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1Some parts of this guide I wrote on an old community that I used to play on for another game, and I've recently added some new parts. Credits to the people that helped me on this ages ago, because it wasn't just me. I hope you enjoy!
2
3Table of Contents
41.0 - Introduction
52.0 - What Is The Russian Mafia?
62.1 - Solntsevskaya Brotherhood
72.2 - Potato Bag Gang
83.0 - The Structure
93.1 - The Four Groups
103.2 - Vor, A Title, Not Position
113.3 - Overview
124.0 - Activities
134.1 - How To Appropriately Roleplay Activities
145.0 - Your Life Story, In Ink
155.1 - Examples Of Russian Criminal Tattoos
165.2 - Faking Your Tattoos
176.0 - Roleplay Help & Suggestions, Choosing A Name
186.1 - Appearance
196.2 - Speaking / Typing
206.3 - Emotions & Personality
211.0
22
23The objective and intention of this guide is to inform you on what the Russian Mafia / Bratva is really like. This will include a write up in detail of what the general structure of the organisation is, what each position is called and what their jobs and goals are. This will give you a better understanding of the Russian Mafia's activities and tradition, and hopefully further improve your roleplay. I will include a Contents page below so you may easily traverse this page and skip the sections that you either know about or do not need to know, but I recommend reading them just in case there's something that you have not read about or seen, yet. This guide will go through the process of basic and complex information, tattoos, life-style and then eventually character creation. There will be various links included to help with each section in case you're in need of further information or would just like to see where I have gathered the information from, although most of it is from memory of either myself or my friends / fellow roleplayers.
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25If you think this guide is missing any vital roles, sections or you just have some information that you believe may be helpful or are requesting something that you cannot see here then please, by all means post below or drop a PM.
26What is the Russian Mafia?
27
282.0
29
30The Russian Mafia is a collection of Russian criminals across the world in loose association with one another. Containing mostly of former Russian military or criminals who left Russia for other countries , the Russian Mafia started appearing after the collapse of the Soviet Union and in a short period of time have made their presence in the United States known. While the Russian Mafia exists on a worldwide scale operating every kind of racket from caviar smuggling to the illegal selling of nuclear technology to rouge states, the Russian Mafia in America though not as powerful as the international Russian Mafia, dominate the rackets in their respective territories. There is no governing body for the Russian Mafia but the families and gangs often work together. Solntsevkaya Bratva (the strongest Russian Mob) is considered to be the most dangerous criminal organization in the world, though their membership is small compared to most Chinese Triads and Japanese Yakuza's they remain just as powerful and may bring in just as much money. The Russian Mafia remains the dominant criminal organization in Russia, and one of the strongest in America and other countries. Today the Russian Mafia is without a doubt one of the strongest criminal organizations in the world.
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32Organised crime began to spread and increase rapidly in Russia at the time of the Tsars, but that was nothing compared to what was to follow. It wasn't until the Soviet era that the Vory v Zakone or Thieves in Law began to emerge, thrive and rise as leaders of prison groups and gangs throughout the gulags spread across Russia. They defined their own honor code within the gulags which they followed to the letter. After the death of Joseph Stalin more and more gangs emerged and flourished exploiting the unstable governments of the former Republics, and at its highest point, even controlling as much as two-thirds of the Russian economy. In the mid 1990s the Russian Mafia posed one of the biggest threats to the United States.
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34There is a variety in the "types" of organisations that people call the "Russian Mafia" but each are similar yet very different in their own ways. For example, the Solntsevskaya Bratva a.k.a the Solntsevskaya Brotherhood, founded and led by Sergei Mikhailov in the 1980s. The organisation started as a simple gang of young men which rapidly and steadily grew into one of the most influential Russian Mafia's of all time. The gang recruited local unemployed, aggressive young men as foot soldiers and also made use of thief in law Dzhemal Khachidze to enhance their reputation among established criminals. The Solntsevo District was also strategically located near the M-KAT highway leading to Ukraine, as well as the Domodedovo International Airport. Controlling these transport hubs allowed the Solntsevo group to muscle in on the car import business.
