Polyphemus

Good Ol' Boys

GOOD OL' BOYS: A TALE OF THE DIXIE MOB

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Early August, 1972. Slowly but surely, the American military begins to wind down its years-long involvement in Vietnam. Gilbert O'Sullivan's “Alone Again (Naturally)” sits at first place in the charts. Richard Nixon eyes reelection in the fall, as two Washington Post journalists publish the first of their articles examining some of his shadier tactics. Idi Amin begins making threats against Uganda's Indian population. People the world over eagerly await the opening of the Munich Olympics in a few short weeks.

But that's not your world. Right now your world is heat and humidity, a hot wet blanket settling over the cotton fields and the decrepit old plantations. Right now your world is the fog of dust kicked up from the unpaved roads and settling on the deserted streets of a few tiny towns. Right now your world is the cloud of biting, irritating mosquitoes coming out of the swamps on the north end of the county. Right now your world is the clean sand and gentle surf of the Gulf of Mexico at the southern end of the county, perfect for swimming and fishing.

Your world is O'Connor County, Mississippi.

O'Connor isn't too much different from other rural counties in the state. Not much work to be had, not much going on, not much to do. Some tourists come by for the beaches, but not nearly as many the last few years. If someone is smart or lucky they usually end up leaving for Birmingham or Mobile or New Orleans, anywhere but here. It's been dying a slow and undignified death since Reconstruction, probably even earlier.

Some people, however, have made the county their playground. They make money any way they can, bribing or threatening those who stand in the way. If you ask any person on the street who really runs O'Connor County, they probably won't answer with the board of supervisors or the judges or the city mayors. They'll tell you it's the good ol' boys, the Southern syndicate, the cornbread mafia.

The Dixie Mob.

Unlike other organized crime groups, the Dixie Mob isn't made up of any one ethnicity. They don't have a pyramidal structure with dons and capos and soldiers. It's an organization of individual criminals, each running their own unique racket- protection, drugs, truck hijacking, bootlegging, smuggling, prostitution, gambling, the list goes on and on. They work together out of convenience, opportunity, and sometimes even personal loyalty. The organization follows one unbreakable rule, what they call the 11th Commandment- “Thou shalt not snitch.” It's worked well, and they've kept O'Connor County under their thumb for decades. In recent years, some help has come from Italian friends up in Chicago. They've offered connections, advice, information, and legal assistance that has helped the Dixie Mob consolidate their power base and increase their operations- all in exchange for 10% of the total take.

It's been a comfortable setup. But all things change in time, and even O'Connor County can't be fully immune to the outside world. . .

RULES AND NOTES

I intend to keep the rules fairly simple.

Keep all OOC communication in the appropriate thread. I'll also post updates here if there's anything you need to know.

This is a primarily character-driven RP, everyone is encouraged to create and follow their own plots. At the same time, collaborative and teamup posts are more than welcome. I'll be including occasional optional hooks for plot threads- you're welcome to join in on those or continue to do your own thing. Remember, your actions are part of a larger world and can affect one another. We are working together to build the story of the Dixie Mob and O'Connor County.

All posts are expected to be a minimum of two paragraphs in length. Spelling and grammar mistakes will happen, we're all human, but please make the effort to keep all posts to a high standard of readability and coherence.

I'm not going to be a stickler about period accuracy, but do keep the time and place in mind. Don't have your character whip out an iPhone or log on to the internet.

There is a strict 2 week/ 14 day post requirement. This rule is in the interest of keeping everyone involved and things moving along. If you have not posted in 14 days you will be considered inactive, with the possibility of your character being killed or otherwise written out of the story. However, I understand sometimes life circumstances act against us. Just let me know if something prevents you from making the deadline and I'll be willing to extend it for you. General rule of thumb, be communicative.

Finally, be courteous to one another. We're all here to have fun and relax during a difficult time, don't create a toxic atmosphere.

