Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

[megaplayboy]

In my near-future campaign setting (aka The Victory City Campaign Universe), most drugs have been legalized, gambling is legal and regulated, and prostitution (and various related sex work) is also legal and regulated. At the same time, organized crime still exists in the campaign setting. The question is, since a very large chunk of the money they make in the real world comes from illegal drugs, gambling and prostitution, what would they do in the absence of these sources of income?

 

I have a few basic ideas--smuggling various kinds of contraband, dealing in gambling on illegal or quasi-legal "blood sports" (autodueling, underground human and metahuman "cage fighting", etc.), protection rackets ("It'd be a shame if Basher here accidentally knocked over your building"), run-of-the-mill scams(anything from insurance scams to 3 card monte games), blackmail/extortion--but I have a feeling I'm overlooking both some fairly obvious stuff and some wilder, weirder stuff that could exist in a high-tech setting with supers running around. So I'm putting this out here in the hopes other folks can chip in.

[Naanomi]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Organized Crime exists 'two steps out' from what is legal... they are not often robbing banks or assassinating people (not outside their own organizations anyways), but operate a few steps out of normal law.

 

Just look at what actually *is* illegal in your setting, and you will find organized crime there. Most drugs are legal? The few that are not probably have an active market. Sex trade legalized? How about sex-torture, slave ownership, etc... if there is a line where something is illegal, just step across it. Gambling? Gambling is legalized and regulated in our world, and yet people want to bet on things... either amounts, or on events, that are prohibited... the future will be no different.

 

In a future setting, cyber-crime probably gets more organized and popular... Identity Theft, making comprehensive False Identities, blackmail of illicit net-activities.

 

Organized crime also caters to services for criminals... need a place to stay when you get out of Jail? Need to fence stolen goods? Local street gangs need organizing? Profit for organized crime.

 

Unless it is total anarchy, there will always be laws to exist just across the fringes of.

[Guest steamteck]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Ok there's always a black market in things legal to avoid taxes. Protection rackets are good especially for marginal groups like the prostitutes.

 

There are bound to be at least a few illegal or military only drugs out there. Arms dealing is always good. As you mentioned blackmail and extortion and any other way to tap into people's honest labors. Just acting like little secret feudal lords in depressed areas maybe.

[Certified]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Well in addition to running legal drug dens, gambling halls and brothels there's always protection rackets, insider trading, money laundering (which thanks to the legal brothels and gambling should be a lot harder to trace), trafficking in firearms, and the ever popular putting the occasional hit out.

[Clonus]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Human trafficking and it's near-relative, human smuggling.

Identity theft.

Shipment hijacking

Disposing of stolen goods

Counterfeiting

Loansharking

Kidnapping

Dumping toxic waste

Organ harvesting

Empowerment (the illegal granting of superpowers to people willing to take the risk of ending up dead, insane or disfigured for a shot at supervillain status)

[megaplayboy]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Those are all pretty good. This is a setting with commercially available androids and "replicants" (kind of like an organic version of an android, with a programmable brain), human cloning(the only legally permissible variety falls into two categories--cloning of select tissue/organs for replacement parts, and cloning of a "blank slate" to have the consciousness somehow implanted in, in the case of death--very expensive, only available to the ultrarich--think "The 6th Day", though possibly someone filthy rich could actually get an esper to transfer their unique consciousness into the clone), space travel, aliens, etc.

 

Maybe there's an underground market for human blood (vampires here and there), or one for "programmable" clones of human celebrities(the ultimate form of identity theft, I suppose)? Maybe someone wants to eat something on the endangered species list?

 

There might be good side money in figuring out ways to get/keep metacriminals out of jail, too.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

In addition to all the ones listed previously, and related to both identity theft and blackmail, organized crime might deal with information. Especially information acquired through less-than-legal means. For example, insider trading.

 

Also influence peddling, if they have politicians or police officers in their pocket (whether through blackmail or payouts).

[Cygnia]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

If you want to get into a murky dark area, what about child prostitution with replicants?

[GoldenAge]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

If you want to get into a murky dark area' date=' what about child prostitution with replicants?[/quote']

 

YIKES!!!

