GANGS IN CYBERPUNK 2020

by Gary Astleford (ocelot@connectnet.com)

You may roll the same gang type twice. This means that the gang in question is very narrow in
its goals and its means of achieving them. This isnt a bad thing at all! and it does nothing to
ma"e the gang more or less e#citing! depending on how the G$ interprets his results.
There is! however! a special case. %f &'uppet Gang& is rolled! ma"e a note of the result and roll
on the chart twice more. The following two rolls indicate the 'uppet Gangs front ( the type of
gang people perceive them to be. %f either of the two rolls result in &'uppet Gang& again! then
it is common "nowledge that the gang is! in fact! corporate owned and operated.
)ote that not all gangs are evil! nasty! antisocial! and violent. *ome are merely driven to such
a course by outside influence and the pressure of the street. %n addition! not all gangs are
brought together because of poverty and lac" of parental attentions. %magine a gang made up
of spoiled rich "ids who douse vagrants with lighter fluid and set them on fire. *ound familiar+
'lease note that in the case of )etrunner Gangs! &turf& could (and should) be e#pressed in
,yber(space terms. -or e#ample! the turf chart result &a couple of buildings& would be &a
couple of data forts& or netspace bulletin boards! while &two or three city bloc"s& would be &two
or three city grid squares&.
There are si# charts used in creating a gang. This section details what each chart means! and
how the results could be interpreted.
The &Gang Type ,hart& is the heart of the creation process. .y rolling on this chart! youll be
deciding e#actly what your gangs motives might be! what they loo" li"e! and what they do.
The chart is quite fle#ible! with each entry being intentionally general.
The &Average $embers Age& chart gives you an idea of how old the average gang member is.
Younger gang members are liable to be less e#perienced than their old counterparts. )ote that
the result of this chart indicates the A/01AG0 age! and that it is quite possible that older or
younger members do e#ist within the gang.
)e#t! we come to the &Gang Age& table. This one will give you a general idea on how long the
gang has been around. 2lder gangs tend to control more turf and have a larger number of
members than younger gangs! though this isnt always the case.
The &$ember ,hart& tells you how many members a gang has indoctrinated into its ran"s.
The &Turf ,hart& indicates how much territory within a city that the gang has control of. Gangs
must constantly defend their turf from the depredations of other gangs! police! and angry
citi3ens. A gang with lots of turf and few members may have trouble "eeping it all under their
control.
4astly! the &0#pansion ,hart& will give you some idea as to how far the gang in question has
spread from its native city. $ost gangs will remain confined to one city! but some can grow
large enough to branch out and e#pand their territory on a county(! state(! or nation(wide
scale. You have been warned.
1emember that these charts are only here as a guide. %f the dice roll a result that you dont
care for! or if you feel you cant go anywhere due to the randomness of the tables! dont be
afraid to pic" the entries you want. After all! this is all about having a good time! remember+
5ont stress on it.
Gang Type Chart
(1oll 6d677 Twice)

76 ( 67 .ooster Gang ( cybered(up! cyberpsychotic thugs.
66 ( 87 ,hromers ( chromatic roc" fans.
86 ( 89 ,ombat Gangs ( street &warriors&.
8: ( ;7 5rug Gangs ( dealers! ma"ers! < ta"ers of drugs.
;6(;; 0co(Gangs ( locali3ed eco(terrorists.
;= ( ;: 0#otic Gangs ( flaunting far(out biosculpts.
;> ( =; Go Gangs ( s"aters! bi"ers! < speed racers.
== ( =? Guardian Gangs ( guardian angels of the streets.
=@ ( 98 )etrunner Gangs ( tight("nit hac"ers < data thieves.
9; ( 99 )ihilist Gangs ( its better to burn out than to fade away...
9: ( 9@ )ostalgia Gangs ( groups who dream of yesteryear.
:7 ( :: 'arty Gangs ( futuristic ravers and party animals.
:> ( >6 'olitical Gangs ( militant political activists.
>8 ( >9 'oser Gangs ( wal"ing in someone elses shoes.
>: ( >? 'ran" Gangs ( street comedians who get the last laugh.
>@ ( ?8 'uppet Gangs ( corporate controlled youth.
?; ( ?? 1acist Gangs ( preaching the superiority of the master race.
?@ ( @= Taggers ( using territorial pissings of spray paint to mar" turf.
@9 ( @? Theo(Gangs ( oh yes! Aes testing usB Aes testing us..B
@@ ( 77 Cni(*e# Gangs ( futuristic bra(burners and male chauvinists.
Gang Age / Average Member Age
(1oll 6567) (1oll 6567)

