How can I be a proper burglar?

[Apollodorus]

Now, before I get into this, I would like to say that I've already read the Thief's Bible a few times, so I know the fundamentals of being a burglar in a RP environment.

I'm sorta confused. I made my character to be a burglar/thief, but I seem to never have any real opportunities to do any stealing. How am I suppose to swipe things from a shop when the owner's always there? How am I suppose to hop through a window or scale a wall if the same guard never moves? I've played probably an hour of just roaming the streets and casing places, and I've yet to see a real opportunity to steal anything. It just seems awfully difficult to commit burglary if people are posted up in the same spot no matter what, regardless of time of day or the weather.

Is there something I'm missing here?

[Lizzie]

If you try to get past some of those guards, you'll get an OOC message that you *might* be able to get past him if you sneak, or run. If you're sneaking codedly, and succeed, assume that you were being all casual, lingering nearby, and snuck in when he was looking the other way, or snuck in with a group of VNPCs that were also going in, etc. etc. If you fail, your attempt will simply be blocked. Bear in mind, that ICly - once you fail, the guard is more likely to be on the lookout for your next attempt if it's too soon after the last attempt.

This applies only to some of the guards. Other guards have keys to estate gates and you just flat out can't get past that guard until/unless he unlocks the gate for you.

In addition, going past the guard is sometimes only one of multiple options of getting in. Remember, when walking around the city, to LOOK UP once in awhile

[Jihelu]

General stealing things involves the following:
Follow someone into their room and jack their stuff that way, whether stealing the key on the way out or just killing them.
Break into someones house with a lockpick.
Rob people on the streets.
Etc etc.


Actually breaking into someones house isn't really possibly without a lock pick or some good sneak skills.


I wouldn't recommend stealing from a shop, at all.

[Riev]

Some "thieving" opportunities may require assistance from a storyteller (read: stealing from a coded shop, attempting a bank heist, etc). 'Steal'ing can be done with most "light" items, and the code will tell you if its too heavy for you to even attempt.

Stealing from rooms, you'll need to find a way not just past the guard, but into the room itself, and may (as Jihelu mentioned) require other skills or items to get in.

Burglars and pickpockets/thieves are super fun, but be wary. While theft and murder DO happen in society, PCs think less of someone being murdered as they do something being stolen. This is not meant as a "don't trust the players" but know that if you steal from someone, they will follow you until their death to get that spicebox back. So don't get caught, sell it somewhere they won't check, find a fence, etc.

In short: Be a burglar, and make it so that burglary is the ONLY way you know to eat, and make decisions that will allow you to continue eating.

[Desertman]

How am I suppose to swipe things from a shop when the owner's always there?

Codedly the items you see in the shopkeeper's list aren't actually "there". They aren't sitting in the shop in a box, basically. So, you can't break into the shop codedly and steal his good from his shelves the way you are thinking. You could however get some staff support to let you roleplay holding up/robbing a shop and if successful get some items for it after the fact. I recall this was done to a Kadian shop years ago and it worked.


How am I suppose to hop through a window or scale a wall if the same guard never moves?

There are actually walls/windows/doors/trapdoors you can utilize for exactly this purpose to get into places. Many of them actually. Keep looking.


I've played probably an hour of just roaming the streets and casing places, and I've yet to see a real opportunity to steal anything.

Theft is hard right up until it isn't. Basically, in the very beginning it is not easy to be a thief. However, once you become a good burglar/thief you will literally be forced to leave loot behind because you can't really realistically take it all.

It just seems awfully difficult to commit burglary if people are posted up in the same spot no matter what, regardless of time of day or the weather.

Sneak and Hide are your friend. See the helpfiles for Sneak and Hide. You can bypass guards.

Is there something I'm missing here?

Not really. You are just a new PC with a limited skillset. Give it some time. Most of all be patient and don't get killed doing something "not smart". Right now it seems hard. At 15 days played you will be super surprised at how good you really are at your craft.

Lastly, lockpicks. You are going to want to acquire some lockpicks to practice picking locks in the beginning. Look around in the right places in game where you think shady sorts who can get you access to these tools might be, or ask the right people subtly, and you should be able to get some "tools".

[Malken]

How can I be a proper burglar?

Play at 3 am when everyone else is asleep.

[solera]

Find a day job, eg bagging poop, working for a House, joining the Byn or His Arm, scavenging in the 'Rinth if you are a Rinther.