Hi community.
I decided to make a guide about roleplaying a Serbian mobster and how to do it properly. Keep in mind that the information in this thread is from basic re-search and might or might not be true.
One of the organized crime groups (that I know about) that existed in the 90's in Serbia is Zemunski klan. It got formed in Belgrade, in the area called Zemun, so they called themselves Zemunski klan because of the area they came from. The neighborhood used to be something important to people like that in Belgrade and they were usually forming their crime groups together with people from the same neighborhood.
That's the highest ranked mobsters from Zemunski klan in Paris. The two leaders of the group were Dusan Spasojevic (nickname: Duca) and Mile Lukovic (nickname: Kum).
They started with small criminal tasks such as car theft and selling drugs, but within time they became way more powerful. After a while, they began doing bigger criminal activities and actions such as robberies, bank robberies, big drug dealing, weapon and human trafficking and other types of criminal activities. In 2003, the police managed to take them down.
The modern mob groups in Serbia are probably somewhat similar to 'Zemunski klan' and others. They want money, power and everything that comes with it, having it all easy in life.
- Serbian criminals do want to show off with their money, cars, houses etc and their power. I've never read of a Serbian criminal who liked to "lay low" with his belongings and drive some old car, if they own the newest BMW etc. It's important, the money, the fast cars, the big houses, the beautiful girls etc.
- Females can become a part of the business within the crime organization as long as they aren't their close relatives or girlfriends. As long as she brings in money and connections, she's more than welcome.
- When it comes to the Serbian mob mentality I'll explain few things that are quire important.
- Tradition plays an important role in a Serbian criminal's life as well. Many of them have shown that they are proud of their homeland and would mention it in many conversations.
- Everyday life is simple. They like to drink Rakija, go to barbeques and other events with their mob friends when it's time for relaxation. They won't exclude their family and girlfriends from this type of relaxation, because it's important to them. Of course, this is not only mob mentality, but as this guide is about the mob side, that's why I solely mention the mob.
Serbians also like to feel like at home anywhere they are, be it Serbia, another European country, USA or any other place. So, it doesn't make much difference whether they live in Serbia or somewhere outside, many of them would still keep to their ways of life. The common mistake of "oh but they would behave differently in Los Santos or San Fierro" is not true. They would start from the bottom just like they started in Serbia. It's not like they can freely do their criminal activities in Serbia neither.
Some videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnRLoPy39qY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgm9CyaqmrI
Some phrases:
Cao - Hi
Sta ima? - What's up?
Kako si? - How are you?
Kako je? - How is it going?
Brate - Brother
Dovidjenja - Bye
Vidimo se - See you
Ajde - Come on
Dobro - Okay
Your character
It's best to create your character and just roleplay at all times. You shouldn't create a Serbian mob character just for the purpose of joining a Serbian organized crime faction, because when you start off by yourself and show your potential IC as well as your roleplay skills to the faction that you're trying to join, they will notice you quicker. However, you can approach them right away as well, after finding out about them via IC ways. You can go to the factions forum and choose a faction that you like the most and then approach them on their street, business etc. It's up to you whether you want to roleplay a legal citizen in San Fierro, or an illegal immigrant, but always remember to have a well-formed background story and develop your character from then on. Make sure to have realistic reasons as to why you've moved from Serbia to San Fierro. Some of these reasons can be a bad financial situation, escaping some depts from back in Serbia or simply trying to start fresh on another continent.
If you have any questions regarding this guide, don't hesitate to ask me in the comments or via a private message. Thank you for reading! :)