"A detailed post apocalypse Gang/Cult: "The West Side Boyz" " Topic

Forwarded is a 'threat group' that was developed as a major opponent of PCs for a Twilight 2000 game, to depict a gang a few years after a Nuclear apocalypse. It is loosely modeled after the real West Side Boys who operated in Sierra Leon until being destroyed by UK Paras and SAS. I believe it could be easily adopted to other 'backgrounds' and don't think it would be too out of place in a Ak-47 type of game environment.

The West Side Boyz are a well armed semi nomadic gang, with cult like tendencies. Their leaders describe themselves as the Armed Forces of the Revolutionary Council, they are almost universally known as the West Side Boys. This group will openly waged war on any local or state government. They will try and avoid combat with any significant military force, preferring to terrorize and exploit weaker targets. The group is heavily influenced by rap and gangsta rap music, especially the works of Tupac Shakur, and the "gangsta" culture portrayed therein. The group has grown to more than 450 fighters. About 20% of the fighters are child soldiers under 18, ‘drafted' (abducted) into the gang, sometimes after their parents had been killed by the "recruiters." In some cases these children were forced to participate in torturing their parents, or more commonly other authority figures (Sheriffs and coaches) to death to ‘reprogram' them.
The West Side Boys are heavy consumers of homemade whiskey, locally grown marijuana, and cocaine when they can buy it with loot. Loot, including captured women, is traded to purchase weapons and ammunition, which ranges from pistols and shotguns, semi auto Ak-47s and SKS and other assorted small arms. A small numbers of better weapons have been stolen from US Army or captured in fights with various groups. The heaviest are a 81 mm Mortar (120 rds) and .50 cal HMG (600rds). They have a wide range of vehicles including several hijacked from relief convoys.
Last month they attacked two small communities through false flag operations. They entered one disguised as refugees, and one with fighters concealed in Red Cross Vehicles. They routinely raid isolated homesteads or small towns. Capturing captives and taking anything they think might be of value. Captured young men/boy are often ‘drafted and then initiated into gang.' While women are kept, and severely abused, or trafficked.
-The group's primary ‘face' is the mobile element, described below. They also have a very insulated home base, set up in what used to be a wealthy new subdivision, full of several score "McMansions." They have effectively ethnically cleansed the area to a depth of 10 – 20 miles from this complex, as anyone who has not been initiated into the group has fled. The areas beyond this are also terrified and many have fled, weakening opposition as they gradually advance their operations. They can be either foot mobile or ‘motorized,' and have raided as far as 70 miles away from their base.
-They trade loot, through a series of middle men, exchanging loot and captives for ammo, food stuff, drugs and alcohol and fuel, which finance their continued operation. Very few people will deal with the West Side Boyz, directly. Those who do are ruthless and just as bad as the gang members, if not worse.
- The West Side Boyz are the subject of outlandish rumors, which are mostly true, or have kernals of truth. The rumors are due in part to their extreme brutality, kidnapping and flamboyant character. Much of this is an intentional terror campaign. The leaders of the gang are very rational, but they control the bulk of the members through bribing them with whiskey, women and drugs, a cult like religion and encouraging outlandish actions. This makes it very hard for members to desert from the gang, since the gang is known to be insane murderers and rapists who often infiltrate communities, no one will accept them. They brand their initiates, and any deserters who are recaptured, are tortured to death in front of the gang as traitors. A large percentage of the gang wear "Mad Max" and Tupac's "California Love" video inspired leather clothing, augmented with football pads and helmets, tire rubber improvised armor, chains and the like. They are rumored to be almost perpetually drunk or stoned. The less effective fighter elements have on occasion been given drugs and sent into battle. They have a severe initiation and "beating in" process. Those who "prove themselves" good enough are literally branded on the right bicep with the "WSB." Some of their captives have been branded on the hip or buttocks.
- One woman who was ransomed out of control of the group claimed that the West Side Boys were supplied with weapons and ammunition by Army Soldiers, stating that they had cannons and bazookas (this is partially true, the cannons and bazookas are her description of a 81mm mortars and AT-4 rockets, the Soldiers are deserters, of which the gang has around ten). False rumors are that they are lead by US Army Green Berets, that they are cannibals, and that they sacrifice children, they have executed several children who refused to join up.
