Technocracy: Syndicate

See also: Convention Book: Syndicate (revised edition)

Technocracy: Syndicate is the fifth sourcebook about the Technocratic Union. It covers the financial reality makers of Mage: The Ascension.

Summary[]

From the White Wolf catalog:

Reality's for Sale.

Don't mind that bar code. It's there for your convenience. Why carry cash when credit's much safer? Scan cards? World banks? They're all in the name of progress. Money makes the world go 'round, after all, and few folks understand how true that is. Few folks outside the Syndicate, anyways.

Have Your Credit Card Ready!

Behind a façade of organized crime, the Credit-Card Convention waits with hands outstretched. Purse strings, puppet strings — they're all the same to the Grand Financiers. Everyone needs to eat, and the Syndicate has a sumptuous banquet prepared just for you. So long as you can meet the price.

Have Your Credit Card Ready!

Clandestine secrets of the world's richest mages.
Perks, Adjustments and gadgets galore.
The Pentex connection – Werewolf: the Apocalypse crossover material.

Contents[]

Prelude: Personal and Confidential[]

File One: Annual Report[]

Chapter One: Word from the Head Office[]

Chapter Two: Our Rank and File[]

File Two: Portfolio[]

Chapter Three: Playing (and Playing With) the Market[]

There's No "I" in Team: Syndicate Adjustments
- Karoshi ( Life, Mind, or Life, Mind)
- The Look/The Word ( Mind)
- Stacking the Deck ( Entropy)
- PIN Drop ( Correspondence, Forces, Mind, Time)
- Turkey Basting ( Mind, Life)
- Hands of Death ( Life, or Forces, or both)
- Conference Call ( Correspondence, Forces, Prime)
The Rat Race: Syndicate Devices
- Multi-Investment Debt Accrual System (MIDAS) Card or A: n/a, Quin: n/a
- Clout Perfume A: n/a, Quin: 10
- Leadstopper Vest A: n/a, Quin: n/a
- Mjollnir Mk. IV A: 2, Quin: n/a
- Raptor Silencer A: n/a, Quin: 10
- WatchCom A: n/a, Quin: n/a
- Power Suit A: 2-5, Quin: 10-25
- UniCash Card A: n/a, Quin: n/a
- Universal ID (UNIVID) A: 4, Quin: 20
- Tactical High-Operation Manual Armament (THOMAS) A: 3, Quin: 20
- Universal Systems Access Computer (USAC) A: 4, Quin: 20
Perks
- Background Ratings Over Five
  - Allies
  - Influence
  - Library
  - Node
  - Resources
- Outsourcing
Money Men
- Providers - Stats
- Fomori - Stats
- Associates - Stats
- Managers - Stats
- Chairmen - Stats
- VPOs

Chapter Four: Diefenbakker's Casino[]

Recommended Briefs
- Suggested Reading/Viewing
  - Movies/Television
    - The Godfather
    - Grosse Ponte Blank
    - The Hudsucker Proxy
    - Noam Chomsky: Manufacturing Consent
    - Profit
    - The Untouchables, The Yakuza, Goodfellas, La Femme Nikita, A Better Tomorrow, A Bullet in the Head, House of Games, Casino, Pulp Fiction
    - The Usual Suspects
    - Wall Street
  - Fiction
    - Vertical Run, by Joseph R. Garber
    - John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series; Suggestions: Darker Than Amber, Pale Gry for Guilt, The Scarlet Ruse
    - Destiny's Price
  - Nonfiction
    - An Incomplete Education, by Judy Jones and William Wilson
    - Connections, by James Burke
    - Manufacturing Consent; Secrets, Lies and Democracy; and The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many, by Noam Chomsky
    - Magazines like Money, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, Mother Jones - What? You think we're exaggerating...?

Background Information[]

Technocracy: Syndicate was later included in the Technocracy Assembled 2 omnibus.
Mark Cenczyk dedicates the book to Adrian Pasdar, Noam Chomsky and Mother Jones (Magazine). He also goes out of his way to make this dedication statement: "To Dwanye Andreas, Eric Freedlander, Charles Keating, David Koch, Frank Lorenzo, Michael Milken, Ron Perlman, Donald Trump, and the many other greedy bastards who make truth much more painful than fiction;"
This is the first mention of Roger Daly's death in Chapter Four before the World of Rage sourcebook.

