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- Jul 9, 2016
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I've been roleplaying and reading about the American mafia, or the American Cosa Nostra for quite a while now. I've chosen to share my knowledge so people won't shy away from trying to successfully roleplay such a character. In this guide, I hope I could tackle certain stereotypes and misconceptions about the modern mafia and offer solutions for said issues. For those who don't know me, I've been roleplaying in LVM and its various past forms (Bellomo, Sacramano, and LVCF) ever since I started to actively roleplay on RCRP. The modern mafia was always a subject I was passionate about and I decided to tunnel it into a guide.
Credits: Slipky, A-List, ndrangheta
So. What are the core elements of roleplaying a mobster?
For starters, not every mobster is a jack of all trades. Some don't even come from an illegal background before dipping their toes in the water. Anthony Staino, for example, an alleged captain in the Philadelphia Crime Family, got involved in organized crime back in the 1990's while going through a divorce and battling a drinking problem. Some were born to figures so deep in the mafia they were forced to go through the life. The origins of mobsters are vast. Not all of them come from New York City, neither. There are crime families all over the state. Chicago, New England, Los Angeles (a defunct one, but still), Detroit, Cleveland - The options are there, you just have to choose one and go on with it. Each area has it's own slang and catchphrases, so to say. Mobsters are often very different from one another but are unified due to one thing primarily - Money.
It's not ALL about the criminal aspect.
A mobster won't spend %100 of his time in criminal activities, either. Absolutely not. These guys often have a life to take care of - Wives, legal businesses, cars, dogs. They are regular people, just like me and you. They go to baseball games, they hang out in bars, clubs, and casinos. They have a life outside of their criminal activities. I can't stress this enough. RPing just the criminal side of things is a huge miss on the development of a proper, deep character.
How does one join the American Mafia?
Nowadays, some people might get into the mafia after a period of independent criminal activity, a period long enough to make local mobsters catch wind regarding them. Then, after background checks (Yeah, mobsters do that) and consulting within the crew or family, that person is pulled into the fold. You can get involved accidentally through your day to day job, or you know somebody who knows somebody - And could speak highly of you and pass the word out. It's a dog eat dog world out there - And mostly, when a mobster sees an opportunity, he takes it. How it ends? That's a different story. An aspiring mobster would want to build a vast network of connections - That way he will always have something to resort to in case his plans turn sour. Other people are groomed by members of a family in prison. Others stand out as henchmen in a mobster's operation. The options and methods to join are vast as well. But do me a favor, please minimize OOCly coordinating past knowledge between characters. This shouldn't be done much, as it ruins the immersion, in my opinion.
Common (and uncommon) rackets.
A mobster would usually have his own little scheme running, in order to provide himself with a constant flow of money. There is a lot of rackets a mobster could do. I'll try and state a few common and uncommon ones, just for the sake of giving examples. Explaining each one here would make this guide longer than I want it to be. Here are some rackets that can be used by a mobster to make money:
- Illegal Gambling
- Loan Sharking
- Pornography
- Prostitution (usually goes hand in hand with pornography)
- Car theft & chop shops
- Bootleg clothing & jewelry
- Drug trafficking
- Small arms trafficking
- License and ID forgery
- Running a sportsbook
General tips
Don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and be daring. It could be rewarding as much as it could get you killed. Will you take the bet? Also - If you're going to master a racket or RP experience in a said racket, research it well. How well? You'd know every part of the process that is needed to be done in order to portray it right. One other thing I want to emphasize again is the other, legal aspect of a character's lifespan. One should RP the atmosphere and the life of those around him, NPCs or actual players. A mobster socializes a lot - don't be afraid to join in on conversations or start some new ones, you might make a buck or two in the future as a result.
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