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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "Fisher, Victor" <Victor-Fisher@******.COM>
Subject: Underworld errata [or they got just a FEW things wrong...]
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 16:01:31 -0400
In my campaign, I'm dealing heavily with the Russian Mafia, and
Tamanous, the globe-spanning illegal organlegging business, so I figured
I'd do a little research on them. The first, about Tamanous, si actually
a little background I dug up, to save any GM out there using them a
little time, or give him a place to start. The second, on the Russian
Mafia, is a clarification/correction over something they printed in the
book.
Underworld states that Tamanous is a creature that encourages
others to eat the flesh of humans, then consumes those people. Actually,
the term comes from Black Tamanous, which was a tribe of Kwakiutl
Indians, on Vancouver Island, in Canada. Every year, during their winter
ceremonial season, initiates and members were required to eat human
flesh, as part of their rites [no, I'm not making this up]. They were
spurred to this act by a creature [ if it has an actual name, I wasn't
able to dig it up], a cannibal spirit. This spirit was supposedly one of
the monsters the Transformer failed to kill, when he was ridding the
earth of evil beings [The Transformer is an Amerind diety who went
across the world, changing all life, into the forms they inhabit today].
Underworld also calls the Russian Mafia the Vory v Zakone. This is
incorrect. They're actually referred to as the Organizatsiya [or,as a
friend of mine in Austria told me, the Rodina].
Theterm Vory v Zakone is the traditional code of conduct that organized
crime in Russia follows. [I think it translates as 'thieves in law'.]
All of them are pretty harsh; especially with dealings with each other.
Outside ties [besides other crime brethern] are forsaken. Duty to
organization, and responsiblity for other brethern is important,
especially in an infraction of the rules. They are brutal, viscious,
resourceful [these guys are selling everything up to and including
nukes, in the midst of all the fighting going on in parts of Europe].
The Serbian Mafia [a distant spawn of the Russian] was voted a year or
so ago by a business magazine, the most organized business in Western
Europe ! [I fell oer laughing when I read that one!].
Well, that's all I've got for now. If anybody has anything else to
add, fell free to correct any mistake i might have made. Overall, I
still think the sourcebook came out pretty okay.
Message no. 2
From: Mike Elkins <MikeE@*********.COM>
Subject: Underworld errata [or they got just a FEW things wrong...]
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 16:19:06 -0500
-Reply

>Underworld also calls the Russian Mafia the Vory v Zakone. This is incorrect.
>They're actually referred to as the Organizatsiya [or,as a friend of mine in
>Austria told me, the Rodina].

Rodina seems unlikey. IIRC, rodina means "Motherland", or "Mother
Russia".
This would be a strange choice for a nickname for the Russian Mob.

Double-Domed Mike
Message no. 3
From: "Fisher, Victor" <Victor-Fisher@******.COM>
Subject: Re: Underworld errata [or they got just a FEW things wrong...]
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 16:30:54 -0400
Double-Domed said:
>>Underworld also calls the Russian Mafia the Vory v Zakone. This is
>>incorrect.
>>They're actually referred to as the Organizatsiya [or,as a friend of mine in
>>Austria told me, the Rodina].
>
>Rodina seems unlikey. IIRC, rodina means "Motherland", or "Mother
Russia".
>This would be a strange choice for a nickname for the Russian Mob.

Yeah, I thought so too. Guess I'll ask my friend if that's what he
meant.
Message no. 4
From: NightLife <habenir@******.SAN.UC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Underworld errata [or they got just a FEW things wrong...]
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 02:21:08 -0400
>>Underworld also calls the Russian Mafia the Vory v Zakone. This is incorrect.
>>They're actually referred to as the Organizatsiya [or,as a friend of mine in
>>Austria told me, the Rodina].
>
>Rodina seems unlikey. IIRC, rodina means "Motherland", or "Mother
Russia".
>This would be a strange choice for a nickname for the Russian Mob.

I've heard the refered to as the Trokia(sp?)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Nightlife Inc.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Ah at last! The TRANSFORMATION is complete!
For YEARS they mocked me! They took the name EMMANUEL LEWIS in vain!
But tonight RETRIBUTION will be mine!
For I am REBORN as --WEBSTER--, The adorable scamp of DOOM!
Ma'am's and Georges beware Webster walks the earth and he's got a
HANKERIN' for some SPANKERIN'!

Man did I nail this mad doctor routine or WHAT?
"Deadpool #4"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Document Classified
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Message no. 5
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Underworld errata [or they got just a FEW things wrong...]
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 11:10:06 +0100
Mike Elkins said on 16:19/ 7 Apr 97...

> >Underworld also calls the Russian Mafia the Vory v Zakone. This is incorrect.
> >They're actually referred to as the Organizatsiya

Take a look at NERPS: Underworld (not to be confused with the FASA
sourcebook that stole the name :) for a short article by Bob Ooton on the
Organisatsiya in the 2050s.

> > [or,as a friend of mine in Austria told me, the Rodina].
>
> Rodina seems unlikey. IIRC, rodina means "Motherland", or "Mother
Russia".

My Russian isn't all that good, but I do know in WWII they painted slogans
pronounced something like "za rodina" or "za rodinu" on their tanks,
meaning "for the motherland."

> This would be a strange choice for a nickname for the Russian Mob.

I agree. Although if the explanation in the Underworld Sourcebook for what
"mafia" stands for is true, it's a bit of a weird name too...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
They seem to have recycled their plowshares.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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