q i Credits Table of Contents Author: Peter C. Spahn Characters 2 Artwork: Rick Hershey, Jon Gibbons Crime 13 Special Thanks To: Brett M. Bernstein, Mark Miami Nights Tips and Optional Rules 17 Bruno, Alex Hunter, Justin D. Jacobson, Sean Miami Nights Stories 22 Petroff The 1980s 28 Miami 33 Based on the game Vice Squad: 80s Police Episodes 48 Adventures by Mark Bruno and Precis The Deal (sample adventure) 65 Intermedia Character Templates 73 Character Sheet 80 Charts 81 Miami Nights 80s Trivia 83 Vice Squad: Miami Nights is © 2007 by Peter C. Spahn. genreDiversion is a trademark of Precis Intermedia and is used here under license. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except where noted (one copy may be printed for personal use only). WWW.PIGAMES.NET MIAMI NIGHTS Vice Squad: Miami Nights is a genreDiversion add-on that chatting up the ladies and solving crimes, or a corrupt cop focuses on crime in 1980s Miami. Uphold the law as beat looking for the next big bribe. cops, bust drug dealers as vice squad detectives, make the Miami Nights takes you to the crime-ridden streets of streets safe as part of an anti-gang unit, join a S.W.A.T team to Miami where anything is possible. The game is set in 1985, take on heavy-hitters, or play IAD and fight corruption in the however, if you think of something from the late 80s that you department. If law and order are not your thing, play a mafia want to include, feel free to drop it in. Miami Nights isn’t about thug, oversee drug trafficking for the Colombian cartels, quietly historical timelines. It’s about gutsy undercover officers, violent take over the city with the yakuza, bust heads as a shootouts, pastel linen blazers, hard-assed lieutenants, junkie gangbanger, or set yourself up as a bank robber, hit-man, or informants, exotic sports cars, dirty cops, dangerous drug any other type of independent criminal you can imagine. Or czars, luxury yachts, car chases, cocaine cowboys, and high- pursue your own interests as a Cuban nationalist trying to fashion women. If you need more inspiration, skip ahead to the overthrow Castro, a bounty hunter tracking down fugitives, a 1980s section on page 28. vigilante who’s fed up with the system, a private investigator 1 CHARACTERS Although the actual game mechanics are not included with this book, all setting-specific elements for creating characters can be found in this chapter. In addition, a number of optional tips and rules can be found on page 17. Characters are assembled by choosing roles and gimmicks, in addition to determining their ability and skill ratings. ROLES In Vice Squad: Miami Nights, Character Roles take the place of vocations. Listed below are a few of the more common police, criminal, and other roles available to player characters. All characters should begin the game as part of the same department or organization. Police character groups are called squads. Criminal and other character groups are called crews. COPS: THE GOOD GUYS The Miami-Dade Police Department is Greater Miami’s largest law enforcement branch. Each municipality (The City of Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, etc.) also has its own police force, but for game purposes Miami-Dade is the default starting branch for beginning police characters. Police hierarchy is as follows: Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Detective, Officer. The Captain is in charge of the entire precinct. Sergeants are in charge of rank and file police officers, while Lieutenants oversee specialized detective divisions (Vice, Homicide, Grand Theft Auto, CSI, etc.). The Chief of Police is the head of the entire department. Beat Cop Beat cops are uniformed police officers assigned to patrol a specific area or “beat” on foot, bicycle, horse, or car. These are the officers most commonly encountered by the public. Their duties include responding to calls for service, making arrests, resolving disputes, enforcing traffic codes, and recording incident reports and eyewitness statements. Beat cops also provide backup to other officers or detective units during investigations and arrests. Vice Squad Vice Squads are detective divisions that investigate morality-related crimes including narcotics, alcohol, prostitution, and gambling. Vice detectives frequently operate undercover. They often have at least one permanent undercover identity and are allowed to use seized vehicles, clothing, equipment, and property to help maintain this identity. Vice Squad detectives deal with a wide range of criminals. They must be equally adept at hanging out with lowlife 2 street gangers as they are at mingling with high-society board members. Vice detectives are given a lot of freedom to move about and in some cases may be sent undercover to neighboring countries such as Cuba, Peru, or Colombia. Anti-Gang Unit (AG) Anti-Gang Units are four- to five-man detective teams whose primary goal is to suppress gang-related crimes and monitor gang-related activity. An AG’s "freedom