Drogan had been spending a lot of time going through old family journals, noticing the subtle differences in the way things were done over time since His bloodline had first come to these shores. Well, some were less subtle than others, but this thing of ours was changing, expanding, and the way things were done seemed to be changing as well.

As He usually listens from the shadows, He stepped forward into full view out of respect, lighting another cigarette, one of the vices He most enjoyed, and started to speak to anyone that would listen.

I am not here to name names, or have any intent to disrespect anyone's decisions. I would merely like to point out observations and get peoples opinions. With our rapidly expanding organization, "old hands" are getting spread thin, while new blood and coma victims make up the "meat" of at least some of the crews and families out there. I do not assume to know how they are all run.

With new districts becoming available or take-downs freeing them up, city heads and district leaders hurry to fill them, authorizing someone from a rapidly dwindling list of members they think they could trust or that could handle the job. I have heard time after time complaints that new blood to these shores were getting overlooked no matter how hard they worked. I have seen that change recently, with new blood taking slanted and Bold suits more frequently, but is it out of pure necessity or have they worked hard and deserved the chance to shine?

At the same time I have seen old proven bloodlines "sleep" their way to the top, and I do not mean sexually. Just because someone has proved themselves in the past, does it mean that this time their kin will be as dedicated as they were? There is a level of responsibility that comes with RHM and CL that puts many other people at risk if you cannot or will not step to the plate and do the job you were trusted and put into place to do.

Someone could also work very hard to get to a position of power, then abuse it. Or are they abusing it? They worked their ass off to get there and they hold the fate of others in their hands. Does the way they run things and treat their crew/family matter? Who is to judge? Who is to know what decisions are being made behind closed doors? Does anyone have a right to complain about the current leadership or should they go down with the ship so to speak no matter how long that takes?

I know I have brought a few questions forward here, and I'd certainly listen to people's opinions on all of them, but the main one I am thinking of is this. Has the pool of worthy Auths dwindled to the point unfit individuals are given a chance just because they would be next in line, whether they have proved to be a contributing member of their crew or family?

If so, what can be done to remedy this?

Drogan knew He could probably go on for hours, but stepped back, lighting yet another smoke, giving others a chance to voice their opinions on the matter.

Be that as it may, by its very definition, authing somebody out of necessity is because it is necessary to do so. After a monumental war for example, the mafia is weakened by it's lack of numbers and hefty death tolls. Somebody needs to fill those seats in the hierarchy. The surviving leaders need to fill those voids with the most able-bodied individual left breathing. Unfortunately sometimes they are people ill-equipped to lead. It's hard to place blame on the individual handed the role. People are often the most successful in the mafia based on how they were groomed. Perhaps that person's leader sat there fat and lazy during times of peace instead of taking the time to show hios or her members the ropes and more intrical parts of this life. Then when shit hits the fan, they realize maybe they should have been preparing their members in case a situation arises that would necessitate a hasty auth. Maybe that person under normal circumstances doesn't deserve auth so to speak, but the alternative is not having HQs for workers to generate money into the underworld economy. If you are familiar with Mafia history in the United States, the promoting of unsuitable people has led to its decline. A good leader should teach its members how to be successful should an unfavorable occasion surface.

Sexecutioner, genius, shakes Drogan's hand, switches the Phil-Steak safety switch on his pistol, and stalks the streets looking for people to kill.

Chaos listened to Drogan's speech. As Drogan finished, Chaos felt to add a few pieces of his own. He stepped forth on this chilly day and began to speak.

"A highly debatable and debated topic you have brought back up Drogan. In the past I seen this topic always surface here and in the coffee shops. Same old choices for leadership and guarantees of leadership. Is it still a problem? I suppose it would be naive to say that it is not. I remember reading some old journals from my father, how in a certain city you could not get authed unless you had prior experience. This was also not the only occurrence I had read about. My past ancestors also made note of very hard working individuals, that were over looked for previous bloodlines because where they "came from". Again this is a "old" problem, will it ever change? That is highly unlikely.As How do we solve this "old" problem? I am unsure if there is a real way to eliminate it all together. The other side of the fence is, some reoccurring bloodlines break their backs and actually are the ones who deserve it. I personally stand for seeing people rise up and prove new blood can become something great. I personally have found myself in this position for a first time, I also have given chances to new blood all over my upper structures in my district, minus a couple "old" ones."

