Admiral Ackbar steps out  of his car into the thriving streets. It was so thriving that he could hardly hear himself think. . . In the distance he sees a young petty thief coming out of an alley with a stolen purse in his hand. For a moment it falls silent and heads start to turn in the direction of the boy. Within seconds several mobsters run over to the kid and start pulling his jacket, his arms even his legs. All the mobsters wanted nothing else then taking the thug with them into their high and mighty HQ. Admiral Ackbar had enough and steps on top of his car is there was nothing else near him to get above the growing mass around the kid.

'SIIIIIIILEEEEEENCEEE!!!!' admiral yelled from the top of his lungs.

'I have had enough of this! everybody just shut it for a moment and let me speak.' Admiral said while he snaps a cigarette between his fingers. 

'This is getting out of hand, these aggressive recruitment tactics. Something has to change and I have just the solution to make a change. Young thugs are being overwhelmed, bribed or offered positions within a crime syndicate purely to get to fill up a HQ. Once inside there have been rumors they are left unnoticed and without any steering what so ever.' Admiral pauses and watches the mass gather around his car.

'I have a simple solution to get a grip on this insulting way of recruiting and and a fair distribution of fresh men and woman. I would like to suggest the following. . . '

'Thugs are only allowed to be contacted by sponsors from the same city as they are from. If they want to join a crime syndicate from a different city they will do so on there own, asking a crewleader of sponsor for work.' admiral pauses and waits for mobsters to reply on his suggestion.

'speak up. . .' Admiral said while pulling a cigarette from his front pocket and lighting it up.

Maeve stops by as she hears someone talking about recruiting. She never offers thugs money, and usually actually does not invite them if they ask for money. Nor does she promise them a position, though she does say that they may earn their way through the ranks. That probably doesn't count though... However, she has seen many a thug snatched from the streets and hauled into crews before even hitting the online list. Only being allowed to actively recruit those who land in your own city does sound like a good idea, but...

Hey! What if, not saying that I would! But what if everyone agrees but still goes after all the other ones anyway? If the ones they recruit don't speak up, because they probably wouldn't, then how would we know that everyone was playing by the same rules? 

I would like to clear out that not all sponsors do a bad job. What if sponsors fail to comply ? They get their sponsorship removed. It is often very clear when a thug has been overwhelmed by an invite. If it isn't clear the first time it will be later on as the behaviors of sponsors often only changes when they are made aware of it. Admiral replies and takes a drag from his cigarette. 

Hearing such a loud cry for Silence, Rose turns her head in the direction of the outburst.  Noticing it was her friend AdmiralAckbar who had yelled at the top of his lungs, she moves in that direction to hear what he has to say.  After listening through his speech, then collecting her thoughts she moves up to be heard amongst the crowd.

She pauses as she nears the front to hear what Maeve has to say as well before she begins. 

"Well Admiral thank you for offering a suggestion on how to fix this issue."

"I just had one ...or two... small concerns regarding this.  First off, when a Civilian first enters our world, and they are looking around getting a feel for things, well they choose a city they wish to begin in."

Rose glances around the crowd briefly before returning her gaze back to Admiral.

"Being fresh to these shores, they may not know that they are able to go off to just any city to make contact.  They may not fit well with the designated city's sponsors or families.  I recall reading when my ancestors first came to these shores, and they did not know the full meaning of choosing a "beginning" city entailed.  They were guided along with help.  They honestly did not go out to other crew leaders for work  (OOC:  things have changed on the job board as well since then)."

"Also I would like to point out, that if we only require the same city to offer sponsors, what happens if the said city is not quite as active at the time the newcomers come to our shores.  There they will sit wondering what is up, and what to do."

Now Rose turns towards Maeve offering a smile to her dear friend.

"Very good point dear, not everyone plays by the rules anyway, so we can expect a few rule breakers with this idea as well."

Admiral just finished his first cig as Rosalie Rossi appears ready to reply on his suggestion. As he listen carefully 'The' Admiral prepares to to reply on these straight forward points. 

My dear Rose, I see your point. 

We live in a crime world with over 10, maybe even more crime families per city. These families add up to over a 100 - 200 mobsters with several sponsors around. If a city is unable to pick up a beginning thug within the first hour of his arrival. . . there is something seriously wrong with the city. 

To go into your second point I would like to add that if there isn't a click between the city and the thug there is again a problem with the cities sponsors. You cannot make me believe that in a city with over 20 sponsors there are zero people that are able to make a thug feel comfortable. 

Solving this problem could be done by adding in an other hour until mobster from different cities are allowed to make contact ? But we don't want to make it to vague and could also just say that  the mobsters that slip threw the fingers of there beginning cities and do not lay first contact them self are probably not meant to be in this thing of ours ?  

Admiral watches Achilles go over his suggestion with a lot of energy in his voice mentioning direct actions. 

