Bozos
The Bozos are a gang operating in Night City.
Their colors? They're Bozos, Jim.[1]
— Not Jim, Night City Sourcebook
History
2017 - 2020s
The Bozos first appeared in the West Hill district of Night City around 2017. Being considered a simple prankster gang at first, its members stylized their appearance after circus clowns. However, their bodies were not mere costumes, as they had been biosculpted to look exactly like clowns — complete with colorful hair, red bulbous noses, white skin grafted onto their faces to form permanent frowns, and long flat feet instead of simple shoes. Their tag was a frowning clown face with the slogan "Let's have some fun!" The Bozos lived in the southern portion of West Hill, which was a major hub for artists, quickly becoming an impromptu slapstick theater inside the already colorful neighborhood. They spent their time splashing paint on street artists, dropping water balloons on parked cars from several stories above, sneaking up behind well-dressed corporate women to slap velcro on their stockings, among other "harmless" pranks. It was funny for everyone watching, irritating if it happened to you, but overall non-dangerous.
In 2019, things began to change when the Bozos took in a new leader known simply as the Great Bozo; who supposedly not only created dangerous devices for them, but also used the clown members for experiments in cyberware and other surgical techniques considered too extreme and sadistic even by corporate standards. The gang members were already bordering cyberpsychosis, with most of them being considered naturally insane, but this new addition turned the Bozos into the ultimate killer clown organization of Night City. Residents learned the hard way that if you ever saw them, you had to just run away. In this new era, Bozos rejoiced toying with people's greatest fears; lurking into apartments during the night, locking victims in small spaces filled with rats, stopping elevators in skyscrapers while filling them with water, etc. One of their favorite pass-times was using a SecSystems Detention Collar on their victims, as even when the prank was over, they would still get pumped with chemicals and be regulary electroshocked. The Bozos also liked to steal candy from children, slash tires, throw paint (sometimes blood) on artist's street displays, or microwave little old ladies with artificial hip joints. Moreover, all Bozos had rigged their heartbeat monitoring devices with small explosives in order to cause the maximum damage possible if they were ever killed.
The Bozos didn't systematically terrorize West Hill, since they lived there, but were instead more random, choosing victims all around the city. Sometimes, they would become obsessed with one particular individual, littering their life with "pranks" at unexpected times until they had a nervous breakdown, and if the NCPD was ever called, the Bozos would simply fade away until the police stopped searching for them. It was well known that the ultimate prankster gang was very patient, and they were also encountered inside the Net as well for when their victims were hard to reach. In order to grow their numbers, the Bozos settled on a victim of their pranks, harassing that person until they were driven to the edge of insanity, then torturing them until they accepted to join the gang. It was unknown how many day-to-day citizens had their sanity peeled away layer by layer until they embraced their new Bozo identity of "one of us." The gang took a twisted pride in this recruiting method.[1][2]
Around 2020, there were rumors that the Bozos could expand their territory south into University District, likely causing a clash with the local Voodoo Boys.[1] Another gang the killer clowns were savoring to get rid off were the Brainiacs, whom were hated by most of Night City.[3]
At some point, the Bozos would begin a yearly event known as Hilaria in which they wrecked as much havoc as possible. This included killing, maiming, running down their vehicles on pedestrians or even crashing into buildings.[4]
2030s - 2040s
By the 2040s, the Bozos had become a living nightmare legend of Night City, known as a seemingly endless legion of violent, bodysculpted clown pranksters that sewed chaos and mayhem wherever they went. Despite their infamy, no one had yet managed to confirm the existence of the now considered mythical Great Bozo.[5][6]
Over the following years, there was a massive internal power struggle brewing inside the gang, which eventually climaxed in 2045 when Big Top, one of one of the most powerful circus leaders, had several people kidnapped to be brainwashed and bodysculpted, using them in an attack against the Forlorn Hope bar, a known notorious solo hangout. On a Wednesday night during Hilaria 2045, this clown group showed up at the Hope in school buses. When confronted by their choice of parking, the Bozos opened fire on everyone in sight, killing eleven people in the process, though they were soon driven off by the Forlorn Hope's patrons. Afterwards, Big Top sent his people to sneakily retrieve the corpses of the deceased clowns, leaving no trace of their presence. When asked about this attack, other Bozos said they knew nothing about it. This event stuck with the Hope's customers, and while the rest of Bozos were still participating in their Hilaria, they decided to give them some payback. While engaged in battle, a strange group of Bozos appeared from manholes. The solos from the Forlorn Hope recognized them as the ones who had attacked the bar, though this new group had a twisted mechanical laugh and fired upon everyone in sight, including the other Bozos. Despite being shot down, they would continue to laugh unless their heads were smashed in. In the end, both the Bozos and the solos came to an understanding after dealing with this new group dubbed as the "Dirty Bozos."[4] Using this incident, Big Top railed against the Great Bozo by declaring the independence of his circus of clowns, sparkling a civil war among the rest of the Bozos. This was soon followed with more, splitting the gang into different "circuses" with the objective to out-prank each other, yet still causing as much havoc to Night City as they could as well. Big Top promoted that he was the future of the Bozos, as he was more louder, flashier, crueler and "funnier" than the Great Bozo, whom he described as stale, unoriginal, unfunny, and something from the past.[6] Around this time, Lord Ruthven took this opportunity by recruiting a small contingent of Bozos to work for him.[7]