Memorable Quotes[]

(...)

Characters[]

Prelude: Personal and Confidential
- Sydney Smith
- Peter Hoyle - Arcanum, Member
- Cynthia Petherbridge - Arcanum's premiere investigators
- Salhany - French designer
- Courage
Chapter One: Word from the Head Office
- Joseph von Reisman - Vice President of Operation, Syndicate, Europe West
- Charles J. Redding, "Charlie" - Vice President in Charge of Collections for Proctor House Investments, Syndicate
- Brian Parnell - Licensed Field Collection Agent for CommonWealth Assurance Company, Syndicate, Enforcer
- King Numa Pompilius of Rome - Legally codified the Brotherhood of the Rule, Past Figure
- Cassius Ulixes - Brotherhood of the Rule
- Wolfgang von Reisman - Brotherhood of the Rule, founded the Craftsmasons
- Wiedener - Bishop
- Stephan Trevaine - Craftmason
- Sir Baldwin Langenstrait - Superstitionist
- Giacomo del Barba - Craftmason
- Marco Polo - Historical Figure
- Kublai Khan - Historical Figure
- Von Reisman - Grand Financier, close advisor to Jakob Fugger
- Jakob Fugger - Historical Figure
- Charles V - Historical Figure
- Niccolo Sanpietro - Grand Financier
- Giulio Medici - Historical Figure
- de Bount - Historical Figure
- Alexander Florian - Historical Figure
- Sir Charles Rey - Historical Figure
- Reginald Proctor - Grand Financier
- Adam Smith - Historical Figure
- Marx - Historical Figure
- Queen Victoria
- Al Capone - Historical Figure
- Riordan Averdale - Historical Figure, Al Capones friend, Rogue Financier
- Michael Cyprian - Inspector for the Boston Police Department, Syndicate, Enforcer
- Andrew Brucilli - Syndicate, Enforcer
Chapter Two: Our Rank and File
- "Sam Adams" -Syndicate
- Felix Randall - Headhunter, Syndicate
- Jerry Elliott - Arrears, Syndicate
- Kelly Anne Walker
- Aaron Spellman - Director of The Slayer TV Show
- Saint Michael - Infamous Syndicate Enforcer
- Howard Sinclair - VP, Syndicate, oversees the Special Projects Division
- James Rock - Chairmen, Syndicate, SPD
- Amanda Blacksin - Chairmen, Syndicate, SPD
- James Overlook - Chairmen, Syndicate, SPD
- Hillary Saint Claire - Chairmen, Syndicate, SPD
- Charle Tinabras - Chairmen, Syndicate, SPD
- Evelyn Firestorm Bronson - Author of Every Person Their Own Totem: Finding the Natural Spirit Within, published by Bell & Candle
- R. H. Kelly - Newspaper, Staff Writer, Louisville, Kentucky
- Lyssa DelMar - Owner of Tree of Life Books, Blood Cult, arrested
Chapter Three: Playing (and Playing With) the Market
- Julian - Syndicate, Enforcer
- Mr. Hardass
- Mr. Lucian - Clothing designer, Black Spiral Dancer
- Sir Jonathan Saint Christopher Rey - CPO, Syndicate, descendant of Sir Charles Rey
- Grant Morgenstern - Coordination, Syndicate
- Alexander Remington - Coordination, Syndicate
- Archibald Proctor - VPO, Syndicate, North America East
- James E. Shih - VPO, Syndicate, North America West
- Roberto deGama - VPO, Syndicate, South America
- Fyodor Alexander Mikailovich - VPO, Syndicate, Europe East
- Asim al-Kala - VPO, Syndicate, Middle East/Africa
- Andre Takahasi - VPO, Syndicate, Asia/Australia
Chapter Four: Diefenbakker's Casino
- Nathan Port - Syndicate, Media Control, Associate
- Charline Steeler - Syndicate, Disbursements, Associate
- John Eaton Simcoe
  - Harold Wu
  - Sandra Watkins - Computer analyst, John's Lover, un-Awakened
- MacKenzie "Mack" Brolin
  - Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel - Historical Figure
  - Marsha - Brolin's Wife
- Tori Whittingham (Victoria Kelly)
- The Cleaning Crew
  - Leia G - Enticer
  - Brad Krupp - Fomor
  - "Mother" Teresa Markley - Enticer
  - Keven Forrest - Fomor
  - Fenner Kahann - Black Spiral Dancer
  - Oliver Kent - Brian-Eater Fomori
- Julie Foster
- Siegfried

