Miller's Men Skinhead Coalition

Also known as "Miller's Men" or "The Skinheads."

Type
Factions: Secondary Faction

Description
The skinheads are hooligans certainly, but they’re the worst kind, they are hooligans with a charismatic leader, a charismatic leader with a vision. Before Miller came onto the scene, they were little more than the dregs of North London’s gangs, those who weren’t associated with any other group. Miller rose up and unified them under his singular rule. He was able to grab territory and power in the wake of the Roundel’s fall, power and territory he holds to this day. But while Miller wields considerable power, he’s beginning to get paranoid and people are beginning to wonder, what will happen to the Skinheads when their beloved boss dies?

Location
Islington

History/Background
Before the war, skinheads were just one of the many gangs and subcultures that held sway in north London. They were never the largest of the gangs, typically keeping their bald heads down and more likely than not to fight amoungst themselves than any other group as racist skinheads openly feuded with anti-racist skinheads. The Battle of the Bang Bang would be their downfall though, the racist skinheads took part in the battle and were some of the most violent combatants, painting a target on any skinhead, racist or otherwise. The gang was essentially destroyed and what little cohesion the group had once had was obliterated, ultimately being utterly shattered following the war.

But the subculture lived on, its working class sensibilities and their practical style well suited to life in a post-war london. They remained on the fringes of North London's scene, bit by bit pushed to the edges by the Pistol’s rising power  and far more powerful gangs regularly snagging territory. There was no one skinhead gang, but rather dozens of largely independent bands of skinheads who were largely uninterested in concerns outside of their immediate needs. That is until Miller came along.

Miller as a man is something of a mystery. Unlike other similarly charismatic leaders, he seems to keep his past deliberately quiet. What details can be gleaned from his thunderous speeches show that he grew up in North London and that at some point he was in some way associated with the Roundels or Pistols gangs. However, he decided to abandon them, claiming to have found them “weak and wanting.” He instead sought out a new group that he could shape in his image, and he found one, ready and waiting in the skinheads.

Miller’s rise to power was sudden, swift and bloody. At some point he joined a small group of skinheads, gradually rising in stature within the group. A charismatic man, he began to share his radical ideas about the nature of power amongst the group until he had finally forced a confrontation between himself and the group’s leader. Infamously he began the confrontation with spirited debate, but ended it with a claw hammer, beating the man to death using it. The hammer would soon become Miller’s sigil. One by one Miller either recruited Skinhead cells to join his or forced them with violence, until soon Miller had a sizable following.

It is not entirely hard to see the appeal of Miller despite his rhetoric and his willingness to use extreme violence to enforce his ways. The skinheads and many who lived on the fringes of North London society felt directionless and alienated broadly. They had no place within the Pistol’s society and the Roundels were somewhat insular, recruiting mainly from their Hackney home. What’s more, the Skinheads had felt some commonality for some time, but had no proper leader. Miller, for all his failings, offered them a sense of unity and increasingly, power. Miller slowly unified the various skinhead groups, initially through force and personal charisma, but bit by bit he was beginning to give them more than that. He began to hold rallies, emphasizing their new unified nature and also declaring to them that they were a chosen people, pure and strong, untainted by “posh weakness” that they were “hard enough” to be considered worthy and that unlike other gangs, they were strong, unified, not “worshipers of anarchy.” He regularly railed against the Roundels, the Gentry or the Pistols, declaring his followers “a people apart.”

Violence had begun to escalate, no longer did Miller and his followers care if someone was a skinhead already or not, they began to target any group weaker than themselves and force them, through threats or actual violence to join their gang, usually ceremonially shaving their head and burning any other signifiers that might set them apart from being a skinhead. With charismatic rally speeches in one hand and a claw hammer in the other, Miller’s power was solidified. At this same time, the Roundel gang was exploding in power, blitzing their way across northern London. Though many within his gang were itching for war with the Roundel gang, Miller, to the surprise of all, offered a peace treaty with the Roundels, offering no fight when the gang came to parlay and declaring fealty to the Hackney gang without any real conflict. Though there were grumblings, these were quickly silenced by Miller’s Hardboys who made sure that the Boss’s dictates were never questioned.

Many wonder why Miller chose not to fight despite his regularly militant rhetoric. The Skinheads claim that he was biding his time, but a more cynical reading might say that he was afraid to fight the then practically all powerful Roundels and instead chose the path of least resistance. Both may well be true though as the second Miller and his men saw an opening, they took it.

When the Pistols gang rose up to kick the Roundels out of Camden, Miller saw his opportunity. He rose up against the Roundels and declared his chunk of London independent from Roundel rule. This act of betrayal caught the Roundels completely off guard and cut their territory in half as skinheads attacked the already in disarray Roundels, killing any they got their hands on. Their greatest coup was when they came across Keith Davies, one of the two leaders of the Roundel gang and killed him. In the wake of the Roundel’s collapse, many of their members still within Skinhead territory switched gangs, shaving their heads and joining Miller’s men, bolstering their numbers.

The uprising against the Roundels left Miller’s men in great shape, they were able to claim most of the Roundel’s former territory outside of Camden and Hackney, carving a nice little empire out for themselves in Islington. While they are not the strongest gang, they are entrenched and their membership is fanatically loyal to Miller and his vision. They are actively hostile to any outsider and will attack on sight, making travel in North London a tricky affair. All the while, Miller’s grasp on power has only grown tighter as he radicalizes the Skinheads more and more.

But not all is as good for Miller as it seems. His is a cult of personality and many wonder what would happen to the gang should their dear boss die. For that matter, many wonder what Miller actually believes with some questioning if he has any sort of vision or if he is instead a thug who got lucky. His elite shock troops, the Hardboys are becoming increasingly radicalized and violent, to the point that even Miller struggles to keep them in check. Miller is a charismatic and driven man, but he may have created something beyond his control.

Prominent NPCs
Miller

Assorted Information

 * Miller was indeed once a member of both the Pistols and the Roundels. He was born in Camden and was a member of the pistols, before being banished for committing murder. He did so under his old name and has since changed how he looks, so few remember the young man from so many years ago. His time in the Roundels was far shorter, eventually being turned out for his violent streak. His alienation from both groups would be in part what led him to join and later rule the skinheads.
 * The Skinheads were once fairly peaceful, but these days are the most violent group in North London. They attack anyone perceived as an outsider. It is unknown if this is under Miller’s orders or not, it is unlikely he could stop his followers if he wanted to.

Soldier Types

 * The Hardboys are Miller’s elite shock troops. These skinhead toughs have the best weapons the gang can offer and typically are the meanest, cruelest sons-of-bitches in the gang. While many of Miller’s men will buzz their heads, the Hardboys will shave themselves fully bald and swear oaths of allegiance to Miller himself. They are also heavy abusers of psycho (or equivalent)
 * Most of Miller’s men will carry claw hammers, their signature weapon and sigil.

Associated Quests

 * Let the Boots Do the Talking: Kick the Skinheads out of Roundel territory
 * Nazi Punks Fuck Off: Kick the Skinheads out of punk territory
 * Bash the Fash: Kill Miller and bring Islington in line with Gentry rule
 * Clampdown: Stop the skinheads from joining with the Fifth Columnists
 * Islington Über Alles: Recruit Millers Men to the Fifth Columnist cause
 * SHARP Thinking: revitalize the anti-fascist skinheads and help them unseat Miller