 

On a softer note you could delve into illegal pornography based on invasion of privacy (enhanced by near-future tech), which might lead to blackmail and/or retribution schemes.

 

If its hard for organized crime to make money (in your world) then the syndicate families would be much smaller and under extreme pressure by parallel criminal organizations... I envision a much more boiled down mafia, darker and more deadly, continually at war to maintain its territories against outsiders and itself. Very dangerous.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

If you want to get into a murky dark area' date=' what about child prostitution with replicants?[/quote']

 

yeah, that's pretty skeevy/squicky, alright. Probably won't be going there...

generally, a GM doesn't want to make players feel like compulsively washing their hands after an adventure.

[Yansuf]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Real organized crime in the US actually started with "protection" rackets in the late 19th century, prohibition merely let them expand.

 

If there are significant taxes on any popular items, smuggling them will be big business. (Think US interstate smuggling of cigarettes to avoid high state taxes.)

 

Labor racketeering is currently big business for organized crime, will that change?

 

As I recall, in the US of the Americas at least, weapons ownership wasn't highly restricted. But I am sure some weapons were. Sale of these will probably be (mostly) part of organized crime.

 

Providing illegal services will always be there. Need something destroyed for the insurance? Want your competition to have an "accident"? Need some official records changed by a hacker? Etc.

 

Various scams are used, like stock "pump and dump". Organized crime does not currently control this, but they take part.

 

Kidnapping for ransom is big business in some countries, but I don't think it would be in your world. It only thrives where the police are either incompetent (or weak) and/or corrupt.

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Intellectual property crimes - media piracy, counterfeit merchandise, etc.

[CoreBrute]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Memory or Personality stealing?

 

Some people might get a kick from experiencing the memories of a famous person, or be able to impersonate them by gaining their personalities (and some non-physical skills like speaking spanish) or a short time. The poor or criminals might like to enjoy 'the good life' once in a while even if it's not their own memories just someone else's.

 

To do so would probably require blackmailing the celebrity into copying his memories into the machine, or kidnapping the celebrity and doing it manually. And there are the people who give you personality chips that damage your psyche permanently or the wrong/illegal memories (unless this is all illegal) like the personality of a serial killer when you wanted Christian Bale.

 

Or you could do the illegal trading in certain alien parts, that give the human (until the body rejects them) super powers; night vision due to alien eyes, Alien heart gives you super speed from pumping blood around so fast etc.

 

(OKAY I admit it. I stole the last one from a Marvel story line where skrull body parts let you shapeshit, but the irst one isn't marvel. Stop making me feel guilty.)

 

Any help?

[Cygnia]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Memory or Personality stealing?

 

Some people might get a kick from experiencing the memories of a famous person, or be able to impersonate them by gaining their personalities (and some non-physical skills like speaking spanish) or a short time. The poor or criminals might like to enjoy 'the good life' once in a while even if it's not their own memories just someone else's.

 

To do so would probably require blackmailing the celebrity into copying his memories into the machine, or kidnapping the celebrity and doing it manually. And there are the people who give you personality chips that damage your psyche permanently or the wrong/illegal memories (unless this is all illegal) like the personality of a serial killer when you wanted Christian Bale.

 

Or you could do the illegal trading in certain alien parts, that give the human (until the body rejects them) super powers; night vision due to alien eyes, Alien heart gives you super speed from pumping blood around so fast etc.

 

(OKAY I admit it. I stole the last one from a Marvel story line where skrull body parts let you shapeshit, but the irst one isn't marvel. Stop making me feel guilty.)

 

Any help?

 

Reminds me a little of the movie "Strange Days".

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Knowing that porn stars license replicas of their own genitalia, I would imagine there might be a market for illegally-cloned copies of famous personalities who don't want unlicensed replicas of themselves running around. Another possibility is identity theft by either cloning and inhabiting (by whatever means) a duplicate of the person whose identity is to be used.

Plot seed: An "abandoned" warehouse catches fire. Within the warehouse are row upon row of stasis tubes. Each of the tubes contains exact duplicates of political figures, top executives from various vital industries, and even some law enforcement and military figures. When decanted, the duplicates claim to be the originals, that they were kidnapped several months (or years) ago.

