[Guide] The Basics of the Mob & How to Roleplay as a Mafioso.
#1
TABLE OF CONTENTS


1) What is the Mafia?
2) Ranking.
3) Operations.
4) Mafia Terminology/Slang.
5) Kick Ups.
6) Roleplaying a Mobster.



I. What is the Mafia?


An organized international body of criminal factions named after the leaders last names, also "Families". They're operating originally in Sicily and now esp. in Italy and the US.
A Mafia use extortion and other criminal methods to earn cash. If you look below you can locate most basic items you will need to role-play a successful mobster.


II. Ranking


Boss
The head of the family, usually reigning as a dictator, sometimes called the don or an old Italian expression “godfather” which is almost never used anymore. The Boss receives a cut of every operation taken on by every member of his family. Depending on the Family, the Boss may be chosen by a vote from the Caporegimes of the family. In the event of a tie, the Underboss must vote. In the past, all the members of a Family voted on the Boss, but by the late 1950s, any gathering such as that attracted too much attention.

Underboss
The Underboss, usually appointed by the Boss, is the second in command of the family. The Underboss is in charge of all of the Capos, who is controlled by the Boss. The Underboss is usually first in line to become Acting Boss if the Boss is imprisoned or dies.

Consigliere
Consigliere is an advisor to the family. They are often low profile gangsters that can be trusted. They are used as a mediator of disputes or representatives or aids in meetings with other Families. They often keep the Family looking as legitimate as possible, and are, themselves, legitimate apart from some minor gambling or loan sharking. Often Consiglieres are lawyers or stock brokers, are trusted and have a close friendship or relationship with the Don. They usually do not have crew of their own, but still wield great power in the Family. They are also often the liaison between the Don and important ‘bought’ figures, such as politicians or Judges.

Caporegime/Capo
A Capo (translated to Leader or Captain) is in charge of a crew. There are usually four to six crews in each family, possibly even seven to nine crews, each one consisting of up to ten Soldiers. Capos run their own small family, but must follow the limitations and guidelines created by the Boss, as well as pay him his cut of their profits. Capos are nominated by the Underboss, but typically chosen by the Boss himself.

Soldier
Soldiers are members of the family, and can only be of Italian background. Soldiers start as Associates that have proven themselves. When the books are open, meaning that there is an open spot in the family, a Capo (or several Capos) may recommend an up-and-coming Associate to be a new member. In the case that there is only one slot and multiple recommendations, the Boss will decide. The new member usually becomes part of the Capo’s crew that recommended him.

Associate

An Associate is not a member of the mob, and an Associate’s role is more similar to that of an errand boy. They are usually a go-between or sometimes deal in drugs to keep the heat off the actual members. In other cases, an associate might be a corrupt labor union delegate or businessman. Non-Italians will never go any further than this.


III. Operations


Without these successful operations, the mafia wouldn't be as dominant and superior as it is.

1) Extortion - Extortion is the practice of obtaining something, esp. money, through force or threats. The mafia often uses the word protection to mask the word extortion. When you purchase "protection" from the mafia, you pay a weekly fee. If you do NOT pay the fee, you may be beaten, possibly killed, or maybe in some scenarios warned.

2) Illegal gambling - The mafia oftenly hosts illegal gambling in a backroom of a joint/establishment. Sometimes the games can possibly be rigged; no matter how hard you try, you lose, they win. Illegal gambling attracts a lot of attention, and gathers a truckload of cash if its planned properly.

3) Arms dealing - Selling unlicensed or stolen firearms is probably the best operation to use, but its risky. When you conduct these deals, normally the person buying hands the cash; then the seller tells the buyer where the items are located or handed right away.

4) Drug trafficking - Drug dealing isn't a main operation, but when you conduct these deals, you can usually rack up a load of cash. You can either grow/make the stuff on your own, or find a dealer. Selling drugs is risky.

5) Printing - Printing rackets can be profitable depending on your production rate. Its self explanatory, you have a location with a couple of guys guarding it. This isn't a popular operation, but is sometimes used by lower ranking of the mob.


IV. Mafia Terminology/Slang



Spoiler :
A friend of ours: mob shorthand for introducing one made guy to another made guy. "A friend of mine" is just another jamook on the street.

A trippa di zianata: "your aunt's tripe."

Action: a bet that a bookie "writes" and for which you pay him his "vig."

Administration: the top-level "management" of an organized crime Family—the boss, underboss, and consigliere.

Agita: anxiety, edginess, an upset stomach.

Anti-Trust Violations: what authorities call the mob practice of carving out exclusive territories. Wiseguys call them "mine."

Associate: one who works with mobsters, but hasn't been asked to take the vow of Omertá; an almost confirmed, or made guy.

