"Meta" has been used to describe a choice or sequence of choices that a player can make, in any game, that yields the greatest advantage to that player or their team. Usually, a meta forms around imperfections or imbalances in a game, causing certain characters, items, abilities, etc. to be more potent than alternatives. Fortunately, MafiaReturns has no implicit imbalances as every character is functionally uniform when it comes to the game.

So what is MR's meta?

To address this question, we have to dig into a few different stages that a player may find themselves. While every character is functionally uniform, every player is not. A combination of factors ranging from in-game resources, available time, and connections alters what could be perceived as a "meta" choice. Most of these factors are far too divergent to arrive at a single, succinct meta for every circumstance, so I'm going to group them by stage, in terms of that player's development.

The Early Days

Oh, to be young again. When you've played this game for so long, you can start to forget how it was at the beginning. Today's game is far more inviting to new players than it once was, with things like job boards, recruiters, achievements- all things designed to get you into the game and invested. It's fascinating to me that many players, despite having played for quite some time, are still in this stage. They do not understand how it works on a deeper level, and are effectively playing each new character as if they had just started.

Fortunately, the priorities in the early days are pretty innocuous. A common mistake made by players in their Early Days is chasing auth.

Whether that be in a competition city or by working in smaller cities prime for expansion for many Early Days players, auth can be a death sentence. Not only will you struggle to find hard-working members to fill your HQ (as many of them have likely already joined up with someone by the time your HQ opens), your crew will be a barrier for working with others instead of a bridge.

Why is it a barrier? Because it declares that you're looking for a higher level of gameplay- a more tactical, strategic level of the game that you likely aren't ready for. Your ability to make positive connections and allies can drop substantially when you set up an HQ, especially if you leave your home city. And once you're a CL, your only real resource is people.

If you can't recruit good people, and you can't achieve good relationships with people, your CL run will be over before it starts.

So what can a player in the Early Days do?

For starters, choose your CL wisely. You will die- it is just a part of this game- and your objective should be to build recognition for yourself by working hard and staying fiercely loyal. Make positive impacts on the crew you're in, and pick up the slack where your CL or their hands struggle. Crew chat, HQ posts, WhatsApp groups- really dig in.

In an ideal world, doing this once could get you into the next stage of the game, but in virtually every case you will need to do it over and over again, each time getting better at choosing your CL (or choosing the same ones, if they treat you well) and making friends. Build up resources like credits and hustle points, and get good at training a gun, posting, and earning money. Make yourself an invaluable part of a crew.

The Step Up

Eventually, a good CL will see your value- but this is not on your crewleader, it is on you. If the crewleader you're working for is an inactive jackass who doesn't give a shit about his city or crew, ask for a transfer or retire. There is nothing you can build there, and spending any time working for them may negatively impact your opportunities elsewhere. Being loyal to bad leaders is a mark against you for any higher-level player. It shows you're either naïve or don't understand the game you're in.

Stepping Up implies that your crewleader has brought you into the key decision-making elements of the game. Remember that higher level of gameplay I was talking about? Well this is how you should enter that world- as a key ally to someone who's already in it. As a tool in their toolbox, ideally the very best one. Because going out on your own requires that you have that toolbox of members, resources, and connections that may not be ready yet.

How will I know when I've stepped up?

If you're playing in an era with purging, surviving with a trained gun is a good indicator you've stepped up. Like I said, when a crewleader sees you as an invaluable piece to their success, you're in. You'll know about take-downs, you'll know bodyguard equivalents and gun strengths, you'll get intel about other cities (and potential risks lurking in the shadows). Suffice to say, when you get there, you will recognize the signs. If you are repeatedly excluded from this information, talk to your CL about it. Trust is a two-way street.

The Step Out

For every player who is currently stepping up, there are dozens still in the early days. It is the hardest part of this game- establishing yourself as a good player, worthy of being recruited, and important to be protected. But once you do, you'll find yourself in opportunities to Step Out.