"The King" Is a 42 year old charismatic speaker and a ruthless and effective leader. The "old guard" of the group, are long term members of his ‘family.' They trust and will protect each other, he's not overly concerned about the majority of the gang as individuals, and they are expendable, until they prove themselves, and are promoted to the old guard. He speaks eloquently to the group members about how only the strong shall survive, and that they will establish a new feudal state, in which they shall be princes, knights, and lords, over the sheep who shall slave for them. He's strong and thin. Carries a M-4 carbine with ACOG, a .45 pistol, and a 27" long bowie knife. He usually wears ‘woodland camouflage uniform with a "Green Beret" (which he claims to be, he is a veteran, having served 3 years in Navy as a ‘deck ape' before being kicked out). He is always accompanied by two bodyguards, armed with M16s, pistols and knives and dressed in black fatigues with red berets. They have a suburban SUV. He will always have three attractive young women with him who are very deferential/obedient.
Reverend Maker: 52 years old, short and powerfully build. The group's spiritual leader, "witch doctor" and chief initiator. He freely and intentionally twists Christian, Muslim, Voodoo and "Fantasy mythology" into a ‘religion' to justify and encourage the actions of his group. Personally he's a coward, and will flee combat. He serves to initiate the recruits, and runs the indoctrination/training regime. He's a sadist, and always carries his "magic wand," a 36" ornately carved oak walking stick that he uses to beat the initiates, along with a .357 desert eagle pistol that he has executed many people with. He has a ‘guard' force of 20 sadistic thugs (8 of whom are women) armed with shotguns & pistols but who more regularly use whips, staves, and stun guns to control newly captured prisoners who are usually kept chained in the back of a "Cattle Car" and subjected to sleep deprivation from constant rap music.
Lord of the Host or "Col Sun-Tzu Shakur" is the Commander of the military component. He claims to be a long time student of warfare, and was a history Undergraduate professor. He was previously experienced in gang combat before the war, which actually has prepared him fairly well. He has learned a lot by OJT, and has a good understanding of how to allocate his forces for reconnaissance and assault. They don't do defensive operations nearly as well, as the unit is poorly disciplined. He's intentionally conservative only employing the "Old Guard" when it's in the gang's best interest. He fairly intelligently uses the less capable elements of the Brigade against weak targets to blood them and gain experience.
They are organized into the "Old Guard" and three "brigades", which really amount to companies. The three companies are mostly composed of poorly trained and irregularly armed recruits, while the Old Guard, consists of experienced hard core gangers equipped with all of the heavy weapons. The three "brigades" are varied in capability. Chicago is the oldest and most capable. The Mohawks are the newest, with the commanders having been ‘spun off' of Chicago about four months ago, when an influx of "recruits" swelled their ranks. A small number of spies report directly to The King.
- Infiltration Teams: There are three teams, consisting of 5, 3 and 2 people each respectively. The only 3 female combatants in the West Side Boyz are here.
o The five person group consists of a 35 yr old man, 27 yr old women and 3 boys, 16, 14, 11. They will pose as a refuge family. Openly armed with a single pump shotgun and a semi auto .22LR rifle, each boy has a concealed pistol + the 16 year old has a "sten."
o The three person team is a Mother and her two sons (14 and 12); they are openly armed with butcher knives, a baseball bat and walking sticks. Each of them have two grenades concealed, the older boy has a ‘sten' in his day pack. They are very likely to take shelter with a group and observe them.
o The two person team is a 16 year old girl and her 13 year old brother. They are unarmed except for large knives, and will normally infiltrate into a ‘targeted group,' gather information for 2 –3 days then slip away to report back to the "King," their father.
It's very common for refugees to flee in front of the West Side Boyz. The infiltrator teams take advantage of that known fact. They are intended to both conduct reconnaissance and assist in taking out the enemy. If the opportunity presents the first two groups may take out significant military elements by using grenades in vehicles, bunkers or sleeping area…, ideally they will do this in coordination with an attack by one of the Brigades, with the attack being initiated by grenade detonations.
The Old Guard: currently musters 55 men. Lead by an Army Infantry SFC with two years of combat experience in Europe, before he was wounded. Once he recovered from wounds he was sent to a training Division, where he was intended to serve as an experienced leader for the young soldiers, instead he murdered two of his fellow SNCOs, and lead six other NCOs to desert, stealing significant amounts of heavy weapons and ammo.
- The Old Guard HQ, consists of the Cmdr and his bodyguard (Ak-47, .45, short sword) who normally dismounts with him. They move around in an open top Jeep CJ, with a mounted M-60 MG. The gunner has a Sten gun, and the driver a 12 ga pump shotgun and 2 pistols.
