Gangbusters (role-playing game)
Gangbusters 3rd Edition cover
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| Designer(s) | Rick Krebs and Mark Acres |
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| Publisher(s) | TSR |
| Publication date | 1982 (1st edition) 1990 (3rd edition) |
| Genre(s) | Historical |
| System(s) | custom |
Gangbusters was a historical roleplaying game designed by Rick Krebs (based on his original game called "Bloody 20's") with Mark Acres assisting in its development. The game was published by TSR, Inc. Two editions of the game were published. The first edition of the game was published in 1982.
Gangbusters is a game about crime in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Players take the roles of criminals, law enforcement professionals, or other characters (such as newspaper reporters) who investigate or oppose criminals. An emphasis is placed on the violent growth of organized crime during Prohibition. Political corruption is also a recurring theme.
Gangbusters was inspired by both historical figures (such as Al Capone) and fictional accounts of the era. Films were an especially strong influence; the game's bibliography lists dozens of movies for inspiration, ranging from The Big House to The Untouchables.
The default location for Gangbusters campaigns is Lakefront City, a fictional metropolis located (in an unspecified state) on the western shore of Lake Michigan, probably Chicago. A basic description of the city is included in the Gangbusters rules, and expanded upon in the five adventures published for the game.
Character generation in Gangbusters follows a pattern common in role-playing games of the early 1980s—a player randomly generates his character's abilities (such as Muscle and Luck) using dice, then chooses a career (character class) for the character. Careers for player characters are limited to Criminal, FBI Agent, Newspaper Reporter, Police Officer, Private Investigator, and Prohibition Agent. Each career includes a unique set of advantages and disadvantages to differentiate it from the others. Characters are further customized by adding non-career skills, such as Auto Theft or Photography.
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