Paradise City:Urban Geography

URBAN GEOGRAPHY

Paradise is officially divided into five boroughs, Central Borough, Eastside Borough, Northside Borough, Southside Borough, and Westside Borough. Each borough has its own police division, which further divides the area into precincts. Central Borough contains all of the most commercially important parts of Paradise, including most the central business district. North Borough contains neighborhoods of rich corporates. Eastside, Southside and Westside boroughs officially extend east, south and west of the CBD to the distant edges of the city. In practice, police presence ranges from intense near the CBD to non-existent in some of the more far-flung and anarchic parts of the city. To the average citizen, borough means little more than an excuse for a fight with a stranger. Much more important is the unofficial designation “zone”. There are four recognized “zones” – the Corpzone, the Projects, the Warzone and the Wastes. The Corpzone contains those parts of the city that are kept relatively well ordered by the corporations - including the mid-town and uptown sections of the central business district, the middle-class to upper-class neighborhoods, and the corporate slums. The Projects consist in vast tracts of drab government-subsidized housing, populated by the particularly poor and desperate. The Warzone contains those neighborhoods that are considered to be ruled by the gangs rather than by the police. Gang rule (like police rule) is always a matter of degree, but as a rule of thumb, an area is considered part of the Warzone if the police won’t stop gangers from having gunfights in the middle of the street. Naturally, there isn’t a lot of economic activity in a Warzone. The Wastes is the open desert beyond the city. Each Zone is further divided into areas or types of area, depending on the borough and distance from the heart of the city. These areas are huge – most are the size of a 21st century city in their own right. Each area has its own unique character and rules for survival, which may vary from neighborhood to neighborhood even within an area. The Zones and their constituent areas are described below. It is important to keep in mind that each area has a complex internal structure that is not touched on in their general description. Residential areas in the Corpzone and Projects will have their own business districts, commercial areas, and workplaces, as well as anything else the government or corporation decides to build there. Gangland areas have little in the way of internal structure – they are a chaotic and ever-changing patchwork of turfs. There are two maglev rail systems for public transport in Paradise – the “highline” which operates high above street level and the “subway” which operates below street level. The highline serves the central business district known as “the city”, as well as the prosperous neighborhoods of Eastgate, Westgate, and the entire Northside. The subway also serves “the city” (the CBD at the heart of Paradise), as well as the residential areas known as “the jungles”, “the lockdowns” and “the projects”. Passengers traveling between areas may have to pass through checkpoints where they are scanned for forbidden possessions.

1. THE CORPZONE

1.1 NIRVANA

Nirvana: Nirvana is the home of upper management and the independently rich. Most residents are servants, though the rich mix with them as little as they can. PCs may not be from Nirvana and it must not be taken as a “Background”. Checkpoints: The walls around Nirvana are the most carefully protected walls in Paradise, and internally, Nirvana has far more checkpoints than any other region. Police: Northside CityPol has a very high presence here. Every officer in CityPol wants to work in Nirvana. These are the police assigned to live among the affluent, and they appreciate their fortunate position. Of all police in the city, they are the best paid, best-supplied and least often killed in the line of duty. The police work hard to ensure that the residents are kept safe and happy. The officers are usually issued with weapons of LR 2 and above, typically submachine guns. Some residential buildings may be protected by corporate police licensed to carry weapons of LR 2 or above on the premises, typically submachine guns. Gangs: The police have a zero tolerance policy regarding gangs and there aren’t many of them around. Those gangs that do form tend not to last for long before the police decisively take them in hand. Gangs here try their hardest not to look like gangs. They do dress alike if they wish to, since the currents of fashion often lead the children of the rich to dress alike, but they dress to look like normal members of society. None of them openly carry weapons and most of them carry no weapons at all, since being caught with a weapon here is likely to result in jail time. Any weapons they do have are likely to be improvised and easy to conceal, like knives and razors. Items of LR 4 or lower are rare and generally only carried if the gang is going to battle. The gangs are usually not much danger unless they catch you alone and attack you for fun. A few of the gangers are bored rich kids from this territory, but most of them are children of live-in servants. Archology One: Paradise is ruled from the vast Arcology One, lying in the heart of Nirvana. Arcology One is a sealed building containing the richest and most powerful citizens in all Paradise, along with their families. There are few human servants in Arcology One – robots are more convenient. The Law and You Weapons: If residents see that you are carrying a weapon of any sort, they are liable to conclude that you are a criminal and call the police. As far as the police are concerned, your right to wear a weapon does not extend to anywhere in the Corpzone. It does not matter to them if you are actually breaking the law or not – you are clearly up to no good so they will just charge you with something to get you off the street.

