In 1919, the US Government declared the production, distribution, and sale of alcohol illegal. America officially became a 'dry' land. That didn't stop people from drinking, however, and the rise of the 'speakeasy' offered huge new opportunities for organized crime. Soon, cities both large and small became battlegrounds as various crime syndicates vied for control of the underground alcohol trade. In Mad Dogs with Guns, players form their own small gangs of fedora-wearing, tommy gun-wielding gangsters and battle it out with their rival.