The city’s official name is Sinspire.
Government offices, police reports, courts, banks, corporations, and formal institutions usually use Sinspire.
Sin City is the common nickname and the public title of the campaign world. Residents, tourists, criminals, musicians, casino promoters, and tabloids use it freely.
Franz should treat both names as correct:
Sinspire: Formal, legal, corporate, or governmental use
Sin City: Common speech, criminal slang, tourism, and narration
They are not separate cities.
A resident may be called:
Sinspire resident
Sinspirian
Local
City-born
Neighborhood identity is often more important than citywide identity. Residents may describe themselves as being from Iron Claw, Golden Coast, Shatterpoint Blocks, the Pier, or another district.
Use these terms consistently:
Area: A large map region
District: A recognized section of the city
Neighborhood: A smaller part of a district
POI: A specific visitable location
Territory: Ground controlled or contested by a faction
Neutral ground: A location where violence is discouraged
Front: A legal business concealing criminal activity
Safehouse: A hidden location used for shelter, storage, or meetings
A single building should normally be a POI rather than an Area.
Gang: A street-level organization tied to territory
Crew: A small team assembled for jobs
Syndicate: A structured criminal organization
Cartel: A large organization controlling supply or distribution
Family: An organization based on blood, marriage, or adopted loyalty
Network: Loosely connected operators sharing contacts or routes
Cell: A small compartmentalized group
Faction: Any organized group with shared goals or influence
Franz should use each organization’s established name rather than replacing it with a generic term.
Boss: Senior leader
Underboss: Second-ranking leader
Lieutenant: Mid-level manager of people or territory
Enforcer: Protection, intimidation, collection, or violence
Fixer: Arranges jobs, introductions, equipment, and solutions
Broker: Connects buyers, sellers, factions, or information
Fence: Buys and resells stolen property
Wheelman: Professional driver
Grifter: Con artist or impersonator
Informer: Gathers and sells information
Runner: Courier for money, messages, or contraband
Lookout: Watches for police, rivals, or security
Cleaner: Removes evidence or criminal connections
Collector: Recovers debts or property
Associate: Works with a faction without full membership
Independent: Operates without permanent faction loyalty
Patrol: Uniformed street officers
Detective: Investigator assigned to serious crimes
Task force: Combined unit focused on one threat
Vice: Gambling, drugs, prostitution, trafficking, and related crimes
Narcotics: Drug-production and distribution investigations
Internal Affairs: Police misconduct and corruption investigations
Warrant: Legal authorization for arrest, search, or seizure
Person of interest: Relevant to an investigation but not necessarily charged
Suspect: Believed to be connected to a crime
Informant: Provides information to police
BOLO: Be on the lookout
The brass: Senior police leadership
On the take: Accepting bribes
Clean cop: Believed to be honest
Dirty cop: Involved in corruption
Heat: Law-enforcement, political, security, or public attention
Wanted: Subject to active arrest efforts
Burned: No longer secure
Made: Identified despite secrecy
Compromised: Exposed to surveillance, investigation, or enemy access
Hot property: Stolen goods that are easy to trace
Faction Reputation: How one faction views a character
Street Reputation: General underworld recognition
Community Reputation: How residents view the character
Heat and Reputation are separate. A respected criminal may have high Reputation and high Heat at the same time.
Until the campaign economy is finalized, existing prices may continue using GP, SP, and CP as abstract currency.
In narration, Franz may use:
Cash
Dollars
Bills
Payout
Cut
Fee
Buy-in
Debt
Marker
Common payment terms:
Advance: Paid before a job
Balance: Paid after completion
Cut: Agreed share of proceeds
Take: Total profit from an operation
Marker: Recorded gambling debt
Tribute: Regular payment to a controlling faction
Protection: Payment demanded for safety
Retainer: Payment securing professional services
Clean money: Funds not visibly tied to crime
Dirty money: Funds connected to illegal activity
Laundering: Concealing the source of criminal funds
Do not convert prices inconsistently during play.
Buy-in: Money required to enter a game
House: The casino or operator
House edge: The operator’s mathematical advantage
High roller: A gambler making large bets
Whale: A wealthy gambler valuable to the casino
Comp: Free goods or services offered by a casino
Marker: Casino credit or gambling debt
Pit boss: Supervisor of gaming tables
Inside man: Employee helping a crime or cheating scheme
Cold table: A table associated with repeated losses
Hot streak: A run of wins
Back-roomed: Taken aside by casino security
Slang should support atmosphere but never replace clear gambling rules.
Use established substance names consistently:
Bliss
Stardust
Ghost
Burnout
Do not change a substance’s price, form, effect, or controlling faction without updating its item record.
Common terms:
Product: Drugs or contraband
Package: Prepared quantity for transport
Shipment: Large movement of illegal goods
Cut: Substance mixed into a drug
Hot: Recently stolen or watched
Burner: Disposable phone or temporary identity
Drop: Exchange location
Dead drop: Concealed exchange point
Stash house: Storage location for illegal goods
Mule: Courier carrying contraband
Wholesale: Bulk distribution
Street-level: Small sales to individual users
Ride: Vehicle
Boosted: Stolen
Chopped: Stripped or altered to hide its identity
Ghost car: Vehicle using false plates or records
Clean car: Not tied to active criminal activity
Hot car: Stolen or identified by police
Tail: Person or vehicle conducting surveillance
Lose the tail: Escape surveillance
Switch car: Second vehicle used to break pursuit
Safe route: Route with fewer patrols, cameras, or rivals
Chop shop: Business altering or dismantling stolen vehicles
Pink slip race: Race in which vehicle ownership is wagered
Franz should distinguish:
Confirmed: Supported by reliable evidence
Credible: Believable but not proven
Unverified: Not yet checked
Rumor: Circulating without dependable proof
Tip: Information offered for possible use
Lead: Information that may advance an investigation
Bad information: Incorrect but given honestly
Disinformation: Deliberately false
Cover story: False explanation hiding the truth
Leak: Information released without authorization
Open secret: Widely believed but not publicly admitted
Franz should preserve established names exactly.
Do not silently change:
Sinspire or Sin City
Faction names
District names
POI names
Character names
Drug names
Class names
Mechanical terms
When names appear to conflict, Franz should research the relevant Lore and entity records before deciding whether they are aliases, nested locations, separate places, or outdated terminology.