my simple proposal is that there is a global bodyguard number that is available to the user base. as it stands an infinite amount can be hired.

it would be interesting to see a different element of competition that could be born from this - allow me to elaborate. I am considering that when a character dies, their bodyguards essentially vanish back in to the market. realistically, if a mobster dies - I doubt their bodyguards would stick around waiting to be popped, they would escape the city and seek more work. take downs against big characters will reap more benefits, and it generally just adds something else to fight over.

I am not expecting this to be a popular suggestion as we are all accustomed to the present set-up, but even though it adds more difficulty to the game it seems a sensible suggestion from my perspective.

san.

I agree to disagree I suppose. I see the point as they would simply leave but bodyguards also do many things IRL that they don't here in game. I think this would be interesting but at the same time it's a key that bodyguards are able to be popped as well.

I can definitely see where you are coming from San.  Are you suggesting it to run like the DFPs?  More available per user count?

If so, this could be an interesting thought.  Could also make it so that rather than typing how many you want to hire, you have to click hire for each individual BG, leaving opportunity for several people to get their hands on them.

Would be hard to institute at the moment, considering the vast amounts currently IG.

Love the idea of a "finite number of BG's" on the market. I think this might make the games powerhouses change more often, love it but don't know how the gods are going to code this with the vast hordes of Body guards at the moment. Great Idea though

Love it.

You would find the value of BG's to higher ranks suddenly alot more important..

If there was this type of limit imposed, it would cause an unnatural seperation from the existing power base to the incoming new accounts.

Take today as an example, if there was a "2000 BGs total" limit put in, anyone with a new account would really never be able to get BGs, since the guys on the current top of the game already have maxed out the limit.  This would cause it to be even harder to overthrow the top than it is now, since at least now you can at least BG up yourself before going into battle, where as with your proposed system, you wouldnt be able to even get a single BG - would make overthrowing the top near impossible :)

Hashimodo, well said. go to the top of the class :D

Hashimodo, you're talking as if anyone would even TRY to overthrow the top. They won't. No one has "ranked up and overthrown" anyone in the past year. Your reasoning has no logic whatsoever.

I like the idea. We'd have less super-protected thugs, and there would be a greed between all the families to kill each other, for more defense. I say it's a fantastic idea.

"Hashimodo, you're talking as if anyone would even TRY to overthrow the top. They won't. No one has "ranked up and overthrown" anyone in the past year. Your reasoning has no logic whatsoever."

Azimuth, I think you are missing the point.  Imagine you are 20 years old, and you are soon to be legal to drink alcohol (21 in the US).  But every day you age and get closer to that point, they move up the legal drinking age.  What this means is that, but the time you are 50 years old, you still cant have a drink, because you are still not old enough.  However, those who were legal before you, drink happily.

Every war is heavily dictated by the protection the other crew has.  You say no one has ranked up and overthrown anyone in the past, and you couldnt be more wrong.  Every war that takes place, someone sits down and thinks "Do we have enough? Have we worked hard enough to overthrow the enemy?"  I am not just talking about a group of gangsters ranking up with the sole purpose of taking out a CL, but of every war time action.  Crew A just shot Crew B's consig for no reason... Crew B evaluates, and decides that it is unacceptable, and they can take out Crew A without tooo much of a loss.  They do it.  Now lets factor in that Crew A is old, and has all the BGs, crew B, is not as old, and is unable to get any real quantity of BGs.  So what does Crew B do now?  Sit and twiddle their thumbs becasue they can not take Crew A because of some game limitation that penalizes them because they are younger... even if they have stronger accounts in every way shape or form.

No one should be at a disadvantage because of their start date, but, should be disadvantaged if they have not put in the same amount of work as the older accounts. 

Limiting BGs to a set number for the game will create a situation where the current powers that be would have the lions share, and the little guys, (or those who come into power at a later time) will never be able to get on the same footing.  The big guys can now sit and relax, knowing they have the bulk of the games BGs and there is nothing anyone can to do stop it.

"You say no one has ranked up and overthrown anyone in the past."

No. I didn't say that. I said "In the past year". I know people have ranked up and overthrown CLs, Jonnie_Reese is still fresh in my memory. However, the game has changed since those days. BGs have ruled the game, and bloodlines that come back generation after generation are getting loaded up with BGs at startup. So, now compare start dates. Some guy who starts up 2 weeks before a well-known player gets a new account. The new guy doesn't get any BGs, and the returning player gets tons of them. Yeah, that's a great "disadvantage" for the... younger player?

Fact of the matter is, if you close the economy on BGs, there will never be trust between the "big guys". At any moment one of them can snap and shoot the others to get more protection. Plus, like you said on IRC, everyone is killable if you put enough effort into it. Right? Or are you saying people CAN become unkillable? More unkillable than 150+ BGs? I doubt it.

I support this idea

Totally agree with this idea, it'll make the game more cut throat (I think). The CLs will/may be forced to compete for BG's until someone takes a shot at a CL for BG's a war starts (bad) New leaders are crowned (Good) and the old greats don't start off with 60+ BG's (also good). Love this idea (sorry for the double post)