Burglars, reminder

[SMuz]

Lol, it's as IC justifiable as it gets. Only thing keeping the character back is the conscience, and the very minor possibility of getting caught. Whether it's OOCly justifiable is the real question.

[jcljules]

By ICly justifiable I meant realistic. 

[SMuz]

Well, yeah, same thing. Like the thugs in the rinth who kill everyone in sight... it's more realistic to kill the PCs too. But out of OOC consideration, some of them don't.

Same here.. you can rob your neighbor bare, and if your character really is the selfish type who doesn't like his neighbor, he would. But you don't because it's just polite not to steal everything. And you're sort of worried of being called a twink and negative account notes and stuff.

In a sense, you're actually not roleplaying right in some cases

[AmandaGreathouse]

I've always shied away from neighbor theft. Is it at all ICly justifiable, in the opinions of you guys? I've always thought it was a little... cheap, kinda. Too risk free.

This. Cheap and shitty.

[X-D]

Cheap and shitty, yup, but realistic.

Most burglery/theft is performed by neighers, often stealing from people who have no more then they do. Ghetto is rampant that way...and most zalanthas is below ghetto.

[Krath]

Cheap and shitty, yup, but realistic.

Most burglery/theft is performed by neighers, often stealing from people who have no more then they do. Ghetto is rampant that way...and most zalanthas is below ghetto.

What XD said is Truth, regardless if you want to admit it or not.

[Lizzie]

Cheap and shitty, yup, but realistic.

Most burglery/theft is performed by neighers, often stealing from people who have no more then they do. Ghetto is rampant that way...and most zalanthas is below ghetto.

What XD said is Truth, regardless if you want to admit it or not.

Not true. We steal from neighbors who have MORE than we do! I mean they do. Not me. I don't steal from neighbors. Well except -that- neighbor. But he doesn't count. Everyone steals from him.

[Good Gortok]

Would you rob your neighbor if the apartment hallway was frequently occupied by other tenants and their kids running around all day? Would you wander into your neighbor's apartment if you didn't know that they were not online, and if you weren't aware of the fact that due to the time warp most PCs tend to disappear for up to an IC week at a time? Realistically, your neighbor would probably be home half the time, but relatively few players can log in every other hour around the clock to realistically portray the life cycles of their characters.

The question is not so much one of "would you steal from your neighbor" as it is "are you doing it in the same manner that you would if you had been a real person in Zalanthas", and there's a significant difference. Just because you can tell that the apartment was robbed and the owner hasn't logged in since doesn't mean it's free game. It's the same reason you shouldn't loot a PC corpse sitting at the feet of five NPC soldiers - maybe it's OOCly possible, maybe your character is the type who would loot a dead guy, but the game cannot account for what would realistically happen, and five soldiers would not cut down a criminal and then stand there for days looking into space, much less allow you to grabs his shit.

[SMuz]

Ah, how I hate the time warp. It so complicates things. Well, I don't think most Zalanthans (or their kids) would act upon seeing a neighbor steal from their neighbor's home. It's none of their business. If, IRL, I saw my neighbor's door open and some familiar person enter it and drag out a sofa, I'd be suspicious, but I wouldn't call the police. Especially if the police were trigger happy and enjoyed torturing people who waste their time.

I suppose the imms could report it if they catch you But under the same argument, burglars wouldn't be playable at all, there's always someone watching the place, so when would they be free to steal stuff?

[Potaje]

Couldn't one consider the time warp as say -Gone on Vaction- in RL. It they are gone for say a week in game, then how realistic is it that they are home, all the time, and who is to say that the time chosen by said burglar wasn't when they had to go to the market to say, refill the water barrel, skin, bucket needed to hold up in their place. Its such a hard line to draw, and what really is is that we all hate, I mean it really burns, when you get nicked or come home to find your placed turned up side down. Is it any worse to be hunting come home and find it or log in and find it. Worse is now you are not sure about eating and drinking the stuff that was in the place... Icks.

I find great enjoyment when A nicker gets nicked.

