Minr Mafia XXII - Spirits (Game Over)

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picklesthecheeta

picklesthecheeta

Rarely in a pickle!
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Oct 7, 2016
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A mafia (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːfja]) is a type of organized crime syndicate whose primary activities are protection racketeering, arbitrating disputes between criminals, and brokering and enforcing illegal agreements and transactions.[1] Mafias often engage in secondary activities such as gambling, loan sharking, drug-trafficking, prostitution, and fraud.

The term "Mafia" was originally applied to the Sicilian Mafia and originates in Sicily, but it has since expanded to encompass other organizations of similar methods and purpose, e.g., "the Russian Mafia" or "the Japanese Mafia". The term is applied informally by the press and public; the criminal organizations themselves have their own terms (e.g. the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia refer to their organizations as "Cosa Nostra"; the "Japanese Mafia" calls itself "Yakuza"; and "Russian Mafia" groups often call themselves "Bratva").

When used alone and without any qualifier, "Mafia" or "the Mafia" typically refers to either the Sicilian Mafia or the Italian-American Mafia and sometimes Italian organized crime in general (e.g., Camorra, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, Stidda, etc.).

Contents


Definitions[edit]
A formal definition of "mafia" can be hard to come by. The term was never officially used by Sicilian Mafiosi, who prefer to refer to their organization as "Cosa Nostra". Nevertheless, it is typically by comparison to the Sicilian Mafia that other criminal groups earn the label. The expansion of the term has not been welcomed by all scholars. Giovanni Falcone, an anti-Mafia judge murdered by the Sicilian Mafia in 1992, objected to the conflation of the term "Mafia" with organized crime in general:

While there was a time when people were reluctant to pronounce the word "Mafia" ... nowadays people have gone so far in the opposite direction that it has become an overused term ... I am no longer willing to accept the habit of speaking of the Mafia in descriptive and all-inclusive terms that make it possible to stack up phenomena that are indeed related to the field of organized crime but that have little or nothing in common with the Mafia.[13]

— Giovanni Falcone, 1990
Mafias as private protection firms[edit]
Scholars such as Diego Gambetta[14] and Leopoldo Franchetti have characterized the Sicilian Mafia as a "cartel of private protection firms", whose primary business is protection racketeering: they use their fearsome reputation for violence to deter people from swindling, robbing, or competing with those who pay them for protection. For many businessmen in Sicily, they provide an essential service when they cannot rely on the police and judiciary to enforce their contracts and protect their properties from thieves (this is often because they are engaged in black market deals). Scholars have observed that many other societies around the world have criminal organizations of their own that provide essentially the same protection service through similar methods.

For instance, in Russia after the collapse of Communism, the state security system had all but collapsed, forcing businessmen to hire criminal gangs to enforce their contracts and protect their properties from thieves. These gangs are popularly called "the Russian Mafia" by foreigners, but they prefer to go by the term krysha.

With the [Russian] state in collapse and the security forces overwhelmed and unable to police contract law, [...] cooperating with the criminal culture was the only option. [...] most businessmen had to find themselves a reliable krysha under the leadership of an effective vor.

— excerpt from McMafia by Misha Glenny.[15]
In his analysis of the Sicilian Mafia, Gambetta provided the following hypothetical scenario to illustrate the Mafia's function in the Sicilian economy. Suppose a grocer wants to buy meat from a butcher without paying sales tax to the government. Because this is a black market deal, neither party can complain to the police if either of them cheats. The grocer is afraid that the butcher will sell him rotten meat. The butcher is afraid that the grocer will not pay him. If the butcher and the grocer can't get over their mistrust and refuse to trade, they would both miss out on an opportunity for profit. Their solution is to ask the local mafioso to oversee the transaction, in exchange for a fee proportional to the value of the transaction but below the legal tax. If the butcher cheats the grocer by selling rotten meat, the mafioso will punish the butcher. If the grocer cheats the butcher by not paying on time and in full, the mafioso will punish the grocer. Punishment might take the form of a violent assault or vandalism against property. The grocer and the butcher both fear the mafioso, so each honors their side of the bargain. All three parties profit.

Mafia-type organizations under Italian law[edit]
Article 416-bis of the Italian Penal Code defines a Mafia-type association (Associazione di Tipo Mafioso) as one where "those belonging to the association exploit the potential for intimidation which their membership gives them, and the compliance and omertà which membership entails and which lead to the committing of crimes, the direct or indirect assumption of management or control of financial activities, concessions, permissions, enterprises and public services for the purpose of deriving profit or wrongful advantages for themselves or others."[16][17]
 
ElectroUnderwear

ElectroUnderwear

Green #666
Greenie
Nov 4, 2013
840
147
picklesthecheeta said:
A mafia (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːfja]) is a type of organized crime syndicate whose primary activities are protection racketeering, arbitrating disputes between criminals, and brokering and enforcing illegal agreements and transactions.[1] Mafias often engage in secondary activities such as gambling, loan sharking, drug-trafficking, prostitution, and fraud.

