TheNihilist was sitting in his office in Brooklyn, sipping on a scotch and having a smoke at the end of another long day. He had been so busy recently, he rarely had alone time to just sit and reflect anymore. He barely ever even contemplated the innate pointlessness of all life anymore. One might even say he was happy.

He was having the time of his life in New York, where he was surrounded by friends and family. His ancestors' journals had not told of any group quite like this one. Sure, they had good families full of good people. But there was always five or six people his ancestors were irked with. Rather it be lack of activity or laziness or insubordination, there were usually a few people who weren't up to par. But not with this group. Everyone was active, talkative, and easy going. Every day was an adventure in La Fratellanza Oscura.

The journals also spoke of families they had been in, as members rather than leaders. Some families stood out above the others, for various reasons. It seemed that the best ones always had a few things in common. This got him to thinking on whether or not others noticed and shared his views on the matter. 

He decided to take it to the streets.

"I ask you today, what in your opinion makes a crew "great." I'm not necessarily talking in terms of power here, although that certainly would help people to remember it. One might think of the Roman Empire, or ToyArmadillo's Chicago bunch, or even Kimble's Morngingwood. These were crews that spawned numerous crewleaders and hands. That is the most basic way people might look at it; how much power they wielded, and what came of their members down the road. But I want to dig deeper here.

There a few major factors that I feel affect the "greatness" of a crew. I'm going to list them out, and hopefully it sparks some good discussion and input from a few people.

• Activity
• Kinship/friendships
• Leader's involvement (hands as well)
• Profitability
• Longevity
• Presence

We'll start with activity, as it's a bit of a given. Obviously, if the members of a crew are more active, it's going to be seen as outsiders as somewhere they'd like to be. The more family members who are around at a particular time does many things for a crew. They're more likely to interact with each other and create bonds that might not have been there under other circumstances. Obviously this applies to upper structure as well, to an extent. An active upper structure is more attractive to potential new members, and even more so to ones whose family line has been around for a while. I'm not saying everyone needs to be insanely active, but if all three are insanely low, it's not likely that that family is one I'd be joining.

Next we hit Kinship. If the members of a crew knew each other through family lines, they will clearly enjoy their time together more than if the crew is full of loners or incogs. And that's the number one thing for most mafiosi - fun. Friendship. Friendships can of course be built within a family, but when friendships pre-date the family, it is more likely in my opinion to be a good family.

I touched on upper structure in the activity section, but this is a bit different. You don't necessarily need to be around a shit ton to be involved in the family. It's quality here, not quantity. What you do with your active time in our world is far more important than how much of that time you can put in. By involvement I mean having individual conversations with the members, getting to know them, having fun. Crew competitions are always a good way to boost morale, and I don't mean earnings competitions. The more interactive a leader and his hands are is essential to the way a family is perceived by its members.

Profitability can be a touchy subject nowadays. A lot of people will try to "buy" their way into the good graces of a leader, and a lot of leaders will only judge the worthiness of a member solely on their donations. I disagree with both of these, but that isn't the point here. I would be naive to say that a crew's profitability does not affect its standing in our world. The more a family donates, the more likely a leader is to be able to protect that family. Alas, again it falls on the leader to use these funds responsibly. I've heard of leaders blowing millions gambling the family's cash reserves. But if a leader is smart with the money and uses it to protect himself and the stronger members of the family, naturally the crew is more likely to last.

Which leads us into our next topic (wow, what a segue) Longevity. This one is kind of self explanatory. If a family has been around for a long period of time, they're more likely to be seen by the public as a strong family. Sadly, with the amount of godfathers now possible in our country, a lot of families get broken up, and then have to adjust to a new leader. It's a lot harder for an entire district to be close like a single family can be. I've heard of it being done, but it's very very difficult to maintain that level of camaraderie outside the confines of an HQ. And this is a discussion about what makes a family great, not a district or a city. That's an entirely different conversation altogether.

What I mean by presence is really how often they are in the streets, and to a lesser extent the business district. A family that has motivated, articulate, eloquent speakers is going to be perceived as one that is special. Although not every family will have this, or even need it I suppose you could say, to me it is an important cog in the machine. This can also help build friendships and bring a teamwork aspect to the group. 

Those six things are just what has come to my mind, but I am sure there are several other reasons a crew might be considered something special. I'm looking forward to hearing from a few people on this. Again, I ask you, what in your opinion makes a crew Special?"

He took a seat on the curb and waited to hear some input from his fellow mafiosi.

