Gang wars in detail

Wars are how gangs settle things. A gang can take on any other gang in the city, near or far. The war is fought on the turf of the gang declared on: in its home district. So the attackers travel there to fight, and the defenders fight at home. This page goes deeper than the war section of Gangs.

Declaring war

A member whose rank may declare war (normally the Don) can declare from the gang's wars page. To declare:

• You must be level 10 or more and not on the road.
• Both gangs need gang level 2 and at least 3 members, and must not be at war already, dormant, in a strike's recovery window or newly founded and protected.
• The same two gangs can't go to war again for 7 days after their last one, and a gang may declare at most 2 wars a week.
• The weekly limit counts every war the gang declares, in its own district or across districts. Staff can also switch on a rule against picking on much weaker gangs: a gang then can't declare on a gang whose fighters (the members who could go on a war roster) are on average too many levels below its own, and such gangs are left out of the list. The weaker gang can always declare war back.
• Nobody in one gang may be linked to anybody in the other.
• A deposit of $50,000 is held from the declaring gang's treasury. It comes back when the war ends, unless the gang declared on wins the fighting: then it keeps the deposit.

Demands and talks

The declaring gang chooses how many days of talks to allow (up to 7) and sets its demands: what the side that gives in hands over. Demands can be:

• Tribute: cash from the treasury, never more than 10% of that treasury or $1,000,000.
• Standing: up to 10% of the giving gang's Standing. The receiver gets Standing only, no Respect.
• A no-attack pact: for up to 14 days, members of the two gangs can't fight each other.
• A public statement in The Evening Racket, chosen from a short fixed list (an apology, a show of respect, or a promise to stay out). No free text.

No demands at all means a white peace.

During the talks either side (a rank that may negotiate) can make an offer, counter, accept or reject. Each gang may make up to 3 offers, and an offer stays on the table for 24 hours. If the talks run out in silence, the war starts.

The roster

Only the names on a gang's war roster fight. A member can sign up if they are:

• level 10 or more, living in the gang's home district (every member does), and in the gang for at least 3 days;
• not in jail or hospital, not on the road, not a protected new player, and not linked to anyone on the other roster.

A roster holds 5 names at gang level 1 and 1 more for each gang level. Before the war starts a member can step down. Once it starts the roster locks, apart from up to 2 late names. Sign up only if you will show up (see the absence penalty below).

In a war across districts the attackers sign up from home and then travel to the war's district (see Districts and travel). Being on a roster stops you moving home until the war is over, but never stops you travelling.

Scoring

Only a fight won between two rostered members of the opposing gangs, in the war's district, counts. A fight anywhere else counts for nothing.

• A fight between equals is worth 10 points. Beating a much higher level is worth more, beating a much lower level worth less, within limits.
• The winner's gang gains that as Standing (and Respect). The loser's gang loses 50% of it. A gang whose member fights off an attack gets 25% of what it would have been worth, as Standing only.
• Farming doesn't pay: each further win on the same player within 24 hours is worth less, and the same member can only count 3 wins a day against the same player. One member can bring in at most 20% of the winning score. On a small roster each member may bring in an equal share instead, so a small gang whose every name fights is not shut out.
• The war multiplier is 100%.

The absence penalty

A roster name that makes no attack on a war day is "absent" that day, except for 1 free day. The gang's score is cut by a share that grows with the share of absent names, up to 25%. Members' own scores never change.

How a war ends

For the first 5 days of fighting there is no treaty and no surrender. After that a war ends when:

• an offer (a treaty) is accepted, or one gang surrenders;
• a gang reaches the winning score with a big enough lead: 1,000 points for every 10 names on the bigger roster, never under 500, and ahead of the other gang by 50% of that score;
• no counted fight happens for 3 days, or the war has run 21 days. Then the higher score wins; equal scores are a draw;
• a gang is gone.

When it ends, the winner's demands are applied at once (never more than the other gang has), the deposit goes back or is kept as above, both gangs are told, and the newspaper prints a story.

Spoils and recruits

If the losing gang was beaten down to zero Standing in the war, the winner takes 10% of its treasury as spoils, after any demands. The same gang can't take spoils from the same gang again for 30 days. The winner may also invite up to 5 of the beaten gang's members to switch sides. Nobody is forced: each member chooses. If the winning gang lives in another district, saying yes also moves your home there: you must be standing in that district when you answer, and the usual moving fee and rules apply.

Tips

• Keep your roster honest: a name that never fights costs the whole gang.
• Standing is your gang's life: a gang at zero gets a strike (see Gangs).
• If you are the weaker gang, talks are your friend.