The Wanted System: How the Law Works

In Bootlegging, there's no unlimited freedom. Every action raises your wanted level—a measure of law enforcement attention and danger. Understanding the wanted system is the difference between a thriving operation and a federal raid.

The Five Wanted Levels

Clear - You're safe. No active heat, no patrols looking for you.

Suspected - Federal agents know something is happening, but they're not sure it's you. Patrols increase, but they won't engage on sight.

Wanted - They know about you now. Patrols actively search your territory. You can't conduct operations openly without risk of confrontation.

Hunted - Federal agents will engage on sight. Your base is marked on patrol routes. Selling spirits or running cargo becomes extremely dangerous.

Manhunt - Nationwide alert. Wherever you go, law enforcement is waiting. You're hunted until you cool things down dramatically.

What Raises Your Wanted Level

• Running your still - The more active your operation, the more you stand out. An industrial rig running full-time is a magnet for the Law.
• Selling product - Every sale is a transaction that can be spotted or reported.
• Getting spotted - A federal agent sees you transporting cargo or near your still. Immediate wanted spike.
• Violence - Killing or fighting law enforcement generates a manhunt status.
• Territory expansion - Moving into new areas where you're unknown increases suspicion.

Wanted Status Decay

Your wanted level naturally decays over time if you lay low. The further you are from your operation, the faster it decays. If you disappear into the forest for a week, your level drops significantly.

But - You also need to generate income, which means more activity level. Finding balance is key.

Weather Effects

Weather affects detection and patrol behavior. Rainy nights provide cover for transport runs. Federal agents patrol less in bad weather. Clear, sunny days are dangerous—visibility is high.

Winter creates isolation and difficulty, affecting both your operations and patrols. Strategic players use seasons to plan operations.

Bribing Officials

You can spend cash to bribe corrupt officials and cool things down. A bribe reduces your wanted status by a specific amount, with cost scaling to your current wanted level.

This creates an interesting economy: do you spend money on bribing your way out of tension, or invest that money in expanding? High-risk players might bribe aggressively to take bigger risks. Conservative players save by avoiding attention in the first place.

The Dynamic Law System

Law enforcement isn't scripted. Federal agents have patrol routes that change based on your activity level. They investigate reported activity. They can stumble upon your base if you're unlucky.

A single federal agent finding your industrial rig will call for reinforcements. What started as a Suspected level can escalate to Hunted in minutes if you're not careful.

Late-Game Management

As your empire grows, managing your wanted status becomes a strategic layer as important as production. You might run decoy operations to draw attention away from your main base. You might bribe the right officials to ensure patrols avoid key areas. You might diversify operations across the map to spread out the attention.

The best bootleggers don't avoid the law—they manage it.

Stay ahead of the law. Stay alive.