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Godfather Council - What would you do? Started by: Ronin on Jan 09, '19 00:18

Ronin returned once again to the streets of New York to attempt to bring about more discussion. In his speech of the day prior, some of the people discussing the issue at hand brought up the possibility of a godfather council of some sorts. Ronin was quite curious to hear what the average mafioso would have to say on the matter. 

"Many times in our thing's illustrious history we have seen godfather councils. They haven't been a constant thing, but they have popped up from time to time. They have been both effective and ineffective, depending on who was in them and what they were trying to do of course. Recent talk has brought up the topic, and it piqued my curiosity. Don't read too much into this - as far as I know there are no immediate plans to implement a council. I haven't asked the current godfathers or anyone else for that matter their thoughts on this. I wanted to instead, 'open the closed doors' per se, and get the raw opinion of the masses.

If you were "on top" so to speak, and had the power to implement something like a godfather or crewleader council, how would you do it? Who would you select to be on that council, and what would that council actually do?

Obviously I have my own thoughts on the matter, but I wanted to first get some other opinions to get their true value, rather than just people potential critiquing my own ideas. I look forward to hearing from you all."

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Ronin, thank you for coming to the streets to engage us in this topic.

My family line have seen one or two GF councils over the years. In an old family journal I have come across some frustrations, but also some positive thoughts too which I will share with you now.

In selecting such a council I would think both about an inner circle and an outer circle. The inner circle being those considered the elite and where trust is unquestioned. The outer circle incorporating all other GFs and acting GFs. Dialogue with the inner circle would be constant, whereas the outer circle may meet formally on regular occasions in the coffee shops to discuss key topics and in time this forum could provide opportunities for leaders to prove their worth and move to the inner circle.

In terms of meetings I believe that the key is a tight schedule and an agenda which has been shared in advance - too often do such meetings (which are difficult to coordinate in the first place) begin with ten minutes of inane cookie related chat. A well prepared group of participants is the key to actually achieving anything. I would then have a participant come to the streets to communicate the major takeaways if there are any.

In terms of the objectives of such a council however I have fewer strong views. Community direction is important and each regime will want to put its own stamp on things. However, a fresh set of community rules every week or two would clearly be unwelcome - after all, we didn’t enter this way of life because we liked following rules. I do like to see leaders drive community-led activities/ competitions as this can build community spirit within our cities.

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents: an inner and outer council; a well structured agenda; not too much of a focus on new rules; more of a focus on community building activities/ competitions.
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Tammy was not the average mafioso. She was more like the average waitress. Her mafiosity was more like her favourite hobby next to serving coffee. Yet she felt like she would show up to witness another discussion Ronin brought up.

Have there ever been Godfather councils?
Tammy raised her eyebrow. Coming from a bloodline of very average, unambitious mobsters, she never heard any story of how it would be to actually have a say in the world of criminality. She stepped forward and spoke

Of course there probably must have been councils in the past, she said..
But is the average mafioso aware of any? She paused for a moment
Clearly, the family these average Joe's and Jane's are in will be more important to them ordinary gangsters than the way the world is managed behind the scenes?
 
Tammy stares up into the air as she starts thinking out loud

And well.. If you allow me to dream.. If I happened to be a Godfather.. I would surely select my biggest nemesis to be on the same council. Then I would have another secret group, without that person.. or those people on it. Pretty much what Lynchy said there really.. But I assume that kind of things never happen in our world of honest criminality, though.

As for what I would imply if I were in charge.. A smile breaks through on her face
I would focus on the important issues!

I would make sure there are coffee bars and bakeries all over the country.
I would demand every family to open up a coffee shop.
I would force every city leader to go to these coffee shops and enter some questionnaires weekly. That would be the input for the big weekly Russian Roulottery. I mean..

'Panem et circenses', right?

Every Crew Leader would have to bring in a name, they all go into a big pot and the name that is drawn is the person that gets shot..

Tammy suddenly realizes she actually is talking out loud, sees some morbid faces and tries to force a smile on her face. She blushes, then adds..

Blame Ronin! He brought it up!

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Miss_Niki had been hearing mumbling in the street for a couple of days about a Godfather Council.  She was really curious about it, and how it would work. She did have a few questions on the matter, so, she stepped up to the soapbox next to Ronin and waited for her turn to speak. He nodded to her and she began asking her questions.