Beef: a complaint or disagreement within the organization, usually discussed during a sit-down with higher-ups in the Family.

The Books: a phrase indicating membership in the Family. If there is a possibility for promotion, then the books are open. If not, the books are closed.

Broken: demoted in rank; "knocked down."

Borgata: an organized crime Family.

Boss: the head of the Family who runs the show. He decides who gets made and who gets whacked. The boss also gets points from all Family business; also see don, chairman.

Buon' anima: salutation meaning rest his soul.

Burn: to murder; synonyms: break an egg, clip, do a piece of work, hit, ice, pop, put out a contract on, whack.

Buttlegging: bootlegging untaxed cigarettes.

Button: a "made" member of the Mafia; soldier, wiseguy, goodfella, Man of Honor.

Cafone: a peasant or lower-class.

Capo: the Family member who leads a crew; short for capodecina.

Cazzis: see Stugots.

Che bruta: How ugly you are.

Che peccato: what a pity, what a shame.

Chiacchierone: chatterbox.

Clip: to murder; also whack, hit, pop, burn, put a contract out.

Code of silence: not ratting on your colleagues once you've been pinched—no longer a strong virtue in organized crime families. Also see Omertá.

Col tempo la foglia di gelso diventa seta: old Italian saying meaning, "Time and patience change the mulberry leaf to satin."

Comare (also goomah, goomar, or gomatta): slang for girlfriend or mistress. No self-respecting wiseguy is without one.

Come heavy: to walk in carrying a loaded gun. You shouldn't have lunch with a Russian drug dealer unless you "come heavy."

Confirm: to be made; see made guy.

Consigliere: a trusted Family advisor, who is always consulted before decisions are made. See Tom Hagen in The Godfather.

Contract: a murder assignment.

Crank: speed; in particular, crystal meth.

Crew: the group of soldiers under the capo's command.

Cugine: a young soldier striving to be made.

CW: FBI shorthand for Co-operating Witness.

Do a piece of work: to murder; see burn.

Don: the head of the Family; see boss.

Eat alone: to keep for one's self; to be greedy.

Enforcer: a person who threatens, maims, or kills someone who doesn't cooperate with Family rules or deals.

Executive Game: a special-event card game for celebrities and other high-rollers.

Facia bruta: ugly face, something you call someone you don't like.

Family: an organized crime clan, like the Genoveses, the Gottis, or the Sopranos.

Forbidden Fruit: the lure of a wiseguy to a nice Italian girl from the neighborhood.

Friend of mine: introduction of a third person who is not a member of the Family but who can be vouched for by a Family member.

G: a grand; a thousand dollars; also see large.

Gabagool: (capo cuoll) something to eat.

Gira diment: going crazy.

Golden Age: The days before RICO.

Goomah (sometimes pronounced "goomar"): a Mafia mistress; also comare.

Goombah/Goomba, Gumba: Sicilian slang for the Italian compare; plural: goombata

Guests of the state or Guests of the government: going to prison, doing time.

Hit: to murder; also see whack.

In the wind: after you leave the Witness protection program you are "in the wind," meaning you're on your own somewhere out there.

Jamook: idiot, loser, lamebrained, you know, a jamook.

Juice: the interest paid to a loanshark for the loan; also see vig.

Lam: To lay low, go into hiding.

Large: a thousand, a grand, a G.

LCN: FBI talk for la Cosa Nostra, or translated, "Our Thing."

Made guy: an indoctrinated member of the Family. Essentially, you pledge your allegiance to the boss and the family for life. To even qualify, your mother has to be Italian.

Make a marriage: to bring two parties together for legitimate or illegitimate Family issues.

Madonn': Madonna, common expression meaning holy smoke, holy cow, holy shit.

Mannagge: going to war with a rival clan or family.

Message job: placing the bullet in someone's body such that a specific message is sent to that person's crew or family; see through the eye, and through the mouth.

Mezza morta: half-dead.

The Mob: a single organized crime family; OR all organized crime families together.

Mobbed up: connected to the mob.

Mobster: one who is in the mob.

Mock execution: to whip someone into shape by frightening the shit out of them.

Moe Green Special: Getting killed with a shot in the eye, like the character, Moe Green, in The Godfather. One form of "sending a message."

Mortadella: derived from the Italian sausage, meaning a loser. As in "Guy's a fuckin' mortadella."

Mulignan (literal translation): eggplant. Another word for African-Americans. Also called "mooleys."

Musciata: mushy.

Mustache Petes: old-fashioned or older generation Mafiosi.

OC: FBI talk for Organized Crime.

Omertá: the much-vaunted Mafia vow of silence. In other words, don't rat on your friends. Transgression is punishable by death.

