This week I met with SenatorQ, the current boss of This Ain’t Farmville, in up state New York at his lovely poultry farm. I met him near his barn with the sun beaming down down upon us. We discussed doing the interview outside as it was such a lovely day but we could barely hear each other over the sound of all the chickens running around, so using our better judgement we went inside his farmhouse and sat at his large family size kitchen table. He offered me something to eat (all egg or chicken based meals of course) and I took him up on the offer. After we had finished eating I asked if we could get down to the interview. He sat back in his chair and let out a sigh. I guessed he just wanted to chat more than have a set list of questions, it seemed like he was a man that liked things easier and more relaxed. I made an assumption that a simple farmer would give me simple answers and I’d be out of there quick. How wrong I was...
Set Questions
Q-Who are the main names in the crew? Like bosses and council members.
A- Times, Jynx, SenatorQ are leading this crew, but anyone who was with us at the start of this round is an important name in the crew.
Q-How long have you and the other owners/founders of the crew know each other?
A- I've known Times since the start of round 8, when he joined my crew back then and Jynx since later in round 8, when I joined TAFV.
Q-Have you had any other crews owned and run by the same group of people but under a different name? If so, why the name change?
A- Not really.
TAFV was originally founded by Inkypits (Nontroversy), Times and Rennic. When Rennic wanted to be demoted to regular member, Jynx joined the management. When Inky became less active and eventually left bootleggers, I got asked to join the Bosses.
I was boss of Gustin Gang, together with Nanaimoite and Carstairs, who are both members of TAFV. Times and Inky were members of that crew. So, same people but different management and different founders.
Q-What round did you first establish this crew?
A- I think they founded the crew in January 2015, towards the end of round 8.
Q-Where does your crew name come from?
A- When people complained on the forums about getting shot, there were certain people answering with: "Go play Farmville" or "This Ain't Farmville, this is bootleggers."
Funny thing is: we're not the hardcore shooters who say such a thing. We actually play bootleggers a bit like Farmville. Peacefully building our farm and gathering resources.
Q-What's your crew greatest achievement this round or others?
A- We're still on the stats.
Q-Are you recruiting? If so what do you look for in people
A- We're not actively looking for people, but if the right candidates present themselves, they can join. We prefer candidates who know someone in the crew, either from real life or for a long time on bootleggers (like a whole round).
Most of us are part time players who can play only limited hours due to jobs and family. Ranking takes longer for us than for the average player. We need to stay alive longer than the average player to achieve the same things.
New candidates need to adhere to that strategy of staying alive for as long as possible and they need to accept that their crew members are not the most active players.
Q-What tips would you give someone who are looking at crews to decide on which one to join?
A- Think about what you want to achieve in the game. Decide on how you want to play it. Then look for a crew that allows you to play the way you've set out for yourself.
Talk to regular members of crews to know what they're about, and not just the recruiters and the bosses.
Q-What bits of information or tips would you give to the people out there that want to start their own crew?
A- Think about what you want to achieve with the crew. Look for a few friends who want to achieve the same thing. If everyone in a crew wants something else, it will eventually rip apart.
Q-What's your stance on the alliance war?
A- In round 8, Aldo from The Syndicate used this crew to hide in, and he shot from this crew. At the same time, he kept us from being shot by DI, EH and his own friends in TS. The bosses of TAFV knew this.
When it was clear that Aldo wouldn't stay with TAFV when round 9 started, the bosses decided to bring the crew back as a neutral, peaceful crew. We got rid of any other suspicious members at the end of last round, so we are left with a group of people we fully trust.
We've made it clear to both sides of the war that we want to stay out of the war. We won't help them, but we won't help their enemies either. The play style and activity of the members of this crew does not match well with going to war.
So far, both parties have respected our wish to be left out of it.
Specific Question
Q-You have been around as long as The Vanguard and have had many chances to be a Crew and/or Family. Why do you stay as a Gang?
A- We don't need the extra features a crew has to offer, yet others are willing to shoot for those spots. When the dust settles in the war, there might be a spot available that no-one wants and then we'll take it.
So it's a strategic choice, but we're also bad at keeping our influence high enough to upgrade. This is because of the crew's reduced activity.
Q-Why did you take the rule as boss of This Ain’t Farmville instead of bringing back Gustin Gang?
A- Gustin Gang is in the past. We made different strategic choices with Gustin Gang. Instead of helping neither side, we helped both sides of the war. That turned out to be a bad choice.
And I didn't take rule of TAFV. I was asked by the bosses to help them out. I am just the most active of the 3 of us, because I have the least demanding job. That's why I hold the crew.
I don't think anyone on the crew wants to return the name of Gustin Gang or what it stood for.
Q-So you were involved in the alliance war but managed to get out. How did you convince the crews still involved in the war that you were now neutral? Do you still have to look over your shoulder?
A- New round, new start. We know people on both sides of the war. We're very open in our communication with those people. We've never betrayed those people, so they trust us when we say we won't help the enemy. Or at least I think they do. Maybe they want to shoot us but haven't gotten around to shooting this low priority target.
In bootleggers, everyone has to look over their shoulder. It's the nature of the game. You get shot eventually. The way you act can postpone it a bit, or accelerate it, but eventually you got it coming.
The best thing you can do is prepare yourself, so you can get back on your feet faster.
SenatorQ said
And with that one of his dogs started barking outside. As he shot up and looked out the window I heard him snarl ‘Foxes’ under his breath. He picked up his double barrelled shotgun that was leaning against the door frame, kicked open the door and bid me farewell. I was left sitting there with my notebook full with his very eloquent and detailed responses to the questions I posed to him. If I have learnt one thing from todays meeting it is this: never judge a book by its cover, or in this case never judge a farmer by his chickens.
Next week I will be hopefully be meeting A_Wax the current boss of the only other Family at the moment, Menace II Society.
