LetterE — Roleplayer Guild

Ladies and Gents, Welcome to Gotham City
Gotham is both the pulse of American big-business, and the heart of crime. And as is often the case in Gotham, the two can be the same thing.
Here we will take the roles of so-dubbed supercriminals; the nearly psychotic and criminally insane brand of crime lords that brew in the underbelly of our fair city. The only thing that has ever kept these beasts at bay is the Batman, but he is just one man against a veritable army of the Gangs of Gotham.

Every gang will have its own leader, henchmen, and dealings that are specific to them, and each gang will have to vie for a spot in Gotham's crime world by owning territory and eliminating the competition. Amdist the blood and smoke from Gotham's crime will be the GCPD, a true blue gang of their own, the Gothamite politicians, the ever-growing need for Arkham Task Forces, and the ever-feared Batman himself.

So do yourself a favor? Stay out of Gotham.


Index

Updates
Rules
Gangs
Territory
Dealings
Events
GCPD / Politics
The Batman
Formats


Let the Madness Begin!
Please post!
Posting in the IC has officially begun! Please post to establish posting order, and please follow posting order here forward!
Co-GMs
I'm looking for someone willing to dedicate some time to making this RP run. PM me if interested!
New Post Structure
Greatly improved Post Structure: Only 4 sections! Thank you logic! Post sample on its way!
New Events!
The children's hospital Gala is going on in Wayne Tower, and ex-commissioner Ellen Yindel's press conference is going on outside the GCPD! Feel free to attend / crash the events!



The rules are simple, and are as follows:
Obvious and ordinary RP rules apply
You are not required to keep track of statistics, please don't put them in your posts; they are managed by the GM and Co-GM
Please be detailed in your posts; while, yes, you can technically just post a few sentences of your activities, the goal here is story-telling. Use your Boss character and other characters at your whim, and give us a good paragraph (or a couple!) of what's going on.
That being said, please stick to the post structure. It helps me keep track of and organize everything that's going on.
Please read through everything in the first post at least once. It's a lot, I know, but it will help you greatly.
Please be  tactful in your posts. While we are dealing with crime and dark topics like murder and drugs and "servicing," these are very real problems of society. Your post should not be unnecessarily graphic.
Have fun, dammit!


Gang Leaders
These are, in essence, the characters we are taking on. They are unique, and often outlandishly so. The gang theme or motif will often come from a physical or psychological trait of their mob boss. (i.e., two-faces thugs wearing two colors, joker's thugs wearing joker masks, and so on.)

For the first stretch of the RP, your mob-boss is the most important player on the map. He'll be housed in your private base, and will need to be protected. If your boss is unceremoniously killed in the first stretch of the RP, you'll need to start a new gang; later he will be able to be replaced by a second-in-command.
The Henchmen
A gang is nothing if not staffed. Each gang will start off with a small number of employees, and it is up to the players to amass a gang worthy of Gotham's underground. The more you pay your staff, and the more reputable your organization grows, the more henchmen you will have access to; and the more unique and powerful people you'll find joining your ranks.

Recruitment
Henchman Recruitment can be handled a number of different ways; the important thing to remember is that if there is another gang in your vicinity whose pay outmatches yours, you will not recruit as many members as they would; and that there are upsides and downsides to each method of recruitment for your henchmen count and quality rate.MONEY
You can pay your employees with good, hard cash. This will draw in the more average joe crowd, but it keeps your own overall costs down.
DRUGS
Paying in drugs will draw the wilder henchmen; sometimes unreliable and chaotic, but harder to take down in combat.
WEAPONS
Paying in weapons will only draw in professionals; meaning a lower staff but a higher quality. It also means you're not dishing out anything extra, since your staff will already be armed.
SERVICES
Choosing to pay your employees in *fade to black* means you first need to have existing employees to perform services, and that your henchmen will be in the highest supply. This may mean their quality is lacking in criminal activity, however.
**Note: please read the SERVICES section under DEALINGS please**
FEAR
So you can't pay employees with fear, but if your gang is large enough, exceptionally brutal, or uniquely terrifying, you can simply force people to work for you. This means the highest numbers and lowest quality.
INSPIRATION
Every so often, there is a gang leader with enough charisma and conviction to literally inspire people into joining his cause. This can lead to a very dedicated and high quality number of henchmen; at the cost of them being fewer in number.
Numbers / Quality
As you may have noticed, your henchmen force is rated by the amount of henchmen you have, and the quality of their crop. Obviously, you don't have to keep track of these numbers yourself, but having a general idea is a good idea.
Hierarchy
Henchmen hierarchy is completely up to you; but if you don't specify, you'll have something that looks like this:LEADER / BOSS
The player character
SECOND IN COMMAND
A unique gang member chosen by the GM or Co-GM that stands out to the player; optional choice
COMMANDERS
Or generals, or any unique name based on your motif; they are not the average rabble but are on-scene coordinators for your criminal activities.
GRUNTS
Or foot soldiers, or any unique name based on your motif; they are the bulk of your force, the ones actually carrying out your crimes.


