Gang War

Gang War, or just "Gang", is a unique game mode built specifically for tgstation-code. It has no relation to Goonstation's gang mode.

Tunnel Snakes Rule!

A violent turf war between two rival factions has erupted on the station! Similar to Revolution, there are Gang Bosses who recruit other crew members to join their gang.

In order for a gang to claim victory, they must successfully execute a hostile takeover of the station's systems with a Dominator machine. If the shuttle is allowed to evacuate the station before either gang can achieve this, both gangs will lose.

Gang Leaders

Your Assets

Influence

Influence is what you will slowly accumulate from over time. Every 3 minutes, your influence will grow according to how much control you have over the station. The more territories your gang has tagged, the more influence you get.

Just remember that Influence is shared between the whole gang, so if you want to promote some lieutenants make sure they're trustworthy and competent, as they're going to be buying from the same funds as you do.

Equipment

Spend influence from gangtools to purchase items for your gang. See the equipment section below for details on purchasable equipment.

Lieutenants

Lieutenants can do everything the boss can but they cannot promote other lieutenants. Lieutenants can recruit, use gangtools, and are immune to deconversion. You are limited to three lieutenants max, and it is recommended that you promote as many people as necessary to reduce the risk of having all leaders arrested/killed.

Picking good lieutenants is important. Don't just promote the first few people you see. Promote those who appear competent and know what they are doing. Promote gangsters to lieutenants with a gangtool.

Gang Management

As a part of the gang's inner circle it is your responsibility to keep you gang going. Spray cans are cheap, and distributing them to your gangsters will allow your influence to grow faster. Even when you have a Dominator active, having more territories will make the timer count down faster.

Communication is extremely important. Your gangtool has the ability to send a message to everyone in your gang at no cost. Use these to coordinate your gang and rally them whenever appropriate. If you have a lot of surplus influence, gather your gang in a meeting area and distribute weapons, armor, and spray cans to them to keep your gang strong.

Avoid travelling alone. Your best avenue for protection are your own gang members. If you are always surrounded by your allies nobody can take you by surprise. It may be a good idea to make sure you always have at least one bodyguard by your side. If your gang is well armed and you are communicating well with them, you could virtually be untouchable.

Getting Started

In the early round, resist going around spraying territories with your spray can. Spraying tags leave fingerprints and raises security's suspicion against you. You are far better off passing your spray cans to recruited gangsters, and you can focus on recruitment, equipment, and not getting caught.

Your anonymity is your most valuable asset early in the game. If your rivals spot you converting crew or using a gangtool, they're sure to alert their friends. If they manage to do that, consider yourself marked for death.

Remember that rival gangsters can be reverted to a neutral crew member by beating them in the head! Recruit them yourself afterwards to steal members from the enemy.

Do not allow the station to evacuate. If the shuttle is allowed to dock with the station, you only have a few minutes before you lose. If you use your gangtool to recall the shuttle, keep in mind that station security (or even your rivals!) may use your recall signal to pinpoint your location. Never stay in the same spot you recalled the shuttle from unless you are willing to fight them. Active dominators will also prevent the emergency shuttle from leaving the station. If you've missed the window to recall the shuttle, spawning a dominator may be your only recourse from defeat

Rise to Power

After most of the crew has been recruited by one gang or the other and security is knee deep in panic, you can start making efforts to win the game. I recommend that you establish a stronghold to act as a home base for your gang. A place where your gangsters can return to, feel safe, and can restock on weapons and supplies. Don't stop handing out equipment with your gangtool. By this point most members in your gang should be armed and dangerous.

Set up a dominator whenever you are ready. You don't have to wait and grab as many territories as possible before you start, but it's an option. If your gang has already dominated the station for some time, even with a long timer you may go uncontested. You might even force the enemy gang and security to try to foolishly assault your entrenched stronghold on your terms and defeat them once and for all. If your dominator is active but with a long timer, it is still worth sending out gangsters to tag territories. The more territories you own, the faster the timer counts down.

On the other hand, having lots of territories could be useful especially if the enemy gang starts a takeover with a long timer. If both gangs start their takeovers at the same time, even having a few more territories over the enemy gives you a time advantage of several minutes, forcing them to come attack you on your own terms.

Gangsters

• Work with your fellow gangsters to take over the station!
• Stick together! A group of people are a lot harder to take down than one heavily armed soldier.
• Your bosses can purchase weapons and other tools including special territory spraycans that you can use to claim territories for your gang. Don't be afraid to ask them for tools you think could be useful.
• You cannot tag areas that already has a gang tag in it, unless you spray directly on top of the old one.
• The more territories your gang has tagged, the more equipment your gang can afford.
• Don't let your bosses be taken in by the authorities, or worse, killed! Protect him with your life!
• Be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior from those not in your gang. You may be able to pinpoint who the rival gang members are, or even their boss! Be sure to share any intel you have with the rest of your gang.
• Don't be afraid to eliminate rival gang members. But if you can, try capturing them, deconverting them with a good few smacks to the head, and bringing them to your boss for recruitment.
• If your gang has an active Dominator hacking the station, stay close to it and do your best to defend it. Chances are a gang boss will be nearby, and you can get him to buy some weapons and armor to help defend.
• REMEMBER: If you are deconverted from a gang, your character cannot remember any of the identities of their former gang members.