Surely, some drugs will be illegal, at least in the context of, say, performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports.

Plot seed: A bank robbery is foiled by a new hero whose powers are a result of illegal performance enhancers. Do the heroes turn him in or turn a blind eye? If the latter, what happens when the drug-using "hero" has to do "favors" for his supplier? What if the drugs are slowly killing him or changing him in negative ways?

[bubba smith]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

somehow this sounds like a DARK CHAMPIONS thread

[megaplayboy]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

What about a corp hiring a super-goon working for organized crime, to show up on a "rampage" after business hours, and level their money-losing but highly insured metro office? Maybe there'd be extra money in it if the goon got busted, so when they got out in a few years, they'd be well-compensated for their lost time.

 

I guess that might be a creative form of insurance fraud...

[megaplayboy]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

somehow this sounds like a DARK CHAMPIONS thread

 

Yeah, I guess I'd probably lean towards ideas about what organized crime groups might do to make money that would tend to get supers involved...

[Dog Soldier]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Legal and regulated Prostitution would imply some sort of licensing, taxes to be collected, inspectors and what not. That's all an overhead expense that could be going to professional criminals in organized crime. I'd imagine regulations carefully recording patrons as well, so prostitutes catering to a more discreet clientele would haved a demand as well.

 

Gambling is much the same and as for drugs well there's going to be a market for people who for whatever reason don't wish to be entangled in regulations. Not to mention the fact that organized crime could and would sell recreational chemicals which obviously need no prescription as if they were in fact the legal version and keep the states cut for themselves

 

Think of organized crime as working like organized tax evasion and all the old reliable enterprises are readily available.

 

Don't forget to look into things like loansharks and the numbers racket which is really nothing more than a private lottery and you've got plenty of things to keep your goon squad occupied

[Yansuf]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

somehow this sounds like a DARK CHAMPIONS thread

 

True, but the Victory City campaign was four color.

[Alverant]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

I agree with most of the posts. But I want to suggest that in this campaign setting that while there's still vice crimes, they probably won't be as common due to the permissive nature of the laws. Most of the suggestions given would be for niche markets, mostly the super-rich who could afford it or the poor who can't pay for the legal items/services.

 

Regulation usually implies some sort of quality testing. For example if you hire a licensed plumber, then you can be sure they have certain qualifications. The same idea applies to everything else. If you buy it legally, you have a legal recourse if something goes wrong. So with drugs legalized, the illegal drugs would likely be of poor quality - so not as popular. The result would be a small pool of customers.

 

On the flip side with legal drugs come more abusers. So if you need a certification showing you've beaten your addiction, organized crime will be there to help people go around the system (for a fee of course).

[SKJAM!]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Some things I've seen organized crime into in SF stories:

 

Supplying refined sugar, real butter and red meat (in a very health-conscious future.)

 

Creating new and interesting psychoactive drugs that aren't available by prescription, and thus able to be sold to thrillseekers at higher prices.

 

Banned books and media.

 

Old-fashioned wedding ceremonies that include the word "obey."

[Yansuf]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Some things I've seen organized crime into in SF stories:

 

Supplying refined sugar, real butter and red meat (in a very health-conscious future.)

 

Creating new and interesting psychoactive drugs that aren't available by prescription, and thus able to be sold to thrillseekers at higher prices.

 

Banned books and media.

 

Old-fashioned wedding ceremonies that include the word "obey."

 

Yeah, but each of those cultures were distopias!

The Victory City world (or the United States of the Americas at least) is liberaterian. No books, foods, etc. are banned. Prescriptions are not required to buy drugs. Etc.

 

Although the ideas are cute.

[Clonus]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Well then one likely use for organized crime is to eliminate corporate obstacles, competitors and unions.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Organized crime in a world where "vice crimes" don't exist--what do they do?

 

Well then one likely use for organized crime is to eliminate corporate obstacles' date=' competitors and unions.[/quote']

 

Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense. There are some big giant megacorps in the campaign setting, and some of them would probably resort to something like that at least once in a while.