THE MAP
In this city, turf is everything. As your gang grows in size and influence, the map of the city will be updated. Everything is color coded to help you see who is rivaling you in your dealings, and who your potential enemies or allies can be. Blue areas are strictly enforced by the GCPD, and Black areas are Batman's enforced patrol hot spots.
Gang Bases

Your gang's base, or headquarters, can be determined by you in any available spot on the map, and will determine your starting territory and colors on the map. Only you and the GMs will know its exact location; however, it can be discovered if a rival gang gains control of the territory, or raises their CRIME PRESENCE close to the location. This will result in immediate GANG WAR as your character will be forced to escape alive and find a new base.
Gaining / Losing Territory

There are two ways that one can establish their gangs territory, and the first is CRIME PRESENCE. The more crime that can be attributed to your gang in a specific area, the closer you are to calling that territory your own, and the more of your color you'll see on the map. This can include everything from bank robberies and murders, to your specific brand of black market dealings.

Committing Crime is simple; you can initiate criminal activity in your post, as long as the location is clear. However, you can only initiate. Chances are you will meet resistance. If you don't, you will both see a tangible income increase on your crime's success, and your crime presence is increased in that area. If you do meet resistance, you'll need to fight it off. Engaging in combat with the GCPD won't decrease your chances of territory gain, and will in fact increase it if you win the gunfight. However, if the Bat shows up, you gain no territory at all.

The other way to control territory (only if the territory is controlled by another gang) is by GANG WAR.

Negotiations
Starting a gang war is serious business. Before we talk about war, let's talk about peace. You may want to first try negotiating with neighboring or rival gangs. Chances are, you don't have the same goals and dealings (you might be a drug runner, he might deal weapons) so the chances are you can work together. Obviously, you should expect your arrangement to vanish in the days to come, but at least for a time, you can join forces to work towards a common goal. (i.e., target a politician or the bat, trade for goods/dealings that you don't directly engage in crime for)Gang Wars
If and when your arrangement is breached, or if you never tried negotiating and just want blood, you can initiate a GANG WAR. Doing so means sending a message; killing opposing gang members, committing a lot of crime in owned territory, or finding the boss's wife and sending him her fingers. Once the message is sent, the gang war begins. Ultimately, the victor is determined by comparing henchmen and resource strength, but that can be swayed depending on your own writing ingenuity. (i.e., posting descriptively about using your environment to your advantage, or by taking control of gang members or your boss for epic fight scenes.) This type of War Posting can go back and forth between players as long as it is deemed productive.


DEALINGS is just another term for your gang's brand of crime; what they specialize in. This is how your Gang will earn money and resources to be used on gang recruitment and expanding territory. There are a number of options here, but I am open to more if you'd like to discuss it.
Dealings
Money
Raw cash. The benefit in dealing with money is that it appeals to most people, including the police force. Of course, without huge quantities, politicians and the rich won’t be favored. With money, you can also give out loans, and then have the right to collect in whatever way you deem necessary.
Acquisition: The only way to acquire cash in the amount needed to supply it, is to take it. Theft, whether of the smash-and-grab variety or the corporate espionage variety, is your claim to fame.
I.E., a coordinated bank robbery
Drugs
The less-than-legal recreational stuff. With drug running, you can cater to fewer influential people, but can make bank off of the thriving Gotham lowlife. Running a drug business can mean hiring outside dealers, and collecting when they don’t make profits.
Acquisition: You can grow / create  your own merchandise, but that requires a lot of territory and a lot of secrecy. Conversely, you can outsource if you have the connections; to the detriment of some of your earnings.
I.E., an update on your meth lab
Weapons
Dealing in weapons is the most dangerous and draws the most attention, but the benefit is getting on every other gang’s good side. No one wants to look the gift horse in the mouth; and you’ll be able to supply everyone without anyone getting mad.
Acquistion: In order to acquire weapons, you will need to take them. Hitting weapon caches, GCPD armored vehicles, or other such things are the best way to acquire; but like drugs, you can choose to outsource them with sufficient connections.
I.E., A weapons deal in a back alley of Gotham
“Services”
At the risk of us getting too graphic, we’re keeping our service businesses clean. That means there is never, ever, any mistreatment of employees or forced labor. All it means is facilitating and making a profit over the natural human exercise. Which people do a lot, which means there’s a lot of money to be had here; at the risk of your business being used as a rally cry against crime by politicians.
Acquistion: Services recruitment requires you to find and coerce people to work for you. Note, this does not mean you post about your business in the henchman recruitment section of your post, but rather the criminal activity section.
I.E., an update post about a brothel you run



In addition to performing your own crime at random areas throughout the city, you can also choose to crash (or join) a Gotham Event. Galas, the Circus, Charity events, etc. all of them will be put up on the first post in the Characters section, so be sure to check it! There are also private events, like business meetings or armored truck movements, that can be acquired by proximity to the event, or by paying off individuals for that information.

