Chicago is located in the state of Illinois, in the UCAS, on the shores of Lake Michigan. Until 2055 (at which point data became unreliable), Chicago was the second largest city in the UCAS with a population of 4,188,050. Chicago is also known as Bug City due to the Insect Spirit occupation and quarantine.
Vital Statistics (unofficial)[]
4,188,050 is just the City alone (including the neighborhoods beyond the former Containment Zone. The entire Chicago Sprawl (including the suburban areas) totals 20,131,016.
Population: 20,131,016 Human: 50% Elf: 14% Dwarf: 13% Ork: 11% Troll: 11% Other: 1% White: 44% Jewish: 16% Irish: 9% Italian: 6% English: 2% German: 9% Azanian: 1% Polish: 17% Russian: 2% Arab: 1% Greek: 2% Black: 37% Hispanic: 17% Puerto Rican: 23% Aztlaner: 69% Cuban: 2% Asian: 2% Chinese: 22% Vietnamese: 4% Asian Indian: 14% Japanese: 7% Filipino: 28% Korean: 13% Amerindian: 0%
History[]
On February 10, 2039 the terrorist organization Alamos 20,000 bombed the Sears Tower. The whole building collapsed, causing an estimated 26,000 casualties.
On August 22, 2055, insect spirits spread in the city. On August 23, the UCAS Federal Government declares a quarantine area between Lake Michigan and Des Plaines River. Officially, the Chicago Containment Zone is established against an outbreak of a new strain of VITAS. In late december 2055, Shadowland spread to the public information about the presence of insect spirits in Chicago.
On February 22, 2058, Ares Macrotechnology launch Operation Extermination, first spreading biological agent Strain III-beta to weaken the insect spirits and entering the Zone with important troops. Acknowledging the end of the threat, the UCAS government lift the quarantine.
Neighborhoods[]
A lot of people will tell you the CZ is one big bug mess, with gangs and ghouls thrown in there, too. And the whole place is under the control of Catherine the Terrible, King Vlad, Tom Nishio, and a mysterious group called The Aleph Society. Well, I'm not going to say anything different. But I am going to tell you that the Yakuza and the Mafia are still doing big biz in The Box even though they are cut off from their contacts on the outside.
And there are the horrid free bug spirits. I don't understand too much about them except the old limitations that bound a bug to the hive mind don't apply to them somehow. And they got more powers, which makes them all the more dangerous! Thankfully, there aren't too many of them, but even one's one too many if you ask me.
Thankfully, much of the Strain III drek they sprayed around here killed off many of the bugs and the ghouls. But the ones that survived are stronger than the rest. So, though we no longer have the sheer volume of creepies to battle, the ones that are left are harder to take down.
Also, what you gotta know before your even think about coming in is what's and who's where. If you're a Human trying to do biz in Lincoln Park or Lake View (both of which are in the CZ, BTW) on the North Side along the Lake between the Irving Park Wall and The Noose, then you're going to have a real hard time! Both are an Elf-only club (the culture of the individual don't matter, you get all kinds of Elves here: German Elves, Italian Elves, Irish Elves, English Elves, Polish Elves, Russian Elves, Black Elves, Aztlaner Elves, Puerto Rican Elves, Beijing Elves, Canton Confederation Elves, Guangxi Elves, Hainan Elves, Henan Elves, Elves from the Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone, Elves from Macao, Manchurian Elves, Shaanxi Elves, Shandong Elves, Sichuan Elves, Xinjiang Elves, Filipino Elves, Japanese Elves, Asian Indian Elves, Korean Elves, and Jewish Elves). Lincoln Park and Lake View has also become home to many Changelings, so if they freak you out, best reconsider a stay here. Also, many of the Elves here have some ties to their respective Ethnic Mafias. In many cases, they are the bridge between these Ethnic Mafias and The Ancients. Same thing with the Austin neighborhood on the West Side (also in the CZ), but being an Elf don't cut it. You got to be an African-American Elf. And, if you're in Portage Park or any other neighborhood on the NW Side of the CZ and you're an Elf (or at least not an Ork or a Troll), then you're in for a world o' hurt! King Vlad (one of the meanest, baddest Orks around) won't kill you, but he'll make you wish he had.If you're in West Garfield Park and you're not a Black Dwarf, then you're history. In Hermosa, it's Puerto Rican Troll turf. The Ork, Dwarf, and Troll neighborhoods tend to be a bit more culturally polarized than the Elf neighborhoods. For Example, in a Polish Troll neighborhood, you're not going to find many Polish Dwarfs. And in a Filipino Ork ghetto, you're not going to find too many Filipino Trolls.