DonShaw_ sits patiently listening to Don TheNihilist taking in everything he had to say once he finished DonShaw_ Jumps up

"Activity is definitely something that would make a crew great as without good activity we cant really have a good kinship within our crews and if that isnt there really there wouldn't be any loyalty.

for uppers being more involved is definitely great if your in a crew where you hear from a upper only when its a update you really do not know them at all which is never a good sign if there meant to lead you especially if its someone new to our way of life they may second guess there decisions and bite the bullet.

Profitability is a good one but not really required to much, its a good thing to have to ensure being able to protect yourselves and crew members but if there's to much there it could just be wasted,

As for longevity what is that i don't last long enough (that's what she said). as for presence i feel its not as important in this day and age anymore as more and more are coming to these shores not really wanting to Talk so much in the streets"

He nods the TheNihilist and takes his seat 

Saitama listened on as Don The Nihilist spoke on the subject of crew greatness he offered opinions and engaged with the crowd wanting to know their thoughts. Saitama chewed his bubbalicous blowing a bubble as he pondered the thought with his fore finger pressed to his chin. 

Don Son TheNihilist I belive the glue to all is the bondage that the family seeks to strive. Communication and getting to knoe each other and being a "Family" is what drives the best intentions and hard work. From which all can be built upon its like the foundation of a structure the sturdier the foundation the stronger the building can be. From this Leadership involvement will be second nature. Acrivity will be second nature to better their bonds and security. Longevity come when you seek diligently to protect your family wich ties into precense and profitability is then just a given. The more reason you have to fight the stronger and better you become.

Saitama reflects back to his training and the determination it took and nods assuredly.

walks into the street and hears speech before saying words

Lots of cuties.

walks away

Norma winks at TheNihilist while placing a lilac in his coat pocket. She patiently waits for stud to walk by before addressing the others that had gathered around.

I would believe that all of the topics you had brought up play into having the family work as one.

Personally it would be all about the kinship or bond that we make with our family members. If you get the right group together then great things are bound to happen. I've always thought that is was about promoting a place that as members of organized crime working under a family head should always look forward to walking into the headquarters every morning.

On longevity though, how long is too long before it losses its essence?

Do you not want to recreate something great, when you see the opportunity given and taken away when the stars could of aligned.

Also though, communication is always a key to success so from a leadership stand point the more the family feels like they are involved and there is purpose in the cause.

Lighting up a smoke

I came by to disagree with TheNihilist, however, I'm completely in line with whats been said.  I've had predecessors who were apart of very productive crews, But they were boring. The life became a grind, and Ive also been apart of extremely active and lively. Because of the enjoyment from the more lively crews it made my forefathers enjoy the grind, and pushed them to work harder and earn more, sometimes doubling or tripling daily profits. It can really suck being apart of crews where you swear to got everyones either a mute or just hates to talk lol. 

River had been quietly listening nearby. She had been out and about doing a few errands to make a quick buck here and there when she had heard the conversations people were having. Deciding to stop she gave a few of her own thoughts into the mix.

Personally, I find greatness hard to find. There are a few things I personally disagree with and a few I would like to add in for what I consider great crew materials.

I would add in standards. When I say this I mean that the leader is not handing out ranks like candy but that they must be earned. There is some merit to the work put in and everyone has to follow that. No exceptions. I find it to be a great trait when leaders have set standards for everyone in their HQ. So often we see people that favour their friends, let them slip by with little to no work and gain high power spots because  of it.

This leads to the fact that I do not think that kinships are a huge deal. My line has found some great crews that had none of their kinship friendships around or even remotely close. I find people rely too heavily on this for their fun but I do not think it is a must to make a crew great.

A leaders involvement is always a must to make a crew great. Just because someone has been set up for quite some time does not always make them great. People may know their names but oftentimes they begin to disappear more frequently and then greatness could be called into question. After all you cannot be great if you are not around.

I disagree that leaders need to be around for awhile to be great. RobOakheart was a great leader who ran a great crew, but his reign was fairly short. He did flip the world on its head for the time he was alive with his efforts to try something new alongside ChristianGato. This wman had a great crew. He was active, he encouraged his members to step out of their comfort zones and he did a lot of the things on the list. His hands were active, most of his city was fairly active and some even in the streets.

Technical was also a great leader but he did not get the chance to remain alive too long either.

So for me what makes a crew great is the leader. Their ability to remain active in our community and push their members to do so as well. Ones that can get outside of their own thinking and encourage open communication. The ones that make everyone earn their spots, not just hand them out to their friends. Them and their members are willing to help each other out as best as they can because they want to see something grow. There is so much more that is harder to explain but you just know when a crew is great. There is a feeling that can't be put into words but it all comes together, the leader and the crew as one for the betterment of themselves, their district and their cities.