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36The gang was at one point linked to criminal mastermind Semion Mogilevich, through whom they laundered money. But a 1995 party at a Prague hotel, attended by Mikhailov as well as Uzbek drug trafficker Gafur Rakhimov, was raided by Czech police who received information that they were planning to kill Mogilevich there following a dispute. Mogilevich himself was nowhere to be found, having received advance information about both group's intentions.
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38The next organisation that I am going to write about is known simply as the "Potato Bag Gang". The earliest known case of Russian crime in the area of Brighton Beach "Little Odessa" was in the mid-1970s by the Potato Bag Gang, a group of con artists disguised as merchants that told customers that they were selling antique gold rubles for cheap, but in fact, gave them bags of potatoes when bought in thousands. By 1983, the head of Russian organized crime in Brighton Beach was Evsei Agron. The Potato Bag Gang were considered a valuable and dangerous form of Russian Mafia, although they did not follow most of the laws that the preceding organisations did, or the same structure. The Potato Bag Gang grew in numbers yet managed to stay under the radar, even until today. Little is known about them which is why they are still considered one of the most vigilant organisations.
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40Comparing the two together you can notice how different each and every Russian Mafia organisation is. You can see how the Russian Mafia comes in a variety of formats and contributes to crime in unique ways, just like any Mafia.
41The Structure
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433.0
44
45Please Note: All these positions are not always official titles, but rather understood names for roles that the individual performs.
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47Pakhan - is the Boss or Krestnii Otets "Godfather" and controls everything. The Pakhan controls four criminal cells in the working unit through a trusted person called a "Brigadier." The Pakhan is rarely seen in public, and generally only speaks to the three most trusted men below him within the organisation. (This is providing that there is only one Brigadier). The Pahkan has two spies of which watch over the actions of the brigadier's to make sure that they are loyal and that none of them become too powerful or are seen as a threat to the Pakhan. These two spies are known as the Sovietnik, also known as the "Councilor" (Support Group) and the Obshchak, also known as the "Bookmaker" (Security Group).
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49Sovietnik - "Councilor", is the adviser and the closest, most trusted individual known to the Pakhan.
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51Obshchak - "Bookmaker", collects all money from Brigadier's and bribes the government officials to ensure there are no problems.
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53Brigadier – also known as Avtorityet ("Authority"), is like the captain or Caporegime in the Italian Mafia, he is in charge of a small group of men. He gives out jobs to Shestyorka's and his left and right men, the Boyevik and the Krysha. He runs a crew which is called a Brigade. A Brigade is made up of 5-6 men. The Brigadier is generally in-charge of a legitimate business of which is to be used as a "front" for their criminal activities. This business may not be legally owned by the Brigadier, it may be owned by one of the men below him, but this means that he simply manages the business and ensures no trouble occurs by the use of the men at his disposal.
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55Shestyorka - is an "associate" to the organization. they are also called the "sixth". A Shestyorka is an errand boy for the organization and is the lowest rank in the Russian Mafia. The sixthes are assigned to some Avtorityets or Brigadiers for support. They also provide an intelligence for the information needed on a certain target. They usually stay out of the main actions, although there might be exceptions, depending on circumstances. During the time where they gather information, known as a "Dielo", Shestyorkas perform security functions such as keeping watch and looking out for any trouble or people who may interfere, this job is known as the "Shooker" which means danger. Shestyorkas are usually young males up to 24 years of age (approximately) and are Vory in training, so to speak. It is a temporary position and an individual either making it into the Vor-world or being cast aside. As they are earning their respect and trust in the Bratva, they may be performing roles of the regular Boyeviks or Byki depending on the necessities and patronage of their Brigadier or Avtorityet. There are a variety in the types of Shestyorka's, they are as follows:
56Boyevik - literally means "warrior", a Boyevik works for a Brigadier but also has a special criminal activity to run, this is similar to the Italian Mafia's "soldiers". A Boyevik is also in charge of finding new guys and paying tribute up to his Brigadier. The Boyevik are also the main strike force of a brigade.
