Factions: Criminals

Criminals can be members of different factions. While most factions are neutral toward one another, some of them are enemies. Periodically, you may see these gangs fight each other; occasionally this occurs during an operation. Either sit back and watch, or engage both factions depending on your bloodlust, foolhardiness, bravery, or whatever tactical advantages this gives you.

Auntie Shu Boys: Criminal Organization

The Auntie Shu Boys formed in the ’90s after the collapse of the previous Triad, taking members from the various Chinatown gangs and Tongs. They are unique, a mix of organized crime and street gang, with Chinese and Vietnamese members. They do everything from stealing cars to selling drugs to committing sophisticated white-collar crimes. For human trafficking, the Auntie Shu Boys act as brothel enforcers for Chinese Triads that ship the women to them. They’ve taken over North Beach, keeping the Italian feel intact and even encouraging the perception that the Mafia is still active when they are really running everything.

Bratva: Criminal Organization

The Bratva, or the Brotherhood, arrived as scouts in the ’80s for the Brighton Beach Mafia. They are better organized than their LA counterparts and hide within the Jewish population. San Francisco is one of the centers of money laundering operations via Russia/United States, and they run brothels and control one of the major cab companies, given SF has only four investigators with the City Transit Agency.

Sons Of Ragnarok: Biker Gang

The Sons of Ragnarok began in 1948 with WWII ex-soldiers who began riding together. They opened a chapter early in San Francisco, making it one of the oldest chapters. They joined forces with an independent group in Oakland and have since become one of the big four outlaw gangs. They are a major distributor of heroin and smuggled weapons. Sons of Ragnarok are predominantly white, and their close ties with the Aryan Nation and Aryan biker gangs in California have seen a spike in “white-only” chapters and members.

580S: Street Gang

The 580s hail from Ghost Town, a violence-ridden community in Oakland known more formally as Foster Hoover Historic District. The name Ghost Town came about because a drug dealer lamented about the district’s lack of other drug dealers. The gang known as 580s control the local drug trade and are allied with an East Oakland gang called the Big Time for joint crime sprees. They also participate in sideshows and the practice of “Ghost Riding.”

Tezcas: Street Gang

The Tezcas formed in 1957 by members of various Latino street gangs in Southern California who banded together in prison to protect themselves. They have since gone from prison gang to an alliance of street gangs and are feared for being highly violent. They have more than one leader, including women. The Tezcas are among the most violent faction and often engage in murder-for-hire with other gangs like the Aryans and with South American cartels.

Prime_eight: Hacker Group

Prime_Eight is a loose collection of hackers brought together under Lenora Kastner. Their original mandate was to undermine and damage Stanford, but that quickly evolved to attacking Silicon Valley for the way they treated their programmers. Lenora took a page from the Suicide Club, the anarchist society that pranked San Francisco, but with a more dangerous mind-set and bullying attitude. Note that this group has only a limited number of members actively engaging in physical violence; security is hired out to other factions.