  • "How was the Godfather council filled?
    • Was it an election type deal?
    • Did people just step into the Godfather council when they took that title?
      • If so, what's the point? They are already the top leaders in our community.
  • How did the Godfather council work?
  • Did they listen to the people, take their suggestions and debate and decide to implement?"

She stepped down, and waited for the answers that she needed. 

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Ronin smiled at Miss_Niki encouragingly as she asked some questions. When no one immediately came forward, he assumed it fell on him to answer.

"From my ancestor's journals, most times a council was formed it seemed to come after a large scale war, or a prolonged period of a tyrannical regime. In an effort to circumvent such things happening again, efforts were made to come together and work together. The initial members were the godfathers or acting godfathers at that time, and more people were added as cities were filled.

What was the point?"

Ronin chuckled to himself.

"The point was to get those top leaders all together in one place at regular intervals to discuss ongoing issues within their dominion. Yes, they were already on top, but forming a council not only allowed them all to meet in an official setting, it gave off a perception of teamwork to the general masses.

The council worked as any type of real group has worked in our thing. Someone would raise a point or an issue to the group as a whole, a discussion or brainstorm would ensue, and then the council would arrive on a decision. One of the council would come to the streets and present their decision for the masses.

It was just as your last question suggests: Godfathers would bring forward issues their underlings or city members had brought to them, and then the discussion process would ensue, ultimately leading to a decision being made on the issue.

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Cressida had been wandering around when she happened upon an interesting conversation. Listening intently she gathered her own thoughts and waited for a lull in the conversation to give her own thoughts.

I would love to see a Godfather Council, but to me it wouldn't strictly be Godfathers. So the set up in my eyes would look like this:

  • Godfathers
  • Possibly Acting Godfathers as well (we are after all assuming they will take on that role when the time comes to be rid of the mayor)
  • Members of the community (This could be a person or two from each family, or people that are showing effort into the community over themselves. Either way it is to provide a little more into the Council besides a select few)

What would they do?

  • Create guidelines that will increase the standards regarding auth. Preferably something that includes a presence in our community.
  • Take a look at ranks and perhaps try to come up with a way to improve those standards as well.
  • Try to better the community as a whole.
  • Enforce standards for everyone.
  • Be open to ideas from the community, and discuss them. Never know what might be feasible until its talked about.

I am sure there are other things they could do as well this is just off the top of my head. Those are just my current ideas at this current time.

Cressida smiles politely and finds herself somewhere to sit down nearby so she could continue to be a part of the discussion.

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Ronin , thank you so very much for your clarification on my questions. It helps me to understand the bigger picture, and I agree at this point, a Godfather council would be a good idea.

I think that the Godfathers' RH AND LH people would be instrumental in connecting with the community, and talking to various members of society to hear what they need and want in their communities.

I like the idea of all of the Godfathers coming together as a whole and making decisions as a unit. 

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Ronin listened closely as a young woman from Detroit came forward to speak. She reminded him of another young lady he had just spoken with just days prior. She certainly had a lot of relatives popping up recently, and then disappearing not long after. He was happy to see that this one, for the time being at least, had joined a family.

"Yes, Cressida, a relative of yours similarly mentioned members being in the council. While I get the idea behind it, it kind of defeats the entire purpose of a "Godfather" council if you allow mere members to take part in it. At that point it's just a council, and every Tom Dick and Harry (Faceman) will think they should be on the council.

I do not agree that members should be part of a godfather council, however I do not entirely deny your point that regular members can have a valuable point of view on matters the council should be concerned about.

Perhaps a marriage of your idea with the one Lynchy provided would be beneficial for everyone involved? For example, have all the godfathers or district heads in the "inner circle" or godfather council. And then each of them selects two members they deem to be outstanding and they are placed on a seperate council. This outer circle or member council meets and discusses the issues they have, and then their findings are relayed to the godfather council - the ones with the power to change things - and they discuss and make a final decision on the topics. It feels a bit more bureaucratic, but I think it would work much better than having a massive godfather council including members that could end up being around 50 people.

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I like the idea of a Godfather council but would also like to throw in a couple of suggestions regarding the rank. 

Firstly I've never attained the above rank and tbh doubt I ever will but having spoken to quite a few old skool players the same things seem to crop up.

Mainly that the rank of Made is given far too easily these days etc.

In my opinion the rank of GF is given far too easily for some to then just sit back and reap the rewards of this status having reached their goal.

