Assassin's Creed 2 Q&A: What you need to know about the factions and the crowd

For Assassin's Creed the developers added three factions: The thiefs, mercenaries and the courtesans. You will meet their leaders thoughout the game. They also added a new notoriety system. Your actions in the city will impact your notoriety: break the law too many times and you will become "wanted" in the city. More through the link.