6(=
)ew! Active 6(68 $onths. (8 on
$ember ,hart
6 6; years old
9(>
Young! Active 6(= Years. (6 on
$ember ,hart
8(; 69 years old
?(@
$iddle Aged! Active 9(67 Years. D7
on $ember ,hart
=(> 6> years old
67
2ld! Active 67(87 Years. D6 on
$ember ,hart
?(@ 6@ years old
('roceed to the $ember ,hart) 67
86 years old ()ote that senior members of a
gang may be much older)
Member Chart
(1oll 6567 D $odifiers from Gang Age ,hart)

7 Tiny Gang! 6(9 $embers. (; on Turf ,hart
6 *mall Gang! :(67 $embers. (8 on Turf ,hart
8(9 $id(*i3ed Gang! 66(89 $embers. (6 on Turf ,hart
:(? 4arge Gang! 8:(97 $embers. D7 on Turf ,hart
@ Auge Gang! 96(677 $embers. D6 on Turf ,hart
67D Gigantic Gang! 676D members. D8 on Turf ,hart ('roceed to the Turf ,hart)
T!r" Chart / E#pan$%n Chart
(1oll 6567 D $odifiers from $ember ,hart) (1oll 65: D $odifiers from Turf ,hart)

7 )o Turf. (= on 0#pansion ,hart 7(;
)o 0#ternal Growth! ,onfined To
2ne ,ity.
6(8 ,ouple of .uildings. (; on 0#pansion ,hart = %nfluence in AdEacent ,ityFTown.
;(9 6 ,ity .loc". (8 on 0#pansion ,hart 9
%nfluence in 8 or ; ,ities in *ame
1egion.
:(? 8 or ; ,ity .loc"s. (6 on 0#pansion ,hart :D
%nfluence in -our to *i# ,ities
)ationwide.
@ = to : ,ity .loc"s. D7 on 0#pansion ,hart
67D
> to 67 ,ity .loc"s! .oltholes 0verywhere. D6 on
0#pansion ,hart