1.2 THE BURBS

EASTGATE AND WESTGATE

“Eastgate” and “Westgate” are the unofficial names given to the technical-class residential areas to the east and west of the midtown area – both of these areas constituting “the burbs”. Despite the moniker “the burbs”, there is little that is genuinely suburban about this area, which is mainly comprised of high-rise apartment buildings and is as urban an environment as is to be found anywhere in the city. Appropriately, Eastgate is located in the Eastside borough and Westgate in the Westside borough. There is not much practical difference between the two and only the relatively rare gangs care about the rivalry between the east and west sides of town. Checkpoints: Like Nirvana, Eastgate and Westgate are each surrounded by well-protected walls. There are few checkpoints inside the areas – most of them at the entrances to buildings. Police: High Presence. This is the second most desirable territory for a CityPol police officer. Every officer dreams of being transferred to the management neighborhoods and fears being posted anywhere else. The police here are well-paid and well-supplied and are much less likely to be killed in the line of duty than the vast majority of CityPol officers. They work hard to make sure that the residents can go peacefully about their business. The police are usually issued with weapons of LR 2 and above, typically submachine guns. Some residential buildings may be protected by corporate police licensed to carry weapons of LR 2 or above on the premises, typically submachine guns. Gangs: The police have a zero tolerance policy regarding gangs and the territory has a much lower gang presence than the lower-class neighborhoods or anywhere beyond the Corpzone. Still, a few gangs do appear and they are usually of one of two distinct types. The locals or “turf gangers” seek to blend in with the citizens around them, just as gangs in the management neighborhoods do. They are generally young and are being supported by their parents – which is how they can afford to live in such a respectable neighborhood. The outsiders or “wheel gangers” invade from less prosperous neighborhoods, especially those on the Southside. They cannot get past the walls, but they can harass the middle-class communities that ring the outside. Most turf-gangers travel in cars and most wheel gangers possess bikes, but it is neighborhood, not mode of transportation, that determines whether a ganger will consider himself a “turf ganger” or a “wheel ganger”. Turf gangers may work to make money here (say by selling drugs or mugging people) but invading wheel gangers are generally just here to raise hell and get away before they get shot by the police. Because the local police have a zero tolerance policy towards weapons and are zealous in enforcing it, turf gangers prefer weapons that can easily be concealed, usually of LR 4 or above (typically knives or micro-pistols). Even if going to battle, such gangers rarely try to carry anything heavier than an LR 3 weapon, typically a holdout auto-pistol. The wheel gangers on the other hand are liable to come with weapons of LR 2 or above (typically auto-pistols or machine pistols). The turf gangers are more common than the wheel gangers, but are also considerably less dangerous. The Law and You Weapons: The attitude of the locals and police to weapons here is essentially the same as it is in the management neighborhoods – carrying a weapon of any sort is a sign that you are a dangerous criminal and need to be taken off the street.

1.3. THE CITY

“The City” is the name given to the central commercial district of Paradise and is the jurisdiction of Central CityPol. The area roughly takes the form of an elongated oval, running north-south. The further north one goes, the more exclusive the businesses tend to be and the safer the streets are, while the further south one goes, the seedier the businesses tend to be and the more dangerous the streets are. This stretch is roughly divided into three areas – uptown, midtown, and downtown. Downtown snakes its way between the gated corporate sanctuaries to the south and finally peters out in the Southside projects.

UPTOWN

The uptown district is the northern end of “the city” and is the business hub of Paradise. The offices of the major corporations are here, as are the most expensive and exclusive stores. Checkpoints: Cars must pass through checkpoints in order to enter the uptown area from midtown. Many buildings here scan everyone who passes through the door. Police: Central CityPol presence is heavy and the officers are well-supplied, well-paid and highly professional. However, there is also a heavy presence of corporate police, often licensed to carry weapons in the street. Both city and corporate police are liable to be issued with weapons of LR 2 or above, typically submachine guns. Corporate police are unlikely to attempt to interfere with crimes that do not take place on corporate property, but are quite likely to let the city police know what is going on. Gangs: The police have a zero tolerance policy towards gangs so gangs here are rare and usually don’t last for long. The gangers must blend in to the crowd, which means that they must look fairly affluent and cannot adopt dress that too clearly marks them as a unit. Since being caught with a weapon is likely to lead to jail time, gangers here usually carry none. When they do carry weapons, they are liable to be improvised and easily concealed, such as knives and razors. These gangers are rarely dangerous unless they catch you alone and mug you. The Law and You: Weapons: If you are carrying a weapon but not wearing a uniform, then both city and corporate police will assume that you intend to commit crimes and need to be taken off the street.

MIDTOWN

The midtown area mainly services the technical-class residents of the Eastgate and Westgate “Burbs” that surround it. It contains businesses and stores of interest to the middle classes as well as the offices of small corporations that are not affluent enough to purchase real estate in the uptown area. The area is generally regarded as respectable, boring and relatively safe – gangs do sometimes drift up from downtown (or ride in from the Southside) but Central CityPol tends to make short work of them. Checkpoints: There are few checkpoints here, although a number of buildings will scan everyone who enters. Police: The midtown area is highly profitable real estate and the Central CityPol officers here are plentiful, vigilant and well-supplied. Because the important corporate offices are further north, there are relatively few corporate police here and they are rarely permitted to carry anything more powerful than an LR 3 handgun, typically an auto-pistol. The police here see themselves as holding the line against the relative anarchy of the downtown area – they are generally polite to respectable looking citizens, but will be suspicious of those who look poor or otherwise disreputable. Gangs: Gangs may be tolerated by the police if they stick to the back streets, pay sufficient protection money, and don’t cause too much of a disturbance. However, they are quickly dealt with if they stray onto the main roads, so gangs who want to claim those areas as their turf need to be careful to disguise themselves as ordinary citizens. Obvious weaponry is not tolerated anywhere and most establishments have well-maintained metal detectors in place, so gang weaponry tends to be small and easily concealed. Gangs going to war may carry heavier arms, typically auto-pistols and shotguns. Fully automatic weapons are sometimes used, but traditionally the police will kill any ganger they catch with such a weapon, which tends to discourage the practice. The Law and You: Weapons: If you are carrying a weapon but not wearing a uniform, then the police will assume that you intend to commit crimes and need to be dealt with. Respectable looking citizens may simply be asked to return home and lock their weapon away. Disreputable looking citizens are liable to be arrested.

