The Nature of Gangs

The Nature of Gangs in Night City

Gangs in Night City are not typical criminal organizations; they are neo-feudal micro-societies that form in the absence of a functional state. While an old-school gang is a group of criminals within a society, a Night City gang is the society for its members and territory.

1. Purpose-Built Tribes
Unlike traditional gangs focused solely on profit, Night City gangs are survival collectives. They form around a core ideology that provides identity and purpose. The Mox are a protection guild for the exploited. The Maelstrom are a transhumanist cult of chrome. The Animals are a brotherhood of physical perfection. Criminal activity funds their existence, but their primary product is belonging and security in a city that offers none.

2. Territory as Sovereign Soil
An old-school gang controls a neighborhood for illicit trade. A Night City gang governs its territory. They are the landlords, the police, and the judiciary. Civilians living in a gang's zone pay them for protection and abide by their laws. The gang’s authority is absolute within its borders, making them de facto corporate entities without the official charter.

3. Corporate Symbiosis
In Night City, gangs are integrated into the corporate machine. Corps routinely subcontract gangs for deniable operations like sabotage, protection, and territory wars. A gang like 6th Street functions as a corporate proxy army, blurring the line between a street crew and a Militech auxiliary unit.

In short, the typical gang is an outside element preying on society. A Night City gang is an organic, bottom-up power structure that emerges because the top-down system has failed. They are not a symptom of the city's decay; they are its logical conclusion.