('roceed to the 0#pansion ,hart)
B%%ter Gang&
This is your standard cyberpun" street gang. Csual traits include random acts of violence and
e#cessive cyberware installation! riding the &0dge& towards psychosis.
Chr%mer&
,hromatic roc" fans. 'rone to idoli3ation of roc" stars. 0ach gang tends to revolve around a
specific band or star. )ot usually violent (as compared to .oosters)! but gang ethics are
usually dictated by the attitudes of the worshipped band.
C%mbat Gang&
These guys arent violent for the sa"e of violence ( they Eust li"e to "ic" ass! preferably against
willing opponents! though this isnt always the case. $ost often! they restrict weapons to
&honorable& ones (i.e.! "nives! etc.) and are as li"ely to go toe(to(toe with boosters as another
combat gang. $any street solos find their beginnings in combat gangs.
'r!g Gang&
These lowlives buy! sell! andFor manufacture drugs. *ample groups might include anything
from psychedelic cults spaced out on love! to violent meth(heads with dealers all over town.
E(% Gang&
0nvironmentalists gone bad. Also includes animal rights activists. *uch gangs use radical
tactics to get their points across. Theyre not all violent and mean (some Eust get together to
go hi"ing)! yet a good deal of the more publici3ed ones are no better than locali3ed eco(
terrorists.
E#%t$( Gang&
A"in to poser gangs! e#otic gangs lean towards the use of e#otic biosculpts. *ome gangs use
animals as a topic for self(e#pression! while others go for the truly weird (i.e.! $artians!
mythical beasts! etc.).
G%)Gang&
These gangs are mobile! whether they use motorcycles! .$G bicycles! s"ateboards! roller(
blades! etc. The go(gang category represents anything from a tight "nit group of s"aters!
Ya"u3a(sponsored boso3o"u! or hillbillies in monster truc"s.
G!ar*$an Gang&
These types of gangs protect the wea" from the tyranny of other gangs! corporate forces! and
law enforcement agencies. They arent always well(armed! preferring to utili3e martial arts or
handguns to get the Eob done. Hhile usually scrupulous! they can sometimes lose sight of their
goals and become no better than Eust another combat gang. *ome actually e#tort money from
the local citi3ens that they &protect&.
Netr!nner Gang&
Yes! youve read that right. *ta"ing out their turf within the confines of city grids! netrunner
gangs are almost e#clusively )et(based. $ost deal in the free distribution of data and code!
though &free& doesnt always mean that there is no cost. 2ther groups are software pirates!
rogue programmers! or cyberspace &taggers&! using virtual cans of spraypaint to deface
datafortress walls.
N$h$+$t Gang&
$embers of nihilist groups li"e to go out in a big bang. They believe that since death is
inevitable! e#istence is futile. Therefore! they will go to great lengths to ma"e their deaths as
flashy and destructive as possible. Hhile these gangs have a great tendency for destruction!
most dont last very long since members are constantly dying.
N%ta+g$a Gang&
These guys are similar to posers! but without the e#tensive biosculpts. They try to "eep the
memories of an ideali3ed past alive! fictional or otherwise. *ome slic" bac" their hair! dress
li"e Iames 5ean! and drive 97s muscle cars. 2thers dress li"e cowboys or wear medieval
costumes and wave swords around. $ostly harmless.
Party Gang&
These guys want to have a good time! and are more than li"ely the hedonists of the gang
world. They might be considered the &ravers& of the 86st century. Typically! they move as a
group from party to party! or create their own decadence in a warehouse downtown! with or
without permission. As recreational drug use is pretty common! most of the members burn out
or 2.5. eventually.
P%+$t$(a+ Gang&
These gangs set a specific political standard or goal for themselves! be it fascism! communism!
world peace! neo(luddism! etc. They Eust want to get their point across! even if you dont want
to hear it. Hhile not normally violent! some groups have resorted to common terrorist tactics.
P%er Gang&
'osergangs use e#tensive biosculpts to impersonate celebrities andFor characters from the past
or present. $ost gangs revolve around a specific topic (dead presidents! serial murderers! etc.)
or serial (&Gilligans %sland&! &Aellraiser&! or the ever popular &.rady .unch&). $embers are
typically brainwashed! and are e#pected to completely become their new persona.
Pran, Gang&
These guys play Eo"es on people. )ot everyone! however! will find their Eo"es amusing. *ome
Eo"es are downright dangerous to the victims involved! while others are mostly harmless.
P!ppet Gang&
*pecifically! puppet gangs are corporate controlled and sponsored! usually secretly.
,orporations use them to distribute e#perimental drugs! test new weapons! and to neutrali3e
threats on the street. Genuine gangs tend to hate puppets. *ome puppet gangs are supported
so covertly that only the highest ran"ing members "now whos pulling their strings.