Achilles, there is a point were you have to draw the line when i comes to recruiting. What I suggested is a line between being flooded by messages, so called member whoring and what so ever and absolutely no guidance at all. I think there should be a random few sponsors (chosen by home city of the thug) that will be first to guide.

Leaving them unnoticed may give them a feeling of hopelessness or loneliness as  this thing of ours is some times hard to understand. These thugs may leave if left completely alone. Flooding them may cause them to quit out of annoyance. 

We aren't all as adaptive and smart as the top ranked mobster around here Achilles. You must keep in mind that there are thugs that need the guidance simply because they are not capable of teaching themselves or understanding what the gods mean. I understand your point, but I do not think it would prove  effective to let everyone find it all out on their own. For a certain group it may compete, but for others it may not. 

Fanning away the cigarette smoke, Rose clears her throat and smiles to Admiral.

"Very true about the number of sponsors per city, but within an hour of their arrival an invite should still not be sent in my opinion.  It takes a bit of time to get to know someone.  Finding out their goals and what they can contribute to one's family, well I would prefer to take longer than one hour.  We have what 48 hours yes.  What is the rush?"

"As leaders and sponsors, shouldn't we have the best interest of both the new faces in our world AND our own family's?  I would not wanna be rushed into making a decision being a sponsor/leader, nor feel rushed if I was a fresh face here."

"So much focus is put on quantity over quality anymore.  It makes me wonder why there is a rush to recruit unknown Civilians, making them Thugs, then watching them fade away only to be shot for disappearing from our world.  I just do not understand how some people can think having numbers over active members is better."

"It starts with recruiting, and recruiting should involve more than a vague invite."

Rose recalls reaching out to a few new faces without any other intent besides guidance and an offer of help.  She knew how it felt from reading her journals of her ancestors to feel overwhelmed by multiple invites.

"Feeling overwhelmed is not a good thing, and do we as responsible sponsors and leaders really wish to make new mobsters feel like they HAVE to choose or they will not survive here?  Rushing into something can lead to regrets if not leading to troublesome members later on because they are not truly happy." 

Maeve raises a hand and waits for her dear Rose to finish before she speaks up.

I recall reading through diaries from a few years ago, when my bloodline first came to these shores. She was approached by one man and was going to join him, but for some reason the streets were closed off for a week. She came back, hoping to find him. If he hadn't said anything to her, she probably would have forgotten all about this place. The mechanics of the streets alone were not enough to hold her attention. But because that man reached out to welcome her, she felt connected. My family has made a home here and continues to return, because of one man's efforts. To this day, he is the reason I keep coming back.

She looks around, blushing as she shrugs and quietly adds.

Well... I think we should still approach people... It might give them a better chance of staying...

Admiral smiles in amusement watching more enthusiastic mobsters joining in on the discussion. As there are several valid points  in the speeches of the mobsters Ackbar needs moment to reply and keep the focus on the main point. 

As I let this all seep in I will try and re describe what we want and what the current situation is.

1. We do not want to rush thug into decisions they may regret later and become inactive criminals. 

2. A point of discussion: Should we hold their (new mobsters) hands once they hit the streets ? Or should they survive on the guidance of the gods ? 

Some points that have become clear so far are. . . 

1. Sponsors that rush invites should have there sponsor pin removed.

2. Thugs should receive a longer period of time to decide what crew they will join

It seems that there are still some points of discussion (also not mentioned in this reply). But in the end we will need a practical, simple solution. Even though after all that has been said I think it would have a positive impact if we give it a try. I also want to hear godfathers and crewleaders about this matter. 

Back to the point;

'Thugs are only allowed to be contacted by sponsors from the same city as they are from. If they want to join a crime syndicate from a different city they will do so on there own, asking a crewleader of sponsor for work.' admiral pauses and waits for mobsters to reply on his suggestion.

Yes or no ? and why ? 

"I agree Maeve that we should indeed approach people, making them feel welcome.  Otherwise yes they will not want to stay in a place where no one cares.  It is a balance of approaching, listening, and even beginning to teach.  Looking through my ancestors' journals, they did not go off into the Streets as much as I have, but I have read how they were overwhelmed and shy.  Also honestly still learning about this world of ours, it was all so much to take in."

"It helps to feel comfortable with the Family you are about to be recruited into.  This is what I meant in regards to "clicking" with a sponsor.  Someone may explain things a little better than others.  Some may be more direct than others.  Some are more patient than others.  Every sponsor has their own unique way, and I am in no way saying anyone is better than another!  Just saying that I know for myself personally, someone coming off as "all business" and no hint of humor or fun, I myself would not "click".  There is a need to have some fun times mixed in with seriousness of our world, or why would anyone stay if they could not have fun as well."

Dante as walking by when he spotted an Admiral's uniform in the sea of suits around him. Curious, he moved a little closer, and listened to quite an interesting view on the topic of acquiring members. After hearing a variety of voices on the issue, he decided to throw in his two cents, for the interested parties.