Takes a breath and buttons up his jacket.

"The sleep their way to the top is a interesting point made. However I want to slightly touch on a topic not far off this one. I have seen in the streets lately a few people get bashed due to "inactivity". I am unsure why the recent people being "called out" for it were even called out for it. I see them around quite often and I find it hard to believe some people are roaming around checking up on leaders and other people 24/7. Also a lot happens outside the streets and behind closed doors. Conference calls and coffee shops are a frequent tool now used, So they may appear to not be on the streets, but they are still hard at work. It is hard to judge one based on ignorance. This again slightly off topic and not really what you asked, I apologize."

Clears his throat.

"A person who worked hard and got his own head quarters finally, but then changed and started abusing it would be a issue in my eyes. If that happened to me in my district, I would hope the members of his crew would come to me. I would not be biased just because "JoeSchmoe" is a leader. I would take complaints very seriously. Leaders are there for many reasons, and let's not forgot the real reason, to be a leader. They must lead by example and pave the roads for their people if they want to be successful."

"I am unsure if I jumped around and missed a lot of your speech, but I hope I got most of it. I am glad to see newer faces making well prepared speeches in the streets.Kudos my friend."

Drogan accepted Sexecutioner's handshake, chuckling slightly at the Phil Steak safety switch on his pistol.

If sleeping your way to the top sexually was a means to achieve success in this life of crime, I would be a Godfather about twenty times over, wielding more power and authority than not only City Hall, but the Gods themselves.

And I have heard, in heaven the roads are paved in Cream Cheese. 

Maybe that person under normal circumstances doesn't deserve auth so to speak, but the alternative is not having HQs for workers to generate money into the underworld economy.

It seems to Me that a take-down later after setting someone up that didn't work out could be more detrimental on the economy. It is hard to say though, as each situation is not the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drogan turns His attention to GodFather ChaosSpike, nodding and slightly bowing in respect.

Again this is a "old" problem, will it ever change? That is highly unlikely.As How do we solve this "old" problem? I am unsure if there is a real way to eliminate it all together.

Sadly, I have to agree. I don't think it will change in the way we would like it to. We can learn from this though, and lead through example, hoping that the ones that do step to the plate can rise to the occasion.

I personally stand for seeing people rise up and prove new blood can become something great. I personally have found myself in this position for a first time, I also have given chances to new blood all over my upper structures in my district, minus a couple "old" ones."

That is commendable, and I must say the only way to ever expand this thing of ours, as the "old" hands can only cover so much ground, so to speak.

Also a lot happens outside the streets and behind closed doors. Conference calls and coffee shops are a frequent tool now used, So they may appear to not be on the streets, but they are still hard at work. It is hard to judge one based on ignorance.

I agree, and some that are not in that "loop" tend to do exactly that, judge based on ignorance. There are many ways to contribute, not all of them requiring you to be in the field 24/7.

Leaders are there for many reasons, and let's not forgot the real reason, to be a leader. They must lead by example and pave the roads for their people if they want to be successful.

I agree, and in all honesty, You are doing just that by coming here and speaking on these very topics. It shows You are prepared to make the extra effort, and I am honored You thought My speech was worth commenting on. Thank You.

After listening to both men speak and commenting on certain points they each made, Drogan adding more butts to the growing pile, lit one more cigarette and stood quietly, waiting for other opinions and comments, drawing in lungfull after lungfull of smoky goodness.

i find half the time, it seems like a game of chess, as we have seen with auths 11 day olds,  Many people will put who they want in place, when they want as they feel is a tactical advantage, we all know sooner or later someone gonna come for us and is just planning best scenario when that time comes.