Tris was walking around aimlessly, thinking to herself when she heard a very good question being asked. In some form or another it was asked before but it was always nice to hear new ideas and new opinions on a different topics. she stepped forward and offered hers.

" my dear, i believe you hit the nail on the head so ill just give my thoughts on the quality that i deem the most important in a family, besides the ability to work as a team and kick up your fair share, which falls in the understanding "what  it takes to run a family" category."

She took a deep breath and lit herself a cigarette before beginning.

Activity

"in my personal opinion, activity from the leadership definitely helps when your trying to make your numbers bigger. but its also important for you as an individual to put forth the effort as well. I personally wouldnt want to be in a family that has inactive leaders, as a lot of important info comes from the leadership and you dont always hear it from the grape vine. but I also feel that the actions of the individual member play a role as well."

She stopped for a moment to make sure she still had her audience captivated and then continued...

"your actions define you as a person. You can be an expert drug runner or an expert in the revered art of murder, it doesnt matter what role you take on. If you, yourself are not willing to put forth the effort, why should your leaders? However, that does work both ways. If you as a leader are not willing to put forth the effort to take care of your family, why should your members take care of you?

She paused one last time and put out her cigarette

"What defines a family? you asked. in my humble opinion, its the ability of the members and the leaders to work together as a team. When all is said and done, all we have is each other and we have to be able to trust each other as a family. Without each other working together for the betterment of the family, whether you are a leader or a member, the family is condemned and will fail."

​​​​​​​with all that said, she stepped off the podium and continued on her way.
 

Amy sat in the back, examining her nails as she listened to Nihilist speak. Good god, he could be long winded. He made some good points, sure, but quite frankly she just didn't have the attention span for it. Nonetheless, she was there to support the crew. Even though some delighted in winding her up, she really did enjoy just hanging around the headquarters with the family; they were an entertaining bunch. 

Eventually he was finished speaking, and Amy leaned forward in her seat as she watched others step up and voice their opinion. She found herself nodding along to many of the comments before standing up.

"In my experience, and the experiences of my ancestors, it really boils down to one main thing: the activity and effective communication displayed by the leader and upper structure. I feel like all the rest of your points stem from this. 

If your leader and upper structure are around and ensuring people feel included, the crew is naturally going to want to do well. If you can watch them put in effort themselves rather than just expecting you to, you want to emulate that. Activity within the headquarters rises, organized crimes are constantly being planned and executed, earnings go up. Relationships will form regardless - even with the newest of bloodlines - if you're around to make it happen. 

On the flip side, if there's no one around, people get bored. The journals from my lineage talk about this at great length. If the leaders weren't around, neither were my ancestors. If you think I have a problem paying attention, you should have seen them. They'd get restless, and wouldn't care enough to work hard. 

Now, is it possible to have a crew thrive with absent leaders? Sure, I guess. Maybe if members have connections throughout their city. But you can't tell me some of them wouldn't harbor any resentment." She stopped and looked around awkwardly as she realized she was rambling.

"Anyway, I'm not saying that all upper structures should be snorting cocaine and pounding coffee all day to always be there for their people, as fun as that sounds. Everyone needs to sleep eventually, everyone has other matters they must attend to. But, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, you're right. The quality of their presence will speak volumes." Amy shuddered a bit at the admission that he was right, and promptly sat back down.

Midnight pondered the question for a while before stepping over to speak to the group of people that had gathered.

I personally think activity, communication, and incentive. You can have a crew of all the best players in the game but if your not actively working or talking to them what's the point? My family have been in many families, they have been hands and even run a family in the past. What I learnt from their experiences was that communication was key. Speaking to and gaining a relationship with all your members. Also if you have all your members working their ass off for nothing they will eventually stop trying.

While you can't have a push over crew leader, you can't survive forever with a crew leader that thinks no one is of value. It's so important to value and help your family grow, whether that's through rewards or positive praise. Keep pointing out the negatives and never acknowledge the positives, you will know about it when your time comes. There are so many ways to survive longer, when your times up though that's where it shows. Look after your crew treat them right and they will have your back which helps with survival in my opinion  

After rambling a lot she fades away into the crowd to continue listening to other people's opinions

As people were crowding around TheNihilist, Sirius approached them and lit a cigar while listenning to all the different but interesting points of view about the topic, then he spoke.