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58Kryshas - literally translates into "roof" or "cover". These are extremely violent "enforcers" as well as cunning individuals. Such an enforcer is often employed to protect a business from other criminal organizations by any means necessary, but also do this away from the watchful eye of the public to ensure that no rumors arise about the business owners.
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60Torpedo – translates roughly into "Contract killer", these men are in-charge of the removal of individuals that displease the Brigadier. This could be for a variety of reasons, they may not be pulling their weight, they may have disrespected someone they should not have or they may just not be trusted. A torpedo must ensure that no links are found between the murder victim or the Brigade. This generally means removal of fingertips, toes and other body parts leading to identification.
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62Byki - literally translates into "bulls", these are the bodyguards of the Brigade. They will ensure that all of the people within the Brigade are safe, if they are under threat. These are generally trusted men of the Brigadier.
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64The Four Groups
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663.1
67
68These are the four groups in which the Russian mafia is made of:
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70Elite group – led by a Pakhan who is involved in management, organization and ideology. This is the highest group controls both support group and security group.
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72Security group – is led by one of the spies. His job is to make sure the organization keeps running and also keeps the peace between the organizations and other criminal groups and also paying off the right people. This group works with the Elite group and is equal in power with the Support groups. The Security group is in charge of security and in intelligence.
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74Support group - is also led by one of the spies. His job is to watch over the working unit whilst collecting the money, but also supervising their criminal actives. This group works with the elite group and is equal in power with the Security group. They plan a specific crime for a specialized group or choose who carries out the operation.
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76Working Unit – There are Brigadiers (generally four of them) running a criminal activity in the working unit. Each Brigade is controlled by a Brigadier. This is the lowest group working with only the Support group. The group is involved in burglars, thieves, prostitution, extortion, street gangs and other crimes leading up to murder and trafficking.
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783.2
79In the Russian Mafia to become a "Vor" (plural form: Vory) (a Thief) is an honorary title meaning to become a "made man". The honor of becoming a Vor is only given when the recruit show’s considerable leadership skills, personal ability, intellect and charisma. The Pakhan or another high ranking member of an organization can decided if the recruit will receive such title. When you become a member amongst the Vor-world you have accept the code Vor v Zakone or Thief in Law. They are then given their final trial and later their tattoos. Note: The term "Vor" is often mistaken for a position, it is not, it is simply a title.
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81Overview
82
833.4
84The Bratva (literally translating into the Brotherhood), or so called Russian Mafia has a fairly unorganized structure. There are only a few groups which are organized, but most of the other groups stays unorganized. There's the leader who is called Pakhan (the Father), he has all the power and is in charge of everything. Pakhan questions everybody and no one questions his authority. Putting the Pakhan's word in question constitutes an automatic dispel out of the organization in the best case scenario which also can lead to the termination of the individual in the most brutal of ways. Most of the regulations are based on certain understandings, traditions, and, of course, are not documented. One has to be cultured in the environment to learn all the understandings and traditions of certain criminal groups which vary in inconsiderable degree.
85Beside Pakhan there is also a Councilor, called Sovietnik, which gives advices. Sovietniks are the most close and trusted individuals of Pakhan. Then the next rank is the Obshchak, which is a so called bookmaker in the Russian mafia, collects all money and bribes the government. The next rank is a Avtorityet (Authority) / Brigadier, each Brigadier has earned his place, by proving himself to every other criminal, they usually have a lot of Shestyorka's working under them as well. The inner circle mainly consists of the Pakhan, Sovietnik, Obschak and all the Avtorityets, a shestyorka is not included in the inner circle, as they are lower class criminals in the hierarchy of the Bratva.