Unfortunately, times change, people change and those you think you trust suddenly will slide a knife through your ribs into that heart just to live at least a day longer.  It is not like even changing the leaders will solve the problem in the short or long term as is an age old system and who is gonna tell a godfather he can't have 15 40 member crews if he wants even if 39 of these members are in a coma.

For me i would rather see less crews and people have to make more effort to be in a crew, not just a basic i am new, give me an invite which is acceptable for some crews or not even needing to mail for others.  The truth is i think for some is a limited pool of who people trust to be a hand.  Is a position i had to turn down several times in and outside Chicago when offered as i don't believe in crew hopping as lacks the show of loyalty and i believe it also sets a tone for the members underneath who in some cases may think wtf, why has he not selected from the members recruited so far.

Not everyone has the right attitude or ability to be a leader even if they have the enthusiasm. it is something that has to be built up and as we have seen even experienced leaders make mistakes and then show the bitterness they harbour as they come back and rant and rave like a scorned child.

Would it be nice to see enthusiasm and hard work rewarded with a crew? of course

Should just anyone get a crew? no

Should crews develop members more for the challenges of internal crew roles, with time lh or rh, of course.  reward those who show what they can do?

will it happen a lot of the time? no, as will always be the trust issue for some.

Neville had stood and listened to the discussion taking place upon the street corner and it had certainly grabbed his interest. The subject of auth’s was one that had frequently placed amongst his forefathers favoured topics of discussion on the streets. Many people had often referred to the discussion of this topic as flogging the proverbial, dead horse. Neville however, couldn’t disagree more with this statement.

Mr Drogan, you have brought a very interesting and often fiercely debated topic to this street and I wish to address your points in turn.

Firstly, I personally am a huge believer in encouraging new blood to step up to the plate and ‘have a go’ if you will. Obviously becoming a crew leader is a matter of great importance as many people are putting their trust in you and infact their lives depend on you. To my mind this takes a certain level of maturity and an understanding of our world but there is no set way to run a family and starting out, at least, is often some form of improvisation as you find out what works for you and what doesn’t hence where people develop their own leadership styles from and I personally feel this is the most effective way of finding out whether you’re a top bollocks Crew leader or whether it’s not for you, it’s is of course important to remember that bearing that torch, is not for everybody.

Secondly, Old blood. Most of you will have noticed at some point or another that many bloodlines achieve the same dizzying heights time and time again. Should we be disconcerted at this? Not necessarily, is my view. Mr.Drogan, you refer to this occurrence in some instances as “sleeping their way to the top” this may be true in some cases although I would argue that this view is not generalizable to the wider haappenings of this. The same bloodlines often repeat great feats, time after time, because it is these bloodlines and individuals that work the hardest, earn the most and often feed the fish. Surely, if they are the best and strongest individuals it makes sense to give them the important positions. I mean, we live in a meritocratic world, do we not?

As for the issue of “Necessary vs Deserving” these two concepts are interlinked and often interchangeable. It has been common place practise throughout our world to enact a “temp auth” in order for a more suitable mobster to gain the required attributes to become a crew leader. However, just because it is necessary to auth someone to house extra mobsters it doesn’t mean for a second that it wasn’t deserved.  Some of the temporary auths actually do such a good job that they end up staying on regardless and so goes the saying “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.”

Neville took a step back and took a swig from his hipflask. Hoping he had provided suitable food for thought, he welcomed any futher discussions.

While necessary and deserved are not mutually exclusive there is an element of necessary now that hasn't always existed in this country. Necessary to house mobsters is one thing. Necessary to claim territories is quite another.

Drogan turned His attention to BTSP, nodding here and there, puffing away as He listened.

Excuse Me if I do not touch on every point you made as there is one that stands out from the rest that I would love to speak on.

For me i would rather see less crews and people have to make more effort to be in a crew, not just a basic i am new, give me an invite which is acceptable for some crews or not even needing to mail for others.

I have brought this same point up in the past, and I would like to add to it now, since I think it touches on a possible solution, albeit another debatable one.

