Shadowrun

Shadowrun General => The Secret History => Topic started by: Orkimedes on <06-27-11/0116:42>

Title: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Orkimedes on <06-27-11/0116:42>
What's Vegas like these days? All I know about Vegas is the Comanche Mob runs it, nothing else. I do believe people still make the tourist trips there, it remains a den of sin and vice, but not much else. Anybody do any runs in Vegas? Is there more in any of the old books about it?

My ignorance of the NAN makes me wanna go dig up the old Target: NAN books. Actually, all the Target books.

The Sixth World Almanac was a useful chronology and very pretty, but it was so bare bones about any of the nations. I want to know why there was any blank spaces left on the pages! There's so little written about most of the world, and in the book that's supposed to correct that, most countries only get a few paragraphs and half an empty page! RAW!

Sorry, minor rant. Done now.

So! Vegas omae, Sin City, an island of lights and greed in the middle of the desert...
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <06-27-11/2016:59>
Yeah, the old NAN books are the only places I think have Vegas in them.  Maybe Vice as well, but I only have that in Dead Tree Format, not conductive to searches (Another advantage to PDFs:  Quick answers on forums!).

I've always pictured it as returning back to it's roots of Old Vegas like in the '50s and '60s Rat Pack days, before the Corporations came about.

Probably the only place in the NAN where you're sure that Anglos aren't going to be jumped in the streets.  It's very nice and comfortable, as long as you obey the rules and let the true rules of Vegas have their respect.

Break that, on the other hand...  Well, there's lots of Desert, and all they need to do is fill in the hole you just dug.

EDIT:  And then Fallout:  New Vegas came out.  Gave me even more ideas.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Crimsondude on <06-27-11/2333:01>
Quote from: CanRay on <06-27-11/2016:59>
Yeah, the old NAN books are the only places I think have Vegas in them.  Maybe Vice as well, but I only have that in Dead Tree Format, not conductive to searches (Another advantage to PDFs:  Quick answers on forums!).
NAN v.1 and SoNA.

Quote
I've always pictured it as returning back to it's roots of Old Vegas like in the '50s and '60s Rat Pack days, before the Corporations came about.
Yeah, that's pretty much what Jay did in SoNA (As opposed to Findley, who made it rather ... unpleasant). Pthbbbt. Vegas is an entire city that constantly needs to evolve or die. I have a friend who works at the Wynn (or Encore. I forget) who has already pitched me on a Vegas update.

Quote
Probably the only place in the NAN where you're sure that Anglos aren't going to be jumped in the streets.  It's very nice and comfortable, as long as you obey the rules and let the true rules of Vegas have their respect.
Actually, if I had my way Utes would be a lot more likely to get their asses kicked in the PCC than anyone else.

Payback's a bitch.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <06-27-11/2345:33>
I also remember that one episode of Angel (One of the few I watched) where he comments something like "It was a lot friendlier when the mob ran it."  :P
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Crimsondude on <06-27-11/2351:47>
Probably.

If you saw Casino you know that the real criminals didn't come to Vegas until the FBI broke the mob.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <06-27-11/2355:55>
In a lot of ways, the real criminals don't do things that are against the law as far as I'm concerned.  And they continue to make sure that the laws favor them.   >:(

EDIT:  Either I'm more of my parent's son than I give myself credit for, or I've been in the Shadowrun Universe too long.  :P
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: bigity on <06-28-11/1923:45>
You think that because that's the way media tends to portay the mob.  They have been romanticized.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <06-28-11/2024:20>
What hasn't?
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Wolfboy on <07-16-11/2158:10>
Quote from: CanRay on <06-28-11/2024:20>
What hasn't?

political conservatism, the modern miltary, and corporate big wigs

those are always the villians remember
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: lurkeroutthere on <07-17-11/0633:36>
You really don't think the modern military, hell the American military in general has been romanticized? Wow.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <07-17-11/1108:50>
I describe the last three Transformers movies as "THE US ARMY IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD, THEY BLOW S*** UP REALLY GOOD!  oh, and some robots."

There have been a number of movies that have done a good job of trying to show the reality of the situation (From my understanding) pretty well.  The Hurt Locker in particular comes to mind.  And, for that Vietnam feel, you can't beat David Drake's Hammer's Slammers series of stories.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Nath on <07-17-11/1746:50>
One fun things about Las Vegas is how Shadows of North America went too far in correcting the population figures from the NAN sourcebooks. In NAN Volume 1, Ute had a population of 11.6 millions. In SoNA, they downsized it to only 3.3 millions. The problem is, the figure should include Las Vegas as well as the majority of the Utah Mormon community (they helped the SAIM back in the days, since exterminating the Amerindians would have prevented some prophecy from the Book of Mormon to happen), plus those coming-out-of-nowhere fast-breeding tribal people.

