Organized crime is a tough question. I mean outside of the Yakuza organizations in the Draconis Combine we haven't really heard much about any similarly-sized counterparts in the other Successor States. I mean if you want to go all Shadowrun here then building fully functional national or international crime synds would be a good idea, though I have to wonder if any would be as successful as the Yakuza in the other Great Houses.
The super-repressive regime of the Capellan Confederation for example, with the Mask, would be a tough nut to crack for a multi-world group to grow, thrive or even survive, but the relative squalor of some of the Cappie worlds would be a prime breeding ground for local groups. I can see the Confederation having a real law enforcement problem on a lot of their worlds. It'd be localized problems of course, but still troublesome nevertheless.
There's also the question of demographics...the heavy Japanese cultural influence in the DC can often override, or at the very least co-exist with some of the native cultures. Since this cultural influence is prevalent cover across the DC stratosphere it provides at least a little room for the development of the Yakuza, even on Rasalhague worlds. (Where I also think they'd run into local conflict with Norse-inspired gangs, etc.)
Whereas in other successor states the cultural influence is more or less stuck among the upper crust (i.e. the governing bodies.) Sure the Lyran Commonwealth has a heavy dose of Germanic influence, but it's not imposed or enforced upon the civilian populace. You embrace it b/c either A.) You were born into it, or B.) B/c you want to rise in the ranks (social or otherwise.) The same could be said for the other nations of the Inner Sphere, perhaps even more so for the fiercely culturally localized FWL.
So I can see in some cases regional-dominate crime power houses in some places, but nothing close to the same pull, power or prevalence as the DC Yakuza Clans.
Though I will say things change over space and time...
For example, the upheaval of the Amaris Coup and the subsequent liberation would definitely create a power vacuum among any pre-existing criminal organizations (maybe they collaborated or were wiped out?) as well as the original levels of crime enforcement (which may have also collaborated or were wiped out.) That type of chaos is fertile breeding ground for a whole round of societal changes, such as the growth or intrusion of new syndicates, etc., or the creation of new law enforcement.
However, over time and as the TR condenses and strengthens its position/existence that surface chaos begins to dissipate and in its wake another round of changes to the (at that point) existing crime orgs/crime enforcement orgs occur. Whether it's for the good (as in law enforcement is able to remove the new crime synds) or bad (the new crime synds prosper and grow) all depends on how you write it.
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Topic: Mafias (Read 4770 times)