- Mortars: Three men, one is Army deserter SPC-4, who has ‘basically trained' the others to employ the Mortar. 1 M16, 1 M1 Garand, 1 PA Shotgun. They move in a Toyota 4 runner hauling a trailer loaded with the ammo. They are really only capable of direct lay (they see the target) or direct alignment (they can see someone who can see the target).
- HMG HMMWV: Four men, one of them was an Army Sgt, they have a hardback HMMWV, with a mounted .50 cal HMG. They intentionally wear ‘something close' to Army uniforms and will sometimes try and pass as a loyal unit.
- Armored Car: They have a BRINKS, 6x6 armored car, designed to haul money. It can effectively carry 11 men plus the driver. There are four gun ports in each side, 2 to rear and 1 in front. The dismounted section is organized as a squad, with Sqd ldr (M16/203 w 2 HEDP rds), driver (Sten gun), 2 5 man fireteams, each built around a M249 SAW, three assault rifles and a sten gun.
- Sniper Team: Six men, normally operate in 3 x 2 man teams, extremely competitive with one another on who can get the longest range kill. They have one M21 sniper rifle, and 2 scoped bolt action rifles that are properly zeroed. They also have 3 powerful hunting crossbows, and three "sten guns." A 2 man team will usually have a rifle, a sten and crossbow. They routinely kill men just for fun/practice.
- "The A-Team" These are all hardcore members of the gang, they are equipped with body armor, helmets, SMGs, knives and grenades. Their Commander (has a converted full auto Ak-47, pistol, grenades, and walky-talky with headset) is a huge ex college football player. His deputy was an Electrician (Ruger Mini-14 with Starlight Scope). They have 6 SUVs or pickup trucks but fight on foot.
o 2 x assault Squads (5 men each with SMGs, pistols and 2 -3 grenades), many of these guys carry mace (to force victims out of hold out rooms…) and stun guns and zip ties to subdue prisoners.
o Dog Squad (5 men with SMGs, pistols and a grenades, each with 2 Rottweiler's trained as attack dogs)
o Breach Squad (4 men, led by an Army deserter, who was a Combat Engineer SPC-4, M4) with a case of Bangalore Torpedoes and a case of C-4 for breaching) They will also carry assault ladders, ropes with grappling hooks, sledge hammers, and bolt cutters.
o Fire Support Squad (5 men, 1 M-60E3 w tripod, Grenadier (M79 Grenade Launcher (5 HEDP, 4 HE rds), and STEN), 2 FN-FALs, 1 scoped .308 deer rifle. This squad also has 3 AT-4 rockets.
Chicago: This is the most experienced and capable of the companies, it musters 125 men. The Commander has an M-16 and wears Army Major's uniform, though he never served, which will be fairly obvious to anyone who has military experience. His lieutenant was an Army Sergeant (a bulk fuel operator by MOS, he has a M-203 with 4 HEDP rds), and three runners (pistol). They have 4 platoons; each has a Commander (with assault rifle or SMG), 2 runners (pistols only), and 4 squads. Each Squad has 7 fighters, a Commander and 3 buddy-teams of two. Chicago is the best armed of the Bands; each of the squads in Chicago has a single assault rifle (normally used by Squad leader) with everyone else having some type of pump or semi auto shotgun or semi-auto rifle. About half have a pistol, and all have knifes/machetes/axes and the like. They are all basically trained and understand the concept of fire and maneuver, but are not very effective in employ it. When faced with serious opposition, they tend to blaze away and expend all their ammo rather quickly.
Compton: 125 men. The Commander has a Thompson SMG (stolen from Tn State Police) and is festooned with 20 x 30 rd magazines for it, a pistol, and a machete, he has a deputy, (pump SG), and 3 runners. He has three platoons, of 30, 28 and 22 men each, while each has a commander, they don't have any effective subordinate organization. The Plt Cdrs each have an assault rifle, everyone has a long arm and half have pistols. Their firearms are a motley collection, including some semi auto weapons, but also double barrel shotguns, lever action rifles, bolt action rifles, semi auto .22lr… Although it's uneven, they don't have much ammo for anything but the .22s. They will often use melee weapons, including machetes, axes, and spears to save ammo.
