Chopper's uniqueness - or lack thereof

Thanks for all the sugestions and feedback.
My chopper already has small holding, so he is a bit tied up, but I will be remembering  about my mobility anyway. And of course, I will try to leverage my Fucking Thieves as much as possible.

I am playing tomorrow, so I will see how it works out.

Here's what I'd do (as an MC), but this solution isn't for everyone...

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Underdog (Chopper Playbook Mod)
When your gang isn't the biggest, baddest, or most well-equipped in town, you get the move "Something To Prove". After you have that, you can also take the rest as advancements.

Something to Prove: At the end of each session, instead of saying who knows you better, ask the other players as a group if you proved to someone this session that you're a force to be reckoned with. If the majority agree you did, every PC knows you better (and takes the appropriate +1-Hx) and you mark XP.

Recruits: At the start of each session, if you proved yourself last session, you get a few new recruits (maybe only one or two, but given time it'll add up). These might come from another PC's gang or followers, or else from the general population, MC's call.

Fearless: When you or your gang is outmanned or outgunned, you (or they) get +1-armor.

Never Give Up: When you'd be out of the fight, like unconscious, dead, or captured, you can instead take a debility (and set yourself to nine o clock, if you're higher), but only once and only in a real battle. If your gang sees you do this, they'll of course fight to the death if you ask them to, but only right then and there.

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Why, you might ask? It turns a fictional and mechanical weakness into a potential strength (fearless + never give up), aligns your own real-life concerns with those of your character (something to prove), gives you an additional XP source to help catch up in advancements to the other players (something to prove), possibly drives pc-npc-pc conflicts (recruits), and more.
I actually think it's a pretty tidy solution!

- Alex

@Antisinecurist
Thanks for ideas, they are pretty cool.

Well, in last session I made some changes in my character - I took driver move, so I started adding my bike to my Hard moves - which made me feel extremally badass (+4). I failed operation at start of game session, and got surrounded by enemy gang. Not only I managed to get out of the trap, but they got decimated. Fucking Thieves was nice too.

Unfortunately the end of session went south - we had standoff with hardholder, and it ended ugly, my character is no more +.
The wisdom we all got from this, is - if you bring chopper into team late, give him strong connections with rest of team, especially hardholder. If he is somewhere from the start - his gang will be part of foundations of the setting. But when he get's late, especially with savage gang - he will be constant threat for hardholder, and that doesn't end well.

But nevertheless, your advice made me feel, that my character is really badass on his last session, so that was fun :)

Sounds like a win!

Well, I hoped he will make it through few more sessions - getting smeared by grenade launcher was sad. But mostly I regret not being able to play out the subplot of quarantine-like-npcs whom I recruited for my gang (they had no idea what is going on, and were imprisoned). Having lieutenant that I would call Captain in my gang, would be so much fun.

Some issues also sprout from the fact, that in our group, part of team prefers rather mild view of the world - and I played it, a bt more savagely.

Anyway, had a lot of fun. Now I'm moving on to Maestro D.

I made a series of articles on what makes the different playbooks unique and interesting. Here is the one on the chopper: http://apocalypse-world.com/forums/index.php?topic=6570.0
Hope it sparks something in ya.

Actually I read it before I posted this topic - but thanks.
As a matter of fact, I had a bit different relationship with my gang - so fights ensued here and there.

There was nice scene, when we had some kind of festivities in the town, with all occupants gathered on the main square with great bonefire in the middle. There were few other gangs there, but only my was savage, so they were going straight for trouble. Guns, and all.

One of PCs approached me, asking to do something about it. I told my gang, that they can't use weapons - neither guns, nor melee. I had partial success, so two of them started doing fuss about that (I had to punish someone).
I stood up, and went for the guy. I wanted to use one of hard moves on him (I don't recall which one), I failed. Shooting match ensued, but as other gang tactfully retreated, it was internal. When I finally managed to get control of my gang, one of the troublemakers were dead, and one of my two girls was also barely alive. So I made example of the second one by burning him alive in the bonefire. Of course, we also called the other gang cowards - as they ran away, didn't they?

What I really like in this game, it's how failure (cause I at first imagined this scene will go differently), can end in very cool and engaging scenes.