"Dashiell Hammett inspired Horror Noir Campaign" Topic

Recently got the complete works of this Dashiell Hammett. Found his stories really fun and grit. I even came up with a campaign setting based on it. Looking for help naming the factions and the city its set. Rules being used are either going to be Pulp Alley or .45 Adventure.

The setting 1925 after a major strike was broken in the town through the usage of both the police and imported gangs. Just a city on the edge of anarchy.

Factions:
Vampire Ranchers
Wild Werewolf pack in the local woods
Two gangs/mafias(think Fargo)
Corrupt Police Force
Local Vigilante Committee
Cult(Lovecraftian)
A maybe the Black Legion

Instead of gangs you might substitute mooks or thugs. Police can always be coppers or flat feet. Don't forget you might want an educational investigative group…some local college students led by a somewhat eccentric professor. BTW, I don't see a PI and his secretary and partner and contacts.

thank you for your comment. I figured a gang is made up of mooks and thugs. I think I should add a "Pinkerton" faction, which I wasnt think about I will admit. The police are basically just another criminal gang. They are the bootleggers in the area. I figured the Mayor would also be the owner of the major industries so he was just a crime lord sash.

Good idea about politicians being a separate gang. They could have an uneasy alliance with the crooked police and be constantly interfering with the honest cops.

I figured the difference between a street gang and a political machine is one cares about the local population and seeks their support the other is lead by a politician

I would look at the Gangs of Mega City One ruleset. It is perfect for this type of setting.

It's a really good ruleset, but didn't do well because it was a Judge Dredd game that isn't a Judge Dredd game. So people who weren't interested in the JD setting didn't pick it up and people who were didn't like it because it isn't focused on Dredd; it's focused on the gangs of Mega City one.

What I really like is that it has enough tech to do pretty much any setting. If there's tech that doesn't fit your setting (like a boom town), then just don't includ it in the game. Denying everyone super-framadyne communicators doesn't unbalance or gut the game.

I was thinking of branching out by using Hardwired. It's a cyberpunk corporate war ruleset so we were thinking the same thing

I can't think off hand how many stories and games I've seen inspired by Red Harvest. Certainly look at Last Man Standing and Omega Doom. Might look at the David Drake book The Sharp End and watch Yojimbo. Names stolen from any of these count as "homage," which means stealing them is OK.

Names. The Pinks, in this context, are surely the Continental Detective Agency? Why mess with the original? I wouldn't think a PI in addition would be necessary, but if he is, I'd say in honor of Marlow and Spenser, he should be named Johnson, Bacon or Oxford.

The werewolf pack is just The Pack.

The Mafia factions are the Sopranos and the Verdis.

The corrupt police are just The Boys--perhaps short for "the Boys in Blue."

The vigilance committee is The Night Watch.

And the vampire ranchers' meeting place is a hall rented by the Sons of Vladimir.

Can't name an HPL cult until I know whose cult it is.

Love Hardwired and I think these would work well. I use them for a kind of cyberpunk noir style setting.

This should also be a tv series!

I figured the Cult would be for certain Creeping Chaos(personal preference there), I was thinking though to call them Order of Cosmic Understanding (Skull and Bones).

I was thinking one Italian the Soprano-Verdis and one other, maybe some name like maybe the Hammett Gang lead by "Dashing" Hammett.

The Pack is perfect, the Boys ideal (can borrow names from a certain comic Captain William "Bill" Butch, Lt. Campbell etc) , and the Night Watch lead by one Buford "Buff" Sommer.

I was thinking the Ranchers' would be like Bludland Ranch their brand being a capital B with horns that look like fangs in the wrong light. lead by one Vlad Drakon.

Sounds like you might enjoy reading The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Lots of good material in there for a Chicago setting that would crossover perfectly with Hammett.

Only have two left to read in the Dresden Files. Thank you though for the recommendation, I have been working backward in time through old detective stories. Still a huge fan of Sherlock but the American detective stories just resonate more with my sense of things.

Made a few Lists using Rogue Planet. Have it avialble and it is very sandbox friendly(also super easy to teach at the present). Does anyone thing Fistful of Lead would work on it?

If you're going to have the Sopranos, maybe you should have an Irish gang called the Tenors!

I will admit I was looking more at Damnation, Vincenzo(Kdrama), and Red Harvest for this setting. I just happen to have the Blood Coven from Dracula's America and werewolves from EotD. The rest are a mix of Victorian/Pulp armed men. Planning to gets some tommy gunners and the Chicago Way Police in the near future.

The first game I have planned is a Great Hunt, rich madman Hugh Howards says there is a monster in the woods near his home. The group that brings him down get money. Figure it be a good way to teach and makes the game more then a brawl.
link

Those looks good…

Armand

Was thinking of adding a Zombie Priest like in the Goon. Love the whole plot of that series.

Have the first five warbands built. Used the Song of Shadows and Dust rules. Made a few adjustments:Bows are rifles, slings are pistols, and javelins are homemade guns(was a common practice once). I picked these rules because the game will likely be a demo one to start. Just hoping to recruit people. The Pack, Bludland Ranch, Hammett Gang, Washington Detective Agency, and the Brotherhood of Continental Trucks have lists created(lead by one Jack Koffa)