DOWNTOWN

The Downtown area is the “market” at the heart of Paradise, a bright neon wonderland devoted to trade in all of its forms. While the Uptown area to the north contains most of the corporate offices, it is in the Downtown area in which most money actually changes hands. The streets are packed with people and are lined with stores, bars, casinos, and entertainment venues. Checkpoints: There are no regular police checkpoints here, although many business put restrictions on weapons and some businesses scan everyone who enters the building. Police Presence: There are more opportunities for a police officer to make money Downtown than anywhere else. Local businesses bribe Central CityPol officers to protect business, which the officers do by keeping the peace. The police share the streets with the gangers, but leave no doubt about who ultimately rules here. Central CityPol accepts that gangers are going to kill each other, but will not allow fighting in important public places and will arrest any citizen found in possession of a weapon of LR 2 or below. Generally, gangers toe the line, but not entirely, and Downtown remains a dangerous place for officer and citizen alike. This is especially true in the seedier and less profitable sections of Downtown, where CityPol protection is less enthusiastic. Police officers here are usually issued with submachine-guns, auto-pistols, and stun batons. The department is well supplied with any other weapon of LR 2 and above. Gangs: Gangs are drawn to the Downtown area like flies to crap. Of all territories, it promises the most money, the most fun, and the best chance to find a weaker gang to attack. Central CityPol has accepted that it can’t get rid of the gangers and the gangs are flamboyant and wear their weapons openly. Gangers on the street generally carry an auto-pistol and a backup melee weapon, but there is considerable variation. Gangers going to a battle are likely to be carrying illegal weaponry, typically shotguns, but often machine pistols and submachine guns. The Law and You Weapons: About one in ten citizens carry visible weapons in the street. Central CityPol officers frowns on the practice, but will tolerate a handgun (LR 2+, typically auto-pistols) carried in a holster. CityPol will immediately arrest anyone found with a longarm or with a weapon of LR 2 or below, even in the seedier parts of town. Most downtown businesses require that weapons be left at the door and the more respectable and prosperous the business, the more likely that the request will be made. Bars famously have enacted a variety of rules for the sake of safety and flavor - rules run the gamut from a total ban on weapons, to a ban on anything but medieval Japanese weapons, to a rule that only those packing a handgun will be permitted to enter.

         Citizens may enter and leave the Downtown area without being scanned by the police.  In fact, police scans are rare in the territory and generally only occur if an officer is already suspicious.  The system is not effective in keeping anything much out, although military hardware, such as assault rifles, is generally felt to be too hard to hide.  Private establishments often scan to keep weapons out, although security measures vary greatly.

1.4. THE CORPORATE SANCTUARIES

The sanctuaries are a scattered ring of gated communities that roughly encircle the city and burbs, though there are no sanctuaries in the northern part of the city. These communities are intended but for the poor semi-educated workers employed by major corporations. The corporations ultimately own and run everything within the walls. City police rarely venture inside – it is up to the corporate police to keep order here. In theory, the walls serve to protect the communities from the violent world outside. This works up to a point – corporate security has become very adept at preventing weapons from being smuggled in and there is no question that people are safer inside the walls than outside. On the other hand, these citizens are not particularly valuable corporate assets and the corporate police don’t expend a lot of effort to protect them from local predators. At their best, these communities are “lockdowns”, corporate police states. At their worst, these communities are “jungles”, crumbling anarchic ghettoes populated by the least valued of human assets. While each sanctuary is unique, sanctuaries of the Eastside, Southside and Westside tend to have certain features in common, as detailed below.

1.4.1. The Lockdowns

Eastside Lockdowns: “The Habitats”