[Pale Horse]

In regards to the notion that it's somehow less than "realistic" (read:good roll-play) to rob a neighbor..Well, I can say that I for one would not do such a thing in RL.  If alignment were real I'd be lawful good, with the occasional spurt of neutral and chaotic neutral.

Then again, I've never been so desperate as to resort to theft to get by, and I've not grown up in an environment where that sort of thinking is common place and almost expected.  I have lived in such a place before and, yes, the robbing of apartments, often in plain sight, during daylight, was an all too regular thing to see.

You come up the stairs/elevator, turn down the long hall, see kids wandering around and a group of four or five men hanging out around an open apartment door.  Inside is a few more men, rummaging about.  You pass by and either don't make eye contact, turn down the hall in the opposite direction and blatantly shrug it off so as to not direct their attention to you, or, if you're in tight with that very group (read: you pay protection), a nod and a mumbled hello as you walk quickly past.

It's how I imagine Zalanthas to be.  Tenements/Apartment complexes are crowded.  People wander around.  There are miniature gangs or groups that look out for each other inside.  You do not mess with one nor draw attention to yourself if you're not part of one, or you make yourself valuable enough to everyone at large that no one will mess with you, for fear of drawing the ire of the rest of the groups around.

Kind of a long, round about way of putting it, but apartment robbing is probably a time-honored tradition in Allanak and Tuluk. 

[DustMight]

As a long ago teen-aged criminal, let me put in my 2 sids based on RL experiences:

1. Sometimes joe average burglar breaks in with no idea except he's going to steal something - no real plan.

2. The risk of getting caught is enough (and the excitement is high enough) that you take everything that catches your eye and that you can carry.  When we broke into a small store we didn't just take one brand of cigarettes - we took every damn carton and pack we could find.  We didn't just take the cash in the cash box, we took the spare change as well.  Any and everything we could carry and desired.

3. On more "professional" hits we did just take what we were looking for and went in knowning what we wanted, but even by then it wasn't always that way.

In game ideas - it would be cool if there was a tradition of a "burglar jar" in each apartment which could be, essentially, a bribe to any thief who picks the lock.  Take what's in the jar please, I recognize I am at your mercy and leave the rest.  If the bribe wasn't big enough, maybe the thieves would show this by taking stuff.

Gangs of theives might honor this tradition and take care of thieves that weren't following the rules by putting them out of business.

Just an idea middle of the night.

While I, too, find it frustrating to find my apartment stripped bare, burglars don't have very exciting lives. I agree with Synth that they should be mingled in with pickpockets - if not making the whole "alley" class of characters one big class so that there would be options.  Or better yet, make burglaring a subguild.  It doesn't really hold its own as a class. 

[IAmJacksOpinion]

Agreed with Dustmight. I once broke into a place, shuffled through a rack, and walked off with 2 dvds and a can of beer. A buddy of mine, once broke into an office building and stole the fire extinguisher. And these were all 'familiar' places to us.

However, I ain't gonna do that as a Zalanthan burglar. I'm here to gank your shit.

A burglar jar is a pretty good idea. But honestly, depending on the apartment, my burglar would just assume that the stone vase was just the tenant's life savings, and that the burglar jar was that big wooden dresser full of silk. 

In the end, what can you do? Answer: Get trap. Set out bogus flash powder bombs.

[Gunnerblaster]

I've said it once, and many others have said it before:

It's the Burglars who break in and nick a few valuables - It's your neighbors who clear you the hell out.

[shadeoux]

I've said it once, and many others have said it before:

It's the Burglars who break in and nick a few valuables - It's your neighbors who clear you the hell out.

THANK YOU!

This is why I usually know who does it, shit I like the pseudo burglars, oh looks there is an unlocked door lets see what I can get.
(I'm guilty of this too) then again I was in a position of power doing it

at least im not one of the few who understand this.

In game ideas - it would be cool if there was a tradition of a "burglar jar" in each apartment which could be, essentially, a bribe to any thief who picks the lock.  Take what's in the jar please, I recognize I am at your mercy and leave the rest.  If the bribe wasn't big enough, maybe the thieves would show this by taking stuff.