Due to the civil war, the Bozos abandoned some of their most well-known hideouts, leaving only a bloody red nose behind. With the prankster gang divided between at least thirteen different circuses, there were multiple bases of operations across Night City, though none were known, but due to how many times the clowns appeared from manholes, it was theorized the city sewers were connected to these new hideouts. There were also rumors of a joke shop they frequented in Little Europe, or a compound somewhere deep in South Night City, but nothing was confirmed. Ever since Hilaria 2045, the Bozos began sending yellow gift-wrapped boxes around different establishments of the city. One sent to the Network 54 Offices had a severed human nose cut in twain alongside the photo of a smiling Bozo with a nosebleed and a caption that read "The Nose is split." Another time, five parcels were sent to day markets in Little Europe, which were rigged to explode and spread a cloud of a powerful SynthCoke variant, causing around one-hundred people in the vicinity to become addicts. The Bozos repeated this last a few more times, causing the NCPD to begin referring to these acts as a "MAE" (Mass Addiction Event). Both Danger Gal and the NCPD were keeping track of these "pranks," realizing the multiple Bozo circuses trying to out-prank each other would only get worse. Somehow, the Bozos resources seemed unlimited and of good quality, and no one knew why.[6][8]
During the following weeks and months, the Bozo civil war heated up as the circuses competed against each other, quickly becoming a popular topic in the city. Around this time, a circus called Cirqu3 d3 B0Z0 targeted the business sites of Jack Skorkowsky, a notable real estate agent in Night City. Their leader, a Bozo netrunner called Sp00ph, saw one of Jack's commercials and took a liking to his face, deciding to prank him by targeting various places where Jack was working with in order to drive him mad. Fed up, the real estate agent hired a crew of mercenaries to end the pranks, starting with an investigation that culminated in Woodland Park. While Jack was showcasing the potential location for new Forlorn Hope, Sp00ph scared Jack and the mercs with a fake grenade bouquet, while in the meantime him and his circus stole a leased truck holding a Zhirafa GRAF3 parked nearby. With a megaphone, Sp00ph told to Jack that after seeing his though face, though gun, and his though real estate advertisement, he had made his mission to turn Jack's frown down forever. Infuriated, Jack promised the mercs triple of what he owned them if they got the drone back to him. The mercs accepted and a chase ensured. Sp00ph connected to the GRAF3 NET Architecture, and used the drone to try to kill the mercs while the truck holding the GRAF3 went full speed across the city streets. In the end, Sp00ph and the rest of his Bozos were killed, marking the end of Cirqu3 d3 B0Z0.[8]
2070s
By 2077, the Bozos had already vanished from Night City, though they were still talked about. Maximum Mike, host of Morro Rock Radio, mentioned them when talking about Ozob Bozo, who he theorized could be related to the Bozos based on his appearance, though he didn't seem to have any relation whatsoever with the gang.[9]
Bozo Circuses
After Hilaria 2045, the gang split off into at least thirteen different circuses operating in the Night City area.[8]
Unknown Circuses
Big Top's Circus
Cirqu3 d3 B0Z0
Stats & Equipment
Cyberpunk 2020
These are the stats and equipment of an average Bozo member in 2020's Night City Sourcebook.
| Stats | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 7 | REF | 7 | DEX | — | TECH | 5 | COOL | — |
| WILL | — | LUCK | 8 | MA | 6 | BODY | 8 | EMP | 2 |
| Skills | Intimidate 6, Juggling 7, Hide/Evade 7, Handgun 6, Melee 7, Brawling 7, Basic Tech 7, Awareness 6, Electronics 5, Pharmaceuticals 4[1] | ||||||||
| Cyberware | The average member has any body-enhancing cyberware possible[1] | ||||||||
Cyberpunk RED
Bozos were known to repurpose and reinforce old school buses and ice cream trucks to serve as their method of transport in Night City. The gang used assault rifles, cubs, spiked baseball bats, squirt guns filled with dangerous chemicals, among other unique weaponry.[4]
Trivia
- The Bozos were created by business manager of R. Talsorian Games Lisa Pondsmith.[2]
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 PONDSMITH, M. Night City Sourcebook. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1991. (pp.43,52–53,94–93)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Countdown to the Dark Future (#6,#105-#106,187)
- ↑ BORELLI, A. Edgerunners Inc. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1995. (p.69)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 PARKER, J. et al., Data Pack. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2021. (pp.3–5)
- ↑ PONDSMITH, M. Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2020. (p.308)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 GRAY, J. et al., Danger Gal Dossier. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2023. (pp.15–16)
- ↑ PONDMITH, M. et al., Tales of the RED: Street Stories. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2022. (p.188)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 SPIVEY C. et al., Tales of the RED: Hope Reborn. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2024. (pp.18,21,43–51,54–58,66)
- ↑ CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020. (107.3 Morro Rock Radio - Mike's radio show)
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