Mercury wanders into a local speakeasy frequented by local mobsters with something on her mind. She heads to the bar, orders a drink, and begins rambling to no one in particular.

I haven't been around here long but something has concerned me. We each stand on our own when we arrive on these shores. Even if we have a bloodline, we are still our own person and must prove ourselves. I am amazed at the number of new people who follow their relatives here or are brand new to these shores and wind up in such respected positions as RHM or LHM. While I understand that a new family will often bring new talent with them in order to form, shouldn't families that are already in existance promote from within their made men rather than put a brand new person in such an esteemed position?

I have also seen made men be ranked down for nothing more than to acquire hired help to protect them. Since the GF council has noted this as a potential concern by setting forth a rule against this for LV, should this not be made a rule for everyone in this thing of ours? Is ranking down not supposed to be a form of punishment for a wrongful act? This seems like an abuse of the system to me. If the GF council does not wish to address this from shore to shore, maybe they should take up whether someone who is busted down to nothing in order to accumulate hired help should not be a RHM or LHM until they are again a made man? They are, after all, no longer in the inner circle of the family.

As her drink arrives, Mercury begins drinking it and drifting off into more thoughts which she keeps to herself for now.

You touch in topics that have been mentioned countless times. This is not intended to dismiss your debate. On the contrary, it is to show that you are not alone.

As far as the LH position goes, I could agree with you, but the level of trust you must have in a RHM is so great that it makes sense you would trust the same "genetics" rather than just whomever has the highest rank.

I an imagine a CL having no reason to distrust a member so he promotes him to whatever rank the member can reach but to place the whole crew at his disposal... whoa! That's a WHOLE other level of trust that is way too delicate to compare with the process of ranking.

After all, we have had stories of RHM abusing the HQ wack feature just to please their destructive desires so the kind of trust a CL has in a RH is indeed the highest level of trust there is, in my own opinion.

As far as demotion for protection... again, a LOT of people agree with you... even the gods I'd dare to say. The problem is that so many have already benefited from it, that you can't really change it without creating a huge breach between the people who have benefited from it and the ones that now have to spend so much more to reach the same level of protection.

If something happened, like a massive "world war" where only 2 or 3 people remained alive and with low levels of protection, I'm almost positive that the gods would take that chance, swoop in and revamp the whole protection system. Alas, they can't without creating huge problems.

As you said RHM HAVE abused the whack feature which means even the most trusted can become corrupted. Along those lines, someone from the family family lineage could also hold a grudge and wish to cause distruction without a CL realizing their intentions.

Should a no demotion be implemented, it may benefit certain people now but as we know everyone is neutralized at some point and eventually the ground would be level again. Sometimes you have to cut your losses, leave what is already done alone, and use new measure to undo the damage in the future.

Yeah, but not all people will be willing to cut their losses when it's their own loss. And those people that you say will be neutralized... well, it will be much harder to achieve when you have a city with more than a dozen IWP fighting a "newer" city where not so many could afford to be.

And yes, even the most trusted can become corrupted so you can imagine that I would be taking as little chance as possible if I were to run a crew. The fact that somebody misplaced their trust on a few occasions doesn't mean we should start trusting so many more people in a delicate role such as RHM.

There is another neutralizing force that shows no mercy around here. We have seen various leaders die as of late. Some might say Karma herself played a role. Others might say God himself stepped in and knocked them off their pedestals. It is not just war that neutralizes.

I believe RHM and LHM should be earned and not an entitlement stemming from genetics. All new members, no matter who their parents, brothers, sisters etc are.

My person opinion is that those holding RHM and LHM positions should at least be Made. I understand and appreciate the trust argument that is always put forward as a counter, but this is not how our world should operate. One of my ancestors belonged to a family called the Jelly Crime Syndicate operating out of LA back in the day. When the RHM fell victim to a gun malfunction, his son soon entered our world to take his father's place. However, he was not able to do so until he had reached the rank of Made. In the interim, I was acting RHM. My point is that we should respect what being Made really means. It is a right of passage from the fringes of a family to its inner circle. It is supposed to mean something. 

As for taking demotions to acquire BGs, I advocate as above, if an RHM or LHM choose to demote to BG up, then they should lose their RHM or LHM status until they reach Made again. 

Ultimately family heads and crew leaders can appoint whooever they want, that is their decision and their choice to make. I just feel that the rank of Made has become pretty much reduntant these days which is a shame. I also know there are those family heads and crew leaders out there who implement a Made ceremony and only when someone becomes made are they privy to the family's inner workings, until that time you are just a number. 

And yes, even the most trusted can become corrupted

Corrupted is overly strong language. If someone doesn't act as you wish them to act doesn't mean they're corrupted by any means. Your viewpoint may not agree with it and wish to label it that way, but in their eyes they are acting for the benefit of the others around them. Being a leader is being able to look beyond that level of reasoning to responsibly guide your family to as much success as possible. If a leader chooses someone from another city to be a part of their leadership it often is a sign that the leader doesn't think he has anyone who can fill the position within his established ranks. Theres going to be risks involved with using the children of members of other cities but at the same time a leader has to determine whether it is better for the long-term. Most of all, the members have to trust that their leader is making choices that benefit them.