Gangs of theives might honor this tradition and take care of thieves that weren't following the rules by putting them out of business.

Just an idea middle of the night.

this is already implemented ICly I believe to some extent

[Riev]

Its been said before..


Burglars. Relock the doors when you're done. Then people may not notice missing things, and people may not come after you with a vendetta.

[elvenchipmunk]

Where's the fun if there's no vendetta.

[FantasyWriter]

Where's the fun if there's no vendetta.

Living long enough to become teh awesome.

[RRiplash]

I've often wondered, in thief-enabled MMO, whether it would work to have a chars 'home' (whatever that may be for a given game) codely locked out half an hour (real time) after the char loggs.
That way their 'home' could only be robbed while they are actually in game, or just after they log.

Otherwise, if you don't log in for a week you are pretty much guaranteed to have been robbed.

And it leaves no challenge for a burglar.  Without the challenge of robbing a place when the owner could come back at any time, what's the point?
Also makes it more likely that the burglar types will actually follow residents around to figure out their routine.  And that opens up a lot more fun RP opportunities, IMO.

If I'm playing a thiefy char, I like to have reasons to use the tricks of the trade.

[musashi]

Otherwise, if you don't log in for a week you are pretty much guaranteed to have been robbed.

If you don't log in for a week your apartment has probably been rented off to someone else. Along with whatever was inside it.

[HTX]

RRip: I can already see the argument of "but it'll screw over off-peak burglars over!" so I'll be the first one to say it.

I'd prefer coded risk: there should be a risk of crim-code kicking in etc.. Different quality locks, guards, whatever.

[Garrett6034]

In truth I used to play a long term successful buglar.   I survived not because I stole everything... I survived because back in the day when the staff had pc's roaming around with every single key to all the apartments.  I stole the keys!!!! Another time I robbed another apartment whom another family member left all the apartment keys to every apartment in their room.     Good old days..

I casually walked into aparment complex with smiles.  emoted waving at people. Becoming friends with the npc guard.   ( I was ballsy at that point)

Then..   I would casually flip though these keys, knock on the door ( yes people knock first!!!)  Then emot cracking the door open, look around.

Here is where I am a bit different that other thieves. I took my knowledge from when my old man used to be a cop.  What was not stolen by me ( I never stole the kitchen sink or a big chest)  I did however destroy everything, id take the time and show people I was there.   Would destroy objects and leave them there broken as if I was running though the entire apartment in a hurry. ( I was)  Searched for things, find the most valuable items then casually walk out the door, lock it. Carry my Swag out past the guard just smiling and waving.

If there was a guard inside and I thought I could take him.. I would.   If I seen some lonly npc children ( with a cracked door open emot) Id close it quickly wish all ( I am gonna try and kill these kids in here and take what I can)

Wait for a response, then look around, emot for a bit and do the deed. ( Yes I made sure to make sure the bodies were properly portrayed to show I was there.)


To be a thief, its not only about what you steal, its about how you steal and what you leave behind.  Be a bit realistic!!

For those thieves who are across the hallway.  Simply steal a chest now and then,  you are going across the hall. Someone asks you something, say it was a gift. Later kill the person who asked if you can. 

Its a bit more suspicious when they see you take the bed out, the table, the copper pot, and the curtains.   Atlest use the copper pot to dump its contents on the person who seen you do your stupid deed. 

Come on thieves, where are the old pleasantries?

[Qzzrbl]

Its a bit more suspicious when they see you take the bed out, the table, the copper pot, and the curtains.   Atlest use the copper pot to dump its contents on the person who seen you do your stupid deed. 

Suspicious or not.... I'd steal the fuck out of a copper pot.

Just sayin'.

[musashi]

Its a bit more suspicious when they see you take the bed out, the table, the copper pot, and the curtains.   Atlest use the copper pot to dump its contents on the person who seen you do your stupid deed. 

Suspicious or not.... I'd steal the fuck out of a copper pot.

Just sayin'.

LOL

[Dar]

stuff

Hehe. I once tried to put the burglarizing under control. Died too quickly though. Perhaps one of those days, I'll give it another try.