And if you're down by Chinatown and ain't hooked up with any of the Triads, the Yakuza, or Seoulpa Rings, then you can forget about doin' anything down there. They'd just as soon toss your hoop into the rad crater as deal with you.
Also, there are entire neighborhoods that don't even speak English. Up in the NW side of the CZ, Polish and Spanish is spoken more often. Down by UIC, Greek and Italian rule. Down by S. Wentworth and S. Canal St. Chinese, Korean, Japanese. Some neighborhoods on the Northside, the West Side and in the Noose are strictly Spanish-speaking, and those with the power there know the language. So, know who you're dealing with before you go in.
But with all the Strain III floating around and eating up the dual-natured beings, The Shattergraves aren't that bad of a place to stay now. They're just eerie quiet, no real ghosts or ghouls to speak of any more, thanks to Strain III.
Ghoultown's still around, but the population has dropped off dramatically, and is declining as more and more ghouls die off from the Strain III astral virus. You see, they're dual-natured and are constantly in tune with Astral Space. So they can never stop being vulnerable to Strain III.
Down in Little Earth, there's the Astral Preservation Society of Chicago. They're hard at work finding a way to neutralize Strain III and repair The Voids, damage done by Strain III, as well as to detoxify the astral space in Chicagoland. I heard rumor of people actually developing an IMMUNITY to the Strain III used here ... er, AFTER Haley's Comet passed and the whole SURGE mess came about. The APSC is one of the strongest Policlubs around here, but they're torn. Some support groups like the Aleph Society, other members oppose it. It's rumored Catherine the Terrible is involved with the APSC, but to what extent is unknown. Her interests are also unknown.
There are still hundreds of gangs running around in the CZ. Most either pledge their loyalty to Catherine the Terrible or King Vlad. There are The Ancients who control Lincoln Park/Lake View, Englewood, Riverdale, and Austin. They also have forces in neighborhoods wit hlarge Elf populations such as: Rogers Park, Forest Glen, Albany Park (where they are at war with The Raging Horde), Kenwood in the Downtown Elevated, Little Earth, Woodlawn, Calumet Heights (where they defeated the Swamp Thangs gang), South Deering, East Side, West Pullman, Hegewisch, Brighton Park, West Englewood, Augurn Gresham, Beverly, Washington Heights, and Morgan Park. If you plan to play in either of these 'hoods, better know The Ancients rule to some degree. Oh. You don't know where they are? Grab a map chip and slot it, chummer. That's your first step to ensure your survival. Elves make up the majority in Austin on the Westside, Kenwood in the Downtown Elevated, Calumet Heights in the Downtown Elevated, Riverdale in the Downtown Elevated, Lake View on the Northside, Englewood in the Downtown Elevated, and Lincoln Park on the Northside.
The Dwarf neighborhoods (Jefferson Park - Northwest Side, Portage Park - Northwest Side (there are just as many Trolls here as there are Dwarfs and gang wars between the two races are often bloody and messy), Avondale (the conflict here lies between Orks and Dwarfs), and Gage Park - down in the Elevated Downtown, Edison Park (where the Dwarfs are at odds with BOTH the Orks and Trolls)) are scattered throughout the CZ, and there are fewer of them than the Elven neighborhoods listed above. The Ork and Troll 'hoods (Orks: Albany Park on the Northside, Irving Park on the Northside, Avondale (or BloodTown) on the Northside, Logan Square on the Northside, West Town in the Noose, the old South Loop in the Noose, the Near North Side in the Noose, and Edison Park on the Northside. Trolls: Rogers Park on the Northside, North Park on the Northside, Portage Park on the Northside, Montclare on the Northside, Hermosa on the Northside, West Town in the Noose, Uptown on the Northside, South Loop in the Noose, North Center on the Northside, Near North Side in the Noose, and Edison Park on the Northside) are mostly on the North Side and in The Noose. Racial tension still runs high here, violence and anger are king, and to make matters worse, I hear the UCAS government in their infinite wisdom has planned to ship criminals here, especially Awakened criminals. Have fun!