86Activities Within The Mafia
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884.0
89
90The Russian Mafia aren't exactly much different from any other criminal organisation, they do what they can to make as much money as they can. Throughout the years the Russian Mafia have been known or assumed to run various crime rings throughout the United States of America. These include activities such as:
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92Fraud
93Racketeering
94Extortion
95Drug Trafficking
96Weapons Trafficking
97Extortion
98Loan Sharking
99Gambling
100Murder
101Human Trafficking
102Money Laundering
103Bribery
104Robbery
105Bootlegging
106Pornography
107Prostitution
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109How To Appropriately Roleplay These Activities
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1114.1
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113All of the criminal activities above can be roleplayed in-game providing that you know what you are doing, there's no shame in looking something up if you don't know what it is. It's pretty straight forward, take extortion for example. Someone opens up a store where you operate? You tax them. Simply walk in and explain why they need protecting in the first place, verbally. If they don't agree, you smash up the store a little bit, but not so much that it puts them out of business. Hit them around, rule with fear to ensure they always pay up on time. Or, if you're more of a pacifist just try to put your silver tongue to work, talk it through with them, out buy who ever is currently protecting them. They are charging the owner five hundred a week? You charge four hundred, it's all profit.
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115A few other examples could be loan sharking. See someone down on their luck? Lend them a few dollars and explain to them how much they need to pay back, plus interest. Give a dead-line that you both agree on and if they don't pay up. "Show" them why they need to.
116Your Life Story, In Ink
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1185.0
119
120Members of the Russian mafia tell their whole life story through the tattoos that they posses. Every single tattoo has a specific meaning, whether you are marked for death, or marked for glory. The tattoo itself is not the only way of defining what it means, the location of the tattoo is also an important factor. There are different tattoos for both men and women, here is a small portion of them I have added together into a list, with their meanings:
121Epaulette - Mark of distinction for some merit.
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123Virgin Mary - Wearer has been a thief/criminal from their early days or protection from some misfortune.
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125Bear - Medvezhatnik - Professional safe cracker. Medvezhatnik from word Mevded. Medved in Russian is Bear. In russian argo Medved is Safe.
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127Theatrical Masks - Before prison and after prison.
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129LHVS - Legavim Huy Voram Soboda - To trashcops the dick, to thieves freedom.
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131Beetle - Symbolizes a pickpocket. The acronym ZhUK (literally “beetle”) stands for Zhelayu Udachnykh Krazh (“May your theft be a success”). Tattooed on hands, as well as other parts of the body.
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133Churches - The number of dome towers (cupolas) indicates either number of prison terms or number of years of the sentence.
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135Tiger - Aggression towards police officers.
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137Spider within a Web - Can indicate a drug addiction. It can also mean that the wearer is a thief. If the spider is shown moving upwards it means the wearer is still an active criminal, if the spider is moving downwards it means that the wearer is intending to leave the thief’s way of life.
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139Sailing Ship - Guest-thief.
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141Setting Sun - This tattoo is usually accompanied by birds flying over the horizon. It represents freedom.
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143Cat - Symbolizes luck and caution, and the acronym KOT-Korennoy Obitatel Turmi(literally “cat”) stands for Native Prison Inhabitant. The cat is also the symbol of a pickpocket. At one time, a bow tie was forcibly added to the picture of the cat’s head on pickpockets who had broken the thieves’ code and sided with the cops or prison authorities. Now, however, cats with bow ties have become common, and there is no stigma attached to the bow tie.
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145Cat With Keys - Home Invader.
146
147Crucifix - Criminal avtoriyet.
148
149Eyes on the upper/middle torso they literally mean that the wearer is keeping their eyes open.
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151Eyes on lower backside (one per cheek) - That is to show that the prisoner is used for sexual gratification. This occasionally has a face drawn around it, it serves purely comical reasons.
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153Stars on knees - It means you bow to no authority. (authority in this case meaning officials, police etc. Not their superiors within the mafia)
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155Stars on chest - This symbolizes the individuals status within the Russian Mafia, meaning that the wearer is a Vor v Zakone.
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157Stalin and Lenin - Considered sacred, so inmates would tattoo the faces over their hearts and vital organs so guards would not hit or shoot them in that spot of the body. Nowadays these tattoos are rarely used. ( Lenin is symbol of vor. Lenin is The leader of the October Revolution - Vozhd Oktiabrskoy Revolucii - VOR. )
158
159Swastika/Nazi symbols - Are a sign of rebellion against Russian prison authority. Doesn't literally mean that the wearer is a Nazi sympathiser.
