Al Capone: Space Pirate

[Tom Kalbfus]

Space pirates steal an archeological treasure, an Ancient artifact from a group of scientists, this is a portable artificial wormhole 1 meter wide. The other end was in the possession of Al Capone back in 1931. Al Capone and the Space Pirates meet, have a discussion and after a while they decide to join forces, later on Al Capone moves to the top of the Pirate's organization eliminating rivals, and planning heists and other such activities, while continuing to operate from his base in 1931 Chicago. What would happen if Al Capone's pirates and the PCs paths cross?

 

[-Daniel-]

What would happen if Al Capone's pirates and the PCs paths cross?

The pirates would try and kill the character's for their ship and cargo. The characters would fight back. The dice would determine who lives and who dies.

 

[Chumbly]

1. Somebody would probably discover the unfortunate way that a baseball bat applied to the side of a head
is just as lethal at TL14 as in 1920s Chicago :twisted:

2, The old Fed boast that nobody ever escaped Alcatraz would have 1 additional clause...
"Except for the time, that a corsair flew thru golden gate... flattened the coastal defense batteries
with missile fire, then took out the guard towers and pirates in battlesuits landed in a ship's boat,
dispatched the warden and all the other guards, busted Capone and few of his favorite buddies out,
then flew to Chicago.. blasted Eliot Ness's office building into a blackened crater, then flew to
Washington and did the same to Hoover's FBI building and the Department of Justice and IRS offices,
before traveling up to space and disappearing.." :shock:

Um yeah that little alternative twist to the historical record.... :roll:

Chumbly

 

[Condottiere]

Be wary of dinner parties and horse heads.

And offers.

 

[wbnc]

Be wary of dinner parties and horse heads.

And offers.

( Read In a terrible imitation of Don Corleone)
I find your use of archaic and mean-spirited stereotypes disturbing. These are libelous slurs against honest hard working businessmen who refused to be intimidated by the Pezzonovante. But I am sure that you meant no insult so this time, in honor of my daughter's wedding, I will forget this happened....After all, I am a reasonable man.

 

[Condottiere]

Daddy! What did we say? No icing anyone at my wedding!

 

[wbnc]

Daddy! What did we say? No icing anyone at my wedding!

The perfect response

 

[locarno24]

Anyone read the Reality Dysfunction series? You actually get Al Capone setting an interstellar crime empire. Of people possessed by reincarnated dead people.
It needs...a bit of backstory to explain, but it's good.

 

[Rick]

They'd have to cure him of syphilis first.
So what on earth would a poorly educated 1930's jumped-up street thug ever be able to offer a group of sci-fi space pirates? Work out what he could offer them and then you might possibly have an idea.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

They'd have to cure him of syphilis first.
So what on earth would a poorly educated 1930's jumped-up street thug ever be able to offer a group of sci-fi space pirates? Work out what he could offer them and then you might possibly have an idea.

So Al Capone is just a common ordinary everyday street thug is he? Then how come he took over and practically ran Chicago, do most ordinary street thugs do that?

 

[Condottiere]

You don't have to understand how the technology works, you just need to understand the rules of the milieu you happen to be in, and be ruthless enough to take advantage of it.

As William figured it out this week.

 

[Rick]

They'd have to cure him of syphilis first.
So what on earth would a poorly educated 1930's jumped-up street thug ever be able to offer a group of sci-fi space pirates? Work out what he could offer them and then you might possibly have an idea.

So Al Capone is just a common ordinary everyday street thug is he? Then how come he took over and practically ran Chicago, do most ordinary street thugs do that?

Pretty much, yes. He was more ruthless than his rivals and quicker to use murder as a tool of advancement, but his methods were crude and messy, he was never any sort of 'Napoleon of crime'. He also never "practically ran Chicago" - he murdered his way to a position, then kept it through fear, intimidation and more murder; obtaining money from people for not killing them isn't running a city, it's merely holding it hostage. He was infamous, certainly, but not exceptional - aside from his amoral tendencies, he didn't do much that other crime bosses hadn't already done; the structure and organisation of his gang was set up by the previous bosses, he just inherited the gang and ran it in his bloodier way. What elevated the Capone gang slightly above the normal street gang had happened before Capone - Chicago's Aldermen had employed the gang, under a previous boss, to intimidate opponents and citizens, which gave them access to power, influence and money in the city; a situation that Capone inherited but did not create.

