I'm a new player and was wondering if I could create my own family instead of joining one?

actually its better if you join one because they can help fund you and get you into the ropes and all just join one and once you become made ask if you can create your own.

The mafia is not made up of individuals, but of families and crews. Those that run these families and crews are experienced and have earned the respect of those they work for. You are fresh off the boat, no one knows you. You have the respect of no one. You have done nothing in this thing of ours. Painful to hear, but true.

You have to work your way through this thing of ours. You find a boss, you work for that boss, and if you are lucky you'll see the day you have people working for you.

As with life you don't start by running your own business, you start by working with someone and gaining experience by doing so.

True,

What the others said is very true, joining a family has a lot of advantage ie if your new they show you the ropes, help you out with game play, also they can bestow tricks of the trade down to you.

Also when your -48 runs out and your family-less young mafioso's live seem to expire at that point because they are lacking the protection from the respect and brother/sisterhood of a family.

Besides if that were true and one did not have to work for the right to have their own family then there would be a million families on MR ever one would have there own families and eventually they would form alliances to team up or help each other out. And essentually it would be just about the same was it is now but not with families but with "societies" and "alliances".

Its much better that you have to work your way up towards that type of thing so that way by the time you get your own family you are already aware of thing you need to know, rules you need to fallow, and the knowledge to be able to pass down to your family.