I've not yet seen any issue raised that has actually made me this emotionally involved in an OOC dispute in this game. But on this, I cannot help but weigh in. When I logged on today, I saw that the Headquarters size had been raised. I have seen the Admins refuse to increase the crew size on multiple occasions. Their answer has always been the same "auth new people". And while i understand that we only had space for another 27 people, and that this temporary addition was needed, I want to know for sure that this is temporary. Becasue I would like to see "auth new people" be the reply again.

As I read the thread on the suggestion of the increase to 75 man crews, A comment of Godfather Dealysin struck me. Godfather Sin stated that although there may be people with the requirements to become a crew leads, they may not be ready to become a crew leader.  My question is this. How can you tell me, that out of one hundred and eighty one people, not one, no two, are qualified to become crew eladers? I find that hard to believe. I shoudl say rather the there is a godfather who is afriaid to open this world back up because not having all the power in one place will increase the potential of his reign ending. While i understand wanting to keep yourself alive, doing so at the cost of the mechanics of this game is unacceptable in my eyes.

So the point of my rambling is this. Granted, WE need the tempoary up of cap, But that number absolutely must return to the previous as soon as possible, And if you can't deal with the risks of authing new people when your crews max, Get the hell out of here.

It is temporary.  Squishy said so, and explained how it will go away in his announcement.  Can't see what DeadlySin would have to be afraid of, he and his allies were attacked a couple times now, and he has won each assult.  There are other cities, but very few people over made anywhere.  We are having to share made men across families in order to even invite people.  There will be auths, but people aren't even made yet, so honestly, I think you are expecting an awful lot. 

When that idiotic war recently occured, it destroyed the game economy. It's taking a bit of time to restore the funds to pay for new HQs and the bodyguards needed for the crewleaders to lead. I personally dont agree with that, but I'm joefuckingnobody much like most everyone else around here. We should see a few leaders appear within the next few days. The minimum time for Made Man starts hitting at some point on August 1st or August 2nd for most of the predetermined potential leaders.

One can only hope that they'll get established asap. LA, LV, and Detroit need to see life now, not weeks or months later. 

Mortuis its not as easy as it sounds to become a CL, It is alot of hard work and to run a viable city would take alot more, Most dont realise this aspect unless you get to see the inner workings of a city you will never know to auth someone just for the sake of authing someone wont work right now we need to stand united in our efforts to rebuild after this last Mob War.

Hey, if Rev did it... >_>

On a more serious note, as already stated, yes this is only a temporary solution. It takes a bit of time after a cataclysmic war like the one we just saw for people to get the money for BG's and HQ's. I'm more than positive I've heard it on good account from a few leaders that money's just about the only thing they're waiting on before authing someone. Do you think the more experienced leaders quite enjoy having to cram pack their crews with a bunch of bitter folk who might not want to be there? I can assure you that's doubtful. We're all anxious to see who's gonna go bold, we've just got to have some patience!

Hrmm i have to say all this talk about needing money before auths can be made is quite frankly laughable. Yes money is needed to buy the HQ itself but after that there are no more monetary needs. Yes you heard me, Bodyguards are not a requirement to getting auth, they are a benefit, a useful tool yes. But a requirement no, not in the slightest. What it shows is that those in power are scared, they arn't willing to go out on a limb and auth someone because it's what the game needs, they are only going to do what they need to keep themselves in power. Who can blame them thinking this way, the only way they have remained in power for so long is their army of bodyguards protecting them so surely they must be under the illusion that to be a good leader requires them. God forbide that they actually give people a chance to see what they can make of themselves.

The current defacto leadership has spoken, no auth's until they are prepared, which mean "see those who already in a position to set up? Some of you guys don't want it, the rest won't be given it becuase your either not prepared enough or capable enough to be a good leader"

But those aren't my words, that's just what I take from what's being said on the streets and in the alleys.

I can understand both sides really.

Sure, BGs are not a necessity, but with that reasoning, training a gun isn't either. Maling drug runs isn't either, etc, etc. Why would we have to rush a few people into setting up in much much less than ideal conditions, only to end up being the weakest CLs by far. Then some would complain that he authed a bunch of weak accounts so he could always kill them later on.

But I also said I understood both sides. When you are addicted to the game, you don't give a fuck what needs to be done to restore the game and fill the empty cities. You just want to start clicking buttons again asap, so patience may be running a little low on those returning people.

Why should it be up to players of the game to do anything other than play the game?

