TheSorryJew opens his mouth and activates his ramble mode.

''Everything I say below is in the realm of guesswork and speculation, so beware! I have not lead a crew yet, so if the leaders of this world will see the need to correct me, I will humble bow to their better judgement.''

Everyone wants a voice in this world of ours. Everyone, from the lowliest gangster to the most awe-inspiring Godfather wants to have at least some kind of control in his/her life, and his/her interaction with fellow mafiosi.

Crucial in this is money. Money is power. Very recently complaints were voiced that mafiosi were laden with riches, without sharing a single dime with their leader. Why? Because they want power themselves, they want money! Why should they give it to you, when all you can offer is protection, which they already receive anyway? Yes, they will give you money if they want to better themselves. When the time is right for a promotion, they will suddenly give you your missing donations, because money will buy them the means to get more money and as such more power! How to get them to share? Give them a voice, let them be a real part of your crew! Give them a simple job, and they will see this as a sign you trust them, that you think they are up to the job. Then they will donate, because they will think they can truly contribute to the crew!

Sponsors! Those lovely people who get more lovely peoples into your cozy crew! Crucial is which members you appoint sponsors, because their associates (if they are new to this world of ours) will likely take the advice and guidance of their sponsors to the hearth - and more importantly - the brain! If your sponsors are lazy cunts who don't donate, why should these new associates? Motivate them to donate, motivate them to do their share! Listen to what they have to say, give them advice of your own. Tell them what they should do with their earned money. Of course, setting taxes would be much easier, but that could easily have an adverse affect. Why would you, as new associate, want to share your hard-earned money and getting none in return? Weren't they so keen on having you, weren't you so special? (I will ramble about this later!) Why should you give them money, while they wanted you here so badly? If you have non-donating members, be careful with making them sponsor, as their habits will likely show up in their associates.

Now - I'm using my few sponsor activities as source -, let's talk about recruiting. Everyone wants a nice cozy crew with lots of active, hardworking members who also happen to be extremely charitable. A few minutes into a new account and you will be bombarded with mails from a dozen different families asking you to join. Sometimes merely a invite will pop up, without an accompanying mail. I'm doubting the effectiveness of bombarding new mafiosi with mails and invites, because they will likely look around first for some time, before making a decision to join a crew. They do a few jobs etc. and then they make their decision to join a crew. I'm a proponent of having a good conversation with a possible associate before inviting them. Do they decide to stick around in this world, will they be active? Do they have experience with worlds like these? Member-whoring will most likely just result in a slaughter of associates who turned IA a day after joining and wasting your precious time. Yes it is unpredictable if someone will just be on for a few hours and then go comatose, but spending a few minutes talking to them will save you lots of time later!

About giving mafiosi a voice in your crew, in my short time at Genocide's crew I've seen Genocide letting his members vote if they preferred a tax or donation system. He respected their decision, and I think that is a great system! He also motivated them to donate, as he rewarded them with CA's or Jailparty's if a certain amount was reached. I think this is a great example of how to let your crew members have a voice. If you want to be a dictator, maybe it isn't a good way, but absolute power isn't everything! Letting your crew members vote and decide together will give them the feeling that they are trusted and that their boss respects their opinion, thus setting the stage for a warm and healthy relationship. Do I want to pay tax over my hard-earned work? Of course not. Do I want to donate to help my crew and myself? Of course I do!

I think it's essential you look at the lowly mobster point of view, instead of the view of your bank, and both the mobster and your bank will get happier eventually.

On a side note, I made a huge mistake yesterday, and I've rightfully paid the price for it. I do however think the punishment for shooting at bodyguards is a bit draconian. If I not been a hand, I would surely have died for my mistake. Why do we value these bodyguard so much? Because they cost you so much? Money can compensate that. That mobster that was killed, he could have learned from his mistake and could've become a great asset to your crew. Instead he is scared off from this world, scared that he might make a mistake again. I'm all for setting a limit. Shoot once is an accident. Shooting after that is punishment. Death is a proper punishment then, but not before. This world is quite unforgiving in that matter, and I'd like to see a change in that. One can dream...

TheSorryJew stops his ramble mode.