I'm starting to play with a FitD hack and the first thing I likewise took out was base building and claims, neither of which fit with the theme. Claims will make their way back eventually in a completely different (and completely optional) form that's tailor built for a specific purpose, but as it stands they're not adding to the genre emulation I want to have.
I also took out supports, like your gang, since I want the game to have much more narrative on the player characters themselves than gathering a small army of people.