Ra($t Gang&
Any gang that advocates hatred of other races! cultures! and creeds! while maintaining the
superiority of their own. 0#amples could include the famed &.lac" 'anthers& or the more
infamous &)a3i *"inheads&.
Tagger&
Taggers are gangs that use graffiti to &tag& or deface a location. Csually! this type of vandalism
ta"es the form of the gangs sign or initials painted or carved onto a surface that will be seen
by a lot of people. %n addition to stoc" taggers! there are also several groups who paint
elaborate and stri"ing murals on walls and sidewal"s. $ost building and business owners dont
ta"e "indly to "ids defacing their property! and some taggers have ta"en to carrying weapons
in addition to spray paint.
The%)Gang&
Any gang that e#presses any religious andFor &cultish& behavior is a theo(gang. These gangs
can include such diverse factions as the anti(cyberware neo(luddite &%nquisitors&! to right(wing
,hristian &fundies& who stand on street corners preaching the evils of role(playing games and
planning midnight raids on >(66 porno rac"s. $ost groups attempt to spread their version of
salvation peacefully (&Aari Jrishna& gangs come to mind)! but others attempt to root out the
heretics and force them to convert or die.
Un$)Se# Gang&
This includes any gang that e#presses a se#ual restriction on its members! such as e#clusively
male or female gangs! for any number of reasons. These reasons include a core belief in the
superiority of one se# over the other (i.e.! se#ism! such as &The Ae($an Homan(Aaters ,lub&
of 4ittle 1ascals fame)! or a bias in the members se#ual orientation (i.e.! an e#clusively
homose#ual gang).
E#amp+e
The following gangs were created using the charts above! as well as a bit of my own twisted
imagination. %t is suggested that individual ,'8787 game masters incorporate Threat 4evels
and Threat ,odes (see the &)ight ,ity *ourceboo"&! pages =7(=6)! as well as stats for the
&average& gang member. 1emember that the number of possible gang ideas is nearly infinite!
limited only by your imagination.
Gang )ameK Haynes ,hildren TypeK 'oserF'arty Gang Average $embers AgeK 86 years Gang
AgeK 6: years (2ld) $embersK .etween 69 and 87 TurfK = ,ity .loc"s 0#pansionK ; more
chapters! nationwide TagK A ,artoonish Globe
)otesK &Haynes ,hildren& is a poser gang that bases itself off of a series of films from the late
87th century titled &Haynes Horld& and ist sequels. The gangs members! lead by the
infamous &Hayne& and his right(hand man! &Garth&! pose as characters from the films. Gang
ideals revolve around having a good time and avoiding any corporate influence. The gang is in
a constant state of flu#! as the old &Haynes& and &Garths& either move on! lose status! or die
from drug overdose. The gang (and its other chapters) run pirate television shows by patching
into local public broadcasting systems. The shows are fairly banal! and revolve around either
se#y women (&*chwingB&) or the latest chromatic roc" hit.
Gang )ameK 5aughters of 0ve TypeK Cni(*e#FTheo Gang Average $embers AgeK 6@ years
Gang AgeK 8 years (Young) $embersK ? TurfK A ,ouple of .uildings 0#pansionK )one TagK An
Apple Hith a .ite Ta"en 2ut of %t
)otesK The &5aughters of 0ve& is a religious gang with very little tolerance for the male se#.
$embers believe that 0ve was actually created before Adam! in Gods image (i.e.! female).
They also believe that Iesus ,hrist was actually a woman! that all angels in Aeaven are
women! and all demons and devils in Aell are men. They trace female oppression to the time
of the crucifi#ion of ,hrist! and that Gods word was twisted when *atan attempted to wrestle
power from Aer. The gang has very little hold on any territory! though they have restored a
church and converted it to their tastes. They are constantly loo"ing for converts! preferably
virgins who have not been spoiled by male corruption. %t is a general gang belief that God will
gift the purest of Aer followers with an immaculate conception! and that the new messiah will
be born and lead her followers to glory against the masculinity of Aell.
Gang )ameK *nowboy3 TypeK ('uppet) 5rugF.ooster Gang Average $embers AgeK 6> years
Gang AgeK 67 months $embersK 88 TurfK -ive ,ity .loc"s 0#pansionK )one TagK A *tyli3ed
1a3orblade on a ,hain
)otesK The &*nowboy3& are a 5rugF.ooster gang sponsored by Arasa"as 'harmaceuticals
5ivision. Hhile a fairly young gang! due to their corporate bac"ing! they have e#panded
quic"ly within the city! controlling a large part of the drug sales in the combat 3one. $any of
the drugs they distribute are e#perimental coc"tails produced by Arasa"a! which the gang
claims are their own wic"ed designs. Hhile most members are under the age of 6?! the top
echelon are in their mid( to late(twenties! sculpted to loo" and sound as young as the rest of
the group. The gang as a whole is supplied with plenty of blac" cyberware and automatic
weapons to defend their territory.