around the club house or go on the occasional ride but won't really take part in anything business related. They may go onto become prospects.
Business:
The club earns money in three main ways: Through the club house and workshop; through protection; and through moving drugs. The Club house is completely legitimate and earns enough in and of itself to just about keep the club afloat. The workshop makes a slight loss when considering that the money it earns goes straight back into the club's own vehicles. The club offers protection to various businesses and individuals in the rural areas of the county, often because they can get there way faster than the local police. Some of the protection they offer is clearly extortion, but for the most part this isn't the case. The club also provides some internal security in a few local clubs where backrooms are used to store and sell drugs. When these club owners/drug traffickers want their stuff moved they often pay the MC to do it. The MC doesn't currently sell the drugs themselves, they just move it between dealers/suppliers - some of the members want this to change one way or the other.
Club History Summary:
The Yare Raiders was founded by the First X and was initially led by two best friends, Axe and Hector. Due to Axe's connection to the pub, the group chose to hang around the 'Dragons Head'. Although they initially never intended to be an Outlaw MC, another group known as the (Norfolk) Reapers began giving them grief. They were an outlaw gang and were involved in people trafficking and drug production. They tried to intimidate the Yare Raiders simply because they didn’t like seeing other patches on their turf. Not a group to individuals that would be pushed around, the Yare Raiders quickly amassed people and guns using their various connections and launched a small war against the Reapers. In the space of a few days the Reapers were caught completely by surprise and were driven completely out of the area. Their club house and cannabis farms were burned down and their stores were raided.
Following the small war, the Yare Raiders continued their alliance with some of the local drug groups that helped them push out the Reapers. They provided security to a few clubs and warehouses in exchange for money and some light firepower. Once the Mc pooled enough money they brought out the Dragon's Head and the workshop behind it, using it as the MCs clubhouse.
The most recent event is the death of Hector Zelos whom, after getting drugged up, accidentally rode his bike into oncoming traffic and caused an accident. Whilst a few people were injured, the only two deaths were Hector and an unborn child (whose mother was seven months pregnant). None of the other bikers were with him, and some have suspicions about the incident.
It'll be a case of first come first served when it comes to Officer positions. If you want your character to be an officer then they will need to be one of the founding members. Characters cannot begin as the President or VP. I'd like for people to apply not only to be officers, but also warriors, raiders and prospects. You can apply to be a hang-around if you want to, but I wouldn't recommend it.
This RP will remain constantly open (probably), with new players having to become fresh prospects. Not only does this make sense, but also means that if they stop being active then the RP doesn't really get too adversely affected.
Please find a CS sheet here! Please copy and paste it rather than editing it! Remember to use hiders!
