The Chicago Outfit

[Andre Bolkonsky]

Knowing quite a bit about the history Italian gangs that form the Chicago Outfit, their war with the Irish Gangs in the North with its bloody and brutal endgame, and their stranglehold during Prohibition from their fortress in Cicero - how close is this to actual history?

Are they introducing the actual players into the game - Papa Johnny, Scarface, Bugs Moran, The Big Tuna, Joe Batters, Momo, Machinegun McGurk - and are they going to build The Commission out of the remnants of the New York Castalmarese War where you have to earn Chicago a spot at the table? Is the government going to counter-attack?

What about Las Vegas? You can't tell this story without Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and the rest . . . . Chicago Outfit owns a big chunk of real estate out there, thanks to the Teamsters.

Or are they going to squander pure gold and just make stuff up? Surely not. This is a game of empire building, not a shoot-em-up; hopefully.

If there is a place for playtesters to sign up, please let me know. This is an area in which I have a good deal of historical knowledge.

 

[Eber]

A lot of details have still not been unveiled, but we do have a decent idea of the range of the game. So some historical characters as bosses will be included, like Al Capone (as you well know), Daniel McKee Jackson, and even Dean O'Banion. Most of your examples would be considered henchmen, except for Johnny Torrio and Scarface (i.e. Capone). We do not know which henchmen will be historical or not. If O'Banion is in the game, then Bugs Moran may also be included. The only thing we know is that about half of the characters in the game (there is about 60 total) will be fictional.

Though the city is set in Chicago, I wouldn't expect a true historical representation. The map will be somewhat random with each game, so will the bosses. Though we do not know for sure, I can safely assume that New York or Las Vegas will not be included. I doubt there will be any formal entity like The Commission either, as the game will probably have loosely based alliances for each game.

The scope of this game is pretty narrow. It should be a lot of fun, but I wouldn't expect something too grand. You have to keep in mind that the style of combat is like X-Com. Because of that, it will all be pretty local. Also, I did read in an interview that a game may only last for like a hour or so, depending on what the player does. So I wouldn't expect too drawn out games like you could potentially do in Gangsters: Organized Crime.

 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

A lot of details have still not been unveiled, but we do have a decent idea of the range of the game. So some historical characters as bosses will be included, like Al Capone (as you well know), Daniel McKee Jackson, and even Dean O'Banion. Most of your examples would be considered henchmen, except for Johnny Torrio and Scarface (i.e. Capone). We do not know which henchmen will be historical or not. If O'Banion is in the game, then Bugs Moran may also be included. The only thing we know is that about half of the characters in the game (there is about 60 total) will be fictional.

Though the city is set in Chicago, I wouldn't expect a true historical representation. The map will be somewhat random with each game, so will the bosses. Though we do not know for sure, I can safely assume that New York or Las Vegas will not be included. I doubt there will be any formal entity like The Commission either, as the game will probably have loosely based alliances for each game.

The scope of this game is pretty narrow. It should be a lot of fun, but I wouldn't expect something too grand. You have to keep in mind that the style of combat is like X-Com. Because of that, it will all be pretty local. Also, I did read in an interview that a game may only last for like a hour or so, depending on what the player does. So I wouldn't expect too drawn out games like you could potentially do in Gangsters: Organized Crime.

Thank you for the feedback. I'm still interested, but I'm more interested in the criminal empire building aspect than the 'slap and shoot' combat.

But still, if you're on the Chicago streets, and you need a wheel man; bring in Momo. Sam Giancana is great in this era because he is a driver who is willing to pull the trigger, and rises high later because of it - Just ask Kennedy and Sinatra. A great role model for your player to emulate.

Seems to me if you have a killer coming in, call in Frank Nitti and have him bring in troops from Murder, Inc. in New York. As they really did. Kid Twist can can still fly out an open window guarded by cops that way. It would make a nice twist for gamers to see a rat turning on them go down hard - at the hands of cops paid by Frank Costello (or his alter ego, Vito Corleone). Surely this 'city' won't just have one family unless you are going for the unworkable 'Boss of Bosses' scenario.

ANd we are going to go into Chicago and not line up a bunch of Irish against the wall and introduce them to the Thompson submachine gun on Valentine's Day?

My recommendation to the devs is hide all the easter eggs you can and make the gamers figure it out. And if I can help you hide them, it would be my pleasure.

Oh, and don't make these guys seem cool at the end of the day. They are always flashy in the morning sun, but by the end of the day they are brutal killers dripped in blood. Don't pull any punches.