Realistically Approaching an Organized Crime Group

[9TriLLo]

 

 

Approaching an illegal faction is a common issue that most roleplayers face, so I'll try to explain a few possibilities I've learnt about during my time as a roleplayer.

 

Some ways are hard to pull while others are easy, some are creative and unique, while some are common. How you get involved depends a lot on who you are trying to portray and approach, so keep in mind that if you do the wrong action at the wrong time to/with the wrong guy, you'll find yourself in a position that is hard to come back from.

 

The same goes with the right action at the right moment to/with the right guy. It can benefit you, or it can ruin your chances forever. What matters most is to keep true to your character and its personality because nobody likes to see people roleplaying one character today and another tomorrow. Don't be a robot.

 

One thing I've noticed is that most of the new characters get help from certain factions either by acquiring a role they didn't earn via their own development or by having their newly created persona already know an insider, thus kickstarting their roleplay within the project.

 

While this isn't against the rules, in most cases it might be a mistake for the future of said faction because it takes away the chance for the possible member to undergo a real recruitment process based on his own efforts and creativity, so it creates a player who needs to be spoon-fed roleplay instead, because that's what he got used to from the beginning of his time within the organization.

 

Of course, there are exceptions, people who have been in said faction before, people who are known by the leadership to be capable roleplayers, etc, but I'll mostly be talking about new roleplayers joining an existing faction they've never been in before.

 

That being said, here are a few ways a new character can get within the ranks of an organized crime group:

 

 

Normally, a mob has a variety of legal façades open for business which your character can approach and find or create roleplay at. No matter if it's a bar, a gym or a trucking company, all venues can provide a way in for the people that are interested in joining the faction.

 

For example, a bar/café will provide the best environment for building friendships with the other members by sharing a drink, a story, or even by playing a game of pool.

 

The gym offers your character a way to improve its body, the possibility to watch, comment and bet on boxing matches or even the chance to become one of the fighters, thus getting the recognition of the insiders if they feel like they can use you or work with you.

 

The companies allow having a stable job for characters that need it, but they don't offer a clear path inside the mob, so you'll have to figure one out by yourself depending on the roleplay that occurs, the chances that are presented to you and the purpose of the firm your character works for.

 

When considering most legal fronts, it's also possible to ask for a job from the get-go, but that (in my opinion) is a tricky and recycled way of approaching because, realistically, the insiders won't just go to their legal employees to ask them to commit crimes without proper reasoning behind, so make sure you trickle in motives for them to consider you for extra jobs.

 

There is a big variety of businesses that a faction can open for the public that new characters can take advantage of, so make sure you figure out a realistic way to benefit from the chances presented to you by them.

 

 

For the most part, the mob acts like a pyramid scheme, where you start from the lower levels and try to climb your way up the ladder for financial gains and for the power attained from being up in the hierarchy.

 

That being said, it's unlikely that somebody from the higher ranks will accept sharing more than two words with a new character that they don't know when it comes to business, so what you can do to get them interested in you is run gigs on your own.

 

Being self-sufficient and creative in your roleplay gives you a good and well-developed way into the faction and it will surely serve you better in the long run rather than relying on others to give your character stuff to do.

 

You can take the legal route and roleplay running a company or owning/leasing a place, or the illegal way where you can have your character do petty misdemeanors or white-collar crimes. It's always a good thing to showcase your illegal activity to the right characters at the right time because people aren't just inducted into a life of crime out of nowhere. The mob will rather approach people who are already involved in crime or have a firm they can work with/exploit rather than your ordinary civilians that work 9 to 5s.

 

One important aspect to remember is that your character should behave the way he would behave towards people he doesn't know no matter the rank they posses until they are told otherwise IC, so keep any knowledge gathered via OOC means away from your roleplay. Don't act a different way with a character just because you've seen on the forums that he is a high-ranker, the insiders are quick to notice this and it will not help you getting in quicker.

 

A thing I don't recommend for fresh characters to do from the start is the drug/weaponry dealing because, for the most part, it's a boring and overdone idea that is usually rushed and conducted in a poorly and unrealistic manner, so consider exploiting other venues of roleplay instead and do your research well.