Station Staff

• Protect the station and your fellow crew!
• Successfully evacuate the station to win. You will likely need to apprehend all the gang leaders first, however.
• Gang leaders can recall the emergency shuttle. Fortunately for you, doing so will leave a trace that the communications console can pick up on. Use this to pinpoint where the gang leaders are.
• The gangs are violent and it is likely that they will kill you before they get a chance to recruit you. They should be considered armed and dangerous.
• Gang Tags are used by the gangs to mark their territory. The more tags a gang has put up, the more influence they gain.
• Cleaning up any tags you see is a good way to keep the gangs from growing out of control. They can be removed with the janitor's mop, soap, or simply taking down the wall/floor tile.
• Report any suspicious activity, including people spraying gang tags, to security.
• Using loyalty implants on or beating gangsters in the head can sway them from their life of crime.
• If a gang is attempting to hack the station, your job and likely your life is on the line! Work with security to destroy the gang's Dominator device before time runs out. It can be damaged with pretty much anything a cyborg can be hurt with.

Gang Equipment

Items gang leaders can purchase from their gangtools.

Combat

10mm Pistol Found in: 20 influence for pistol, 10 influence for additional ammo Used for: Shooting your enemies Description They are small but they pack a hefty punch when they need to. Well worth the investment. Magazines carry 8 rounds.

Switchblades Found in: 10 influence Used for: Stabbing your enemies Description These make decent melee weapons and are relatively cheap to acquire. They're fairly intimidating and they can retract to fit in your pocket.

Thompson SMG Found in: 50 influence Used for: Perforating your enemies Description Expensive, but you're probably not going to care the moment you start using one. Powerful, but you won't be able to store it in your bag. Each ammo drum carry 50 rounds.

Bulletproof Vest Found in: 10 influence Used for: Protection against ballistic weapons Description The bulletproof vest is the perfect protection against your rivals, especially if they've already started to arm themselves up with guns. They're not as good as regular armor vests when defending against melee and lasers, but they can save your life in assassinations and shootouts.

Support

Territory Spray Can Found in: 10 influence, Gang Boss starting gear Used for: Claiming territories for your gang Description These spraycans are specially modified to mark a territory for your gang. They can be used on floors and walls. Regular gang members can use these, so it's important distribute them to spread your influence faster. You should by buying lots of these. It's recommended that you refrain from spraying tags yourself as it may expose yourself to unnecessary risk. The spraycan you start off with should be given to one of your early recruits to tag for you. They cannot be used to tag areas that already has a gang tag in it, unless you spray directly on top of the old one. They only have 20 uses each though, so don't go wasting it. They look like regular spray cans, but examining one should show that it's been modified.

Gang Outfits Found in: Free from gangtools Used for: Looking cool and intimidating, promotes team cohesion Description You'll have the choice of either using colored jumpsuits, leather jackets, or black suits for your gang. It's just a purely fun cosmetic option you can take. Otherwise, they give you no special benefits.

Recruitment Pen Found in: 30 influence, Gang Boss starting gear Used for: Recruiting gangsters Description These look just like regular pens, but can be used to recruit people to your gang by stabbing them with it. They have a long cooldown between uses during which they will flash blue, and vibrate when they're ready for use again. Forgot which pen was the special one? Jab yourself with it! You cannot recruit anyone who is loyalty implanted, or already belongs to a gang. Heads of staff, however, can be recruited.

Gangtool Found in: Gang Boss starting gear. First purchase costs 10 influence, second costs 20, third costs 30. Used for: Managing your gang, recalling the shuttle Description Gangtools are your management tools. They will update you on your gang's status, let you spend influence to purchase items, send messages to your gang members, and can recall the shuttle from anywhere on the station. More may be purchased to promote lieutenants, but it gets more expensive the more you buy.

Station Dominator Found in: 30 influence Used for: Taking over the station, winning the game Description To win, a gang will need to activate and defend one of these for the duration of a takeover attempt. The duration will vary depending on how many territories your gang controls: The more territories, the faster the takeover will be. This can range anywhere from 30 to 3 minutes. They have 200 HP and can take damage from just about anything a cyborg would get hurt by. Where you spawn it will be important, as you will not be able to relocate it once you have purchased one. Pick your location wisely. Somewhere defensibly if you think your gang is strong enough, or hide it in maint if you think it can buy you more time. Either way, be sure you are ready and gather your gang members before you begin the takeover attempt.