Thugtown

> «**Thugtown**. There was something *wrong* with this city... Strange reports had been coming in about bizarre incidents and gruesome murder cases. Violent rioters had overrun **entire** areas inside the city and it seemed officials had lost all control... It’s been **days** now since the last contact. But nevertheless, I had a job to do, so here I was, about to step into a *freaking* **nightmare**...» -Vinnie's opening monologue on Thugtown
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**Thugtown** was a mid-sized coastal city with a population of at least a few thousands somewhere in the USA, likely in the Midwest, probably Illinois, Wisconsin or Michigan. It is the main setting of *Guns, Gore & Cannoli* and a central location in *Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2*, being the spot of action for five stages.

Once known as just another criminal stronghold for two feuding alcohol-trading crime families, it would later become known for the first and only publicly known zombie outbreak in America, known to most only as the Thugtown Incident, when after a strangely calm and uneventful St. Patrick's Day, unexplained and brutal cases of violence sprung up around town, that would soon devolve into full-scale riots, that would turn Thugtown into a apocalyptic landscape of horror and later a ghost town. While most of the public was led to believe that it was merely alcohol-related aggression that made the people of Thugtown go savage enough for the Army to be sent in, the reality was that a virulent poison had been used to turn the majority of its inhabitants into unreasonable rotting cannibals. It comes as no surprise that even fewer know of the real source of the poison...

## History

Thugtown was seemingly a well known city in the United States, having been known to house two major mafia gangs, the Bonninos, primarily running speakeasies and clubs and the Belluccios, mainly involved in procuring and smuggling liquor across borders, though both play equally important roles in the alcohol trade. For years, bloodshed was commonplace because of the gang war between the two families, making the city a hot topic amongst the editorial staff for newspapers like The Daily Tribune and The Chronicle.

Thugtown seemed to have existed since at least the late 19th century, having been apparently involved in the American Civil War (1861-1865), fighting for the North, as shown by a statue of an Union soldier in uniform, riding a horse and holding a saber in many parts throughout town. Additionally, some local shops also sell old Confederate war memorabilia, like hats and other accessories.

## City description

Thugtown was a coastal city, with a harbour where ships dock. The town is essentially cut in half geographically by a river that flows through the area, with each crime family owning one side of the city, with the Bonninos ruling the south of Thugtown, beginning at the harbor and ending by The Bridge, the only one known which cross the river and the Belluccios controlling the north, with most of the inner city under their thumb. A government's Secret Lab located at the Bellucio's side, underground. At the same side are the tallest known buildings on the city, all dominated by the biggest of all, the Bellucio's headquarters.

After Thugtown's incident, the US military constructed Thugtown Military Outpost 51, compunded by several lines of walls surrounding the city, with minefields and guard posts occuped by soldiers shooting anything that moves.

## Guns, Gore & Cannoli

In 1928, during the Prohibition, Thugtown's breweries were still in operation and supplied the common folk with liquor. On St. Patrick’s Day, the residents of Thugtown were able to enjoy as much of the liquor as they could pour down their throats. Though the greenish tint and weird fizzing may have concerned most people, Thugtowners are a different breed, so it’s no wonder they gulped down gallons of the stuff during the celebrations. Surprisingly, there were very few reported incidents during the festivities themselves, even obfuscating the local paper, The Thugtown Observer and national news alike. It was only a few days later when locals started to act strangely and even more violent than usual. The headlines show it all: gruesome murders and violent attacks, reports coming in about protesters assailing, even cannibalizing the sent-in police. Despite their efforts, the local authorities were powerless against the rising numbers of rioters and soon, there was almost nothing left of them, save for countless mangled bodies and some uniformed dead-eyes amongst the rioters. Forces from the National Guard were soon called in to deal with the situation and end the riots, at which they officially succeeded. Unofficially, the military had occupied the city and put it under lockdown, also placing dynamites in some places to prevent the escape of daring locals to prevent further contamination. To keep the public from interfering, all contact was broken off, leaving the fate of Thugtown unknown for the coming days. As for the local gangs, they barricaded themselves in their own bases of operation, although the crisis isn't stopping them from warring and clashing when the opportunity arises. While their large arsenal in weapons and experience in killing aided their survival, little do they know, that the main reason for their continued existence is only to be attributed to their more refined taste in imported alcohol. While some uninformed bold seafarers would make the foolish decision to set anchor in Thugtown during the initial quarantine, telephone lines were still active, inadvertently leading to the discovery of a confidential government operation.

