[center][h1][color=808080][b]GOOD OL' BOYS: A TALE OF THE DIXIE MOB[/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr] [i]Early August, 1972. Slowly but surely, the American military begins to wind down its years-long involvement in Vietnam. Gilbert O'Sullivan's “Alone Again (Naturally)” sits at first place in the charts. Richard Nixon eyes reelection in the fall, as two Washington Post journalists publish the first of their articles examining some of his shadier tactics. Idi Amin begins making threats against Uganda's Indian population. People the world over eagerly await the opening of the Munich Olympics in a few short weeks. But that's not your world. Right now your world is heat and humidity, a hot wet blanket settling over the cotton fields and the decrepit old plantations. Right now your world is the fog of dust kicked up from the unpaved roads and settling on the deserted streets of a few tiny towns. Right now your world is the cloud of biting, irritating mosquitoes coming out of the swamps on the north end of the county. Right now your world is the clean sand and gentle surf of the Gulf of Mexico at the southern end of the county, perfect for swimming and fishing. Your world is O'Connor County, Mississippi. O'Connor isn't too much different from other rural counties in the state. Not much work to be had, not much going on, not much to do. Some tourists come by for the beaches, but not nearly as many the last few years. If someone is smart or lucky they usually end up leaving for Birmingham or Mobile or New Orleans, anywhere but here. It's been dying a slow and undignified death since Reconstruction, probably even earlier. Some people, however, have made the county their playground. They make money any way they can, bribing or threatening those who stand in the way. If you ask any person on the street who really runs O'Connor County, they probably won't answer with the board of supervisors or the judges or the city mayors. They'll tell you it's the good ol' boys, the Southern syndicate, the cornbread mafia. The Dixie Mob. Unlike other organized crime groups, the Dixie Mob isn't made up of any one ethnicity. They don't have a pyramidal structure with dons and capos and soldiers. It's an organization of individual criminals, each running their own unique racket- protection, drugs, truck hijacking, bootlegging, smuggling, prostitution, gambling, the list goes on and on. They work together out of convenience, opportunity, and sometimes even personal loyalty. The organization follows one unbreakable rule, what they call the 11th Commandment- “Thou shalt not snitch.” It's worked well, and they've kept O'Connor County under their thumb for decades. In recent years, some help has come from Italian friends up in Chicago. They've offered connections, advice, information, and legal assistance that has helped the Dixie Mob consolidate their power base and increase their operations- all in exchange for 10% of the total take. It's been a comfortable setup. But all things change in time, and even O'Connor County can't be fully immune to the outside world. . .[/i] [hider=RULES AND NOTES] I intend to keep the rules fairly simple. Keep all OOC communication in the appropriate thread. I'll also post updates here if there's anything you need to know. This is a primarily character-driven RP, everyone is encouraged to create and follow their own plots. At the same time, collaborative and teamup posts are more than welcome. I'll be including occasional optional hooks for plot threads- you're welcome to join in on those or continue to do your own thing. Remember, your actions are part of a larger world and can affect one another. We are working together to build the story of the Dixie Mob and O'Connor County. All posts are expected to be a minimum of two paragraphs in length. Spelling and grammar mistakes will happen, we're all human, but please make the effort to keep all posts to a high standard of readability and coherence. I'm not going to be a stickler about period accuracy, but do keep the time and place in mind. Don't have your character whip out an iPhone or log on to the internet. There is a strict 2 week/ 14 day post requirement. This rule is in the interest of keeping everyone involved and things moving along. If you have not posted in 14 days you will be considered inactive, with the possibility of your character being killed or otherwise written out of the story. However, I understand sometimes life circumstances act against us. Just let me know if something prevents you from making the deadline and I'll be willing to extend it for you. General rule of thumb, be communicative. Finally, be courteous to one another. We're all here to have fun and relax during a difficult time, don't create a toxic atmosphere. [/hider] [hider=Character Sheet Templates] Please submit all character sheets in the OOC tab for review by the GM. Also please keep sheets in hiders for ease of navigation. [b]Name:[/b] Aliases, nicknames, sobriquets, and the like are also welcome. [b]Appearance:[/b] A photograph and/or detailed description of your character. [b]Age:[/b] [b]Occupation/ Cover:[/b] What does your character do for a living? Or alternately, what do they do on paper? [b]Racket: (optional)[/b] If you're choosing to play as one of the mobsters, what kind of crime do they specialize in? How does their operation work? [b]Public Goals:[/b] What does your character tell people they want to do? Are they remotely sincere about it? [b]Private Goals:[/b] Secrets and intrigue are a foundation of organized crime games. What drives you? What are your personal ambitions? [b]Supporting Cast:[/b] Any minor characters in your orbit we can expect to see from time to time. Indicate dialogue colors here, though you are by no means required to use them. [b]Personal History:[/b] A minimum of two paragraphs detailing your character's background and how they came to be who they are. This is a great chance to get in your character's head and to really get us to fully understand them. [b]Notes:[/b] Anything else we should know about your character? Feel free to include any miscellaneous info that might not necessarily fit in the above categories. [/hider]