The corporations go to great trouble to keep order here and there is very little personal freedom. Citizens spend a great deal of their time physically locked inside their dwellings in order to keep the streets safe and searches for weapons and drugs are commonplace. Passes are required to enter or leave these communities, although it is significantly easier for an outsider to obtain a pass that will allow them to visit than it is for a resident to obtain a pass that will allow them easy access to the outside world – usually, an outsider can gain at least a temporary pass for about $10 a visit. Despite these measures to enforce control, the frustrated citizens of the habitats are a famously violent and bloodthirty lot. Because of all the security measures, there is a lot of profit to be made from drug trafficking here and gang warfare for drug-selling territory is a common event. Police: The corporate police have great authority here and are a class apart from the ordinary citizens. Anyone who wants to do regular illegal business here has better be cutting the local cops in, or they are looking for trouble. Police generally carry stun batons and sub-machine guns. Gangs: The gangs are powerful here and, as long as the police get their cut, effectively rule the streets. Tattoos and fashionware are common ways in which gang-members identify themselves. Even gang-members will rarely carry weapons unless they are going to war or expecting trouble. Weapons that are used tend to be improvised from tools. The Law and You Weapons: Citizens are strictly forbidden to possess weapons of any sort here. Even tools are forbidden in residential areas, unless special permission has been granted. Knives, bats, chains, even loose lengths of pipe require a special license that is almost never granted. Violent inhabitants find it almost impossible to obtain weapons from the outside, but often turn to making their own from hidden materials. Homemade clubs, knives, and hand axes are all common among criminals, but bulky weapons like swords, battle-axes and considered to be too hard to hide. Periodically, a resident manages to machine simple one-shot handguns – famously, these guns show up easily on police scanners and sometimes explode in the owner’s hand. Cyberwear: Cybernetic weapons and cybernetic body cavities (such as flesh holsters), are strictly forbidden, as is any cyberware that makes the user harder to detect. Smuggling: All citizens wishing to enter the territory must pass through checkpoints where they are scanned for illegal items and cyberwear. The system is effective in detecting drugs and while there are plentiful drugs available in the area, they are locally produced and famous for their negative side-effects.

Southside Lockdowns: “The Crypts”

These lockdowns are probably called “the crypts” due to the extensive subways that honeycomb them. Such public transport is necessary as private ownership of vehicles is usually banned for residents. The locals tend to be highly insular, possibly because of sheer lack of mobility. They don’t use the term “the crypts”, don’t consider themselves to have anything in common with their neighbors and generally do not see themselves as part of any territory that extends beyond their own neighborhood. Police: The corporate police care little for protecting the local citizens and extended families form into clans for mutual protection. While traditional street gangs are known here, after the police, it is these clans who hold most power on the streets. Gangs: Much of the ecological role of gangs has been taken over by the clans here, but youths with no family (or no inclination to follow their family’s rules) do form more traditional gangs. The can rarely contest with the clans for turf, but will engage in hit and run operations to get what they want, or take control of territory that the clans don’t particularly want. Gangs will generally carry melee weapons, ranging from flick-knives to katanas, depending on how well the neighborhood is policed. You and the Law: Weapons: It is illegal to bring weapons into these neighborhoods and generally very difficult to do, although a low-tech melee weapon can usually be bribed in for $10 or so. Citizens are forbidden to carry weapons in the street. Residents are, however, permitted to keep low-tech melee weapons in their homes for home defense. In practice, this means that most adults hide a small melee weapon, such as a knife, on their persons when they go out in public, and keep larger melee weapons, such as clubs, axes and machetes, in their home. When a community is going to a battle, they are liable to take their large weapons with them in defiance of the law. The police tolerate such attacks up to a point, as long as damage to public property is kept to a minimum. Cyberwear: Armor that does not look natural is forbidden, as is any weapon that cannot be retracted, and any ranged weapon. Such cyberwear is rarely found in the territory. Smuggling: All citizens wishing to enter the territory must pass through checkpoints where they are scanned for illegal items and cyberwear. The system is not effective in detecting drugs.

Westside Lockdowns: “West Hollywood”

These lockdowns are famous for the great proliferation of police and corporate security cameras – the streets and public places are carefully monitored, as are many work places and common areas. Police manpower is not particularly great and the cops generally have little interest in preventing violence that is not causing public disruption or destroying property. Still, the system does keep some kind of a lid on the destructive tendencies of the locals. West Hollywood is the most economically successful of the lockdowns - pay is low and goods are scarce, but the relative order is good for business. Police: The police accept that worthless citizens will feel the occasional need to rob, assault or kill one another. They are not likely to interfere if they can pass an interaction off as a “private matter”, although they will take action if illegal activity begins to look like it will cause general destruction or disorder. Ironically, police corruption is relatively low on the street level in West Hollywood, since the officers themselves are frequently effectively under surveillance. Gangs: The gangs of West Hollywood usually don’t wear identifying insignia, or choose means of identifying themselves that are not blatantly obvious to a security camera. Even gangsters aren’t usually carrying weapons and weapons that are used are liable to be improvised. Gangers usually are quite stealthy and favor quick hit and run tactics. The Law and You: Weapons: Citizens here are forbidden to carry weapons. Weapons that are available are almost all improvised – knives, tools, pipes, chains, and so forth. Weapons are never worn openly in the street, and are only carried if they are intended for immediate use. Bats are forbidden and generally unavailable, as is any other item of sporting equipment that could be used as an improvised weapon. There are many places where a citizen may not even carry a tool that might be used as a weapon, such as a screwdriver. Cyberwear: Cybernetic weapons are forbidden as is armor that is not natural in appearance. Smuggling: All citizens wishing to enter the territory must pass through checkpoints where they are scanned for illegal items and cyberwear. The system is effective in keeping drugs from entering the neighborhoods. Locally made drugs are available for the streetwise, but are famous for their negative-side effects are often lead to arrest.