The term "Mafia" was originally applied to the Sicilian Mafia and originates in Sicily, but it has since expanded to encompass other organizations of similar methods and purpose, e.g., "the Russian Mafia" or "the Japanese Mafia". The term is applied informally by the press and public; the criminal organizations themselves have their own terms (e.g. the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia refer to their organizations as "Cosa Nostra"; the "Japanese Mafia" calls itself "Yakuza"; and "Russian Mafia" groups often call themselves "Bratva").

When used alone and without any qualifier, "Mafia" or "the Mafia" typically refers to either the Sicilian Mafia or the Italian-American Mafia and sometimes Italian organized crime in general (e.g., Camorra, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, Stidda, etc.).

Contents


Definitions[edit]
A formal definition of "mafia" can be hard to come by. The term was never officially used by Sicilian Mafiosi, who prefer to refer to their organization as "Cosa Nostra". Nevertheless, it is typically by comparison to the Sicilian Mafia that other criminal groups earn the label. The expansion of the term has not been welcomed by all scholars. Giovanni Falcone, an anti-Mafia judge murdered by the Sicilian Mafia in 1992, objected to the conflation of the term "Mafia" with organized crime in general:

While there was a time when people were reluctant to pronounce the word "Mafia" ... nowadays people have gone so far in the opposite direction that it has become an overused term ... I am no longer willing to accept the habit of speaking of the Mafia in descriptive and all-inclusive terms that make it possible to stack up phenomena that are indeed related to the field of organized crime but that have little or nothing in common with the Mafia.[13]

— Giovanni Falcone, 1990
Mafias as private protection firms[edit]
Scholars such as Diego Gambetta[14] and Leopoldo Franchetti have characterized the Sicilian Mafia as a "cartel of private protection firms", whose primary business is protection racketeering: they use their fearsome reputation for violence to deter people from swindling, robbing, or competing with those who pay them for protection. For many businessmen in Sicily, they provide an essential service when they cannot rely on the police and judiciary to enforce their contracts and protect their properties from thieves (this is often because they are engaged in black market deals). Scholars have observed that many other societies around the world have criminal organizations of their own that provide essentially the same protection service through similar methods.

For instance, in Russia after the collapse of Communism, the state security system had all but collapsed, forcing businessmen to hire criminal gangs to enforce their contracts and protect their properties from thieves. These gangs are popularly called "the Russian Mafia" by foreigners, but they prefer to go by the term krysha.

With the [Russian] state in collapse and the security forces overwhelmed and unable to police contract law, [...] cooperating with the criminal culture was the only option. [...] most businessmen had to find themselves a reliable krysha under the leadership of an effective vor.

— excerpt from McMafia by Misha Glenny.[15]
In his analysis of the Sicilian Mafia, Gambetta provided the following hypothetical scenario to illustrate the Mafia's function in the Sicilian economy. Suppose a grocer wants to buy meat from a butcher without paying sales tax to the government. Because this is a black market deal, neither party can complain to the police if either of them cheats. The grocer is afraid that the butcher will sell him rotten meat. The butcher is afraid that the grocer will not pay him. If the butcher and the grocer can't get over their mistrust and refuse to trade, they would both miss out on an opportunity for profit. Their solution is to ask the local mafioso to oversee the transaction, in exchange for a fee proportional to the value of the transaction but below the legal tax. If the butcher cheats the grocer by selling rotten meat, the mafioso will punish the butcher. If the grocer cheats the butcher by not paying on time and in full, the mafioso will punish the grocer. Punishment might take the form of a violent assault or vandalism against property. The grocer and the butcher both fear the mafioso, so each honors their side of the bargain. All three parties profit.

Mafia-type organizations under Italian law[edit]
Article 416-bis of the Italian Penal Code defines a Mafia-type association (Associazione di Tipo Mafioso) as one where "those belonging to the association exploit the potential for intimidation which their membership gives them, and the compliance and omertà which membership entails and which lead to the committing of crimes, the direct or indirect assumption of management or control of financial activities, concessions, permissions, enterprises and public services for the purpose of deriving profit or wrongful advantages for themselves or others."[16][17]
Click to expand...
More accurate description:

 
The Conductor

The Conductor

Peon
Mod
Jan 9, 2019
37
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We thank all those who have enlisted to join us on this wonderful journey. However, we must inform all that we are at capacity and to simplify planning, we will now be closing registrations.

We hope to have the train underway as quickly as possible, however please be advised we are still finalising the services available to each passenger and ensuring that they are as fair as possible, which may take a little bit more time.

Once the train is underway, we will be checking that everyone is accounted for before our journey properly begins.
 
The Conductor

The Conductor

Peon
Mod
Jan 9, 2019
37
28
Whistles sounded. Smoked billowed through the air. A loud chatter filled the glass-roofed halls of the station. Many people were coming and going; every couple of minutes a train would sound its horn and would gracefully pull out from the station. As the only station for miles, it acted as a major transport hub. Trains, of course, are the only way to cover any serious distance. Tickets were pricey though, so only the well-off or the unscrupulous managed to secure passage, legally or not. From this station would depart a fateful train, one more special than many others.

