Building a crime empire in a modern setting

[Yorkblack]

Hello everyone !
So, I'm currently playing a Vampire : The Masquerade game, set in Paris, in 2017. We are two players and a GM. I'm a mastermind of some sort, with good mental and social stats, and domination powers (make people do what you want, this kind of thing), and the other player is a jazz singer, who owns a cabaret, and is really focused on social stats, with presence power, which are a bit like domination but acts more on an emotionnal level. Our goal, is to build a criminal empire in Paris, with the cabaret as our headquarters. We start with around 30 people in our organisation (including everyone, from the lowest henchman to the leaders, us), and we control the district around Montmartre, for those who know a little about Paris (a small district, very touristic but not very well frequented, with a few cabarets and the like).

So, my question is, in a general manner, how would you build a crime empire in a modern city, and do you have ideas for this specific game ?
I'm more looking at the general thing for now, because then it's something I could adapt for another game or the like.

Thanks a lot !

PS : I realize I could have problems with the moderation for this, because I'm pretty much asking information that could be applied IRL about how to do illegal things. Please not that this is not the point : I don't really want to build a criminal empire. Crime is bad kids, stay in school.

[LibraryOgre]

Your big goals are going to have to be subverting or removing other criminal gangs... while you can probably manage to control a fair sized empire with 30 immediate lieutenants, your main problem will be other gangs.

The answer, of course, is that your bullyboys will be ghouls, and you'll do your best to blood bond others.

[comicshorse]

A good start would be to find a small group, target an ambitious lieutenant of the boss. Blood Bond him and help him to take control of the group. Establish yourself to the other members as an advisor figure to the new boss (less assassination attempts that way).
That gives you a base from which to start building
You also might want to give this a read as its likely you're going to bump into them at some point
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unione_Corse

[BarbieTheRPG]

Overturning the local structure. Mainly the city council, maybe the mayor and police chief. Get them and you have the city. They direct and control law enforcement via legislation and edict. Law enforcement are your teeth. City council manages everything including the Mayor and Police Chief. Also focus on local media outlets. Control the information when anything related to you happens. This covers your mistakes. It's less than ten people that run any city. Messing with them will draw out the rich elites in the city that have their own control. So. Pay them a visit.

It's very easy for vampires to seize control of a city of any size when targeting the right people. Turn or replace.

[Rockphed]

The easy way is to start by taking over a small criminal enterprise and then turn it in to a major criminal enterprise by bumping off the competition and taking over their stuff. Let's talk about the hard way.

First, you should never do anything that doesn't get you either money or power. You also want to minimize your fame until you are powerful enough that the cops cannot touch you. Even then, you want to minimize your fame lest some rookie cop decides to make a name for himself by bringing you down.

Start by offering "protection" to small businesses and shops in a small area. Your rates should be reasonable, and you should make sure that you actually can keep your protectorate safe. Eventually you will be big and bad enough that your protectorate is mostly being kept safe from you, but to start, you will need to actually keep them safe from rival gangs and petty crooks.

Once you have some money, start loan-sharking. Offer loans at high rates with draconian terms. When they cannot make the terms, offer a longer term loan with what looks like, but isn't, easier terms. Accept partial payment to not confiscate their business. Eventually, they will be so in debt that you can take over their businesses. This works best if the businesses are cash heavy.

Only at this point do you start selling illicit things in earnest. Whatever is against the law that people want. Whether it be censored materials, drugs, or gambling, there are always things that the government doesn't want people to have. Or, at least, not have at the price they are willing to pay. Many US criminal organizations got their start during prohibition selling booze. Even after prohibition ended, some still kept selling tax-free booze at a little below the market price with the taxes. Now a days, people import cigarettes from lower tax jurisdictions to get around high tobacco taxes. They get caught frequently, but that doesn't seem to deter them enough. Why wait to start the illicit sales? Because you need a cash-heavy business to launder the money through.

At that point, you just keep expanding your area of operations until you have as much of the city under your thumb as you care for. Every so often you will have to enact a hostile takeover and bump off recalcitrant rivals.

[ArgentumRegio]

Two points here, your major considerations are - prohibition and competition.

Prohibition is critical to all crime syndicates in history; they all traffic in the forbidden things. You'll need to define that special something in which you are the font, and where you source it, how it gets to you and you know, the related details. This will be your great boon and your greatest vulnerability. Cut off the stuff and you loose your standing, your wealth diminishes and your competitors will overwhelm your turf, vampy or no. One thing for sure, there will be blood. Authorities will always be a risk and the criminal masterminds who want your turf.