1.4.2. The Jungles

Eastside Jungles: “The Asylum”

When most citizens of Paradise think of the Asylum, they think of drug-crazed lunatics hacking at each other with medieval weapons. That doesn’t truly represent the average citizen of this area, but it isn’t a bad caricature of the gangs who the police allow to rule the streets. The police manage to keep most weapons of LR 3 and below out of the community, but have failed to prevent an ongoing explosion in drug use, despite desperate attempts to contain it, and the Asylum sees far more use and addiction than is found elsewhere in the Corpzone. Many of the citizens seem to have only a tenuous connection to reality, and the locals are known for being strange and unpredictable. The Police: The police here are not hired by the city, but the corporations who house unskilled workers in the area. The local inhabitants are not considered particularly valuable by the corporations they work for, and the corporate police do not go to great trouble to protect them, nor their environment. Still, they work hard to keep the community clear of drugs, firearms, and anything else that they think will be trouble. They fail miserably to keep the drug trade under control and drugs are extremely easy to find here. They have had more luck keeping the area free of unacceptable weapons. The corporate police themselves are typically issued a gyroc pistol and an auto-pistol. The Gangs: The gangs do a good trade in drugs and are relatively prosperous. They wear their colors in the open and often dress flamboyantly. In the street, they will always be armed with melee weapons of some kind, and some gangs all use similar or identical weapons. Combat against other gangs for territory or prestige is common and spectacular, but the gangers don’t dare take on the corporate police. The Law and You Weapons: In theory, all weapons are illegal. In practice, the police aren’t going to get upset about melee weapons of LR 4 or above and such weapons are openly worn in the street. Most citizens will at least carry a knife on their hip. Carrying a larger weapon may lead to challenges from local toughs if they don’t think the character knows how to use the weapon properly. Just like everywhere else, a weapon carried in the hand is a sign of violent intentions. Smuggling: All citizens wishing to enter the territory must pass through checkpoints where they are scanned for illegal items and cyberwear. In practice, low-tech melee weapons, even cybernetic versions, may be bribed through at around $5 a weapon. Inside the territory, the police frequently scan citizens for weapons of LR 3 or less. Discovery will lead to immediate arrest (and if the weapon is LR 2 or less, prison time). On the other hand, melee weapons (excluding high-tech toys like vibro-blades and mono-whips) are tolerated to the point that even large and exotic weapons are worn openly in the street.

Southside Jungles: “The Southside Jungle”

Like all jungles, the Southside Jungle is economically depressed and the corporations who own these residential areas care little for the welfare of the average inhabitant, who individually is of almost no value to them. Because of the loose enforcement of traffic laws, the Southside Jungles are known as a particularly dangerous area to go driving. The streets attract go-gangers and everyone else who doesn’t feel like obeying traffic rules. Police: The police here are not hired by the city, but the corporations who house unskilled workers in the area. The local inhabitants are not considered particularly valuable by the corporations they work for, and the corporate police do not go to great trouble to protect them, nor their environment. Taking a page from the South CityPol cops in the neighboring government projects, they do not even bother to enforce traffic laws unless property is actually damaged. The officers are usually issued a submachine gun, an auto-pistol and a stun baton. Gangs: The lack of traffic rules has lead to a proliferation of go-gangs in these neighborhoods, much as it has elsewhere on the Southside. Firearms are generally unavailable in the enclave and the gangers use melee weapons instead – especially weapons that can be cheaply improvised or can be used while riding a motorcycle. Bats, chains, pipes and even swords are commonly used. The Law And You Weapons: The police care enough about public order to arrest anyone found in possession of a ranged weapon, or any weapon of LR 3 or less. Melee weapons, while technically illegal, are semi-tolerated - they are quite likely to be confiscated, but it is not likely that charges will be pressed simply for possession. Most citizens carry no weapons at all and weapons that are carried tend to be easily concealed weapons of LR 4 or above. Smuggling: All citizens wishing to enter the territory must pass through checkpoints where they are scanned for illegal items and cyberwear. It is very difficult to sneak a weapon of LR 3, (such as auto-pistols) or above into the territory. Cybernetic weapons that are neither ranged nor of LR 3 or less may generally be bribed in for $40 per weapon. The system is not effective in detecting drugs. Within the territory, if corporate police find you with a weapon of LR 3 or above, you are likely to end up in prison, whereas something less lethal will simply be confiscated.

Westside Jungles: The Firepits.