I would love to see the actual statistics of how many coma patients fill slots over the span of this thing of ours, and there is a big difference between a coma patient and a semi-inactive. Semi-inactives still have many ways they can contribute, and I point directly to Myself when I say this. I have only recently had the time to spend more than an hour or two a day investing in My crew, but not only have I made that clear to My upper structure, I am giving 120% while I am here.

Coma victims, on the other hand, do nothing except make a Crew or Family have the appearance of being larger, and have no real contribution other than being a "loyal" spot filler. So as we get thinner and more spread out the actual active members get the lion's share of the work, and carry the rest with their donations and contributions.

I wonder how many GF, CL, RH, and LH's would agree to a maximum time that coma patients could be a member of a crew, and a minimum number of active members before being able to Auth from a crew. I have even suggested merging crews in the past, creating a more solid base of activity before branching out again. I am sure there will be a bit of debate over this, but I do not assume that every crew has these problems, but have seen it time after time and have even had discussions with CL's that thought the same way.

Thank you BTSP for the contribution, and sharing your point of view.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drogan lit another cigarette after realizing the last one was burning away at an alarming speed, then turned His attention towards Neville.

Obviously becoming a crew leader is a matter of great importance as many people are putting their trust in you and infact their lives depend on you.

Aye, and it can be a cruel fate to invest your time and energy into a crew where the leader is apathetic at best towards the very members they have sworn to lead and protect.

I have seen happen a few times were good men and women have left for the old country because they felt there was no more room for them to grow within the organization, which is a shame, as I think ranks should matter more than they do now, and CL's could easily get more of their members involved just by adding  a few "jobs" within the ranks.

You would not believe how just having an active bartender can boost moral in a crew, and there are many more activities that most miss out on if they are not available.

Mr.Drogan, you refer to this occurrence in some instances as “sleeping their way to the top” this may be true in some cases although I would argue that this view is not generalizable to the wider haappenings of this.

Aye, I did not mean that to sound like a blanket statement, but rather that it does and can sometimes happen. The norm is of course that the same bloodline receives those prominent positions because the work ethic is handed down, generation after generation, and I can see no reason why if they show that same commitment, they should not be given the chance. 

Some of the temporary auths actually do such a good job that they end up staying on regardless and so goes the saying “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.

I love that saying, and it is quite true in some instances. Thank you for your contribution Neville.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drogan stood rolling another smoke, as the ones He had pre-rolled were already ash in a pile at His feet. He turned His attention finally to Arya, smiling warmly to her as He listened.

While necessary and deserved are not mutually exclusive there is an element of necessary now that hasn't always existed in this country. Necessary to house mobsters is one thing. Necessary to claim territories is quite another.

Aye, this is not about running out of space to fit active members, but rushing to take territories that if left open could have costly effects on an organization, and also expanding to make more of them available as the gods see fit as well. Are we spreading to thin though? That is the real question here, at least I think. Is it completely necessary to take control of every territory as it appears or opens up or would letting the gods take it way while the crews build more solid bases be such a bad thing?

There is definitely a ton of branches that this discussion/debate could lead into, and I look forward to getting more good thoughts and opinions as they come. Thank you as well Arya, for your thoughts. Although brief, you bring up a very valid point about how the reason for auths has changed in recent times.

Drogan once again settled back, taking a few draws from the smoke He just rolled, and rolled some extras, as it looked like this conversation could go for some time. He patiently waited for more opinions and thoughts.

I remember when the ia time for a member was a week, 2 weeks with others, unfortunately now we see in some cases people in a coma for 3 months still in crews.  Not so long ago maybe a month back, i saw someone in a coma since april and still crewed.  As people desperately hold people in places as have no one to replace them coming off the shores.  The truth is you have to look at why your not replacing the ia's, is it poor sponsors, bad jobs, not enough new people of the boats, too much competition but the truth is some people just happy to be full even with ia's so sponsors are stuck on orders sometimes of don't recruit as even i have been given at a previous division of the family.

Dexter steps up and begins to speak.

