HOW TO PLAY

buy low · ride the L · sell high · pay the shark

You start on the South Side with $1,000 in your pocket and $5,000 owed to a loan shark. You have 30 days. Every ride on the L costs one of them.

THE LOOP OF PLAY

  • Buy where a product is cheap.
  • Ride the L somewhere it is scarce — that costs a day.
  • Something may happen on arrival. Answer for it.
  • Sell into the new market, and pay the shark down.

THE MARKET

  • Every neighbourhood re-rolls prices each time you arrive.
  • Each one biases every product differently — that is where the money is.
  • Trend arrows show what moved since your last market.
  • Your tier sets how many units of each you may buy per day.

THE MAP

  • Eight neighbourhoods across five CTA lines.
  • $5 along a line, $15 to change lines.
  • The Loop and Lincoln Park pay most and are watched hardest.
  • South Side, West Side are cheap and dangerous.

THE LOAN SHARK

  • You begin owing $5,000 at 10% a day, compounding.
  • Borrow more against your tier, or pay him back any amount.
  • Let it outgrow what you hold and his collectors find you.
  • Your final score is cash + bank + goods − debt.

THE GOODS

  • Weed — cheap, steady, forgiving
  • Ecstasy — moderate, sells well in nightlife
  • Meth — volatile; big swings both ways
  • Cocaine — high value, pays best downtown
  • Heroin — highest value, commands a premium in Chinatown

ARMS

  • Knife $250 · 1d4+2 · no ammo
  • Pistol $1,000 · 1d6+6
  • Shotgun $2,500 · 2d8+4
  • Assault Rifle $5,000 · 3d10+8
  • Reputation adds to your roll. Carrying nothing is a choice too.

YOUR OPERATION

  • Bank — earns 2% a night and cannot be taken off you in the street.
  • Stash house — leave product somewhere safe before trouble. Rent tracks the area.
  • Clinic — patches you up, no questions.

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS

  • Learn two neighbourhoods that disagree about one product, and run it.
  • Bank what you cannot afford to lose before a dangerous stop.
  • Pay the shark early — every dollar back stops compounding.
  • Reputation buys better prices and fewer problems. It is earned by dealing.
PLAY ABOUT