Changes: Laramie Gang

Revision as of 08:54, 7 January 2021

The Laramie Gang (also referred to as the The Laramie Corporation) is a faction featured in Red Dead Redemption 2.

History

Background

The Laramie Gang are paid thugs used by rich families looking to buy more land. If the current landowner doesn't sell, then the Laramie Gang will find a solution. They start with intimidation, but will happily do anything to make sure they receive their payment. No one is safe when they have a contract, and they take pleasure in killing anyone or anything that gets in their way.

Sometime before the year 1907, Abel Atherton contracted the Laramie Gang to pressure David Geddes into selling Pronghorn Ranch to him.

Events of Red Dead Redemption 2

John Marston first encounters the Laramie Gang in 1907, when he arrives at Pronghorn Ranch with a supply wagon. Two members commandeer his wagon, but John chases after them and retrieves the wagon. After this incident, John becomes a ranch-hand on the ranch. Several Laramie Gang members later arrive at the ranch and threaten Abe, but John intervenes and beats up their leader in a fist fight, causing him and the others to flee.

In retaliation, the Laramie Gang attacks the Pronghorn Ranch a few days later, killing two workers, releasing the cattle, and setting several buildings on fire. This results in John, Tom Dickens, and Abe assaulting Hanging Dog Ranch, where the gang is hiding. Dickens takes up a firing position above the ranch, Abe positions himself at the back, and John attacks from the front. After all the gang members at the ranch are killed, John confronts and executes their leader.

Despite the elimination of most of its members, the Laramie gang continues to be active in certain parts of the map. They occupy Hanging Dog Ranch and will attack the player on sight if they approach them. They can occasionally be encountered around Big Valley as well, where they will also be hostile.

Missions appearances

Red Dead Redemption 2

Trivia

The Laramie Gang cannot be encountered before the epilogue.
Unlike any other gang in the game, the Laramie Gang is the only one whose members are identified as "Stranger" instead of their own gang name when the player gets near them.
Despite only being active in Big Valley, their gang photo depicts them in New Austin. This may be a developer oversight, or it could imply the gang was supposed to appear in New Austin as well.
In newspapers they are called the "Laramie Corp." The name is a reference to the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, which became a powerful economic and political force with corporate-like interests by the 1890s. The Association often hired groups of gunmen, ostensibly to eliminate cattle rustlers, but also more pointedly to attack small farms and independent ranches.
Laramie, derived from the French surname LaRamie, often refers to various locations in Wyoming, including a city, county, river, and mountain range. The gang’s characteristics and actions in the game (including intimidation, assassination, etc.) reflect those of gunmen hired typically by large ranches during the early 1890s in Wyoming’s infamous Johnson County War, which has been a popular basis for countless Western novels, films, and television shows.

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 == Trivia ==
 * The Laramie Gang cannot be encountered before the [[Missions in Redemption 2|epilogue]].
-*Unlike any other gang in the game, the Laramie Gang is the only one whose most members are identified as "Stranger" instead of their own gang name "Laramie" when the player gets near them.
+*Unlike any other gang in the game, the Laramie Gang is the only one whose members are identified as "Stranger" instead of their own gang name when the player gets near them.
 * Despite only being active in Big Valley, their gang photo depicts them in [[New Austin]]. This may be a developer oversight, or it could imply the gang was supposed to appear in New Austin as well.
 * In newspapers they are called the "Laramie Corp." The name is a reference to the [[wikipedia:Wyoming_Stock_Growers_Association|Wyoming Stock Growers Association]], which became a powerful economic and political force with corporate-like interests by the 1890s. The Association often hired groups of gunmen, ostensibly to eliminate cattle rustlers, but also more pointedly to attack small farms and independent ranches.