Jail sentences

[ohdannyboy]

Are Zalanthans ever sentenced to years in jail or is it always just for brief holding before corporal punishment? I realize PCs don't get longer jail sentences, but it could factor into backgrounds and such.

[BadSkeelz]

I severely doubt it. Historically, long-term imprisonment as punishment is only a recent development. Until the 18th and 19th centuries, corporal punishment is the norm. Nobles in the Middle Ages would be confined for purposes of ransom, but a thief would only be imprisoned until a judge could decide what to do with him. As Zalanthan resources are so scarce, no one is going to spend 'sid feeding, clothing, and watching some prisoner at length unless they're stupendously important. If you do something that warrants long term imprisonment, you'll probably just be made a slave and put to work in the mines or some such.

[Calavera]

The main OOC issue with sentencing people to lengthy stretches of jail time is that this is a game people play to interact with others. Shutting someone away in a jail cell room by themselves for any time longer than a few hours is pretty boring.

If we had the playerbase to support a prisoners 'clan' where people in jail would be guaranteed interaction and had stuff to do such as get into fights, murder each other, plan escapes, or what-have-you then it might be a different story. As things currently stand, staff aren't hugely keen on people spending longer than a few hours at a time in a jail cell unless arrested for something that absolutely requires a PC law-enforcer to deal with.

[Lizzie]

Since the OP asked about it factoring into backgrounds - I interpreted the question hypothetically...

would it make sense, given the game world's theme and environment and culture, for a PC to have spent his youth in jail for a myriad of offenses? Like, Randy Rinthrat grew up on the mean back alleys of Allanak, picking pockets from passersby whenever he'd venture out to the other half of the city. As such, he spent most of his time in jail, because he was a clumsy thief and untrained.

Would something like that be reasonable and possible, to put in a background, in the game world of Zalanthas? Or, would a rinth-rat never make it that far and be sent to the arena by the time he had his second offense? So a PC coming out of the Hall of Kings would - or would not - have this kind of background to explain what he's been up to, til this point.


I -think- that's the question behind the question. OP correct me if I"m misunderstanding.

[Narf]

Since the OP asked about it factoring into backgrounds - I interpreted the question hypothetically...

I've had a character that had a several year jail sentence in their background that was approved before, if that helps.

[Jenred]

Are Zalanthans ever sentenced to years in jail or is it always just for brief holding before corporal punishment? I realize PCs don't get longer jail sentences, but it could factor into backgrounds and such.

Yes.

But as someone already mentioned it would be tied to a more important character.
Perhaps a political prisoner, or leader of a warband, gang, or something else.
So you'd have to consider those things when writing your background too, and anything that would likely warrant having been imprisoned for years would be correlated to additional concepts that would require staff approval.

[Wug]

Yeah. If you want to make an app like that, shoot a request off to the Allanak/Tuluki Templarate first.

[Kismetic]

I think being in and out of jail is reasonable, as long as the same Templar doesn't catch you more than once, right?  Extended stay doesn't seem to fit with the theme of the world, though.

[BleakOne]

In Allanak I don't think they'd mind sending someone to the 'sid mines or something for a few years of forced labour. Tuluk might do something similar but less visible.

I'd go with the arguement that nobody wants to spend sid feeding and watering anyone, when a good whipping/mutilation/fine/humilation or such is so much more enjoyable for the Templar involved.

[Lutagar]

It's also possible a Templar would tell a jailed thief something along the lines of, "I want fifty percent of your profits from here on in." and offer semi-immunity from jail so long as the thief isn't doing anything that the afforementioned Templar can't turn a blind eye to. Semi as in you'd be spending alot of time in jail to wait to recieve a slap your wrist before being tossed back out into the street.

[X-D]

I'd get my next 3 PCs jailed in nak IF...

They made the Rinth jail, Seal it off totally, Make it no longer a starting point.

Be like Crematoria.

[Bushranger]

I'd get my next 3 PCs jailed in nak IF...

They made the Rinth jail, Seal it off totally, Make it no longer a starting point.

Be like Crematoria.

So would I. You can be bald X-D, my character will be called Snake.

