# Gangs Overview

> A *banda* (gang) is a player-led organization with territory, a treasury, rank hierarchy, and shared activities. This page explains what they're for and whether you want one.

![Screenshot: the gang tablet showing a roster of 5 members with ranks](../screenshots/02-gangs/tablet-roster.png)
*Screenshot needed: gang tablet with the Members tab open, showing 4-5 names + ranks.*

---

## What is a *banda*?

A gang is a player-formed organization that:

- **Owns territory** — polygon-shaped zones on the map that grant rep + delivery missions
- **Has a treasury** — shared money that members can deposit to / withdraw from based on rank
- **Has ranks** — boss, underboss, captain, soldier, prospect (or custom names)
- **Has a chat channel** — encrypted-feeling internal comms, separate from public chat
- **Has gang reputation + XP** — the gang's standing climbs with activity
- **Can claim sprays** — graffiti placed in the world marks your turf
- **Can run raids** — 3+ members claim a contract and hit a stash house (requires 3 minimum)

---

## Why join one?

Gangs unlock content. Specifically:

- **Raid contracts** — high-payout content that needs 3+ members
- **Delivery missions** — solo-doable BUT requires owning at least one zone (so you need a gang to own the zone)
- **Gang upgrades** — crafting bench, storage stash, safe, garage, doctor
- **Gang chat** — coordinate without broadcasting to whole server
- **Black market listings** — gang members can list/buy items
- **Zone reputation multipliers** — 2× drug-deal rep in rival turf if you're in a gang

---

## Why NOT join one?

Solo play is viable. You can:

- Mug pedestrians forever (no gang gating)
- Sell drugs via `H` key (gang membership not required, but rep boost only applies in rival zones)
- Pickpocket idle peds
- Contest airdrops alone (you'll lose to organized crews, but smaller drops are fair game)
- Build personal notoriety/fame
- Roleplay freelance: hitman-for-hire, courier, informer

**If you only play 1–2 hours per session and rarely coordinate with others, solo is fine.** If you want raid content, you need a gang.

---

## Joining vs creating

### Joining

- Find a gang via chat / Discord
- Get an invite (via tablet, valid 10 min)
- Accept from your phone / tablet
- You'll start at the lowest rank (prospect or soldier)

### Creating

- Costs $15,000 + $3,500 for the *planšetė* = **$18,500 minimum**
- You become **boss** automatically
- You pick the name, tag, color, description
- Max gang name length 32 chars, tag 6 chars
- You can invite up to 15 pending invites at a time
- See [creating-a-gang.md](creating-a-gang.md)

---

## Gang lifecycle

```
[recruiting] → [active] → [established] → [dominant or disbanded]
```

- **Recruiting:** 1–3 members, no zones, low rep
- **Active:** 4+ members, 1+ zone, regular drug/mugging activity
- **Established:** 8+ members, 2–3 zones, treasury > $50k, level 5+ on the XP ladder
- **Dominant:** Top of leaderboard, multiple zone holdings, wins Saturday war
- **Disbanded:** Auto-disbands if total reputation doesn't move for multiple days (configurable inactivity timer)

---

## How many gangs can the server hold?

There's no hard cap, but practical limits:

- Each gang can own a default max of **3 zones**
- The map has ~10–20 named zones (depending on preset)
- Realistically: 4–8 active gangs fit comfortably; more = constant zone churn

---

## Related

- [creating-a-gang.md](creating-a-gang.md) — the create flow
- [tablet.md](tablet.md) — the *planšetė* UI
- [ranks-permissions.md](ranks-permissions.md) — who can do what
- [../03-territory/zones-overview.md](../03-territory/zones-overview.md) — zones explained