Ok this is my plea, to try to bring life back to this game.  If the existing CLs could agree, I think it's time we close 2 cities. My thinking is it should be CH/DT but I'll get back to that.  First of all why should we do it:

Looking at the game stats page (random graphs) I'm going to say we have roughly 280 active players a day.  As it stands right now with the current cities/districts we have space for 48 CLs/Hands if we have 1 crew per district but most likely 96 spots for CLs/Hands (1 GF crew, 1 other crew per district).  This would put 35% of the population in Hand or upper positions.  And while we have 280 people log in it's probably realistically closer to 150-200 people that legit play day-to-day.  Overall there's not much need for competition because there's too much space and not enough players.

Also, of note, this is enough room to house 720 players (1 GF crew, 1 Regular crew). We're nowhere near there.

Ok, now why it should be CH/DT closed. Simple, because of distance matters.  A system was put into place to make distance matter and so I think it would be fun to lean into that.  I think the game could become something more like East vs West coast. 

To be honest anything at this point would be cool to see.

+1 from me. I know this has been a topic for quite awhile now, and I agree that the player base is not in a position where 6 cities is still needed. At any given moment, there are more uppers online than normal crew members

I approve this message +1

I like this idea. I have thought a lot about the removal of districts because we do not have as many players that want the role of CL and depending on the reign of the time really aren't motivated to properly play. I see many complaints that it is always the same people bold, and/or those CLs are very inactive. Perhaps this would help provide some changes, but I feel we may see those changes if we remove districts as well.

Either way this may provide an opportunity for more active leaders, which may help engage more of the user base even some of us that are a little out of reach currently or not motivated of late to put in the effort you might normally see. That isn't to say the game is more important than your RL because that is silly. But when you are a CL and here for an hour or two a week, it may lead to frustrated members.

Either way at the end of the day it is a game and this has the potential to make it a little more entertaining at the least.

It may make it a little harder for the removal of leaders by rogues when people of the game want a change, so that is really the one drawback I see.

Overall though I'd like to see it play out.

Not going to be a popular view but we currently doing have a CL I see as worth joining across 6 cities. Cutting it down to 4 will make the choice even more shocking & ultimately make the current purge regimes life easier, less people to auth & purge. Let them fix the mess they have made with some more auth and destroy CLs.

I'd rather we remove districts (except for drug purposes) and go back to having 1 Godfather per city 

I would say cities if you do not remove all the districts and make it an entire city. Just my two cents.

I don't think removing cities is a productive option. Removing districts out of the cities I'd be more ok with.

1gfc per city. With auths under that GFC. The GF role has lost its prestige. When you get to gf there is nothing new/nothing else to do really. the position being so diluted.  

It would be nice to have a coded structure in each city. All under 1 city, under 1 single GFC. 

Remove districts AND reduce cities

I think I'm cool with Space's suggestion, but it's more effort.

I think cities bc it's low effort with ez gain.  I don't think removing districts has done anything.

The things that "liven" up this game are things that add stakes to its gameplay. The reason why most CLs and GFs are absent or inactive is because there's no stakes. It makes the entire structure of a "crew" into a complete joke- and by extension, the structure of a city. It's genuinely embarrassing to work hard for a crewleader who doesn't fucking do anything. Have you ever had a boss who just sits on his ass all day everyday playing games on his phone? Now imagine that boss kills everyone in his office that he doesn't trust at the end of their two-month introductory period. That's how it feels to play this game.

Now imagine someone steps up and says "hey, what if we workers just had fewer offices to get killed in?" That's what this suggestion sounds like. It's an aesthetic solution to a systemic problem. I understand if you want the game to make more sense visually or statistically, but absolutely nothing in this thread will "bring life back to the game". Not even close.

I would counter that the main point of the game is to strive for leadership.  Anyone who has been in power can attest to the fact it's difficult to even find people who want the position.  I think lessening the number of available crew positions brings back the original point of the game: fighting over territory.

Granted, I'd love more end-game activities too.

I don't mean this to be antagonistic, but do you not feel like there's a bleed in the active player base Squishy?  Maybe I'm reading it wrong but it feels like every time I log on there's less and less people online.  Do you not agree?  Also unless the graphs are off, I know the drop to sub 300 active players a day is within the last year or two.

If not, ok I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that, but if you do do you have any thoughts of things you might add or change?

Maybe if some numbers were running the game, we'd see a change.  But I guess not. 

Or and hear me out we return to 10 cities. Add in New Orleans and Miami in the south then maybe Denver and St Louis in the mid west. I think many people would like to see some of the old cities brought back. This allows for 10 godfathers instead of our current structure that allows for 16 helping the dilution of the rank and also would lower the amount of crews centralizing the player base more and hopefully promoting activity. We could leave districts in the game for drug / war purposes but for all HQs they’d essentially be located only in the center district of whatever city they occupy.

Its a good idea Ivar. It sounds like a lot are talking different solutions to the same problem - which is that the upper tiers are all a bit too diluted versus the active player base at the moment. 

If we leave it to player choice, human nature will allow allies/friends to fill any spaces which are available. It feels like the game needs some designed friction to ensure demand exceeds supply. Whether we have more cities but no HQs in districts, or fewer cities, or fewer districts.. I think we need fewer spaces for HQs to be established (although for the record, of those 3 choices, I like yours the most).