[Twilight]

I think there is long term jail sentences, at least in Nak.  Its called slavery.

Before current policy, templars would occassionally sentence someone who committed a crime to lifetime or X amount of time of slavery.

[Molten Heart]

For player characters (as opposed to npcs and vnpcs), death or storage is preferred to a long isolated life of solo RP.  This sort of thing is fine for a background. 

This reminds me of two times I was captured and help prisoner.  Sitting around solo RPing hoping one of your captor's might show up can be trying (fortunately the torture and the adrenalin made up for it both times, even though I died trying to escape the second time.

[Incognito]

Prolonged jail sentences would be kinda acceptable, IF the jails could be broken into by outsiders, or, IF the people inside the jails could someone plot their own escapes.

Currently there are very severe limitations on both these options - I wont go into further IC details.

Nonetheless, it'd be cool to have something like this possible - and then have people who were perma-flagged WANTED in one city-state or another, or all of them too

One obvious solution of course is - allowing NPC jailers to be bribed - and allowing outsiders to visit jails (to pass over cash or jailbreaking equipment).

It'd help if the jails weren't physically located within the templar quarters as well - as they are in certain City-States.

Example:
bribe jailer 10
The allanaki guard slams your head into the door and says in Sirihish, "Stop wasting my time you scum"

bribe jailer 200
The allanaki guard looks around and then silently opens the gate to let you out. (success)

bribe jailer 200
The allanaki guard pockets your coin, but falls silent as a hooded blue-cloaked templar passes by. (fail)

bribe jailer 200
The allanaki guard just ignores you. (partial fail).

[chrisdcoulombe]

Wanted and Jail sentences are too long as it is.  There are not enough viable ways to bail out when there are no pc templarate or Aod Sergeants on.  There are ways to break in and out of jail, but probably aren't an option to those without the allies or the skills to do so.  I think the wanted or not wanted is really extreme as well. It would be cool if there were different levels of wanted.  Like certain guards recognize you or they roll for a chance they might recognize you, instead of five half-giant soldiers swarming you from across the city.    It seems like there are alot more guards than there used to be as well.  There is no prison society now, but there could be.  I am indifferent to it.  If it was implemented it could be fun, but I don't know that it is necessary.

[RogueGunslinger]

Prison for long-term stay really don't jive with my sense of the world. It could be fun, but I can't see it realistically happening within the established setting.

[Barzalene]

Wouldn't they ship you to the mines?

[Bogre]

Yeah, a prison camp or mine-location would be so much more playable than jails.

[Barzalene]

And more Zalanthans. Why waste water or food on criminals?

[Fujikoma]

Snarling, a scarred, massive obsidian-plated guard says, in asshole-accented sirihish:
    "You'll keep swingin' that glasshacker until I say stop, or ya die, whichever comes first!"

A scarred, massive, obsidian-plated guard cracks a bloodied terrifying obsidian-tipped whip with a wicked grin.

[Molten Heart]

And more Zalanthans. Why waste water or food on criminals?

Some jobs are just too risky and dangerous for slaves to do.  Like mining obsidian, warming up gladiators, feeding the poor (erdlu delight, it's made of people!)

[Barzalene]

And more Zalanthans. Why waste water or food on criminals?

Some jobs are just too risky and dangerous for slaves to do.  Like mining obsidian, warming up gladiators, feeding the poor (erdlu delight, it's made of people!)

Exactly. Makes more sense than letting the laze about the jas betting on the races

[James de Monet]

Wanted and Jail sentences are too long as it is.

What makes you say this?  There are plenty of ways to get un-wanted (turning yourself in to NPCs, or contacting a Templar being two of the obvious ones). And jail sentences differ in length depending upon the crime committed. So, if you're shanking people in broad daylight...yeah, you should probably expect to do some hard time. I need more frame of reference to make me not disagree with this. What would you prefer to see happen when you're committing serious crimes and getting caught?

[RogueGunslinger]

Yeah I'd say the jail times strike a good balance. Personally though I'd be for making them longer if it was acceptable that players could log out and still do their time.