Stepping Out is moving from being a tool in someone else's toolbox to forming your own. It often requires that you take advantage of opportunities to limit risks (shooting people) that many simply cannot do. I can think of countless times where good, ambitious players simply would not pull the trigger because they cannot see themselves as anything other than a tool in someone else's toolbox. There is a mental barrier here that is greater than anything actually in the game.

It is important to remember here that, in this context, it is not binary. You can be working on your own resources, connections, etc. while working diligently for a crew leader (in fact, it's recommended). The Step Out represents your willingness to shed the protections of being someone else's tool in order to better protect the tools in your own toolbox.

Crews full of players die for their crewleader because the CL was more interested in protecting the people above them than the people below them. It's also why purging is so potent in preventing these moves- it requires that city heads, district heads, and crewleaders put down their own tools in order to secure the well-being of those at the top.

A great example of this would be what we just saw in the last few days, following the spree of rogues. Chong, Magnolia, Storm, and Wayne stepped out and looked after their own people instead of the people above them. And now, they wield even more influence to recruit, develop, and protect those under them.

On Top

If you're here, it means you've stepped out and it worked. You put down your rival(s), your allies are safe, and you get to rest on your laurels as the next generation of tools come rising up. At this point, there is no meta, because the longevity of your time on top isn't nearly as critical as just getting there. The person who runs the game for twelve months and dies isn't any better than the person who runs it for one month. It is better to run the game well than to run it for very long.

Many people try to hold onto it as long as they can, sometimes killing off most (or all) of their own tools just to stay in power. This is where I will caution any player who aspires to get here: your priority should be to protect your own and kill all who threaten them. This will inevitably lead to erosion in the friendships and alliances that made getting here possible. When it happens, you'll understand what I mean.

Additional Notes

Obviously, this is not the only way to rise to the top in this game. However, in my 10+ years here I have seen many people make this rise doing exactly what I've described above. They may not be Godfathers themselves, but they become critical auths and hands in regimes that span months- and realistically, that's good enough.

The most common pitfalls are getting stuck trying to step up (by working for bad leaders or demanding auth/hand spots when you're not ready) or not recognizing the opportunities to step out (not wanting to break the status quo, you leave yourself vulnerable to players who break it all the time).

Why didn't you mention cliques?

Cliques are a fun and practical way to move through these stages- they pool resources and each member functions as a tool for one another in order to achieve the group's goals. Getting to the top, as a clique, can be extremely satisfying. Players in cliques will be more likely to Step Out and pursue spots On Top, and will have less issue betraying those around them to meet those goals.

This is also why it can be dangerous to run in cliques. Your loyalty can never be fully established, and you may need to rely on those cliques (or play incog) in order to not be seen in that light.

Plus, when cliques form, they are often the antithesis of what I describe here. They regularly destroy everyone around them (even people loyal to them) in order to preserve their influence and are truly the bane of the game. Cliques weaponize the top-down structure of the mafia (one of the only true imbalances in this game) by forming an us vs. them dynamic. They auth horrible leaders that see no value in their members and give no players the opportunities to grow and develop along these stages.

So what's the point?

The game runs in cycles. People who are on top now will not be on top in six months. For the player who aspires to get to the top, it is better to understand the cycles and grow as a player than to make small, irrelevant achievements in your characters. The reason why "the same people" always end up on top is because they went through these stages a long time ago. Most of the players in the "end game" have been there for YEARS, so they know each other very well.

This "meta" I present as a thoughtful rebuttal to replace "rank up and do something about it."

This was an amazing read ShyGuy.

You're not wrong in that there are countless other ways to chase what you've described, but your take on it is unflawed, and probably describe in your own words what many are doing intentionally/unintentionally in this game of ours.

Cliques are not a thing for everyone, nor should anyone frame them as being "the bane of the game" due to past experiences with them. You're not wrong to assume that some of them have had harmful agendas towards the community, especially when they're set in motion and cause a lot of spite and hatred for their actions. Destruction resonates with everyone, while construction resonates with only those who were involved or were there to see it.


We need more content like this.