GCPD
The GCPD functions as another gang, for all intents and purposes, with the added ability of being able to step in in the middle of your criminal activities. An added point is that they are able to be paid off so they don't do that. They function as a unit, however, so if someone else is paying them more or better, they won't give a blind eye to your activities. They can also be paid off to inform you of private events, but the pay for that will have to be separate.
Politicians

Like the GCPD, the Politicians can be paid off, so they, in turn, will tell the GCPD or any other mobilized units to turn the other cheek on your behalf. Conversely, if they refuse, they can be targeted and assassinated. Or, even better, you can choose to enter the political game yourself, with the end result leaving you as the Mayor.

The Batman will behave as a very special type of player. His arrival on the scene (which can be any given criminal activity, gang war, negotiation, or other event) will mean immediate loss of GANG PRESENCE and TERRITORY, and will mean your gang will have to scramble to make a success of the crime. However, as time goes on, the more your gang interacts with the Bat, the more likely you'll be to outsmart and outmaneuver him, and the better your chances of success. Technically, if a gang butted heads with the Dark Knight enough, they might reach a point where they could take him on and take him down.

On the flipside, the more "losses" the Bat takes, the more he will consider the need for a gang of his own, and players like Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Batwoman can all start to make appearances. This is bad for EVERYONE, as now there will multiple iterations of the Bat that can crash your parties. So, essentially, maintaining a lower profile can be good to keep only one Bat in town, but pressing your luck can make your chances of capturing the cowl increase. The choice is yours, and it will affect everyone in Gotham forever.


Post Structure

Post structure is solely to help us keep everything organized. How you format your post is up to you, but we ask that you keep this order of events in your post, and keep them clearly separated. Though my post example ties several stories together, you are allowed to have multiple separate stories that have no bearing on each other if you wish.

The Post Structure is as follows:
Intro (optional)
Completely aesthetic introductory post
Negotiations (optional / conditional)
If you would like to begin / respond to negotiations, do so here; i.e., send out messengers / kill the messenger.
Henchmen Recruitment (optional)
Recruitment happens automatically, technically, but putting up a creative post about it opens you up to receiving unique gang members from GMs, and bolstering your recruitment rate. However, it also opens you up to getting hit by the Bat or GCPD so be careful!
Criminal Activity
This is the mandatory criminal movement part that gets you your DEALINGS. If you're dealing is MONEY, you need to hit a bank. If it's SERVICES, you need to recruit employees and run your brothel. If it's DRUGS, you need to grow / buy. Here's where you do it, and here is where you can run into good fortune (or lots of trouble). Without this in your post, you will lose DEALINGS and be short on business.
Gang War - this is ALSO the place to start a gang war, or respond to an ongoing one with violence. Keep in mind that if you use up this section with gang war and don't continue/start a storyline about a crime, you will still lose DEALINGS.
Finally, this section is also used for attending / crashing Gotham Public Events (like robbing the children's hospital charity fund, or cutting the trapeeze ropes at the circus)


Another thing to note is that it is very possible for scenes to overlap, and that's expected. For example, a character you have in the middle of a GANG WAR may want to white-flag to the enemy to start negotiations. Use your good judgment, but in that case, the actual fighting would take place in the GANG WAR section, and the scene where your character is asking for peace-talks would branch over to the NEGOTIATIONS section.
Applications
Please PM your apps instead of posting them! It saves space!


Given in code for your copypasta ease of use.
[b]Real Name:[/b]
[b]Alias/Nickname:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b] (An overview of their appearance and choice of dress)
[b]Distinguishing Characteristics:[/b] (Anything about their appearance, demeanor, or dress that sets them apart)
[b]Inventory:[/b] (Their preferred choice of dress and personal weaponry)
[b]Backstory:[/b] (At least a paragraph of background information)




Given in code for your copypasta ease of use.
[b]Gang Name:[/b]
[b]Gang theme/motif:[/b] Whatever it is that sets your gang apart. Wearing two colors like Two-Face thugs, Clown themed stuff like Joker's gang, or whatever else is unique to you. Include uniforms and other details as you feel necessary.
[b]Gang colors:[/b] Max of 3
[b]Hierarchy (optional):[/b] A specified structure, or specified ranks names
[b]Dealings:[/b] What your niche is: One or more of the DEALINGS options
[b]Recruitment:[/b] How you recruit: One or more of the options under HENCHMEN RECRUITMENT. Should match all or one of your dealings, unless you want FEAR or INSPIRATION.
[b]Base:[/b] Any available spot on the map. Just put a brief description of the area and/or the type of location you want (abandoned building, sewers, etc.) we can work this out together over PMs.
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