Oobatz: u'pazzu—crazy.

Outfit: a clan, or family within the Mafia.

Paying tribute: giving the boss a cut of the deal.

Piacere: "Pleasure to meet you."

Pinched: to get caught by the cops.

Points: percent of income; cut.

Poverett: poor person.

Predicates: an offense which the Justice Department can choose to "fold into" a RICO statute. As in, "This charge could be tough. It could have predicates."

The Program: The Witness Protection Program.

Pucchiacha: vagina.

Pump and dump: standard practice for unethical stockbrokers. First drive up the price of a small stock by "encouraging" investors to buy it ("pump") and then sell you own shares ("dump") for a tidy profit.

Puttana: whore.

Rat: one who snitches or squeals after having been pinched.

RICO: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Passed in 1970 to aid the government in clamping down on organized crime activities, its scope has since been broadened to prosecute insider traders and anti-abortion protesters.

Schifosa: ugly woman.

Sfogliatelle: an Italian pastry.

Shakedown: to blackmail or try to get money from someone; also to give someone a scare.

Shy: the interest charged on loans by loansharks.

Shylock business: the business of loansharking.

Soldier: the bottom-level member of an organized crime Family, as in "foot soldiers."

Spring cleaning: cleaning up, hiding or getting rid of evidence.

Stand-up guy: someone who refuses to rat out the Family no matter what the pressure, offer, or threat.

Strunz: strunzo—piece of shit.

Swag: stolen goods.

Taste: a percentage of the take. Tony gets a big taste from bookmaking or racketeering but only a little taste from medical fraud.

Tax: to take a percentage of someone's earnings.

This thing of ours: a mob family, or the entire mob.

Through the eye: a message job through the eye to say "We're watching you!"

Through the mouth: a message job through the mouth to indicate that someone WAS a rat.

Tizzun: Neapolitan derogatory term for black person.

Underboss: the second in command to the boss.

Va fa napole: "Go to Naples" (i.e., "Go to hell.").

Vig: the interest paid to a loanshark for the loan. Abbreviation of vigorish; also see juice. Usually two points or 2%.

Waste management business: euphemism for organized crime.

Wearing it: showing off one's status in the organization by dressing the part. "Wearing it" usually involves an Italian suit, a pinky ring, a hankie in the breast pocket, gold cufflinks, and other ornamentation. Silvio has his own inimitable way of wearing it.

Whack: to murder; also clip, hit, pop, burn, put a contract out.

Wiseguy: a made guy.

Young Turks: Younger, less traditional generation of Mafiosi. Less likely to live by the old rules.



V. Kick-ups


Kick ups are weekly or monthly fees you pay to a higher-up. If you're an associate you might pay to a made-man, and the made man pays to a captain. There's a cycle, all of this money ends up in a cut for the don.
Associate gives the cash to a made man, or a captain.
The captain hands off the cash to the underboss.
The underboss passes the cash down to the don.
The thing is, each high archery gets a cut of the cash being passed up. Say an associate hands twelve grand, a captain may keep six grand from him, then get seventy-five grand from the rest of his crew, he'll hand up about fifty grand to the under boss. The underboss might eventually hand up fourty-five grand to the don, and the don keeps the cash to himself. If you don't pay kick ups with cash, you're gonna pay - physically.


VI. Roleplaying a Mobster


Roleplaying a mobster is difficult if you make it that way. Its basically roleplaying a civilian with a twist. You are always tied with your job now that you have been introduced. You must show respect to everyone around you, including the big guys above you, and below you. There isn't a specific way to roleplay a mafioso, they don't roam around in fedoras and trenchcoats like this is Mafia II, alot has changed since the old times. You can be a disrespectful guy if you want, but you probably aren't going to make it as far as another guy might.
If you are having trouble being introduced to the mobsters, roam around the city, find some friends, maybe they might come to you. There is really no specific way to roleplaying a mobster, but you have to spice it up and use realism at the same time.

Also as I said, the Mafia isn't what it was in the 1900's, it has changed alot recently, people dont drive around in old cars with fedoras, trenchcoats and Thompsons, this isn't like Mario Puzo's novel "The Godfather" anymore, it has changed so we should change with it.

If you like the topic about the modern Mafia then I would recommend you check out my other thread Cosa Nostra Hierarchy & Roles.
Hope this helped anyone looking towards to join or create a more realistic Crime Family in game, or learn a thing or two about it.
The following 3 users Like User 5190's post:
  • Lolzt3r, Shox, dig
#2
Thread approved. Good job.
The following 1 user Likes Narc's post:
  • Commander Fi5h
#3
Nice work, bud. The mafia is one of my favourite jobs, and before reading this.. I did not know how to roleplay as one. Thanks :-D


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