Basically, at the end of the day, its a leader's decision and shouldn't be legislated in any way by any councils.

"Becoming a Made Man means you are in your leaders ‘inner circle' and that you are trusted with important family business. This is not gonna be given lightly and on a whim. The same could be said for each rank after Made Man."

When you come into this thing of ours, whether you have a bloodline or not, it takes 11 days for you to become made. In that time, we are to work to gain the turst of the upper echelon. It should not be handed to anyone, especially in the form of RHM or LHM as these are positions of honor and these individuals are entrusted with the family. When someone is dropped below made, they have been kicked out of the inner circle and need to work their way back into it. Anyone not in the inner circle should not be a hand in an existing family.

Don't forget that the trust "inherited" through "genetics" is as much earned as any other thing you can work for in here. You seem to be very set in your ways and nothing we can say will change your mind. Good to know you are not trying to change ours either because I still think RH should go to the single person you trust the most. Even if it means picking up the phone and grabbing than honest working cousin that never lifted a purse yet to get off his ass in his office and come join you in a life of crime.

If you have a crew, you deserve to run it in any way you see fit as long as your members are happy.

And also, what my bloodline has been saying for many generations, anything can be justified if we want to. A death can be just fake since we see the same names popping up after a few months. A demotion could be just a way to avoid heat from a certain bounty put on your head so you buy the extra protection and you start to slowly rank back up as you regain confidence that the hired assassin won't be able to get a hold of you.

ANYTHING can be justified if we do it for the "right" reasons.

I actually keep a cloning device in the basement on which I have an exact genetic copy of my Right-Hand Man. Each time one dies, I create another born with the same memories and experiences as all the others. Sure by a technicality they might be considered "new" to these shores, but if it wasn't for the need to appease the Gods I would promote my Right Hand to the same rank as myself time and time again.

I wouldn't say demoting people for cheaper security was an "abuse of the system", I would say that it is utilising a tool we have been given. Let me put it this way; given the choice of paying just shy of 4.75 million per bodyguard at Consigliere or paying a mere three quarters of a million at Thug, when both options provide the exact same amount of security per bodyguard - which one would you choose? Bear in mind that for each 4.75 million bodyguard you hire, you can hire six at 0.75 million.

a cloning device? quite advanced machinery for this day and age. frankly, i am glad power ranking isn't allowed here.

What he thinks is a cloning device is actually just a waxwork copy of his long dead RHM, this is but another part in the Scouse Kings plan. His clever monkey control the dummy and are actually super sekrit spies. But keep that quiet, the king wouldn't be happy that his plans are in the open.


takes a draw from his smoke

However Mercury as to what you are saying, as has been said in the past it is an old point. One that comes up time and time again, while I can see where you are coming from. I can also see where the family heads and crew leaders are coming from. The role of RHM is an extension of the family head. While different opinions are welcome, for that position you need someone who will run things as you run them in your absence. It is a role that comes with great responsibility, not just to the Family head but the family itself and you'll generally find that those chosen for it come from a line that has history with the family head.

Takes another draw from his smoke

As for LHM, well that's a bit looser. LHM can't do that much damage if they go a little left instead of right. But when a RHM does, it can cost not only them, but the entire family and that is ultimately what the family head will think about when choosing a RHM.

Dante I do understand their point. I undertand the roles as well.

We all have different views. I also believe that the number of bodyguards is ridiculous. I believe it should be lowered, significantly lowered.

Mercury, how significantly?

25 and maybe even a gradual scale with gangsters allowed to have one, made 5, boss 10, Consig 15 Don 20 and GF 25.

With that said, I believe they should be made more effective and there should be a set price, not a continuously rising price.

If you have a look around you'll see that the Gods themselves are keeping a check on the number of bodyguards that are around and periodically they are banishing some to the depths of hell. This is something that has been happening for sometime now.

I have seen that Dante. When I looked last night there were 3,100 BG's running around. 5 effective BG's for every person, including inactives etc.

I believe it needs a complete overhaul, not just a cap.

Well you might want to start talking about that in the right place, as the streets ain't really the place for it. Try the alleyway's known as OOC or if you've got a good idea to change things then call into suggestion street and air it there.

I have a real issue with this. You raise a very good point about the RHM role, however, we live in a world that is supposed to be based on ranks. A Made (and above) man would never be  take orders from a goomba. This is not how our world is supposed to work. Until you become Made, you have not earned that right. Rank is supposed to mean something, rank is supposed to be the judge of a man, rank is what we go by in this world.  

I remember a phrase from the old days ... respect is earned, never given .... perhaps its time we started putting the respect back into ranks

Jake you want to go back to the old days fine, but if your reading about the same sort of thing I read in my family journals then you'll know that no matter how far back you go this has always been an issue that has been raised.

I'll flip what you said a little now, say you have a RHM who's a mademan yet there are those in the family who are higher ranked than them, say Boss. Does this mean that those higher ranked than the RHM don't have to take orders from them because of their rank?

I agree with you that respect has been lost in the ranks, but that doesn't stem from those under made being in a position of RHM or LHM. That comes from crew leaders or family heads handing out ranks left, right and center and being happy with members who are mute cash cows, rather than those who try to fully integrate themselves with their own family.