Well with districts growing and the number of uppers at a large amount many of them having past experiences as a bold or slanty it becomes tough sometimes yes you are going to have to just auth someone and give them a shot sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't but I will say with the districts expanding seeing new auths we may never have seen being able to step up and do well that we may not have in the past is great.

I will say this sometimes it is necessary to auth someone but the deserving of the bunch will always get their shot , sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't but it's always nice to see someone being given a shot.

​No has been on the side listening, waiting for the right opportunity to speak. He decides to step forwards and give his opinion on the matter.

First of all, is deserving and necessary different things? Maybe it is necessary that someone is auth'd, whist at the same time there are a few people that deserve the position. I'm sure most people can hold out a bit until they find someone that deserves the auth, since it is a big position of power... Not to be taken lightly.

None of my ancestors have been a crew leader, therefore this is the first time in my bloodline. I worked hard to get where I am today and Ladyfighter noticed that. At the same time however, it was necessary that someone gets auth since LadyFighter was taking the position of Godfather. Does that however mean I didn't deserve it? Or does that simply mean the right time had come for me to get auth?

Drogan turns back to BTSP, still chain-smoking like a champ and nodding.

The truth is you have to look at why your not replacing the ia's, is it poor sponsors, bad jobs, not enough new people of the boats, too much competition

Aye, there are many different reasons for keeping the coma victims on life support, but are they really necessary? Again, trying to expand into new territory when you barely have a skeleton crew yourself is not My idea of good business. Not that I am saying those that have done it were wrong, since the decision is usually agreed on by more than one person, but that there must be a different way.

What is wrong with building a solid foundation before adding on a garage? Usually something too weak to stand on its own has a tendency to drag everything else connected down with it, or at least cause strain on the whole structure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He then turns to Dexter as He puffs lazy smoke rings while listening carefully.

I will say this sometimes it is necessary to auth someone but the deserving of the bunch will always get their shot , sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't but it's always nice to see someone being given a shot.

I think it depends on many factors whether a certain individual gets a shot, but I think the question is, do we really need to rush expansion? Some areas are bulging, I'll admit, while others are spread very thin. The gods themselves have said things will even out over time, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

He chuckles to Himself slightly as He thinks "Too many Chiefs....too many comatose indians"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He turns finally to NO, finishing off the last couple puffs of His smoke, and deciding to wait a few moments before lighting another.

I worked hard to get where I am today and Ladyfighter noticed that. At the same time however, it was necessary that someone gets auth since LadyFighter was taking the position of Godfather. Does that however mean I didn't deserve it? Or does that simply mean the right time had come for me to get auth?

It is very possible for the deserving and necessary to overlap, and I'm sure that if Ladyfighter noticed your hard work, this would be one of those instances.

Drogan steps back once again fighting the urge to light another cigarette while waiting for more to speak.

Don No, you are a prime example. To my mind you must have truly deserved the honor that has been bestowed upon you as Ladyfighter's bloodline is well known, experienced and respected in this thing of ours and i have no doubt that if she didn't feel that you fully deserved, you wouldn't have been authed. I certainly wish you and your family all the best in your future endeavors!

BackToShootPeeps - I agree with what I believe you are saying. It is no secret that we are struggling across all cities to reach the maximum capacity across this cities with fully active and functioning members. However there may be a credible explanation for this regarding a variety of factors. Merely months ago our world underwent one of the biggest conflicts it had ever seen, a clash of titans if you will. This caused an unprecedented loss of life across all the cities. Now, it is documented that many bloodlines left for the old country following the deaths of their forefathers and our world now is bigger than ever before.

I would certainly like to see our world reach a fully functioning state and the economic boom that comes with such things. However, perhaps it is no longer possible, at least not for the foreseeable future!

Although some lines have left the problem to a degree is the average activitiy.  This is something i find often thrown off due to the hyperactivity of some, bringing up the lack of activity of many.  How often do people come out of hiding to make some money and see the same people milling round the streets or sipping coffee on irc avenue

As I recently said what  BackToShootPeeps  is talking about, I'll comment on it.