My suggestion would be to reduce the amount of GF's to 1 per city NOT per district as it currently is. Also there should only be 1 GFC for the whole game providing they meet the minimum requirement of a full crew, min of 65 units and voted in by other GF's on a majority basis. This I believe would give more dynamics to the game regarding wars etc. Also give goals to those higher up to still achieve and have specific crimes for the rank of GF and above.

Lets give GF's something to look forward to once reaching this goal so it's not a case of job done.

I understand these suggestions may not be too popular with the current GF's but I would really appreciate your feedback:D

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The cold clumps of water - they are unsure whether they identify as rain or snow - are rushing down from the dark heavens above. Gushing winds against their fragile bodies is neglected as they race their fellow h2o's to the ground. Unaware of the morbid embrace that awaits them as the finish line comes nearer each of them aims to gain in mass, fastening their descent. The joyful expression on the winning the body of water quickly transforms into horror after realising that the awaiting crowd seems massacred this January night. Pushed by adrenaline and enthusiasm it's too late to come to an halt and with a devastating impact it crashes against the cobblestones.

The cold-hearted pace of humanity shows once more as the people around stoically continue on their path, oblivious to the tragedy occurring right in front of them. Molecules dramatically twirl up into the air as they lose sight of their brothers and sisters, before being pulled to the unforgiving stones once more by gravity. Unheard screams of terror don't rip to the night. A single atom seems to be lucky as it get's caught in it's way on a leather shoe swinging backwards. The comforting landing however quickly turns into a new rush of excitement as the shoe steps forward and slings the molecule onwards across the square to make it vaporise into nothingness. The shoe of Cloud Rider lands on the streets, preparing for another firm stride.

"I like what Big_Dan says. Less Godfathers sounds more efficient. I like what Cressida says even more. Including members of the community to be representatives recognises what is true; that a Godfather might not be the best person to look at for community direction. I like what Lynchy said a lot... wait, no. I like that just a little. If a Godfather is by default not on an so called 'inner-circle', they shouldn't be included in any talks at all. I'm fine with respecting Made Men based on status if we like keeping up appearances, but I don't see the need to recognise people as leaders of the community, just because they managed to get their hands on a Gold Fedora. Let's stop including people, because we think their rank makes them eligible. Let's be driven by sense, not metrics. I can rally behind the more practical recommendations given to keep meetings efficient though."

"For me, leadership communication and community input is important. Without either of those two, the whole thing is a farce. I think this is what makes the difference between an administration or a regime, which both cary a different sentiment that I don't have to explain. In the end it boils down whether we want a thriving community or a successful select bunch."

"I'm a positive fella and therefor I think it's good to chase the idea of a council that benefits us all. My advice for such a group would be to define a common goal. Something to measure your initiatives against.  The set goal and the achieved results help determine which you are: an administration or yet another regime..."
 

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As he witnessed a street debate taking place brought forward by one of the Seattle Don's, he sat down for a moment and listened. A number of people had stepped forward before him, each having their own valuable input and points of view on the matter.

Awaiting his turn, he then stepped forward to offer over his own personal views.

"For a Godfather Council, I see it being exactly that, all the Godfathers getting together to discuss the current standings of the seven Cities and to talk about topics which have been brought before them. I believe the the Right-hand men to each Godfather would be allowed to attend, but their voices would whispers. If they see something or have input, I feel that it should be advised (a whisper in the ear) and then the Godfather themself would raise it. Consider it some what the role of a Consigliere to the Godfather, standing beside them while the Godfather speaks on behalf of their City."

"I believe the meeting should have an agenda already prepared in advance to avoid any delays or time wasting of the most powerful members of our Cities. This would also ensure that nothing is missed in error or forgotten and left until the next meeting, thus maintaining a constant flow of progression for the Nation."

"If there is big changes that come out of the said meeting, one agreed spokesperson would be given the responsibility of reporting that to the masses. In addition, I feel that the Godfathers for each individual City should get together outside of the meeting to decide on someone from within their City to take on the role of a 'Community Champion'. This person would be the middle ground between the occupants of the City and the Godfathers themselves. Any issues, questions, ideas, would be brought to them, then in turn they report those to the Godfathers. For each meeting, the Godathers would then have the option to raise points that have arised from their City, potentially giving the Council the option to approve issues/ideas which may have not initially been identified."

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