“Rappers might be willin but they ain’t able
Cause I was their king straight from my cradle
I screamed and hollered and shook my rattle
And dreamt of defeating them all in battle”
— Melle Mel (Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five), “Pump Me Up,” Pump Me Up
Welcome to the Hood
It has been 27 years since the nine Wu-Tang masters arose to dominate Shaolin and the surrounding countryside. For a brief but glorious period, peace and plenty reigned across the land. But now the Wu-Tang masters have retreated into seclusion. It is a lawless time. Gangs have divided the land into countless shifting territories and protectorates, turf held only by the power of a crew’s style and the force of its rep. From the fortress island of Shaolin in the south, to the Boogie Down — the ancient homeland — in the north, from Chilltown in the west and Strong Island to the east, 60,000 soldiers slang, bang and battle across the city.
Without the guiding hand of the masters, it’s all precariously balanced, ready to topple into a storm of fire and blood. Everyone senses it. War is coming.
These Are the Armies of the Night
Seeking to stave off the inevitable, Emperor, chief of the Shadow Warriors crew, has called a Conclave in the Boogie Down. The Shadow Warriors are one of the largest, fiercest crews in the city, and Emperor is rumored to be a direct disciple of nine masters. The word is out: With the masters in seclusion, Emperor thinks it’s time the crews of The Five choose a new Big Boss to rule. Is he the one and only?
Every crew with a rep is sending envoys to the meet: The B-Zs, the K-Town Boys, the Havana Gentlemen, the Hell City Murderers, the Geckos, the Woods, the Venoms and more.
Your crew is among them. It doesn’t have the rep of crews like the Shadow Warriors or the Venoms, but your master’s master claims to have been a disciple of one of the nine Wu-Tang masters. Those knowledgeable soldiers that have heard of your crew believe you are inheritors of a powerful secret technique. That definitely adds to your rep, but it also makes you a target.
The Game
The Five is a game for two to four players. Most of the players will be MCs. The MCs will assume the roles of soldiers in a fictional crew trying to rule the streets in the world of The Five. The MCs are each responsible for playing one soldier. Each MC decides how his soldier behaves and speaks. One of the players will assume the role of the DJ. The DJ is responsible for guiding the pace of the game by introducing obstacles and adversity for the MCs to face in the form of rival crews and police. The DJ decides how these soldiers behave and speak when the MCs encounter them. The DJ also portrays incidental characters, like citizens (taxpayers), and allies, like reclusive kung fu masters that can teach MCs secret techniques.
You will need a few items to play, including:
• A standard set of double-six dominoes (readily available at many toy, drug and convenience stores)
• Pencils and paper
• A New York City subway map with a grid (you can print one from our Web site)
• Coins or other markers to represent the MCs’ soldiers’ positions on the map
• A stereo, computer or other music player to play a playlist or mix CD