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161Runes - One who does not confess, also tattooed as sign of rebellion to authority, again not usually associated with the Nazi symbol.
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163SS - Sovranil Sovest' - Preserved the conscience.
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165SER - Svoboda Eto Ray - Freedom Is Paradise. SER in english is Sir.
166Bells - Literally signifies that the wearer will serve his full given sentence, from “bell call to bell call”.
167
168BARDAK - This is the name given to a tattoo which is usually a combination of things such as knifes, women, drugs, alcohol etc in a compressed bunch. "This is what is killing us."
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170Bat - Night thief.
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172Bull - Means cruelty and rage. Prisioners with this tattoo are bulls and fighters (who make the physical execution on the orders of the vor v zakone).
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174MIR - In russian is peace or world but here MIR mean Menia Ispravit Rasstrel - Execution will reform me.
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176Knife in shackles - Committed a crime in places of deprivation of liberty.
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178A monk writing in a book with a quill pen is a “scribe,” a criminal who is dexterous with a razor, knife, or a sharpened coin. Often, a pickpocket who is extremely skillful at surreptitiously slitting open pockets, handbags, etc.
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180In russian argot quill is knife,write is cut.
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182Rose - Ruined youth.
183
184Manacles/bandles - One manacle represents 5 years of prison.
185
186Crosshair - This person is to be killed, but don't miss. If the shooter misses, then they are to be killed.
187On the right breast the abbreviation Zoloto(Gold) - Zapomni, Odnazhdi Liudi Ostaviat Tebia Odnogo - "Remember, one day people will leave you alone."
188There are far too many to note them all down, but that's a good handful of them. If you cannot find the meaning to a tattoo you have found and would like information, feel free to PM me and I'll try my best.
189Remember, this can also be a great roleplay opportunity for your character since receiving your tattoos is a big part in a Russian criminal's life. You can go out and prove to yourself and to your betters that you deserve to be noticed, that you deserve your tattoos. Steal a few things from a rival business, take up a contract on a someone and pull it off, stand up against the police, everything that is stated above and more. This is the part of roleplaying among the Russian Mafia that is rewarding, you get noticed for your accomplishments and you can show those around you those accomplishments by the story that is on your body.
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191Faking Your Tattoos
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1935.2
194
195Throughout the most active years of the Russian Mafia there have been various occasions where people have tattooed themselves with the tattoos that are associated with the organisation and the Vory v Zakone, this led to a period of time where it was hard to tell if someone was truly who they say there are. This led to those who had no proof of their origins, the people who gave them the tattoos or those who were unsure of what they meant were either executed or had the tattoos removed. They removed the tattoos in a variety of ways, one of the most popular and painful techniques of removal involved tying the victim down to a chair, filling a container with acid then covering the tattoo area of the skin with the container. This allowed the acid to soak into the skin and eat it's way through the ink, causing permanent scarring and intense pain. The victim would then be sprayed with a hose and cast aside.
196Choosing A Name
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1986.0
199
200Now that you understand the Russian Mafia and the details, it's time to create your character. Choosing a name for your character, in my opinion, is one of the hardest things to do when roleplaying. Especially when there are so, so many to choose from. Below I have noted down a few good and trustworthy websites that have names for both males and females. But remember, you don't just have to be Russian to be an Eastern European. The Russian Mafia has made exceptions in the past to allow Serbians, Yugoslavians, Ukrainians and many more Eastern's into their ranks.
201
202The next thing you need is a surname, that's pretty straight forwards if you're a male character, you see one you like? Use it. It's not so simple for the females in the roleplay though, but I'll go over that soon.
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204Now, I previously stated that it's slightly more complicated for the females in the roleplay, that's correct but only slightly. Females have their own variation of certain surnames, for example. If a males surname was Serebriakov then the female variation of that surname would be Serebriakova, notice the added "a". Here is a very simple way of explaining it:
205Traditional Russian surnames ended with "ov" for males and "ova" for females, it's tradition. A family name will have a stem and an ending. For instance, Pavel Serebriakov's last name has the stem "Serebriak" and the ending "ov". Any female in his family (wife, mother, daughter, whatever) would have the name "Serebriakova" because you would add the feminine ending "-ova" onto the stem "Serebriak".