of movement and activity" and "gung-ho" nature has led to some controversy in the past. Like Vice, they have access to seized vehicles and property to help them conduct undercover operations. S.W.A.T. S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) is an elite police unit trained to perform dangerous operations such as serving high-risk arrest warrants, rescuing hostages, preventing terrorist attacks, and engaging heavily-armed criminals. S.W.A.T. teams are equipped with specialized firearms including submachine guns, shotguns, tear gas, stun grenades, and high-powered sniper rifles. They also have access to heavy body armor, entry tools, explosives, steel reinforced boots, and night vision optics. S.W.A.T. comes in after most of the surveillance work has already been done. It’s their job assess the situation, come up with a plan, and then start kicking down doors. Internal Affairs Division (IAD) Internal Affairs Division is a detective division whose job is to police the police. IAD investigates controversial incidents such as police shootings and allegations of police brutality and other misconduct. IAD gathers evidence by fact-checking police reports, crime scene investigation, and interviewing witnesses. They sometimes go undercover within a precinct to expose corrupt cops, often posing as newly-transferred police officers or detectives. Because of this, Internal Affairs is sometimes derogatorily referred to as the “Rat Squad.” Internal Affairs reports directly to the police chief or to a board of police commissioners. IAD tends to get a bad rap from other cops, mainly because overzealous IAD detectives sometimes turn investigations into personal vendettas. Overzealous or not, no cop wants IAD breathing down his neck. CRIMINALS: THE BAD GUYS Mafia The Mafia is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate that originated in Sicily. Mafia factions are known as “families” that are usually named after a prominent family member’s last name. Each family is made up of “connected guys” and “made guys.” Connected guys are low- level criminals that make up the bulk of most families. Made guys start out as connected guys until they prove themselves and are inducted into the family in a formal private ceremony. Made guys are entitled to many rights and protections. If they are slighted, harmed, or killed, the entire family is obligated to seek revenge. Only full-blooded Italians or Sicilians can be “made.” Mafia hierarchy is as follows: Boss, Underboss, Capo, Soldier, and Associate. The Boss, or Don, is the head of the family. The Underboss is the second in command and is usually appointed by the Boss. Capos (or Captains) are in charge of crews of roughly ten to twenty Soldiers. Soldiers are made guys who sometimes oversee dozens of connected guys. Associates can be either connected guys who work directly for the family or civilians who are known to do 3 business with family members. Another figure is the Consigliore, usually a retired Capo, who acts as the Boss’ chief advisor. The Italian Mafia does not have as strong a presence in Miami as it does in the Northeast and Chicago. Their main interests lie in legal and illegal gambling (dog and horse racing, jai-alai betting, sports booking, cockfighting, etc.) although drug trafficking is steadily becoming more common. Many older Capos frown upon this new venture, but are willing to turn a blind eye to soldiers selling drugs to connections in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Chicago, so long as they receive their cut. Mafia characters begin as “connected guys” trying to work their way up to soldier. Criminal operations run the gamut of illegal activities—the higher the score, the better. Money and respect are what matters most in the Mafia. Keep your mouth shut, do what you’re told, and become a good earner and you’ll be “made” in no time. Yakuza The yakuza are a highly disciplined Japanese organized crime syndicate who identify strongly with the ancient Samurai. Yakuza families are headed by an Oyabun (family head) who gives orders to his underlings, the kobun. The kobun are governed by a strict hierarchy. Kumicho (bosses) are at the top, and control various saiko-komon (captains). Saiko-komon control their own turfs in different areas or cities and have their own underlings, including lieutenants, advisors, accountants, and street-level enforcers. Members of yakuza gangs cut all family ties and transfer their loyalty to the gang boss. They refer to each other as family members—fathers and elder and younger brothers. The Yakuza is populated entirely by men except for the Oyabun's wife who is called "o-nee-san" (older sister). Some Yakuza traditions involve sakazuki (sake sharing) which is used to seal bonds of brotherhood and define hierarchy, yubitsume (finger-cutting) which is a form of penance or apology from an underling to his boss, and seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) which is the ultimate penance for failure.