I'll keep this brief, I imagine it's been discussed before and nobody wants to read through a wealth of text to hear it again.

Within my regime, I'd like to assign specific roles and responsibilities to each rank. Capos be Capos, Bosses be bosses, consig be consig, etc. 

However, while the ranks hold significance in how the game reacts to that rank, it would be counter productive of me to hold members back from certain ranks, at the risk of weakening the strength of my regime for the sake of Role Playing the positions. 

I don't know if there are advantages in being a Don over a Consig, however since the level system is in place, I would have thought that this takes precedent over the ranks? In the real would your abilities (level) would surly be the deciding factor in your success rate?

The only thing I believe rank should remain a factor, is the sponsor system. 

In summary, I would propose that we should be able to RP the ranks and only promote members because they have earned that position. If I'm holding back someone from their button until they have proved them self, I don't want their abilities and effectiveness to suffer as a result, as it compromises my crew's effectiveness. The auth system may have to be looked at, maybe work on the difference in level?

Again, I'm not aware how deeply rank is considered to the game, so I don't know what the effort to change would be. 

Alas this would effectively make rank meaningless outside of a RP perspective. Why be a Don if you can be a Gangster as strong and effective as a Don and do everything a Don does?

In the past I too have tried to limit ranks based on my own personal requirements, however you either have to just live with the fact that your own regime/crew/family will be weaker for it and stay true to your beliefs, or just do what everyone else does.

I understand what you're saying, perhaps age and level become the deciding factors then. There must be some ground where we can either be able to RP the ranks without restricting our abilities, or the ranks are more specifically coded. A good start would be the LHM being a Consigliere, and removing the rank.

Sammy, I helped create a fully roleplayed and fleshed out ranks system that actually worked on top of the game ranks system. So for example we ranked people twice, yet put more emphasis on the roleplayed ranks. Those that hit the profile/game rank requirements (determined by the CL) were automatically put forward, yet to be put forward under the 'family ranks' we worked the made ceremony into that and some unique criteria which included a roleplay course and other tid bits.

It was a fuck ton of work, but it didn't take away from people that just liked to rank from the game ranks, and incorporated a roleplayed system to push that aspect. So technically someone with an in game rank of consig or Don, could hold the rank of simply a made man in the roleplayed ranks.

Based on this experience there wasn't a need to do away with the game ranks entirely, just a need to create a separate way of working another set of rankings into the family. It can be done, and was successful.