The Firepits, as the name suggests, have been repeatedly gutted by fires set by destructive residents. The area, mostly built of a cheap flammable plastic, is riddled with burned-out areas, sometimes stretching for blocks. There are still plenty of unskilled corporate workers living here, and there has been some effort to rebuild areas that have been destroyed. However, too many of the locals seem set on destroying anything that they can get their hands on and most of the corporations who own land here find that it isn’t worth their while to try to rebuild. Police: The police here are not hired by the city, but the corporations who house unskilled workers in the area. The local inhabitants are not considered particularly valuable by the corporations they work for, and the corporate police do not go to great trouble to protect them, nor their environment. They do their best to keep the vandalism and destruction in check, but they are badly under-funded and under-staffed. The corporations do maintain the outer wall very carefully, to ensure that residents may be passed through check points and scanned for weapons (and especially explosives). There are plenty of streets where police just do not go, if only because the buildings are so trashed that they are not worth trying to protect. Officers here are typically issued with a submachine gun, an auto-pistol and a stun baton. Gangs: There is not much money to be made here, although the gangs do a reasonable trade in drugs. Still, for many of the residents of the Firepits, there isn’t a lot else to do than fight – most of the legitimate entertainments were driven out of town by arson and vandalism. The Law And You Weapons: Weapons other than melee weapons are forbidden. In practice, there are large desolate areas of the Firepits that someone could probably walk through carrying an assault rifle without being noticed. Police will not tolerate non-melee weapons being openly worn, but with a little Streetwise, it is possible to obtain small arms such as handguns and sawn-off shotguns, generally weapons of LR 3 or above. Smuggling: All citizens wishing to enter the territory must pass through checkpoints where they are scanned for illegal items and cyberwear. The system is not effective in detecting drugs and is only semi-effective in detecting weapons – a sizeable trade in small arms (generally LR 3 or above) takes place over the border.

2. THE PROJECTS

The projects are vast tracts of government housing. Population that is surplus to the needs of the corporations is stored in the projects – the unemployed, the invalid, the young and the old. Poverty is overwhelming and nutrition and sanitation are worse than in any other zone. Most residents of the projects do have a job of some kind, but not a contract that would provide them with housing in the Corpzone. Getting out of the projects and into the Corpzone is the number one dream of most residents.

Eastside City Projects: The City Dumps.

“The City Dumps” (or “The Dumps”) is a government housing project designed to provide cheap accommodation for welfare recipients. The citizens who live here generally have no money, no hope, and no purpose in life. Drug use is epidemic and watching television is a way of life. Police: Eastside Citypol rules The Dumps, not that any of them are particularly attached to it. They don’t mind poor citizens attacking one another, provided that they don’t kill and don’t use guns. However, they won’t stand for destruction of government property. Always short of money and short of personnel, CityPol has taken to reinforcing their ranks with vicious dogs, often cybernetically enhanced. Eastside Citypol has a reputation for needless brutality and the residents fear them almost as much as they fear the Gangs. Police officers here are usually issued with gyroc pistols, auto-pistols, and stun battons. The department is well-supplied with rifles, shotguns and submachine guns. Gangs: Despite the local poverty, there is easy money to be made selling drugs in The Dumps and the gangers compete fiercely for territory. Gangers who are willing to make payments to the police may be permitted to wear their colors openly, but most gangers try to blend in with everyone else. Gangers here will typically carry an auto-pistol concealed on their person. Gangers going to battle usually carry illegal weapons, typically shotguns, machine pistols and submachine guns. The Law and You Weapons: Eastside CityPol will not tolerate weapons. Knives are usually simply confiscated, while a handgun will usually result in a fine and/or a few days in jail and/or a beatdown, depending on the officer’s personal outlook on life. Carrying a weapon of LR 2 or lower, such as a submachine gun, will result in prison time. Smuggling: Citizens may enter and leave the City Dumps without being scanned by the police. In fact, police scans are rare in the area and generally only occur if an officer is already suspicious. The system is not effective in keeping much out of the area, although military hardware, such as assault rifles, is generally felt to be too hard to hide.

Southside City Projects: The Towers.

“The Towers” is an area originally designed to house the unemployed, but now mostly populated by semi-skilled government workers. The neighborhoods are clearly very poor, but the locals are a step above the welfare recipients who fill most government projects. The area is seeing increasing commercial development as Downtown expands, bringing some employment, but also raising housing prices forcing many residents to move to even grimmer government projects. Police: South CityPol ultimately rules the streets here, but their severe under-funding has led them to give up on the idea of trying to enforce all the laws. South CityPol wants to keep the peace and they ban theft, fighting, carrying a weapon, or damaging public property. However, they don’t care if gangers kill each other, rarely bother to prosecute simple assault, and famously, don’t bother enforcing traffic laws unless a driver actually damages something. Police offers here are typically issued a machine pistol, an auto-pistol, and a stun baton. The department is well supplied with tanglers, shotguns, rifles, and submachine guns. Gangs: Southside gangs are plentiful and, famously, many of them are highly mobile. With no traffic laws to hold them back, go-gangs on fast motorcycles proliferate through the area. Such gangs frequently raid into other territories – usually other government projects, but sometimes into nearby Corpzone territories – as far as Eastgate and Westgate on rare occasion. Gangers typically carry a concealed auto-pistol and some kind of melee weapon, but there is considerable variation. Gangers going to battle are likely to be carrying illegal weapons, such as shotguns, machine pistols and submachine guns. The Law and You Weapons: Southside CityPol does not tolerate anything other than improvised weapons, such as knives, chains, or bats with nails. How the owner of a restricted weapon is treated depends on the situation – a clean-cut stranger who innocently wandered down from Downtown into the more commercial areas of the Southside with his auto-pistol sitting in a holster on his hip is liable to given a light fine and told to leave, while a local ganger caught brandishing a pistol in a dark alleyway is probably going to get the choice between a substantial fine and a short prison sentence. Anyone caught with a weapon of LR 2 or below weapon is almost certainly going to prison. However, actually being scanned for weapons by a police officer is not common, except for those who have already been apprehended for something else. Smuggling: Citizens may enter and leave The Towers without being scanned by the police. In fact, police scans are rare in the area and generally only occur if an officer is already suspicious. The system is not effective in keeping much out, although military hardware, such as assault rifles, is generally felt to be too hard to hide.