 

 

The organized crime groups make a lot of their money by exploiting other people, their addictions, their mistakes and their businesses, so with that in mind, another way of approaching arises.

 

A character that has issues, especially monetary ones, may be a target for the mob, so the chances for an involved member to find his way into the middle of their problems by offering assistance aren't slim at all.

 

For example, let's say that your character has a difficult situation at home and is desperate for money, but at the same time he's an avid gambler who can't seem to get enough of the vice, so he needs to find a way to get more money than he earns from his job.

 

This scenario creates the space needed for a mobster to step in and offer his "help", thus putting your character in direct contact with an insider. It's a toss of a coin and it's a case by case scenario because certain people will just laugh at your character's problems, while others will seize the opportunity to exploit it by either offering your character jobs to do or a loan.

 

This is hard to pull in a correct and realistic manner and is also very risky because your character will have a hard time getting rid of the problems that are pestering him in order to get back on his feet, so new roleplayers might get overwhelmed by this situation, but it's without a doubt an interesting way to approach and will surely be appreciated by the others.

 

 

Quote

 

1. Take your time with the development of your character. Don't rush through it and don't try to become somebody in a matter of days. Patience is key.

 

2. Roleplay your character's behavior as realistic as you possibly can. Don't do things that your character wouldn't do and don't go places where your character wouldn't go just because you OOCly know that the faction you're trying to join is hanging out around there.

 

3. Focus on building trust and friendships, but don't force it. It's extremely important for such bonds to be made because it's only normal for a character that is involved in crime to be skeptical towards strangers. Once the characters you meet get to know you better, you'll find yourself involved in more and more situations.

 

4. Have a good and realistic reason for everything. You want to apply for a lease or own a business? Get a background story in check that reflects why your character is able to do such a thing and how the changes will affect him. You want to role-play doing petty crimes? Make sure your character has a need to do that. Don't steal a wallet today only to drive an expensive car tomorrow.

 

5. Role-play your economy accordingly. Don't go places your character can't afford to go to, don't gamble when your character is out of money, at least not without being afraid of the consequences and don't drive the most expensive cars if your character can barely afford half a tank of gas and so on.

 

6. Starting with a group of friends, or a crew, can make your roleplay more enjoyable and the chances of success bigger, especially if everybody involved has the right idea and knows what needs to be done.

 

7. Don't think of yourself as a mafioso and don't think of the insiders as criminals and only that. Don't let your character fit into a pattern, but be creative and realistic with it. At first, think that everyone is a normal civilian who does normal things and try to find out In-Game whether that is the case or not.

 

 

[bncal]

9 hours ago, 9TriLLo said:

While this isn't against the rules, in most cases it might be a mistake for the future of said faction because it takes away the chance for the possible member to undergo a real recruitment process based on his own efforts and creativity, so it creates a player who needs to be spoon-fed roleplay instead, because that's what he got used to from the beginning of his time within the organization.

[MeowTheEpic]

Quote

Being self-sufficient and creative in your role-play gives you a good and well-developed way into the faction and it will surely serve you better in the long run rather than relying on others to give your character stuff to do.

 

I can't emphasize this enough, people get turned off fast by the lack of interaction from faction members they're trying to join, they're not going to spoon feed you RP as you're not entitled to anyone's time, creating your own while attempting to involve others is probably the best way to get noticed. Hanging around and expecting someone to pick you up like some stray cat won't exactly happen, and if it did it probably means that the faction is scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of recruitment standards. 

[SpeedOfThought]

I think this guide will come in handy for many people. Very well written. Nice job!

 

[WatchingEye]

Very nice, good job! 

[Antii]

Very nice guide, a great step by step to how it really be going on in the organized criminal world! 

[Chef]

Great work on this, it'll be very helpful to many I'm sure.

 

One thing I'd like to add is for people not to associate a new character with being a completely clean slate. You don't have to roleplay an 18 year old who has never done crime to approach an organization and work your way in from the bottom. In many crime families, for example, people spend the better part of their young adulthood (20s-30s) dabbling in crime without becoming noticed. Don't be afraid to make a character who might be a bit older and use the advice in this guide.

[Cinematic]

Great work on this. Very informative! 

[Kjell]

Good stuff, this will be useful.