Crime in Shadowrun

Here in Seattle Metroplex, we have all three flavors of crime in abundance. You got the organized, the gangers and bikers (or go-gang). Depending on where you live, you'll see more of some then the others.

Downtown Seattle – that jewel of nuyen, tall plexiglass and steel – is the playground of the big boys. Most every small or local business owned by or pay protection money to one of the four syndicates. Larger businesses can afford to pay Knight Errant for special security instead, though they do so at their own risk.

In this town, everyone is paying protection money to someone.

While many of the megacorps maintain headquarters or bases of operations in Seattle, they can and do field their own police force to protect their assets. With that said, the internal security of the megacorps are on 24/7 dealing with security breaches both from rival corps and from crime syndicates. Crime influence here can range to low-level lackeys who look the other way for a bribe, to well placed and deep cover spies the Yakuza or Mafia have spent years moving into positions to feed valuable information.

For those keeping track at home, the four syndicates that are the Yakuza, Mafia, Tongs, Seoulpa and. Yakuza and Mafia are the two biggest operators, with the Tongs and Seoulpa rings maintaining significant resources at the ground level.

This is the only area of Seattle you will see minimum gang activity. Between the big crime syndicates jostling for position through quiet backstabbing, local and megacorp police everywhere, the daytime hours are relatively peaceful. Nighttime can be a different story, particularly when go-gangers roar through.

Outside Downtown area, it's a patchwork quilt of territory, power plays and brush fire gang wars.

Gangs can range from neighborhood bands for defense (particularly common in metahuman or minority neighborhoods) to larger gangs like the with specific goals, ideology or ambitions.

Though generally considered the Japanese counterpart to the Mafia, the Yakuza roots started as vigilante neighborhood defenders rather then secret societies. Masterless samurai or the kabukimono (crazy ones) so called for the 'improper' behavior of such folks. Either in outlandish appearance, vulgar language, or propensity for violence that simply was not done by Japanese. It is this perception of impropriety that later guided the vigilante defenders into like mind with other 'improper' activities. Gambling, drugs, BTL's, racketeering, smuggling, blackmail and prostitution are all activities the different Oyabun may direct their membership

While blood relationship is an important factor with the Yakuza, unlike the Mafia, it is not required – nor is it required to be Japanese. However joining the Yakuza often requires the cutting of all external family ties, with the effective loyalty and family structure of the Japanese replaced by the Yakuza family. Metahumans do still face resistance in attaining higher rank due to the traditional nature of the upper ranks, but does not prevent them from joining.

Within Japan, the Yakuza offices operate under a open door policy, and can be found quiet easily by the emblem of the local organization over the door. Members in (or recently arrived from) Japan will also wear a pin with the emblem of their organization on their collar.

Although the Mafia still maintains superior position over much of the rest of the UCAS (particularly in the central and north eastern regions) the Yakuza has managed to muscle it's way into position as the largest criminal organization on the North American west coast.


We all know and love them. They are the Family, the most established and long-standing criminal organization in North America. If you are not a member of the Family, you don't make it in the door. No exception. However this same place of tradition has led to considerable internal strife over the past thirty years. Combined with foreign invaders and the loss of significant resources during the fall of much of western North America, the Mafia families have been struggling to hold ground.

In the Seattle area, the ruling family is the Finnigan Family, with the Bigios and Ciarniello Families also in operation. Pornography, prostitution, smuggling and BTL's are the current favorite focuses.


Once a term for the individual member cells of the Chinese Triad, the criminal organization split up in the early 2010's in a disagreement over future direction. The Tongs here in North America who chose to focus on organized crime (counter-fitting, prostitution, smuggling and drugs) now are simply known as the Tongs. Those that focused entirely or primarily on contract killing split and retain the original organization name - the Triads.

The majority of members of both groups are of Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese or Macau decent, but with recent losses against the Yakuza for territory, most cells now accept all comers - including Metahumans. Tongs still operate as cells – with each group knowing little to nothing of other cells to prevent the entire organization. They tend to move into areas controlled by other gangs by taking up the rackets or niches too small for the major players to bother with, and then start muscling out the competition.


The original. The esteemed contract killers of China. The organization is much smaller now, but with that comes a greater ability for the members to disappear With the reduction to pure assassins, they've also gained a wide reputation – that these are people not to be fucked with. Very little is known about them outside

Relative new comers to North Americas, this group has evolved out of the Korean immigrants, corp employees and descendents that felt disenfranchised within the Yakuza. They've made major gains in the Seattle area in the last decade, which has only served to embolden the members of the new organization.


Vory is the very new Russian crime mob in what remains of the Russian Republic, but is concentrated entirely on pushing rival organizations out of Russia and reinforcing their turf at this point in time. They won't be seen in North America unless you guys reallllllly piss off the wrong people.