As the sun began to fall, the passengers started to show up. The first to show up were Mr. Fitzgerald and Lystacrl. They were good friends, and had been for a while. They had met in a pub a few weeks earlier. Lystacrl, who had been touring the area, needed some directions. After striking up a conversation, the two had discovered that they had a lot in common, and quickly bonded. When Fitzgerald discovered that Lystacrl was heading back at roughly the same time he was going on a business trip, they suggested that they should trade in their ticket for another so they can spend some more time together on the same train.

Whilst they were chatting about the upcoming trip, more passengers began to show up. First it was Robert Blake and Dr. Constantine, followed soon after by John Parry, Meriadoc and then Arthur Doyle close behind. Soon a crowd of twenty had gathered around the train. An air of anticipation hung around the group. Some displayed it more visibly, while others such as Montalbano and Lindberg were calmer.

Then, the Conductor of the train stepped out from a carriage. "Welcome everybody, thank you all so very much for coming. I hope you all have familiarised yourselves with the rules for this train, however I have a few more important things that you should be made aware of. Firstly, please check that you have your r...

Watson was drifting off. While he had managed to secure a doctorate, he was never the most alert person in the room. He hadn't gotten a great sleep the night before, worrying about the trip ahead. Besides, this guy really does talk forever. He's been droning on and on. "...nd that's all I have to say." the Conductor finished. "Let's get everyone on board now."

One by one, people climbed on board and found their allocated rooms. They were relatively spacious for a train. Barton Hepburn enjoyed bouncing up and down on their bed. It was surprisingly springy. He looked through the interior window, and saw Lord Boreal looking in. Barton immediately stopped jumping up and down, looking a little flustered at being discovered.

Overall, spirits were high. Breaking the air, the whistle sounded. The train was underway. Along the length of the carriage, windows opened. Moriarty, Poirot, Peregrin, and Monsieur Bouc all sticking their necks out to get a good look at the receding station. But then, a cry was heard. A man, Samuel Ratchett, was running at breakneck speed following the train. Just as it was pulling out of the station, he leaps aboard.

Mrs. Coulter was confused. They don't remember them being on the Passenger Manifest. By the look on their face, it seems that Victor Pritchett had no idea either. But before they could ask, Ratchett had entered a cabin and slammed the door shut. "Well, not my problem." they thought.

As the sun slipped below the horizon, Dr. Frankenstein took one more look at the instructions that had been tacked up in the dining carriage. It was a transcription of what the Conductor had said before. It said:

--- INSTRUCTIONS ---​

Roles have been distributed to the various accounts. Account details and alignments are now going to be distributed. Please check that you have the correct account, and that it has access to posting in this thread. Please also double check that all the details in role messages are correct and accurate. Once you have checked these, please post in your thread that you are confirming that you have your role and are ready to play. Day 1 will start when everyone has confirmed.

From here on out, posting with your main forum account is prohibited. If you accidentally post in this thread with your main account, please edit your message to something blank before deleting it (if you are able). If you break this rule intentionally you may be killed. If you communicate with anyone without using the account provided to you, you may be killed. You are allowed to use private messages in the forum, though The Conductor must be included.

Unfortunately, Discord access will not be available like originally promised. Without 2FA, Discord sends an e-mail to us notifying us of a new login whenever someone tries to login. They will be unable to login until we manually verify them, and the e-mail will contain both the IP and fairly accurate location of anyone who tries to login. We understand that some of you are not comfortable sharing that information, so we will unfortunately not be able to use Discord accounts. We are investigating alternatives.

Also note that the names of the accounts have been randomly assigned. The character/person they are based off is not in any way indicative of their alignment. Just because someone has a name of a villain does not necessarily imply that they are mafia..

The game will start when everyone has confirmed. No actions can be used yet, nor may votes be cast.

--- END OF NOTICE ---​

It was going to be a long ride, they thought. At least it would be peaceful.

That night, the peace would be shattered.

(+10 points for mentioning everyone, I hope)
 
The Conductor

The Conductor

Peon
Mod
Jan 9, 2019
37
28
Roles have been distributed. Please confirm you can log into your accounts. If you are having issues, remember to include and punctuation and spaces in your name.

Post in this thread to confirm. No actions may be executed this night. Consider this the warm up.

Also remember: Don't post your main forum name on here ever.
 
Montalbano

Montalbano

Minr Mafia
Jan 19, 2019
17
4
Thank you, dear Conductor.

I am to ask about whether we can change our profile pictures. I attempted such feat but was unable to do as such. I think it would be helpful to distinguish the many fellow passengers in more aspects than just names.
 
The Conductor

The Conductor

Peon
Mod
Jan 9, 2019
37
28
A little reminder, you are NOT allowed to ask anyone for their identity, nor are you allowed to ask someone if X is their account.
 
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