Character Sheet Templates

Please submit all character sheets in the OOC tab for review by the GM. Also please keep sheets in hiders for ease of navigation.

Name: Aliases, nicknames, sobriquets, and the like are also welcome.

Appearance: A photograph and/or detailed description of your character.

Age:

Occupation/ Cover: What does your character do for a living? Or alternately, what do they do on paper?

Racket: (optional) If you're choosing to play as one of the mobsters, what kind of crime do they specialize in? How does their operation work?

Public Goals: What does your character tell people they want to do? Are they remotely sincere about it?

Private Goals: Secrets and intrigue are a foundation of organized crime games. What drives you? What are your personal ambitions?

Supporting Cast: Any minor characters in your orbit we can expect to see from time to time. Indicate dialogue colors here, though you are by no means required to use them.

Personal History: A minimum of two paragraphs detailing your character's background and how they came to be who they are. This is a great chance to get in your character's head and to really get us to fully understand them.

Notes: Anything else we should know about your character? Feel free to include any miscellaneous info that might not necessarily fit in the above categories.

Good Ol' Boys- A Different Kind of Organized Crime RP (Advanced or High Casual)

A quick update for anybody and everybody, I'm working on the OOC thread and CS templates, if all goes well should be able to post them sometime tomorrow. Also considering the merits of having a co-GM, if anyone might be interested let me know.

In the meantime, a little clip to help set the mood.

Good Ol' Boys- A Different Kind of Organized Crime RP

A quick update for everybody, I'm working on the OOC thread and CS templates, if all goes well should be able to post them sometime tomorrow. Also considering the merits of having a co-GM, if anyone might be interested let me know.

In the meantime, a little clip to help set the mood.

Good Ol' Boys- A Different Kind of Organized Crime RP

@role model

A federal agent would be a great character, actually. The ATF is only a month old at the start of this RP, and the old-school Southern crimes of bootlegging, cigarette smuggling, and gunrunning would be a perfect fodder for a new agency looking to make a mark. Just a suggestion if you go that way.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

THE CRIMSON AVENGER

The Travis Residence
Gotham City, NJ
5:34 PM

“Leave it on the doorstep, please.”

“The pandemic is over, Lee. You don't need contact free delivery,” Wing yelled through the door. “You're not answering the phone so I came over in person. How about you let me in instead of us shouting through the door?”

A moment later, the door swung cautiously open. Lee peered out at Wing, hunting through the just-delivered box from the liquor store. “Dutch schnapps? Raspberry wine? Lee, can you seriously not even go on a drinking binge like the rest of us?”

“What do you want, Wing?”

“A few things, actually,” Wing said, pushing past him and into the brownstone. He wrinkled his nose at the empty bottles and takeout cartons littering surfaces. “You to have a shave, drink some black coffee, and get on that red coat of yours. Because we're going to go rescue some laborers.”

Lee grumbled, squinted at Wing. “What are you talking about?”

“Let's just say I've been busy. For starters, I've been having Speed check out that parcel of land you told me about before you went to pieces. By the way, I paid him out of my own savings and he's not cheap. I expect to be reimbursed, but we'll talk about that later. He wasn't able to get close because they have armed guards, but he's spotted a large sleeping quarters and trucks coming and going. He's identified some of the drivers as teamsters for Ace Chemicals.”

“So it's a good bet they're burying the waste out there and using the migrants for it,” Lee said, interested despite himself.

“Exactly,” Wing said with an approving jab into the air. “Not much for hard evidence, though. We need witnesses to testify.”

“Who would be willing? The traffickers, the Camorra, the Ace Chemicals guys, they're all going to be pretty tough to crack.”

“That's just it. We have to bust out the laborers, as many as possible. I've made some quiet overtures to Jill, and she's pretty sure she can cut a deal with a US Attorney. We might be able to keep them from being deported in exchange for testifying. I mean, what's going to be a bigger feather in the court's cap, sending a few dozen poor people overseas or taking down a massive pollution conspiracy?”