Westside City Projects: The Church Hill Area

The Church Hill Area, often just referred to as “the Hill”, is an area that seems to be eternally teetering on anarchy. The gangers here are at war with each other and with Westside Citypol, and frequently hate everyone else too. The war doesn’t seem to be about anything in particular, which is to say, it seems to be about a million different things – traditional rivalries, lingering feuds, or just the love of mindless destruction. Police: Westside CityPol is hanging on tenaciously. They are under siege, but the area is still ultimately in the hands of the police instead of the gangers. An officer who doesn’t keep her wits about her will not live long, but Westside CityPol retains control of the most important streets, especially during the day, while the gangers are consigned to backstreets, only venturing further afield at night. Westside CityPol officers are usually issued a gyroc pistol and a stun baton. The department is well supplied with shotguns, machine pistols and submachine guns. Gangs: The gangs are restless and seem to be doing their best to destroy the area. They frequently engage in vandalism and violence, and battle each other and the police in the streets. Typically, a ganger with carry a concealed LR 3 weapon, usually an auto-pistol. A ganger going to battle is liable to carry a heavier weapon, usually shotguns, gyroc pistols, machine pistols, and submachine guns. The Law and You Weapons: The police will not tolerate weapons heavier than a knife or other small melee weapons. If a Westside CityPol officer catches a citizen with an ilegal missile weapon, the weapon will likely be confiscated and the perpetrator either fined or beaten up or both. Discovery of a weapon of LR 2 or below is likely to bring prison time. If the officer has some reason to believe that a weapon may have been intended for use against a CityPol officer, execution on the spot is quite possible. Smuggling: On the other hand, citizens may enter and leave the Church Hill Area without being scanned by the police. In fact, police scans are rare in the area and generally only occur if an officer is already suspicious. The system is not effective in keeping much out, although military hardware, such as assault rifles, is generally felt to be too hard to hide.

3. THE WARZONE

The Warzone is a collection of scattered territories in the outer reaches of the city, usually on the edges of government projects. An area is part of the warzone if police control is so low that the gangs are left in possession of everything but valuable corporate assets - there are extensive neighborhoods that the police will refuse to enter except in force. Not many people live in the warzone compared to the better ordered parts of the city, although poor squatters unable to live even in government projects far outnumber the gangers. Food is often scarce – few gangs distribute it, there isn’t much to trade for it, and raiding into the projects is a dangerous business. The locals often eat rats, cats, and other urban animals – sometimes they even eat corpses. Because of the lack of police presence and the presence of population, a gang who can conquer turf can sometimes establish a minor fiefdom for itself. Gangers in the Warzone are often less destructive than gangers in other parts of the city since they know that no-one is going to replace anything they destroy. However, given the ganger need to fight other gangers (or the police), the area is steadily falling apart. Warzone neighborhoods that are sufficiently trashed will become Dead Neighborhoods. In most gang neighborhoods, it is considered a challenge to the gang to openly carry a “good” weapon – the definition of “good” varying, but generally anything of LR 2 or below. Gangs may or many not consider it an affront to even be in possession of a “good” weapon in their territory. When considering Control Ratings to determine what items may be bought here, gang attitudes as well as police attitudes should be taken into account – a gang will usually not tolerate the selling of “good” weapons to non-gang-members in its territory.

3.1. The Ganglands.

Roughly speaking, an area is considered to be part of the Ganglands if the gangs have effective control of the streets, but the buildings haven’t been knocked down yet. Much of the territory in the ganglands is actively contested by different gangs, but some of it has been held by the same gang for years.

Eastside Ganglands: The Eastside Playgrounds.

In the Eastside Playgrounds, gangs gain honor by transforming their environment. At the most basic level, this means writing your gang’s name or symbol on the walls, but it can include projects as ambitious as coating a skyscraper with the gang color, forcing “owned” citizens to be tattooed with the gang symbol, or constantly piping muzak into the street. At the more extreme end, a few gangs go so far as to impose “themes” on their territory, declaring their turf to be part of downtown Tokyo, or Moon Colony One, or God’s kingdom on earth, or hell. A lot of gangs make heavy use of drugs to help them complete the transformation, and drug use is often mandatory for people living in a gang’s territory. Police: Eastside CityPol carefully protects all important corporate assets in the area. Other than that, they largely cede the streets to the gangers. Officers are usually issued with a gyroc pistol and a submachinegun. The police are relatively tolerant towards the carrying of weapons, even at the periphery of territory that they control. However, unless it would be too dangerous to do so, they will usually arrest anyone they see with a military weapon (something of LR 1 or less) and see that the individual gets prison time. They reason that anyone carrying a military weapon was probably planning to do the sort of harm that even they should care about.

Southside Ganglands: The Helltowns.

