Boss Starting Finances

When first you apply to join a game you will have your Boss Character, two other Named Characters who are subordinate to you (deemed to be old and trustworthy friends), one free car, three revolvers, and $5000. If your chosen Boss Background is that of 'Businessman' you will have $10,000 instead of $5,000.

To complete the Boss Setup procedure you will be given the opportunity to spend some or all of your starting cash on Guards for your three main characters, and for additional weapons and vehicles. You do not need to do so, but doing so in advance of joining the game - during the Boss Setup phase itself - will save you from having to do so at the start of the game. Furthermore, weapons and vehicles bought in the Setup phase will be cheaper than those available in the game.

Every Named character operating independently will require at least a weapon and a vehicle of some description. Bear in mind that heavier weapons such as shotguns and choppers (tommy-guns) are carried as extras - every man should always have a revolver or automatic pistol at all times, as it will not always be possible for them to always carry a heavier weapon on their person.

Each of your three Named Characters is capable of operating without additional Guards. Few Named Characters would actually be happy to operate without Guards, however, and some of their activities will be made much more dangerous without one or more Guards to back them up. You should consider hiring 2-4 Guards for each of your three main characters at the start, bearing in mind that Guards work a 12-hour shift, not 24. Only half of a Character's assigned Guards would usually be with him at any time of the day or night.

The question of how much of your $5000 (or $10,000 for a 'Businessman' Boss) to leave as cash for the start of the game is entirely up to you, but as a general rule we would recommend no less than $2000. Although you will start the game in control of at least one racket, the initial income from this will be fairly low and will take a while to build up, during which time you will still need to cover such as salaries for your Guards and perhaps even provide an Income Subsidy (see the section on 'Character Finances') for one or both of your two other main characters. Furthermore, most rackets in the game will have some cost in cash to set up, so the more cash you have on hand at the start of the game, the more likely you are to have the opportunity for investment in a wider range of new rackets.

One possible alternative way of starting in a new game is to not hire Guards at all and to not buy any extra vehicles in the Boss Setup procedure (perhaps just a heavier weapon for your Boss). Without extra vehicles being available your two Named Character cannot operate independently, but you would be able to give these the 'Guard Boss' order at the beginning of the game and they would simply accompany your Boss (which is why none of them will require Guards of their own, as the three would remain together). Starting this way limits your options in the earliest days as only your own Boss Character would be available for carrying out other orders (until the other two have a vehicle and perhaps also Guards of their own) but it would give you a much larger chunk of your cash available at the start of the game for investment in new rackets. This way, you could of course always change your mind at the start of the game itself, buy extra vehicles and weapons and hire Guards, and allow all three of your main characters to operate independently.