If there is a problem with the game itself then that is an owner issue. I don't really think it is fair to expect players to do anything but play in whichever way they choose. If I play GTA, I wouldn't worry that by stealing too many cars it might impact badly on Rockstar, because I'm a player nothing more.

It seems like the owners of the game are taking steps to do what needs to be done and I don't see what the problem is. If this doesn't work, I'm sure they will do whatever needs to be done to keep delivering the game to us.

Seriously 181 people can currently set up a HQ!!!

Are you sure?

By my reckoning there are 33, 42 people who hold the rank to become a crewleader of which 9 already are. I have no idea where you get 181 from!!!

What amazes me is people bitch constantly about everything when they are not in power. If people are authed, then people will bitch they are shit, if people don't auth then people bitch that people aren't being set up.

If it was sunny outside I have little doubt the same people would complain that it wasn't raining, and when it rains they complain that it isn't sunny.

Get a grip, the site got screwed over by a few people on a paranoia trip, it happens over and over again, time is taken to rebuild and resort out. The last time this happened from memory Admins gave loans to players to help them set up. This time they have chosen to temporarily increase HQ sizes.

Shocker for you. In Character it isn't the responsibility of DeadlySin to make space available for people, he didn't start the war, he finished it. It makes absolutely Zero sense in character to auth anyone unless you fully trust them.

Aidan you are right all those things aren't required. But however they are things that are accumulated over time on the road to becoming a crew leader. One thing that is not is surrounding yourself in bodyguards just to put on a bold suit. To me that is a sign of weakness, it shows that you don't think you'll last too long without protection and that you can't survive on your own political prowess.

What we are seeing and have seen for sometime is people who are in positions of leadership that are there purely and simply because they have capped bodyguards. I'm not just singling out the current leaders it is something that has been happening for sometime. It's only when we had things like the Las Vegas experiment or the Chi one to a lesser extent, that we saw crew leaders actually having to build alliances, use their smarts to stay alive and do all this while trying to build up and army of bodyguards.

How many times in the past have we had an idea who the next potentials auths are purely because they got demoted and IWP'd. While I can understand the need to not be behind the rest of the leaders at the same time new auths are supposed to be behind the other leaders. They should be disadvantaged, it is their time to make something of themselves, to show the potential people believe they have. Setting up as IWP takes most of that away cause they know that they are relatively safe from that random shot.

I take it you looked at both the LV and Chi experiments with your eyes closed.

From memory maybe one person could have started with no BGs and that was DeadlySin though I will leave him to correct me but I think he had one. The godfather of Las Vegas started WP when he went bold.

Political prowess does not stop a bullet from a rogue, if you believe that Kraven then you are a fool. We live in a world where to obtain a gun to hit a made man CL is easily achieveable I know of perfectly capable players who will be come wise guy sat at 80 kills and that isn't pushing it.

Where as you see it as a sign or weakness to have protection, I see it as a sign of stupidity to set up without any protection whatsoever in this day and age.

Don't get me wrong I wish anyone who chooses to do that good luck but they do it in the knowledge that they are very open to pretty much anyone who tried to train a gun.

Kraven,

So then, may I ask how you feel about protection shots? Aren't protection shots during times of war just another way of staying alive? I guess you suggest that everyone stop doing that as well? I bet you would never ever dare accept one, nor have you accepted one in the past eh?
So because a person makes a calculated decision, one that has a thought out plan, they are considered afraid? Really? I would consider that good leadership.
I would much rather have someone who thinks, plans, and makes the best decision, over someone who simply reacts on instinct and doens't think things through. You have to look at both the long term, and the short term. Don't get persuaded by simply the short term. This game is a long term game.

Phil_Steak I can stand here with my hand on my heart and say that I have never taken a protection shot and I am never likely to either.

I don't have a problem with people being on the starting run when it comes to protection, but what I do take issue with is those who set up IWP'd and then remain there, not on the skills they have developed as a crew leader but because they sit behind an army.

Yes Isiah your right that anyone setting up unprotected leaves themselves at others mercy, but just because many can hit doesn't mean to say many will. We have rules we must abide by as family members and anyone who has trained a gun to that level will be ranked at least Mademan in a family making their action a rogue one.

So if your talking about playing the long game, do you not think if someone had those designs would they not bide their time longer and aim for bigger fish?

Why is it that everyone is so afraid to set up unprotected, it's not like everyone with a gun is gonna crawl out of the woodwork just for a bold kill which they will more than likely get caught for and killed.

Kraven, when was the last time ANYTHING in MR got solved through dilomacy? And you can't tell me that wanting to be safe from a rogue or from any type of war is weakness. I'd guess that as a leader you'd do anything to ensure the survival of your crew. That is much better done if the leader stays alive for as long as possible.