Many of the previously mentioned ships and boats that landed on the docks of Thugtown had their crews decimated, at least one individual is known to have made his way to Thugtown and survived. The man, a wanted criminal, had testified in court that he had no recollection of the events that took place in the city, though rumors of corruption didn't put much weight on that claim, but nonetheless, due to lack of evidence (duh), Mr. Vinnie Cannoli of Syndicate City was released, much to the chagrin of the police. What is officially known is that the army, after days of hopelessly fighting off the relentless hordes, decided to bomb the city with toxic gas. While it certainly wipes out any human life remaining in Thugtown, the shuffling aggressors are mostly still out and about prowling the streets. Thugtown is still under quarantine, though civilians are not allowed to know what exactly is being held inside the city. Occasional explosions, sounds of gunshots, grunting, animalistic noises and inhuman roars can only let you wonder...

## Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2

Now a ghost town, Thugtown has since been put under full army administration. Since the riots, rumors of an outbreak have surfaced, that tell tale of one of the local families "peddling some bad hooch" and causing the entire down to turn into monstrous creatures known as zombies. Tall walls were build by the military to prevent the zombies from pouncing on passerby and to hinder passerby from finding out about the zombies. Firing indiscriminately at any figure getting to close, more than just a couple of curious wannabe adventurers found their end in the area surrounding Thugtown Military Outpost 51. The green gas can still be seen lingering in the background, having apparently lost its melting properties.

You'd think that life inside these walls would be impossible, right? Apparently not, since it hasn't hindered a criminal gang lead by an enigmatic gas-masked mob boss, known only as the Dark Don, who is mysteriously allied with *Wehrmacht* soldiers from the newly formed Nazi Germany, to make Thugtown their home, having decided to build up shelter underneath town in the old metro tunnels, large musty basements and the sewers, secretly taking the leftover poison from the abandoned US underground research facility underneath the city. Did we already mention what the confidential government operation was? Turns out it was a secret lab, hidden there the entire time! Either way, the poison would be used as an experimental weapon for the Nazis, but this exchange was stopped when Vinnie, now known as the Tyrant of Thugtown, swings by, breaks into the perimeter and kills several soldiers and zombies, before finding the underground hideout and catches them in the act, shooting his way through even more soldiers, this time of the Wehrmacht, and numerous gangsters, as well as destroying the weaponry of the transport U-boat.

Thugtown Military Outpost 51 is likely refurbished and manned with new personnel, while the underground operation of the Dark Don Gang is abandoned, leaving Thugtown, or at least its underground, empty once more.

## Notable inhabitants

* Mr. Belluccio, Don of the Belluccio Mafia
* Frankie the Fly, gangster
* Sonny Bonnino, head of the Bonnino Gang
* Rusty, storeowner
* A German scientist, former government employee
* Louie, Bonnino enforcer
* Cheech, Bonnino enforcer

## Trivia

* Thugtown is heavily based on Chicago, formerly known for its organized crime in the early to mid 20th century, as well as being a coastal city.
* Several billboards and signs advertising stores and services bear the surnames of infamous mobsters from the Prohibition Years, like Dutch Schultz for a moving company, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky for a drugstore and Al Capone, fittingly, for a soup kitchen.
* Additionally, the developers put in a reference to one of the original animation's gang's, the Costellis, with a small pizza parlor named after them and themselves, with a couple of buildings bearing the lettering "Claeys Brothers Arts". A small plaque seen on numerous buildings in The Rooftops level, reads "1634 Racine Av.", which is in reference to the crime film *The Untouchables*, as it is the given address of Sean Connery's character Jimmy Malone, who plays a pivotal role in the storyline.
* Sometimes, Vinnie may say "One down, 30 Million to go!", apparently referring to Thugtown's now zombie population. No city, even in the modern era, has this many people living in city proper of any megacity, let alone in the 1920s. It's likely that Vinnie is referring to the sheer endless amount of zombies, possibly breaking the 4th wall by implying that the zombies are instantly generated.
* "Thugtown Military Outpost 51" is clearly a spoof on the highly classified Air Force base in Nevada, Area 51.