The fact that he is one of the most infamous gangsters owes more to publicity than to any special skills on his part.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

They'd have to cure him of syphilis first.
So what on earth would a poorly educated 1930's jumped-up street thug ever be able to offer a group of sci-fi space pirates? Work out what he could offer them and then you might possibly have an idea.

So Al Capone is just a common ordinary everyday street thug is he? Then how come he took over and practically ran Chicago, do most ordinary street thugs do that?

Pretty much, yes. He was more ruthless than his rivals and quicker to use murder as a tool of advancement, but his methods were crude and messy, he was never any sort of 'Napoleon of crime'. He also never "practically ran Chicago" - he murdered his way to a position, then kept it through fear, intimidation and more murder; obtaining money from people for not killing them isn't running a city, it's merely holding it hostage. He was infamous, certainly, but not exceptional - aside from his amoral tendencies, he didn't do much that other crime bosses hadn't already done; the structure and organisation of his gang was set up by the previous bosses, he just inherited the gang and ran it in his bloodier way. What elevated the Capone gang slightly above the normal street gang had happened before Capone - Chicago's Aldermen had employed the gang, under a previous boss, to intimidate opponents and citizens, which gave them access to power, influence and money in the city; a situation that Capone inherited but did not create.

The fact that he is one of the most infamous gangsters owes more to publicity than to any special skills on his part.

But couldn't he do the same with a pirate organization, he rose to the top of his organization, maybe he could do the same with theirs. I'd say l Capone would have something to trade with them, if he holds one end of he wormhole, and they hold their half. For one thing there is access to the past, their might be something back in the past that the pirates might want, and Al Capone could use some of their future tech as well, he could make a few investments in the stock market for example, he could buy a lot of stuff for cheap in 1931, he would know which stocks to buy, the pirates could maybe tell him. Capone could steal some stuff from museums, and then pass them on through the wormhole, and the pirates could sell them as archeological artifacts, Capone would get a share of the profits, buy some future tech, get some more info from the future and build his crime syndicate from there!

 

[Rick]

But couldn't he do the same with a pirate organization, he rose to the top of his organization, maybe he could do the same with theirs. I'd say l Capone would have something to trade with them, if he holds one end of he wormhole, and they hold their half. For one thing there is access to the past, their might be something back in the past that the pirates might want, and Al Capone could use some of their future tech as well, he could make a few investments in the stock market for example, he could buy a lot of stuff for cheap in 1931, he would know which stocks to buy, the pirates could maybe tell him. Capone could steal some stuff from museums, and then pass them on through the wormhole, and the pirates could sell them as archeological artifacts, Capone would get a share of the profits, buy some future tech, get some more info from the future and build his crime syndicate from there!

Yes he could, or possibly provide cheap muscle. As to the rising to the top of their organisation, Capone would need the opportunity which, if the pirates are aware of Alphonse's reputation/'business practices', they will be highly unlikely to provide - his usual method of eliminating key leaders and substituting his own is going to fall flat without some tech knowledge; better for him to bribe/suborn a well-placed and knowledgeable pirate (or few), eliminate the other leaders and keep the remaining pirates in place through fear. However, the pirates are likely also to be on guard against this, so there may be some interesting forms of negotiation.

Of course, there is the opposite scenario to consider - the pirates infiltrate Capone's organisation; keep Al a virtual prisoner, as a figurehead, and run his organisation for their own ends in his name.

 

[Condottiere]

First of all, the chances are that future time travellers have near perfect knowledge of history and Capone's loop in it.

If we assume it's the Traveller universe, they can bribe him with as much gold and gems as he wants, or perfect counterfeit currency.

So the question is, what do they want in return? They'd have to be wary in removing humans from their loop, in case they unintentionally died and altered the timeline.