Surviving a Raid - tips and hints

[nauta]

Raiders like to remain anonymous, the best way to do that is to make sure people don't see their main description. If a raider says don't look at me, and someone looks at them, the best way for a raider to maintain anonymity is to kill that person so they can't tell their story about how they got raided (accompanied with a description of the raider.)

You know, I was thinking about this in relation to the mdesc-masking gear topic.  I agree with JG that to the new player, this is very bizarre meta behaviour, that only makes sense once you walk someone through the steps like Molten Heart did. 

At base, the problem is an OOC one: if everyone played by the 'rules' -- and so victims didn't report the exact mdesc of the raider even if the raider is all bundled up with facewraps, etc. -- then this wouldn't be the case.  But a lot of new players don't know these 'rules' -- they aren't listed anywhere, although they strike old players as common sense.  I think everyone agrees that this is the basic problem, and the solution put forward is to kill people that look (in the absence of mdesc-masking gear).  But what if we had another solution (no-code), namely:

Place at the end of your tdesc the following line (something like):

ooc: Please note that this character has his/her mdesc completely masked, and so your character would not know what they look like, and be unable to report anything more than the kind of cloak, gender, and size to authorities.

(Or something like that.)

It's a no-code solution: a gentle reminder to players to play nice with raiders, because we all love them so much.

[Asmoth]

Raiders like to remain anonymous, the best way to do that is to make sure people don't see their main description. If a raider says don't look at me, and someone looks at them, the best way for a raider to maintain anonymity is to kill that person so they can't tell their story about how they got raided (accompanied with a description of the raider.)

Until there is a way to hide mdescs, there is no way besides killing them to stop a guy from going to a Templar or whatever and going.

He looks like, pasted description, but I couldn't see anything else...

[Fujikoma]

Sadly, you can't trust players to NOT out your raider, maybe most times they don't, but it's safest just NOT to look.

[JackGibbons]

Raiders like to remain anonymous, the best way to do that is to make sure people don't see their main description. If a raider says don't look at me, and someone looks at them, the best way for a raider to maintain anonymity is to kill that person so they can't tell their story about how they got raided (accompanied with a description of the raider.)

Hmm, thanks for the replies guys. I'm specifically thinking about the case when they haven't told you 'don't look at me' yet, but you just have that habit of instinctively looking at people as they arrive (how else can you tell if they're armed, for example?). If you don't even look once, they might be holding you up with...no weapon at all, right? Maybe you can somehow work it into your emotes or at worst pop an OOC that you can't actually see the mdesc and just need salient features like - are they armed? - with what? or if you're just straight up curious and look (glancing over warily) when people pop into your room unannounced.

I'd hate for that to be a death sentence because other people can't handle attire masking.

[Delirium]

assess -v will tell you if they are armed, but I agree that the way things stand currently is not ideal. It's just the best compromise we have right now.

[JackGibbons]

Hmm, alright then. Good to know. I will try to train myself not to codedly look but instead to purely emote looking over warily (with verbiage that hopefully is distinct enough from coded look + emote) when there's any concern that someone popping into my room might be a raider, in order to avoid sending us down this road. I've lost a lot of PCs to stupid OOC lessons. Glad I found this thread before sacrificing another now that I've managed to make it to longer days played.

[whitt]

So instead, without looking, you get.

Militia: "What did this person raiding you look like."

Raidee: "I don't know"

Militia: "They searched your entire pack, took all your coin, and your beetle and the best you can give me is a dark cloak?

Raidee: "Umm..."

Militia: "You say they were armed?"

Raidee: "Oh!  Yes!  They were.  Definitely!"

Militia: "With What?"

Raidee: "Ummm... Don't Know".

Militia: "You don't know.  Were you conscious during this?  Or did you just close your eyes the whole time until they wayed you to open them?"

Raidee: "Ummm..."

Militia: "You know what?  I'm raiding you.  Right now."

Raidee: (covering eyes and bending over) "Well ok, but I already looked at you..."

*beep*

If you can't trust the player populace?  Don't play a raider.

If someone reports a raider to you?  Filter their information for them.  Per the above...

Militia: "What did this person raiding you look like."

Raidee: "pasted mdesc"

Militia: "So... this person was hooded, with a wrap over their face and you know for a fact that they're a buck-toothed breed?"

Raidee: "Ummm..."

Militia: "Why are you trying to frame this buck-toothed breed?"

[Molten Heart]

If you can't trust the player populace?  Don't play a raider.

You can't trust anyone, don't play a raider. Or just kill people who may threaten the existence of your character, it's a harsh gritty world.

[Asmoth]

One of the worst things to happen while playing a raider.

A foreign presence contacts you.

Kill guy, ding.

Your buddy telepathically sends you, "Hey what's up man?"

Think Fuck...

[Delirium]

"Well, militia fellow sir, they were taller'n me, and a big bigger, and wore a dusty old red cloak, and I didn't get much a good look besides that, cause they was standing behind me, so I just ain't sure."

"Fair enough, I don't give a shit about what happens to commoner trash outside the city walls anyway."

[whitt]

"Fair enough, I don't give a shit about what happens to commoner trash outside the city walls anyway."

This is an even better response.  So it really doesn't matter if they looked or not.