Since it's hard to rely on such numbers, it's hard to tell if Las Vegas grew, stood about as populated, or is half emptied (the Amerindian takeover is not the only possible reason, IRL some people warn about serious future water shortage).
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <07-17-11/1931:42>
Open air pools and fountains in a desert are a bad idea for a variety of reasons...
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Bull on <07-17-11/2317:57>
I'd very much like to play with Vegas a bit more in the future for Shadowrun.  I watched the entire run of the TV series Las Vegas last year, and between that and playing Fallout 3: New Vegas?  Yeah...  Vegas could be a FUN town for SHadowrun.

It makes an appearance in a CMP Mission this year (CMP 2011-08: Ain't That A Kick In The Head), but we didn't really do much with the city itself in the adventure.

Bull
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: TaintedAproximation on <07-17-11/2329:00>
To be perfectly honest Las Vegas as it is NOW would be a good setting for a run.  You've got all the big corps wrestling for cash.  Street gangs are rampant in certain areas of the city. Loan sharks all over the place. Economy is so bad right now all kinds of people are out of work here. A large military presence and corrupt and fearful police force.  Throw in some heavy tech and a little destruction that's basically a little shadowrun universe right there.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <07-17-11/2335:32>
Vegas makes a great background for Shadowrun indeed!

Especially if you rip off Fallout:  New Vegas and have the character start out in a shallow grave in the middle of the desert.

'Course, I'm kind of rough on my characters and do have a tendency to start the story in the middle...
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Grinder on <07-18-11/1238:24>
Quote from: Bull on <07-17-11/2317:57>
I'd very much like to play with Vegas a bit more in the future for Shadowrun.  I watched the entire run of the TV series Las Vegas last year, and between that and playing Fallout 3: New Vegas?  Yeah...  Vegas could be a FUN town for SHadowrun.

In case you need a setting for Missions 2012... ;)
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Cantor on <08-24-11/1424:37>
Quote from: Grinder on <07-18-11/1238:24>
Quote from: Bull on <07-17-11/2317:57>
I'd very much like to play with Vegas a bit more in the future for Shadowrun.  I watched the entire run of the TV series Las Vegas last year, and between that and playing Fallout 3: New Vegas?  Yeah...  Vegas could be a FUN town for SHadowrun.

In case you need a setting for Missions 2012... ;)

I second this motion.

I have a secondary followup question to this whole discussion. I've been on the Shadowrun wikia page, as well as the Sixth World Almanac at wiki.dumpshock.com

They have differing info on what Vegas looks like in 2072. Which can be trusted?
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Fizzygoo on <08-25-11/1802:26>
Wikia and Dumpshock are very similar in content (Wikia points to dumpshock as the original authors of most of the LV content). Other than a very slightly different list of hotels the only difference in content (as of about 20 minutes before this posting) is in the Crime section, last paragraphs (bold indicates info not included in the Dumpshock version). Note, the Wikia is the latest updated page (early August of 2011), while the Dumpshock page hasn't been updated since Sept, 2010. The added info "sounds familiar" to me (but I'm old and everything's blurring together), but a very quick check and I couldn't find the source.

DumpshockWikia
The two organized crime syndicates struggling for control are the Mafia (dominated by the Verontesse Family) and Comanche Mob. The Yakuza, Seoulpa Rings, and Triads barely measure a presence within the city of sin, wielding as little influence as a local gang or smuggling circle.For long time, the two organized crime syndicates which were struggling for control were the Mafia (dominated by the Verontesse Family) and Comanche Mob. Since the absorbtion [sic] of the former Ute Nation by the Pueblo Corporate Council the Koshari arrived and nearly took out the Comanche Mafia, reducing it to a better street gang and taking over the most of its casino intrests [sic]. The Yakuza, Seoulpa Rings, and Triads barely measure a presence within the city of sin, wielding as little influence as a local gang or smuggling circle.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: CanRay on <08-25-11/1804:17>
Now I want to work on this...

And take many, um, "Research Trips" to Vegas.

Strange part is, I don't even gamble.
Title: Re: Viva Los Vegas
Post by: Fizzygoo on <08-25-11/1823:20>
Hehe, I have gambled. I may gamble again. But why throw away time and money at the gambling table when I could be gaming, throwing money at new books, and enjoying my time. :) But I do like Vegas, so I'm definitely down on any Research Trips :)