Boss Overview

Among the many thousands of characters active in the underworld of a large city, only a select few have what it takes to be considered a Boss. Bosses come from all walks of life but whatever their background, the essence of what makes a Boss is something much more personal than simple upbringing. In Vendetta we call this essence a character's 'Aura', and this is one of the ten Characteristics possessed by all characters in the game to varying degrees. 'Aura' is defined as the difference between being a nobody, and being a somebody. Recognizing the historical significance and achievements of the likes of Al Capone and 'Lucky' Luciano, Vendetta also strives to place a great deal of importance and significance on the player-controlled Boss Characters in the game. This is evident from the very beginning. When first joining a game you are required to choose between nine different Boss Backgrounds (which mostly provide personal bonuses for your Boss) and nine Boss Specialities (which provide bonuses for all the characters under your direct command as well as your Boss). In essence, there are 81 distinctly different 'Boss Types' possible in the game, derived from which combination of Boss Background and Boss Speciality you choose. These 81 possible Boss Types are then varied even more by giving the player the ability to tweak his Boss Character's starting Skills and Abilities to some extent (based on your chosen Boss Background), and by allowing you to select your starting Character Age between 20 and 50. Adding age to your Boss Character makes him more experienced from the start (it provides bonus Experience Points which you allocate to enhance some of his starting Skills and Abilities) and it also increases some of the personal advantages he will enjoy from his chosen Boss Background. However, it also makes it more likely that he will die sooner rather than later, as any character above the age of 35 has a chance of developing a terminal illness - and the older he is, the more likely this is to occur. Characters will age in the game by one year for every 52 real-time days. The end result of the Boss Setup procedure when joining a game is that although there can be up to 200 player-controlled Bosses in a single game, it is extremely unlikely that any two Bosses will be exactly identical. Most will vary considerably, and the Boss Character you create will be entirely personal to you in more than just name. You will find that the effect this will have on the game, and how you play that game, will vary a great deal from one Boss Type to the next, and from one game Family to the next. In keeping with our golden aim of long-term playability, when you join a new game of Vendetta you will be able to go through the Boss Setup procedure again and create an entirely new Boss profile for that game alone. The only things which carry over from game to game are your Boss Character Name - which is unique to you - and his important ratings such as overall Vendetta Boss Experience and rival Boss Kills. These ratings are used for Clan League purposes (if you are a Vendetta Clan member) and within the game forums. Your overall Vendetta Boss Experience rating is turned into a Vendetta forums 'rank' - of which there are more than 20 ranging from 'Goon' to 'Living Legend' - while your rival Boss Kills count is shown as a number of bullets beneath your Boss Portrait. During the game your Boss Character is the most important individual to you, but only to a certain extent. The longer you survive in the game, and the higher you climb in Boss Rank, the more your Personal Organization will be able to grow. With time, the importance of your Boss Character will diminish and the real power of your Organization will be spread over several - or even many - key characters. Your Boss will always remain the most important character for a wide variety of reasons, but in time there will come a point when the Organization you have built will be perfectly capable of surviving without your starting Boss at the helm. Reaching this point, and preparing for it, should be your first main goal in the game. No one lives forever.