Gangsterland

A 1930s Prohibition-era campaign from 2007.

Characters

• Initial GM User:Johnm
• Luigi the king-sized plumber, played by User:Jesster
• Dante Valentino the suave schmoozer, played by User:Jslife
• Agostino Collagiuri the interrogator, played by User:Omega
• someone by User:Brantdanger

Campaign Background

It's 1931 on Gurth, and alcohol Prohibition is in full effect. Because the demand for alcohol continued despite the government policy, production, marketing, and sales of booze has been transferred to the criminal black market. Profits are mountainous for criminal syndicates with the greatest willingness to expand and defend their territory.

Unlike Chicago, where Al Capone has completely dominated the black market for booze, the greater NY/NJ area is still splintered into warring factions, business syndicates that strive to own city territories, neighborhood by neighborhood.

The Vincelli Group is one such syndicate. Arno Vincelli immigrated from Sardinia in the 1880s and built a network of 30 neighborhood grocery stores in New York and New Jersey, eventually retiring to a mansion in the Catskills in 1920 and transferring primary control of the business to his son Vincenzo. In the early 1920s, as criminal gangs began demanding obedience (and “protection” money) from the family, Vincenzo decided to strike back. He liquidated some of the company assets and used the cash to hire bodyguards and enforcers, buy arms, and take over rival businesses.

Last year, Vincenzo Vincelli was gunned down by machine gun fire from unknown assailants in his car at a stoplight. The three accompanying bodyguards were also killed.

In the wake of his son's slaughter, Arno took control again, and has been escalating the frequency and intensity of actions to defend and expand his small empire. (Some other families and syndicates are larger and stronger, but the Vincellis have now generally stopped their incursions into Vincelli-controlled neighborhoods and have just recently begun expanding again.)

After returning from the war, in which you were ship mechanics, you were scraping by in Paterson NJ doing odd jobs, mechanic, taxi driver, apartment maintenance (whatever's reasonable). You also regularly shopped (and possibly worked) at Vincelli's Corner Market, and it was in 1924, after the local store manager was knifed in the gut by Irish thugs, that your group was recruited by Vincenzo.

For the last seven years, including the year since Vincenzo's murder, you have worked as a small team of “fixers”, who are sent alternately to repair relationships, break kneecaps, collect payments, sabotage rivals, and (infrequently) gun down enemies. The Vincellis have treated you fairly and paid you well throughout.

What Happened

"I have three tasks for you..."

Arno Vincelli's 70th birthday party at Wannasink Lake in the Catskills 90 miles from the City was winding down, when Arno summoned the party to the 3rd floor balcony to give them a 3-part 24 hour mission.

First, the party was to visit Sullivan County prosecutor Bill Williams at his vacation house on Yankee Lake and give him a scare. Despite the twist of the wife and kids being home, this feat was accomplished, and Luigi even got some cookie dough out of the deal.

Next, the party's mission was to seize a crate of guns from an Irish speakeasy in Middletown. Several crowbar blows and gun-in-the-mouth threats later, this too was accomplished.

Moving along to task #3, the party staked out a townhouse filled with Russian gunmen, built whiskey-bottle Molotov cocktails, and assaulted the structure from the fore and rear. Shitty stayed outside and hunted Russians with a high-power hunting rifle, while the rest of the team rushed inside and engaged the enemy. In the end, while Luigi was badly wounded, the Russians were defeated.

However, the police were in hot pursuit by the time the team was loaded up in the boss' Cadillac (now damaged by a bit of reckless driving and Luigi's blood), and only a well placed shot through the front of a pursuing police car stopped the pursuit.

Documents seized at the Russian safe house revealed the group was planning assaults on Arno's lake house and many other important Vincelli targets. The team saved the day... this time.