"This issue is quite old in this thing of ours. Going by the journals that my ancestors left behind, I can tell you that the stances on what to do have also varied. Some of my ancestors were badly in need of a helping hand, and they received it. Others were overwhelmed in the manner you described, and did not like that one bit. It is certainly easy to see how those who are completely new to these shores might find themselves at a loss."

Dante stopped a moment to lean against the nearby wall and get more comfortable.

"What is interesting to note here is that the approach towards invites has always depended on the number of families and the number of newcomers. Some of my ancestors made their way into this world at a time when there were fewer families, and all families had a respectable number of hard working members. These ancestors particularly noted that at times like these, the newcomer had to approach the family. It was a rare occasion when the family reached out to them."

Dante cast a glance at his watch to ensure that he did not stay beyond the time available to him.

"On the other hand, consider the situation today. There are 46 active families, all of them seeking to prosper, most of them quite ambitious. On the other hand, this thing of ours does not have a large number of eager hopefuls flowing in. In such a situation, it is no surprise that any new blood meets with...shall we say a rather oppressive number of head hunters? I do not by any means wish to support this scenario, however, I also wish to acknowledge the reality as it is today. I am not surprised that members are competed over. I AM however surprised that little is apparently being done to groom them once they are gathered into a family."

Dante sighed and gestured to one of his bodyguards to get him a coffee. He wanted to see this topic through a little longer.

"I certainly am of the opinion that members must be helped in every way possible. I too believe that mere numbers without hard work is ultimately in vain. But I believe a majority of the families take a risk when it comes to new members. They recruit them, and then foster their growth. Is this the best way of doing things? No. But for now, it is certainly the more realistic prospect. Is it okay to recruit them and then isolate them from training and help? Certainly not. This I feel is the problem we must confront. But how can we confront it when it is possible that even Crew Leaders (certainly not all of them) follow this recruit-and-dump principle? That is quite hard to accomplish, I fear.

Dante accepted a steaming cup of coffee and waited to listen to some more constructive thoughts.

That's funny, AdmiralAckbar. You have whored everyone I have landed on these shores as.

Everyone has his opinion Grin. This is not a place to be pointing fingers, that time is over.

We are working on solution now. 

Silvio listens to all of the comments and decides to make himself heard

As an active recruiter myself I do try and role play the new people and more often than not try and tailor it to the profile if its a character I know! Now i normally start by introducing myself to see if they will rp back then only after then do I ask if they are looking for a crew sometimes they might have plans but its still good to know that they took the time to reply, that said most people dont even bother so that has an effect on the recruiters! I normally put in my profile that im weighing up some offers so people dont waste their time trying to contact me! I have seen veteran players with "NO I WONT JOIN YOUR FUCKING CREW" On their profile I mean really great example to set! All in all if people were more polite and not so dismissive this process would be a whole lot easier! I mean I hear all the time "Rank means fuck all to me" But a leader of a family comes to you to ask you to work for them just a message back saying thanks but no thanks would go a long way!

"Well Admiral, the point on where the new Civilian has the choice to ask other leaders outside the city they selected...my point is how do they know they can or should do this.  Are the sponsors of the chosen city going to tell them...'Oh hey if you don't wanna stay here in this city feel free to contact other leaders'....no very doubtful."

"I think it could work, but I am wondering if there shouldn't be some kinda note attached to when they choose a city....'A sponsor from the city you choose will contact you'....but then still if they are completely new none of that will make much sense to them.  It could in fact make them more nervous to choose a city."

Rose pauses and listens to the comments Silvio--Dante has made, turning to him to speak.

"It is discouraging to put in effort, write up a new role play scene, take a chance on a new face not knowing if they are an older player coming back, only to receive a nasty reply.  Like I was supposed to know who the hell they were in the first place.  I agree, even a simple 'no thank you' would go a long way."

Rose knows how she would run her Family if she was blessed enough to have one.  Being involved is the main important thing to her because who wishes to be a part of a family where the leader does not even care to speak to you or give you a reason to have their back in a war.  She turns back to Admiral continuing her rambling.

"It falls to the leaders and sponsors.  Leaders should be actively involved in recruiting as well as assisting sponsors.  This isn't to say they HAVE to go out and recruit themselves being that is one reason they have sponsors.  Looking over role play messages before hand, or asking how they plan to recruit, do they ask questions, chat or what.  This should not feel like monitoring them in any way, but realistically they would be representing the leader and Family.  It is a learning process that we should all work together on, and should not designate a sponsor until you as a leader feel they are ready."

"If the leader finds their sponsor is randomly sending out invites, I agree their sponsorship should be removed.  There is no need to go to the 'Gods' on this matter because the leader gave the sponsor, and can take it away."

Recruit 

noun person beginning service

• More words related to recruiter

  scout

  noun. person who is searching, investigating

   

  Or we can downgrade anyone by calling it whoring if you like I send a short message first introducing myself so I dont waste time if they choose to ignore me! Of course I want them to join a crew because I first look if they have a sponsor!