[nauta]

While I agree the onus should be on veteran players in the AoD/Templarate to transform dishonest admissions into more honest admissions, as suggested, and also to not do a damn thing, as also suggested, I think that's only part of the problem.  I've seen first hand how packs of independents and friends will insta-way each other the description of that guy who attacked their friend.  (Or other things, e.g., hiding a gem around your neck in the tdesc but that being conveniently 'overlooked'.) So it doesn't solve the whole problem.  Moreover, sometimes the description is filtered through many different characters, and so eventually there's little even a 'good' recipient can do -- they don't know if that person saw them unmasked or not.  (Sometimes sure.)

The problem is that the problem here is one of distrust, and that bothers me that the solution that veterans have at present -- if you look at me, I will kill you -- assumes OOC mistrust, both of the victim and their friends.  (I think a lot of us would actually trust the AoD/Templar to RP appropriately.)

Frankly, it's not an ideal solution at all.

Moreover, it's jarring: I'm someone who looks because it informs my RP and interaction with you.  I look all the time, and bristle when someone will take a blank look as some sort of ogle.  I'd be furious if a raider took a look as an invitation to kill when, in the scene, my character is looking at them.

I honestly hope that there aren't very many that do the 'look-at-me-I-kill-you' thing.  Fortunately, every raid I've had has not had someone on the other end like that.

 

[Fujikoma]

Honestly, the AoD hires newbs and promotes faster than the Byn, so no, I don't trust them.

[Bushranger]

Soldiers chasing down and capturing raiders is an awesome adventure for the AoD. It happens so infrequently (PC-wise) that when it does occur they're all excited and eager to have some fun that they race out and do everything they can to catch these raiders and have their fun even if this one raider only stole a couple sacks of salt from this one independent salter.

Because the AoD react so swiftly and so eagerly to even minor raids it causes PC raiders to think twice about the dangers of raiding, come up with over-the top demands to try and maintain their anonymity and makes PC raiding rare. It's a vicious circle.

Be the change. Raid with abandon. Don't chase raiders!

[BadSkeelz]

I never chased a raider because they're probably twinks, magickers, or both. Also I didn't have hunt, ride, or direction sense.

[CodeMaster]

(Or other things, e.g., hiding a gem around your neck in the tdesc but that being conveniently 'overlooked'.)

I've done this before by accident.  I meant no malice

Random thought: it might be nice if closing a cloak hid things that were worn around your throat.  Even better, if you could close scarfs the way you can close cloaks, leaving gem-discovery up to a diceroll on peek.

[Asmoth]

(Or other things, e.g., hiding a gem around your neck in the tdesc but that being conveniently 'overlooked'.)

I've done this before by accident.  I meant no malice

Random thought: it might be nice if closing a cloak hid things that were worn around your throat.  Even better, if you could close scarfs the way you can close cloaks, leaving gem-discovery up to a diceroll on peek.

Yeah I've long thought there should be a way to hide the gem.

[RogueGunslinger]

I like being able to tell who's a magicker. If we couldn't it would cut back on the fear and hate by a substantial amount.

[Alesan]

I like being able to tell who's a magicker. If we couldn't it would cut back on the fear and hate by a substantial amount.

I always thought gemmed mages should be punished for trying to hide their gem.

[Asmoth]

I like being able to tell who's a magicker. If we couldn't it would cut back on the fear and hate by a substantial amount.

I always thought gemmed mages should be punished for trying to hide their gem.

If there was a way to do it, they should be.  But as of right now, there isn't.

[manipura]

The tricky thing with having your tdesc state something is that not everyone thoroughly reads descriptions, they just sort of skim.  So they aren't necessarily disregarding the fact that "This woman currently has a cloth scarf looped and twisted around her neck, obscuring any jewelry worn beneath it." they just aren't noticing it.  Or they're reacting to your equipment list before reading your description.  Like Codemaster said, more often than not I don't think it's malicious, just a mistake that's hard to backpedal from.

I love tdesc and make use of it all the time and I've had some very obvious things in it that have apparently gone unnoticed by people until it's pointed out to them.  Then they 'look person' again and it's sort of an awkward situation for a couple minutes while things are figured out.

The idea of a closed cloak hiding what's worn about your throat makes sense.  And closeable scarves is an interesting idea.

[Fujikoma]

When my breed got his neck near broken by a mul, he'd looked at the mul previously, but he and the mul had a friendly chat for a bit and it was only when he cracked a joke about beetles that suddenly the mul flew into a rage. Then tap-danced around my breed's unconscious body, slamming his mace into the salt near his head.

When my breed awoke and drug his ass back to town, his salting companion had already reported the raid to the militia, my breed was just grateful to be alive, I was such a newb. So anyway, pass out, no, private shakes his wounded-ass neck awake and demands details, I tried every excuse, hood up, facewrap, vicious bludgeoning... finally she started threatening him with bandages and I freaked. So, newb reaction, dropped a couple more details, didn't think they were that significant. Just go away and leave me be, Private. "Oh, we know just who that is! Carry on." "Fuuuuuuck."

[Inks]

My last raider told the people he was raiding his name. 

[Delirium]

I like being able to tell who's a magicker. If we couldn't it would cut back on the fear and hate by a substantial amount.

I always thought gemmed mages should be punished for trying to hide their gem.

They should be and are, if a templar or a soldier catches them doing it.

[Tisiphone]

The gem specifically mentions in its description that it's designed to be hard to hide with neckwear like a scarf. So no, I don't feel bad at all about noticing it even when you've tdesc'ed that it's hidden.