"people who are in positions of leadership that are there purely and simply because they have capped bodyguards"

imho, I'd say that it is the other way around. The have BG because they are the leaders. You seem to imply that BGs get you into a leadership position. I claim that it is the leadership that gets you the BGs.

"Setting up as IWP takes most of that away cause they know that they are relatively safe from that random shot."

May I use your own words against you? You are supposed to be safe from random shots if you set up. What kind of a crew is it where the CL can't even protect himself from a random lowly rogue.

You can and by doing so prove my point that people can set up without massive amounts of protection as that fear should not exist. Sure there are those that may want to take pot shots at lesser protected crew leaders, but these people will also have put time and effort into their name. Effort which they more than likely don't want to throw away just for one kill.

You may say it's the other way round within regards to the bodyguards but before the big war, going back for sometime now those who have moved on to auth generally have to deal with a lil demotion to get bodyguarded up. Not just a lil bit but a whole lot. yes some get the bodyguards after the bold suit, but there are equal amounts who get the bodyguards and then the suit.

There is supposed to be risk in going bold. Also may I just say that what I stated was a sign of weakness was the unwillingness to seize your opportunity unless you were IWP'd. Yes it is good for a leader to have a long life, but what is also good is to see life about the leader. There are those in the past who have stagnated and there are those in the future who will stagnate. Purely because they were the safe option for the auth, loyal as hell but not exactly what you'd call a go getter.

As for the last time anything was solved with diplomacy...yeah that part was lost a long time ago and with the mindset of the current userbase is never coming back.

But a requirement no, not in the slightest. What it shows is that those in power are scared, they arn't willing to go out on a limb and auth someone because it's what the game needs, they are only going to do what they need to keep themselves in power. Who can blame them thinking this way, the only way they have remained in power for so long is their army of bodyguards protecting them so surely they must be under the illusion that to be a good leader requires them. God forbide that they actually give people a chance to see what they can make of themselves.

Honestly now, this is just complete bullshit.  LV and LA had just as many IWP people... if not more.  Its been said that the best guns in the game just couldn't hit Philly bgs, but... the best guns in the game didnt try, cause they were in PHILLY.   The attacking side didn't loose because there were too many bodyguards.  The opposing side lost because they made a series of silly errors.  The biggest mistake was legitimately thinking that if they attacked New York, Philly wasn't going to jump in.  That was never going to happen.  Honestly, after all that had happened in the months prior, it is idiocy that they did not realize this before hand.  They attacked, shooting the two weekest crew lead guns in NY instead of the two strongest.  They didnt even have the guns to cleanly debilitate New York at the start.  Obviously they weren't going to have enough for Philly as well.  Surely no one can claim that the NY leaders left alive lived because of their mountain of bodyguards.... they were left alive because LV and LA didnt't have the guns to pull it off (though LV was just as old as either Philly or NY) and a lack of patience after Apples flew that would have been needed to find her and shoot at her.  As a result, she was able to get some shots in before she died, and with both her and SammyGarcini still alive, Philly had more reason to fight.  They don't win because of a mountain of bodyguards.  People with sooooo many more bgs have been taken down time and time again now to disprove that nonsese.  They won because this time, they were just more ready.   End of. 

That being said... I see no issue authing someone who is not IWP, and I agree, Kraven, with your assesment that it should not be needed moving forward.  I am personally hoping to see several more auths in the next day or two. 

Jennifer and all your Governments why did you feel the need to post AGAIN when you already said End of? You and you're governments do not prove anything.

I hope Jennifer won't mind me replying but in her second post she showed that she listened to what I had to say. Her initial outburst was about the outcome of the war. I spoke to her privately and thanked her for coming out her again. I see no need to question her on why she chose to speak twice.

I apologize but I came late to this discussion and only heard a few pieces.  One I did hear was the discussion of increasing the HQ sizes and I just say, I"d personally love to see the day where are lowered.  I'd like to see a day where the crews are doubled in each city but limited to 25 ppl per HQ.   You see more people who wish to become crew leaders get there shot.  New people not only fresh off the boat but returning bloodlines have more of an opportunity to pick someone they would like to work with other then taking the lesser of two evils..   Now the authing authority would still need to be selective and sure you've have some bad decisions made, no one is perfect, but you'd deal with that bring when you come to it.

And as far as authing only because someone is IWP or OWP or whatever isn't a necessity but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

Ah, but that's just one guys humble opinion.