The Ancients
One of the largest gangs in Seattle, the all-elven gang formed originally for neighborhood defense after the Night of Rage in Tacoma. Since then the gang has expanded significantly across North America, bolstered by political exiles from Tir Taingire. They have gangs across the UCAS and overseas – primarily pro-metahuman activities, protection and smuggling.

The source of their backing remains unknown, however the leader Sting has worked hard to build her groups “free from the shackles of those pompous Tir fools”. The Seattle chapter is run by an exiled Tir elf named Green Lucifer.

The Ancients wear black-and-green leather jackets with dangling chains and fingerless, studded gloves.

Brain Eaters
This is an all-Decker gang with no centralized location and no known leader, but infamous for their skills, bored pranks and willingness to take on nearly any insane job just to one-up another gang member. As a group, they're heavily involved in scavenging the remains of Redmond’s technological infrastructure. They're are the sole group of organized shadow-deckers operating out of the Redmond Barrens.

As a result, the gang has very high killed-in-action rate. Current base is believed to be in the Touristville area.

The First Nation
This gang claims turf along the docks north of the Renraku Arcology, as well as some of the Everett waterfront. The gang is made up entirely of Native Americans, led by a Salish elf named Blood-of-the-Buffalo. Their symbol is a raven flying over a howling coyote. The First nation are fiercely proud of the Native American Nations and their tribal heritage - but rumor has it their backing is coming from another source.

Thus far it has avoided direct conflict with the Halloweeners, however that could change if First Nation decides to push the pyromaniacs away from their chosen rival Renraku.

The Halloweeners
Previously a Robin Hood gang that operated on the fringed of downtown, the original gang was all but wiped out when Renraku Security forces had enough of the gangs raids. All but one member were killed in the fire. The new gang led by Slash and Burn has declared a full war on the corps, especially Renraku, and operates through the downtown area around the Renraku docks.

Their symbol is a flaming Jack O’Lantern and their colors are black and orange.

The Night Hunters
This gang of bored, rich human kids out of Renton has an axe to grind with any metahuman. They claim the entire Renton area, but rarely have the muscle to enforce control over even a quarter of it. Primarily they content themselves with terrorizing local metahumans, vandalism and providing muscle for Humanis activities.

Their symbol is a moon ripped by a claw, in black and silver.

The Merlyns
The biggest and oldest street wizard gang in North America - which is to say, very small by gang standards - the Merlyns operate throughout the Downtown area. The current leader, Morgan O'Dana, directs the gang primarily as an arm for the Finnagan Mafia family.

The Spikes
Small but ferocious all-troll biker go gang with a fanatical hatred of Elves. Led by a particularly brutal Troll named Tongo, they haunt Interstate 5 for traffic coming out of Tir Taingire (the elven nation), using it to extract “tolls”. They've made enemies out of The Ancients, Seattle's massive all-elf gang, which will turn into the blood bath of the ages should the two meet.

Their symbol is a very crude elf-head, with X's for eyes, on a spike or pole – generally the gang dresses in combat fatigues and gold armbands.

Razorheads
The Razor Heads are obsessed with blades, regarding them as the only “pure” weapon with which to fight. They are driven to purge guns, which they regard as “cowardly,” from the world. They're known for their flashy knife and sword work and high number of street samauri. The leader, Double-Edge, is half-Native and pure Barrens. The influence of a recent Japanese exile into the ranks (a dwarven samauri named Damocles) has intensified the Bushido-like attitude of the gang.

The gang symbol, worn as a tattoo on their heads, is a pinwheel of three knives with curved blades, hilts together in the center and blades pointing outward.

Red Hot Nukes
I got five words for ya. Neoanarchist Dwarven Adept Demolition Gang.

If that doesn't scare the shit out of ya, their initiation rite consists of having to defuse a bomb built by the leader, Grinder. If the newcomer succeeds, he's in. If not, then the blast usually kills them. They excel in explosives and using self constructed bombs as a tool for extortion or for destroying buildings to commit insurance fraud. Currently they claim Redmond as their turf (though rarely control all of it), and the Hollywood neighborhood as base.

Their symbol is a mushroom cloud, colors red and grey.

Rusted Stilettos
The Rusted Stilettos are a gang in the Glow City area of the Redmond Barrens. Heavy Orks and Trolls, the members are horrifically mutated and nigh-on psychotic from their exposure to radiation and drugs. Due to their mental instability, even the Underground won't allow members of this gang inside.

Members of the Rusted Stilettos can be easily identified by their shocking mutations, their overall insanity and their red jackets.

Updated info up on all gangs, and more gangs added in.