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This is a debate that I haven't entered into before, purely because it is so long-standing and beset with clashing opinions. There seems to be a lot of water under the bridge with this issue and, from an outsider's perspective, that fact has diminished the possibility of a straightforward contribution to the discussion.
Stripping it right down to the bare basics may be worth a shot, so I'll try - but I'm hereby offering a disclaimer that points to my distinct lack of knowledge on game history with regards to demotions/BGs, not to mention the high probability that this entire idea is nonsense. Still, you never know unless you try.
So. Right now, here's the deal. Bodyguards create revenue for the game. That is awesome. Demoting someone so that they can purchase vast amounts of bodyguards creates revenue for the game and hugely increases that individual's chances of surviving (acknowledging the fact that regardless of how many BGs you have, if someone wants you taken care of badly enough, it's merely a matter of will and not the shiny IWP on a profile). Again, for the game, awesome; also, the member benefits - awesome!
However. This is where people start to find complaint: individual members having an advantage. Yes, it's completely realistic that a Goomba simply wouldn't warrant bodyguard protection in the mob. Yes, it's unrealistic that a Don would find themselves punished for a misdemeanour by having their title stripped but being granted the liberty of re-earning their spot with extra protection to boot. But getting down to the nitty gritty bitty-bits of Mafia realism...is it not all about individual advantage? Darwinian aggression? Who has the best connections? Who has the best gun? Who is most prone to folly? It's survival of the fittest, which is very much based on individual advantage. That's the bigger picture, in my view; if we're going to discuss realism, let's discuss it in broad terms rather than getting lost in the ether.
Then, we come to the fact that this is an RP-based game. Don't get me wrong, not for one moment - I am all about the realism, truly. But let's put aside Mafia dynamics for a moment and realise that this is a game. It has to function and it cannot possibly do so if it becomes utterly engulfed by ticking every last little box in the history books; you can't get lost in translation, especially not with something that involves coding and all that numbery jumbly stuff that makes my brain ache.
So where do the two meet? Well. I think that's the problem. In this case, they end in exactly the same place - BGs and demotions. So what about sending them off in different directions and ending this argument about what should constitute punishment? Again, outsider looking in...this problem has grown a beard. It is a Hairy Mary and it needs a shave.
Let's say...Bodyguard Redistribution. Not ''demotion'', not a punishment that isn't really a punishment - something entirely new. It doesn't come for free and you need your CL/GF's permission to apply for it, but it can be done at a price.
Having sought approval - as listed - you apply to increase your bodyguard protection to a tier at a cost of X per BG which increases according to which BG tier you're in:
0-10 BGs = approval from CL, set fee per BG paid by user themselves and they have a 15 day delay placed on next due promotion upon gaining units;
11-25 BGs = mutual approval from CL & RHM, set fee per BG fee paid by user and a 20 day delay on promotion upon gaining units;
26-50 BGs = mutual approval from CL, RHM & LHM, set fee paid by user and a 25 day delay on promotion upon gaining units;
50+ BGs = mutual approval from GF, CL and his/her hands; user takes responsibility for set fee but is able to campaign for donations from within city - and a 30 day delay on promotion upon gaining units.
And then Demotion. Simply put, demotion would be just that - a punishment. Stripped of your title, 10% of your XP per rank (how many ranks would be decided by CL/GF...and is it even possible to do this?) and your dignity for being a bit of a plonker. Wam-bam - a new method of disciplining mistakes without simultaneously rewarding them and avoiding death/decrease in crew members when it isn't strictly warranted by the offence. The decision between demotion/death would be at the discretion of the CL and GF.
There you have it. Separate the white from the yolk; make a nice fluffy money-making meringue for the game with one, and an icky-sticky custard-goo of a punishment with the other.
If nobody thinks this is worth anything, that's ok. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. [Oh yes. Yes I did just gone and done a pun.] |