“You did all this?” Lee asked, genuinely impressed.

“You could've done it too if you hadn't locked yourself in here to drink- ugh, organic blueberry cider? Are you serious?” Wing said, wincing as he rooted through the liquor store delivery. “Look, Lee, I'm gonna be straight with you. I get that you feel bad about what happened to that guy. I do. But what you're doing, this is a privilege. Those laborers are getting beaten and exposed to chemical waste every day while you're in here feeling sorry for yourself. Bigotry, corruption, crime- they're not stopping because you accidentally knocked a guy out a window and decided to get drunk. Not everyone can just stop and pretend these things don't exist.”

“Look, Wing, a man is dead because of me. I need some time-”

“Lee, right now time is a luxury. People are in danger and you have to act. I'm sorry. I know it's a lot to think about. But it has to wait. This is what this is all about. You've got to rise above yourself and act. Then, when it's over, then you can weigh and contemplate and process. But right now they're using people to poison the earth and cover their misdeeds.” Wing spotted the red trilby hat atop the sofa, gently picked it up and handed it to Lee. “An avenger will come, right?”

Lee slowly, gingerly, reached out and took the hat. He considered it for a moment, then nodded once, briskly to himself.

“Qui vindecet ibit.”

The Farm
Salem County, NJ
12:11 AM

“Go! Go! Go!” the Crimson Avenger roared as he delivered the last knockout punch to the guard's face. The laborers, their faces thin and pale, rushed up the ramp and crowded into the back of the truck. Wing, waiting in the cab, yelled instructions and encouragement in good Mandarin and mediocre Spanish. They looked weak, but supported those who had trouble walking, stayed orderly.

Another guard rushed at the Crimson Avenger, his nose still bloodied from the roundhouse kick Wing had used on him a scant moment ago. He had recovered his senses enough to draw a knife. The masked man had no time for him. One of the twin .45s was snapped out of its holster. He sighted quickly and fired. The guard roared in pain, dropped the knife and grabbed at his bleeding wrist. He fell to the ground, rolling in pain over the unconscious bodies of his companions.

The Crimson Avenger looked around the barn, converted to something like a barracks hall with bunk bed and chemical toilets. Satisfied everyone was accounted for, he rushed forwards and jumped into the open back of the box truck. A dozen hands grabbed at his arms and helped him in. He pounded on the metal side of the compartment, and the truck roared to life and lurched forwards.

Wing tore for the gate of the rural property at increasing speed, bumping along the gravel road. The Crimson Avenger heard the blare of an alarm, saw figures running from the rural farmhouse to vehicles in an attempt to give chase. He wasn't concerned- Wing had taken care to slash every tire but those on the truck they had just stolen.

There came a crash of the wooden gate splintering, and the road beneath them turned from gravel driveway to paved highway. The light of the compound faded into the distance as the newly freed laborers cheered. They were on their way to Gotham and freedom, a fresh way to challenge the Ace Chemicals conspirators. The Crimson Avenger sighed in relief. “Fiat justitia ruat caelum,” he whispered to himself.

The people were safe. Next would come justice, vengeance would be visited upon Slim Chance, the Camorra, Ace Chemicals. A hard, difficult fight lay ahead.

But for now, the Crimson Avenger allowed himself the luxury of a smile as the truck roared into the cool New Jersey night.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Just wanted to check in and assure you I'm at work on a post and will hopefully have something up within the next day or two.

Good Ol' Boys- A Different Kind of Organized Crime RP

Great, I'm not looking for a huge or ungainly group so I'll start work on an OOC thread.

I do like to be democratic as a GM, so let me just open the floor- what would you like to see in this RP? Open to discuss any and all suggestions, I want to make sure this is something everyone is going to be happy with.

Council of the Night

Maybe I'll give it another shot sometime.

Council of the Night

Yeah, unfortunately I think this has gone as far as it can go.