Terminology[]

Power Words: Adjustment, Associate ("Magic Man"), Board ("Upstairs"), "Bottom Line", Braindraining, Chairman ("Vision Man" or "Visionary"), Clearinghouse, Craftmasons, Default, Disbursements, Dispatch Center, Drycleaning, Enforcers, Final Notice, Financiers, Fortune, "Grand Financier", Guild, Headhunter, "Hollow Man", "Hollowing Out", InSpector, "Loaming", Manager ("Wizards"), Media Control, Mystic, Outsourcing, Pentex, "Polishing", Portfolio, Primal, Provider ("Our Friends"), "Rat Race", RD, "Spin Doctor", "Superstitionist", "Unionist", Vice President of Operations; 715 BC, 997, 1189, 1210, 1325, 1649, 1670, 1704, 1885, 1893, 1900, 1901, 1913, 1933, 1995, 1996, Arcanum (Boston Chapter House), Ardus Enterprises, Attack Geomids, Bane, Bell & Candle Books, The Black Art (Book), Black Spiral Dancers, Boosters (Device), Boston, Brian-Eater, Brighton, British Columbia, Brotherhood of the Rule, Canada, CommonWealth Assurance Company, Convention of the White Tower, Council of Rouen, Dark Ages, Diefenbakker's Casino (Construct; False Creek, Expo Site, "Dief's", Sterling Club, Timberwolf Lodge, Eighty-Sixer's Dance Club, The Reed Room/Cotton Club West, Theater Q, The Trading Post), Digital Web, Dolphin Sunset (Bookstore chain), Dominion Consolidated Gaming, Ltd. (Syndicate Corp., DCG Ltd., Toronto), Double Eagle (Russian Gang, Brighton), Elysium, Emerald Syndicate (Boston), The Endless Scream: Infinity in Motion (Book), Enticer, Every Person Their Own Totem: Finding the Natural Spirit Within by Evelyn Firestorm Bronson (Bell & Candle Books), Expo Site, First Teams, First Team #45 (The Cleaning Crew), Fomori, Formatted Sector, Garou, Gathering of the Square, Glass Walker, Good House International, Grand Council of World Government, Great Depression, Hanseatic League, Harold & Harold Mining, Hartfield Psychiatric Facilities (Pentex), Hellhole, The Herald (Newspaper), HIT Marks (HIT Mark V), Hudson's Bay Company, Inquisition, Kindred, Klennhaur Fashions, La Compagnia (Craftmasons), Lionheart Developments, Liston Industries (Pentex sub. Vancouver), Masquerade, McAuliffe's (Bar), MIDAS Card, Miracle Mile Gas Card, Mistridge, The Omnichip, Omni TV, Oracle Plus Card, Order of Reason, O'Tolley's, Peachtree 42 Syndicate (Atlanta), Pegasus Shoes, The Pit Bosses (Amalgam), Premium Oil Corporation, Primium, Prince, Proctor House Investments, Prohibition, PyroCash Debit Card, Quantum Universal Entertainment Inc., Rage, Renaissance, Runnymede Club (Boston), SalliLu Student Loan, Schism, Seattle, Shannon's Department Store, The Sixth Borough Syndicate (New York), The Slayer (TV Show by Aaron Spellman), Special Projects Division (SPD), Stacey Glenn Sportswear, St. Cedd's Market, Symposia, Symposium, Tacoma, Tellus Enterprises, TheatreQ (Chain), Thomas and Thomas (Firm), Thorhammer TechSystems, Toronto, Tree of Life Books (Shop), Tribe, Trinary, UniCash Card, UNIVID, USAC, Vampires, van Camp Studios, Vancouver, Walnut Street Syndicate (Philadelphia), Werewolf, Werewolves in Fact and Fiction (Book), World War I, World War II, Wyrm,

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