206
207Appearance
208
2096.1
210
211This section is best read after you have decided the basis of your character. Please remember that just because you are roleplaying an Eastern European you do not have to be a steriod grown, pale skinned, vodka chugging tank. Eastern European's, just like everybody else, come in all shapes, sizes and colours so use your imagination. Instead of being the brawn, why not be the brains?
212
213The same goes for how your character dresses. Russians, just like any other person wear all sorts of clothing, they really aren't that far in the past that they all wear combat trousers, boots and winter jackets. Try to find a look that suits how you want your character to be seen, if you're roleplaying the well of guy with a decent car and a house, go for a nice shirt and a pair of jeans, or even a suit instead of that old grubby tracksuit. Also, since this roleplay is primarily based around the United States of America, I doubt you'd find so many Russian branded clothes that you'd have a wardrobe full of them - unless you're fresh off the boat.
214
215P.S. Russians have summer too.
216
217Speaking and Phrases
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2196.2
220
221
222One of the most common things done by people roleplaying Eastern Europeans is that they speak some actual Russian words or phrases. For example instead of saying "Hello" to your friend you may greet them with "Privet", instead of saying "How are you?" you could simply say "Kak dela?". Learning these small and simple phrases may just enhance your experience, keep you immersed or even show people that you're willing to learn new things to get ahead. Just remember, don't go overboard and use long complicated sentenced, chances are the poor sap on the other end doesn't speak Russian and will not understand a thing you are saying. So, be nice and either PM to them the English translation or use "(Russian):" / "[Russian]:" then write your sentence in English, it saves a lot of time and un-needed hassle.
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224It may be even less complicated than that, maybe you just want to roleplay someone who cannot speak fluent English or just simply cannot pronounce the words. You can always change/edit the word to sound like you are speaking with an accent. For example, "Fuck" could be "Fack" showing your character still has that "fresh-off-the-boat" accent. Some other words include changes such as:"What" into "Vhat", "There" into "Zhere", "Something" into "Sam'thing" dropping the "e" for an "'" to show the mis-pronunciation. You can always use your imagination here to come up with new word changes.
225
226Emotions And Personality
227
2286.3
229
230The next thing I'd like to go over is your characters emotion and reactions to certain situations. Now, the вор в законе or Vor V Zakone (Theif in Law) has a set of rules, one of which states that you are not to show any emotion. Now, as far as many others and myself are concerned, this is pointless. It is impossible to not show any emotion because you are roleplaying a human and are (hopefully) one in real life. Showing emotion to things and reacting to situations is a vital step in roleplay and the development of your character. For example, your brigadier see's that your best friend isn't pulling his weight. He shoots him in plain sight of you, then asks you to dispose of the corpse. You're obviously going to show some sign of emotion, whether it be anger, grief, regret or even plain sadness, you just watched your best friend die, it's inevitable.
231This also implies when in other less hostile and obvious places, like the restaurant or bar. Your character has a personality, their emotions are a big factor in their personality so show them, even if very subtly. Laugh at a joke, frown at a comment or even just look away at something that disgusts you.
232
233Your emotions can even generate roleplay for you themselves, you hit it off with a nice girl and find yourself falling in-love with her. You don't want anyone finding out because it's an easy way to get to you. From here you have two roleplay choices, you can attempt to hide your love from the public eye and your fellow mobsters and meet up in secret. Or, you can go the route of the heartless bastard and try to let her down easy without anyone finding out or causing a dramatic scene.
234
235Another fine example of this is if you are asked to carry out a hit on either a stranger, an enemy or a fellow comrade. You could feel sorry for them and simply tell them to skip town in order to spare them of their lives and you of your conscience. After, simply tell your boss that they are 6ft under a pile of dirt. Remember, the gun is always the last option.