The Mohawks: 140 men. The Commander has an Ak-47 (converted to full auto), a deputy, and three runners. They are given the newest and rawest recruits and are the least well armed and combat effective. They have 4 platoons currently numbering 35, 36, 33, 29 men. Each of Platoon Cmds has a Assault Rifle with 30 – 90 rds. 75% of the rest are armed with firearms (and some type of melee weapon), though it might be a double barrel shotgun with 9 shells of birdshot, and the remaining 25% are equipped only with spears, spiked baseball bats, swords and machetes…. They have very little ammo. If possible they will attack stealthy. Allowing them to conserve ammo and minimizes their weaknesses. The commander has a crate of 36 M-67 frag grenades. If facing serious opposition, he will issue these to those without firearms for a deliberate attack. They will prove poorly trained in their use, and will cause nearly as many loses among their own as the enemy. They have one guy who has gotten ‘good' at throwing grenades with a sling, and he can get up to 70 meters of range with reasonable accuracy. Many of them have started to wear Mohawk haircuts.
The Caravan: There are about 20 loyal "old-guard' females who logistically support the gang. They drive, cook and assist in supervising and initiating the recruits. They have 5 semi trucks. Two with cargo trailers (both marked American Red Cross) are used primarily to haul loot, one is a 10,000 gallon tanker (with ~3,000 gallon of a mix of ethanol, diesel and gas in it). The other two are "Cattle Cars' used to transport captives: in general one for men/boys and the other for women/girls. They also have 4 "school buses" with hastily applied cammo paint jobs. With the buses they can quickly move any of the "brigades at once. A "county fair food vender trailer" is hauled by a 20' U-Haul truck. Each of the brigades is supported by a dedicated 1.5 ton Ford Pickup, (with McElroy Construction painted on the sides). They also have a 200 gallon water trailer with a pump that plugs into cigarette lighter as well as an ‘industrial' trailer mounted BBQ, a trailer mounted concrete mixer is used as a washing machine. A 22 foot Recreational Vehicle, is hauled behind one of the buses, and used as The King's living quarters and command post. They have a captive Female Doctor, who is "supervised" and sometimes led on a leash by Reverend Maker's 68 year old mother, "Mother Maker" who believes his BS.
Communications: Each "Brigade," the Old Guard and the King each has a medium range VHF manpack radio. The Old Guard has CB radios in every vehicle and a few CB band walky-talkies. The brigades mostly use runners. They are developing musical signals, and each of the deputies or one of the runners carries a ‘boom box' that will boom out inspiring music, which can order slow advance, rapid advance, all out charge, hold fast or fall back to rally point. Batteries are charged from the vehicles.
Logistics: They mostly live off the land and normally ‘squat' in buildings. They don't have a steady supply of ammo and the brigades are likely to run out of ammo. The brigades have very poor hygiene, the Old Guard are caravan is better.
Tactics: Routine offensive/raiding operations are carried out by the Brigades most often at the platoon level. The Old Guard is reserved for richer and better reconnoitered targets. Larger towns are infiltrated and probed by small raids to gain information.
Their ideal tactical model (which can be explained by a survivor or ‘experienced' by the PCs), would be for the infiltration teams and individual spies to arrive 5 – 7 days before an attack, observe for 3 – 4 days, and then one of them sneak out 2 days before the assault carrying information. 2 of the brigades will hike in approaching from SE and SW and pausing in attack positions ½ ~ 1 mile from the town trying to maintain secrecy. The third brigade and the old guard will approach from the north. At a specified time the old guard will initiate the attack with mortar rounds and aimed bursts of MG fire against specific positions, while the troops of the brigade approaching from the north makes a demonstration. At the same time grenades will detonate as infiltration teams attack key defensive positions. This is intended to and will likely draw the defenders to the north. 10 minutes later, the other two brigades will advance silently toward the town. Swamping the defenders and overcoming them in hand to hand. They have VERY poor discipline after a victory, being focused on captives, booze and loot. This will normally last about 18 hours and can/should be exploited by their enemies.
They normally camp together, with the size of their force discouraging many attacks. Their camp defenses are more focused on keeping control of recruits and preventing desertions. They will usually be 3 squad sized OP/LPs .5 mile down the roads leading to their camp. Their camp is normally made in buildings (an average one is a high school complex). In the defense they will be very disorganized and suffer heavily from fratricide. Especially if attacked at night. They have not faced any significant armor, and any vehicle heavier than an armored HMMWV will likely cause ‘tank fright.'

This sounds more like fantasy.Thankfully,after the Apocalypse,there won't be any "boyz" left.They'll starve to death without EBT and TANF.

WSB's sound too close to people I deal with in real life tio be fun for me :-/

The Sierra Leone gang were only called 'Boys' in the press. They called themselves the 'West Side Niggaz'. In the film version they'll be called the 'West Side Diggers'.