Here's the thing, the world does not have to be terribly populated for our way of life to exist. Seeing the same people around, while potentially boring eventually, is not in itself a detriment to our way of life. In the context of individual units- families, districts, cities, the smaller presence on the world at large does not deter from the unit's functionality as long as there is a counterbalance comprised of those who make their presence nigh unavoidable.

Because of the issue I mentioned before forcing the hands of leaders to maintain the security of their members within their cities, this can lead to spreading those omnipresent individuals thinly amongst the groups the leader(s) control, thus giving the appearance of a greater imbalance than actually exists when you take into consideration at what unit size the distribution is being decided on.

What must be present for our way of life to be something separate from the lives lived by the civilians of our land is factions. Actual geographic location does not really matter, but distributed density of the factions is paramount. If the majority of the nation is allied our way of life is increasingly bled into by the civilian variant, until eventually it becomes obsolete. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with this, but it does mean our purpose and places in the world must be reexamined and modified to fit with our new lifestyle, that of civilians. If this lifestyle is considered by our kind to be undesirable, we have to accept the bumpiness inherent in the kinds of changes necessary to reorganize our factions, and preserve our way of life.

With new districts becoming available or take-downs freeing them up, city heads and district leaders hurry to fill them

I'd just like to touch on one or two things. With this part I feel its important we make it clear that City Heads/Leaders have a requirement to fill these spaces, if they don't then some outside forces are known to appear to disrupt or way of life and take over the vacant space that was left for that aforementiond takedown, these people cause great damage to the people that participated in that take down and so it becomes extremely important to have someone ready to fill the void left.

So we should ask ourselves; does this have a major impact in Leaders being given their shot before they are ready? Or like others suggest does it simply allow the chance for someone thats waiting in the wings patiently to go Bold. Personally I think both aspects are involved, we often are over crowded with leaders in this day and age and its not allways necessary for another leader, but given the above requirements and there being someone capable and deserving, we are obviously going to see them take that opportunity.

Does the way they run things and treat their crew/family matter?

Yes. It really really does. Where that becomes important though is when someone has the balls to do something about it. A long time ago there were familgia that were heard to have taxes set to 99%, this was allowed to go on for a long time before anyone actually took matters into their own hands and removed that leader. - Though the reason for that leaders death wasn't directly linked to that issue, but was part of the reasoning that the decision was easier to make.

So other than pissing off your own members, you must consider whether or not your actions paint you in a bad light to other Cities, if it does then you'll find they wont hesitate in removing you for the slightest excuse, where as if you run a tight ship and are shown to be a very capabale leader, people would be more inclinned to forgiven other minor issues for the greater good.

Has the pool of worthy Auths dwindled to the point unfit individuals are given a chance just because they would be next in line, whether they have proved to be a contributing member of their crew or family?

No. To be blunt.

I look around at the list of leaders we have available to us and I don't see any that are inadequate. In fact, I see several people that are very high ranked in our society that aren't in a bold suit at all or even shown to be part of any upper structure. So I think the opposite is true, we have more options than is necessary at the moment.

Drogan had finally had enough and decided to spark another smoke while listening so what everyone had to say. There were some very good points being brought up, although it was evident at this point the viewpoint changed depending on where someone was looking from. Not everyone was privy to what happened behind the scenes, and this was one of the only ways some ever got news of how things were run within the inner circles.

Drogan turned His attention back towards Neville after taking a couple long lung filling drags of pure heaven off the cigarette hanging from His lips, specks of ash floating towards His feet as He spoke.

I would certainly like to see our world reach a fully functioning state and the economic boom that comes with such things. However, perhaps it is no longer possible, at least not for the foreseeable future!

 Maybe everyone is too relaxed. Maybe it will take an upset to jumpstart an economic boom. It is hard to say, as some may just be waiting for someone to slip up and give a reason for war. That is the only thing I know that can initiate economic movement on that large a scale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drogan turns back to BTSP, pausing for a moment to flick the end of the cigarette, sending a brief shower of sparks as the heater had grown quite large.