"You all raise valid points, and as pointed in the beginning by Don TheNihilist there are many key factors that could lead a family to greatness. I think a family needs almost all of that to be sucessful and be Great but... Every detail matter. We are the people we have around us. No one, i guess, would like to be in a family that is not active or don't talk with each other at least a little bit, if there's no money rolling to the leader it will end pretty fast for sure. "

Hasil came down off the mountain into the streets.  Solitude and simplicity were nice, but in this chosen life of crime it was simply impossible.  He sipped his growler of the Farrell wine and listened to all the responses intently.  Soon, he felt compelled to speak...

" Don TheNihilist , a crew is such a dynamic thing.  You've got great earners, you've got great killers, you have great leaders, and even great followers.  No - that's not a bad thing.  The one thing that is important to me to make a crew great is cohesiveness and trust.  I think as a member, and as a leader you have to have an understanding from the people standing beside you that they are here for the greater good of the crew and places all personal agendas to the side.  If I'm leader, and this is what I see from someone - then the rest just doesn't matter.  I think everyone should have something to give, and as long as they are giving as much as they can - then that's enough for me."  

Hasil walked back to the back of the crowd and found a place that seemed comfortable as he was sure there would b more people to listen to.

Harvey listened to what everyone had to say about what makes a crew great and it made him think...

"Personally when I think of a great crew two things come to my mind right away. You want to have an active group obviously and you need to have a group that all get along. If your crew members and associates all get along and are friends or become friends then everything else will take care of itself. Naturally people are going to go out of their way more to help a friend than they would for just another guy or gal that they barely know. Great crews work together and help each other out"

FuegoSteve stepped forward after he heard his amigo TheNihilist speak. He was about to give his opinion on what TheNihilist was talking about but a few others did before Fuego did. Fuego was running his own crew now and was even labeled as the district head of South Side. He had his own ways of running a crew that he wanted to instill on his future leaders of his district. He always did things the way he thought he would want to be treated.

"My biggest things being a leader is leadership involvement, presence, and friendship."

Fuego takes a look around as the crowd of people turn to listen to his comments on the matter.

"I think these three can actually go hand in hand in most cases. I try to be a leader that has a presence and offers friendship most of all. The way I see it, I've already achieved everything I wanted to and then some. My goal is get my members to their goals. My leadership involvement is typically only when I give advice and if theres any disputes. Nobody wants to work their ass off for someone who cannot ensure their personal safety.

And to echo whats already been said, the quality of presence is what really matters in my eyes."

Gavin had been sitting back listening to the conversation, having recently started out in the free city of Detroit he had better know what made a crew great. Stepping forward to speak he trips, throwing a hand down he manages to push off into a one handed cart wheel years of tumbling put to good use. He grins at a few bystanders that noticed his near failure, playing of like he meant for it to happen.

“What makes a crew great? Everyone has their own idea of what makes a crew great. Honestly what what’s a crew great is when you can drop the word crew and come together as a family. Through open communication whether it be between all members or the fact that my door is always open. Involvement and activity, helping each other reach our goals or have family competitions a little competitiveness is always a good way to form bonds. Granted in time I would love to have all those who come to Detroit get along as one big family. Others might disagree but these are some of the things that make a “crew” great to me and I’m always adding to my thoughts of what makes a family great.”

Gavin tips his hat before blending back into the crowd.

After hearing his leader TheNihilist speak too many words and AmyPond telling him off for that in too many words, he heard many people agreeing and mentioning similar factors. Alberto had been nodding for quite some time, and AlbertoTomba also nodded as Hasil spoke, he nodded as Harvey spoke and he nodded as FuegoSteve spoke..

Getting a sore neck, he decided to stop nodding and speak up

What counts for me, and has always been important for my family line, is humour, respect and willingness to help others. I came here to New York because there was a person in charge of a crew that was helpful, amicable and respectful. He seemed to have put together a group of great, eager, fun, hardworking people and, like Bear said, that activity is essential, it's contagious in a way, and I really was delighted to be offered a spot in that crew.

..Unfortunately some idiot shot Faceman and I ended up with TheNihilist..

Senorita was taking a moment to enjoy the beautiful spring weather when she heard someone speaking. Curiosity getting the best of her, she wandered over to the gathering of people. As she listened to what was being said, she began to ponder on the topic. 

"Some great points have been made here today. I can say, that for me and my ancestors, judging from journals, that a crew leaders involvement and interest in the people is the biggest thing. My ancestors have had crew leaders who did not invest in their members and they felt like a face in the crowd. A crew leader that makes their members feel valued, who shows that they care about their members and their satisfaction level really makes for a great crew. 

After speaking her peace, Senorita continued on her walk, enjoying the sunshine.