Helltown street culture is notable for the fact that many gangs who gain control of turf conscript the local population into the gang. The conscripts will be required to show some outward sign of gang membership – a color of shirt, a haircut, the scar of an elaborate gash on the forehead. They will also often be provided with weapons, although not with “good” weapons. Naturally, being a part of the gang means that they are expected to fight for it. Conscripts are rarely enthusiastic about being a part of the gang, although there are whole neighborhoods full of exceptions. Though go-gangs are particularly common in The Helltowns (due to the proximity of the southside government projects), conscripts are rarely allowed to ride – they would probably escape The Helltown gangs are extremely concerned about marking and protecting their territory. They are also very serious about keeping their members – retirement from the gang is forbidden and if a gang gives sanctuary to a runaway member of another gang, they have effectively declared war. Police: Eastside CityPol carefully protects the very few corporate assets left in the area. Other than that, they largely cede the streets to the gangers. Officers are usually issued with a gyroc pistol and a submachinegun. The police are relatively tolerant towards the carrying of weapons, even at the periphery of territory that they control. However, unless it would be too dangerous to do so, they will usually arrest anyone they see with a military weapon (something of LR 1 or less) and see that the individual gets prison time. They reason that anyone carrying a military weapon was probably planning to do the sort of harm that even they should care about.

Westside Ganglands: The Browns

The Browns are teetering towards gaining Dead Neighborhood status. They are populated and stable enough to be considered part of the Ganglands, and some gangs tenaciously hold on to territory and populace that has been theirs for years. On the other hand, the area is badly suffering from the incursions of gangs who seek not turf, but mere destruction. As a haven for marauders looking for trouble, the area is particularly dangerous to travel through. The area always seems to be burning from several fires and fewer buildings seem to be standing every day. Police: There are almost no corporate assets in the area, although Westside Citypol does have a few strategic outposts. The few officers stationed here are usually issued with a gyroc pistol and a submachinegun, although officers with heavier weapons are available as backup. The police won’t take notice of any weapon short of a squad support weapon, or something else of LR 0 or below.

3.2. Dead Neighboorhoods aka Deadlands.

Eastside Deadlands: “The Wonderlands”.

The Wonderlands are famous as the zone with the highest per capita drug use in all of Paradise. It is the place where people go to try to create their own private reality. Newcomers to theWonderlands very rarely survive for long – the zone is for the mad and the mad are often dangerous. The buildings are ruins, but local artists are highly prolific and the Wonderlands look more like demented dreamwords than parts of a modern city. The area has a very low population. There are a few relatively orderly areas, usually belonging to cults of various kinds. These cults may or may not endorse drug use, or may have very specific rules about which drugs are to be endorsed and which are to be condemned.

         The police rarely venture into the Wonderlands and only move in force.  Weapons control is virtually non-existent – the police are absent and the relatively few gangs don’t particularly care.  However, even in the Wonderlands, it is difficult to obtain squad-support weapons, or other such items of LR 0 or below.

Southside Deadlands: “The Arenas”.

If people go to the Wonderlands to lose themselves in drugs, they go the Arenas to lose themselves in pure violence. In most parts of the Arenas, simply being there is an invitation to be attacked by whatever strangers happen to be nearby. Life tends to be short here, to say the least. Naturally, the area is in ruins and has an extremely low population. There are a few relatively orderly areas, usually devoted to particularly extreme variations on the idea of combat sport. The police hate to enter the Arenas, as they are regarded as being particularly interesting opponents. Weapons control is virtually non-existent. However, even in the Arenas, it is difficult to obtain squad-support weapons, or other such items of LR 0 or below.

Westside Deadlands: “The Westside Nation”.

The Westside Nation is a confederation of urban survivalists, in which gangers are the warrior-aristocracy. The area is mostly composed of neighborhoods that were flattened twenty years ago by police with emergency powers in a “war” between the Westside and the cops. Most of the Westside concedes that the police won the war, but in the Nation, it is accepted that Nation won, on the grounds that the police eventually went away and the Westside Nation inherited the turf. The war gave the locals a hatred for the police, and a loyalty to the Westside. Wartime alliances had given the locals a sense of community, and a tradition of standing together against outside incursion. In the aftermath, the locals managed to cooperate sufficiently to do some rebuilding. The various old communities largely survived, even if conditions became harder and authority shifted from the police to the gangers. The Westside Nation produces its own power and its own hydroponic food. The population is not large, but is larger than any other area in the warzone. Each gang has independent rule over its own territory, but each gang also sends representatives to a central ruling body – the “War Council”. The War Council is vaguely democratic, although the weight of each representative’s vote is determined by a Byzantine and patchwork set of rules. The strongest gangs ultimately rule – the council makes decisions about what should be done, but has no power to enforce its decisions. If the gangers enforce the rule, it sticks – otherwise, it doesn’t. Gang feuds are common and inevitably, hostilities sometimes break out. The War Council has no authority to take an official side in these disputes, although they can praise and condemn particular acts. Despite the limitations on its authority, the War Council remains a very powerful body – gangers gain face for having the council on their side. Weapons: Weapons of LR 1 or above may be worn openly. Weapons of LR 0 or below are forbidden to everyone except gangers with turf in the Nation.