This is something i find often thrown off due to the hyperactivity of some, bringing up the lack of activity of many.

I don't think it has anything whatsoever to do with the amount of time scheduled, but rather what is done with the time spent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If the majority of the nation is allied our way of life is increasingly bled into by the civilian variant, until eventually it becomes obsolete.

Drogan pondered this statement for a few moments, taking occasional puffs from the end of His cigarette before once again lighting another and throwing the butt on a now heaping pile.

So, correct Me if I am miss-reading, but you are of the opinion that if we act too civilized and friendly with our neighbors, we might turn into the very system we have chosen to fight?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drogan smiled warmly as He saw Alabama step forward.

these people cause great damage to the people that participated in that take down and so it becomes extremely important to have someone ready to fill the void left.

Aye, unless the takedown happens from a defensive position, I agree that the ones involved must be ready to fill the spot if they are ready to empty it. Should it happen from a defense though, once again they must pick from whatever suitable people they trust, as the issue will be forced by the gods.

So other than pissing off your own members, you must consider whether or not your actions paint you in a bad light to other Cities, if it does then you'll find they wont hesitate in removing you for the slightest excuse, where as if you run a tight ship and are shown to be a very capabale leader, people would be more inclinned to forgiven other minor issues for the greater good.

Well, it seems some are more eager to find excuses for war and takedowns than others, but that is what keeps Leaders on their toes I guess.

I look around at the list of leaders we have available to us and I don't see any that are inadequate. In fact, I see several people that are very high ranked in our society that aren't in a bold suit at all or even shown to be part of any upper structure. So I think the opposite is true, we have more options than is necessary at the moment.

I certainly hope that is true, although again, I feel that perspective might be different depending on where you are looking from. I look forward to seeing what the future holds with not only the leaders in place now, but the ones that are to come. It all comes out in the wash after anyway. Hind sight is 20/20.

Drogan stepped back into the shadows as He waited for more points and discussion, very pleased that so many had joined in the conversation so far.

I'm going to play both roles here; I'm going to agree and disagree with myself to show both sides.

First off let me just pick up this baseball bat and I'll start swinging it viciously at this horse that's lying dead right here...

Back in the hay day way before may day getting authed over long-term friendship was very rare. Mobsters got authed by their personality in crew and on the streets. They would usually have criteria to meet; challenges to overcome and they would have to use tact and patience to keep themselves alive.

It was down to the players actually and it was usually rule of thumb by those that controlled power in the game that would have set those boundaries the likes of getting authed with good street presence or showing great loyalty and commitment to your family. 

Now a days nobody actually knows who is putting in the effort to show that they actually deserve to be where they are now. Only a select few around them will actually know if they deserve it. They auth their friends because they know its the easiest choice to make and that in turn kind of shows that they are not good leaders. If someone can't actually put the most deserving person to the top then they don't deserve to be the one calling the shots.

On the other hand,

This place changes all the time, putting your friends forward is the best move, it keeps the upper structures closer, it leave little to no room for any stabs in the back. It makes dealings easier and work easier knowing that everyone is on the same page from the very beginning. We can limit the new blood crewleaders and keep the leaders who know what they're doing or atleast have the newblood leaders trained a lot easier.

Street Activity?

Who needs it?

I have many friends and if I wanted I could have a family with a click of my fingers given I put some effort into ranking and building a little gun.

On the other hand,

Streets need some fire in their bellies.

I would love to be able to just go out into another family, work my pretty little ass off and get authed due to my hard work and street prescence but with the way the world works today why should I put my family lineage at a disadvantage from everyone else just to prove a point that probably wouldnt even work.

It's a little one-sided but I don't really care.

no you misunderstand me is in regard to the average mobster active time of 2.7 hours, i remember when it was higher as people were honestly working harder even if towards war, revenge or just enjoying of the whole buillding.  Its true certain perks though have cheapened the effort needed to rank this way

What I'm saying Drogan is that if you start a game of football with 11 men on one team and 1 on the other there's really not a lot of sense in playing that match through.