Make an Entrance

The music stopped. The room went quiet. She could hear the hushed sounds of awed whispers echoing from every direction, but she couldn't make out the words. Still, she didn't need to hear them. She knew what they were saying. She could see it in their eyes. She didn't belong here.

When was the last time you brought Mumbad's ultra-ultra-rich back down to earth? When was the last time anyone tried?

Mumbad is one of the few cities that can rival New Angeles in sheer size, and its risties are among the world's richest and most extravagant. From the top of Mumbad to the bottom is a journey of more than hundreds of feet; it is a journey between worlds. What will happen when these worlds collide? Find out for yourself with Salsette Island, now available for Android: Netrunner!

Welcome to the Heart of Mumbad

The megapolis of Mumbad arose from the consolidation of Mumbai and Ahmedabad after the Troubles. Although the megacity sprawls for hundreds of kilometers along the Arabian Sea, its heart arguably remains in the south, on Salsette Island, where the old city of Mumbai once stood, at the nation's political core and the site of the region's wealthiest citizens.

These risties enjoy lives of luxury so distant from those of the lowest classes that it is difficult to describe the dichotomy in words that both groups can understand. The upper class of India maintains an extravagant and wasteful lifestyle, with sprawling mansions inside arcologies, private islands, luxury hoppers, and one hundred-foot motorsailers. Nowhere is their wealth more on display, nor the chasm between the wealthy and the poor more apparent than on Salsette Island. Here, the wealthiest inhabitants of the oldest and most powerful families still work, play, and conduct business—all while the masses go hungry in the slums that form on the piles at the edge of the isle.

While the Indian megacity has a number of its own powerful corporations, none of them operate on the same scale as the Big Four in New Angeles. In fact, the Big Four dominate even in Mumbad, dabbling in all aspects of life and working to forge close relationships with the Indian Union government. All told, India is an expert at improving and producing consumer goods. Assembly line technology has been refined to such an extent that fifty thousand PADs are created every hour at the Aryabhata Tech manufactory in the Gujarat District of Northern Mumbad. There are also over a dozen smartfabric firms within the city, and new smartfabric capabilities are constantly being developed and tested locally before going worldwide.

The Ripples of Intersection

Naturally, the Indian Union's poorest citizens and outsiders find few moments among the ruling elite. But when they do, the occassions are often highly charged, a quality reflected among several of the Runner cards in Salsette Island, most notably among the Anarch's cards, Making an Entrance (Salsette Island, 58) and Salsette Slums (Salsette Island, 59).

Among other things, these cards suggest that just because you can script yourself an invitation to a ristie dinner event or direct your driver to take your limo into a Salsette slum doesn't mean you should. You might find yourself gaining unwanted attention from your marks, or your personal limo hopper might be stolen, only for its scorched and gutted remains to be found days later in a darkened alley.

Of course, not all intersections between the rich and the poor are violent or even dangerous. A benevolent Patron (Salsette Island, 63) may improve the lives of less privileged individuals by taking them under her wing, and the wealthier individuals looking to spend their money at a Bazaar (Salsette Island, 65) might sometimes offer charity to the members of the lower class that they chance to encounter.

Closer Than You Think

The rich and the poor of Salsette Island may lead lives that feel worlds apart, but they are closer than they think. And this proximity makes the rich more vulnerable than many of them may realize, especially during the politically charged environment of the Indian Union's national election season.

Protect your assets or take advantage of your opponent's vulnerabilities—Salsette Island is now available at retailers throughout the United States. Availability in other regions may vary.