Beyond the CZ Walls are innumerable neighborhoods with armed vigilante gangs. Many of these gangs took over the posts along the Walls. Others actually infiltrated the CZ to take care of the threat (as they see it) before it can spread beyond the old Walls. You better know someone in one of these gangs if you want to get in and out in one piece. They don't communicate with one another as well as they probably should.
Up in the Business Village, people sit pretty in their expensive homes and sipping their lattes while they make the big biz decisions. All the while, they may have friends or family stuck in the CZ. They may be dead. They may be alive. Do they care? By their actions, I'd say, 'NO'. Folks on the West Side outside the Wall didn't have it so well, though. Many between the Harlem Avenue Wall and the Des Plaines River had their homes and bisnesses demolished by the UCAS Army and Illinois State National Guard. The area between the Harlem Wall and the Des Plaines River is now a ruined place where people have been destroyed economically, but also where others have prospered incredibly. West of the River, the West Side's prosperity shows in all its materialistic splendor. If you want the big-paying jobs, then this is where you need to go. But the Yaks are everywhere here behind the scenes, pulling strings and yanking chains.
And what about the Downtown Elevated beyond the 115th Street Wall? Good question. Last I heard it was a mix of megacorp and military. Some of the tallest skyrakers rise into the skies from here. Biz goes on as usualy here and the northern part of Downtown is forgotten about, even feared. A lot of displaced people ended up here in shlters, hotel towers, and other such locales.
The Southside of the City lies south of the Downtown Elevated and is basically a carbon copy of the Northside: blighted by factories and chemical plants, Orks and Trolls live in cramped Metahuman Housing Projects close to the factories in which they work. Crime bosses rule the underworld. Many will pay big money for you to run some BTL to clients in the CZ. But who'd take that job? Gotta make sure you can get out hassle-free!
The O'Hare Subsprawl has been slowly getting back to business since the military left. The Red Cross is the most visible element here now, as are other disaster relief agencies. Word has it Amnesty International has something going down here, but I don't know what.
The suburbs include the communities of SE Wisconsin, Zion, Rockford, Schaumburg, DeKalb, Elgin, Naperville, Kankakee, and the NW Indiana communities. They are a patchwork of the filthy rich to the dirt poor, all living too close to each other to make life hassle-free for anyone. But, somehow, people keep from killing each other. Most communities are Human, though a small handful are Metahuman. Of the Metahuman communities, the Orks and Trolls tend to live in the poorer, more overcrowded and least funded districts, whereas Elves and Dwarfs tend to live in better communities. Orks and Trolls are found in the Low Class suburban communities. Elves are found mostly in the Middle Class and High Class Suburban communities. Humans can be found all over here, but they tend to be Middle Class High Class and Luxury suburban communities.
Running ChicagoSprawl[]
Shadowrunning runs the gammut in the ChicagoSprawl from relief work, to retrieving a loved-one or employee, to running contraband over the Wall. Us runners could also be hired to conduct surveillance, perform food drops or supply drops, run courrier missions. Anything along those lines. O'Hare is too fragged up still to operate from, the airline coprs are trying to re-establish their biz there, the Red Cross is taking up people's time and space, the military STILL has a presence there. The Army Corps of Engineers is rebuilding and revamping the whole place. It's a mess. If you can manage to not get shot down, I suggest grabbing a VTOL and touching down on the tarmac at Midway International. Sure, it's in the CZ and the runways are cratered (that's why you gotta use VTOL), but once you're in, meet up with your contact, and get out. Zip-zap. It's that quick. if you gotta look for someone in there, then read the above data on neighborhoods real carefully so you can live to see your nuyen. And watch out with those drug and BTL runs. They're mostly Maf- or Yak-backed. Do your homework on who's paying you the nuyen before you take wone of those jobs. Actually, that holds true for any job you take here. Some Politico in DeeCee or down in Springfield could hire you to "assess the Chicago Situation". If that's the case, you may as well move into the CZ, and who in their right mind wants to do that?
Źródła[]
Główne źródła:
- NAGNA: Chicago,
- Bug City,
- Target UCAS,
- Target Wastelands,
- Target Awakened Lands
