Boat stealing

[Helmaroc]

I would probably steal it, but that's just because most of my chars are just crazy. Or reclusive, either way. But if you have a character planned as a nice, honest person, it would be unrealistic and even on the verge of mean. But it's your char, your decision.

[saztronic]

I've been in this situation many times. I don't think it depends on how good your character is, it depends on 1) how steadfast (loyal) your character is, and 2) how constant his/her personality is.

The only time one of my characters took advantage of such a situation was when a very young one -- early twenties -- who thought he was good and everything, but really was open to whatever experiences came his way. So he succumbed to the temptation and decided spur of the moment to run away and be a pirate instead of a good guy. Lots of teenagers would have done the same.

I have another charrie now, though, who was given control of a very cool ship only a year or two after spawning. But I had this conception of him as 100% proper, the perfect servant/employee, with never a second's doubt of acting any way other than honorably and professionally. Which is just what he did.

So as with all such questions, you're the only one who knows who you're playing, so you're the only one who can answer.

[Seeker]

I wouldn't say it's out of character to steal the boat, after all, characters should develop over time and have more of a personality to them then simply being "good", and it often annoys me when I hear someone complaining about another player doing something that they believe is out of character (I'd go as far to say that an honest character doing a dishonest deed successfully is far better role playing then a dishonest character doing a dishonest deed). No one is really that simple, and anyone in real life who considers themselves to be a good person would be tempted by such a situation. I think it's more a question as to whether the temptation is simply too much for your character and, if so, how he or she will behave after giving in to it. For example, if he considered himself a good person before, he might steal the boat and regret his actions, which could lead to a number of possibilities (eg. doing good things to clear his conscience, doing anti social things while sinking into depression, or even turning himself in), or he might try to justify his actions and continue to live life normally, only a little more insecure then he was before. If he doesn't seem the sort to regret his actions, then perhaps he might feel like he's made the right decision, but due to his actions he'll now be distrustful of others.

[psymann]

Does seem to depend on the character of your character.

I've had a couple of characters that would have run off with the boat - because they'd run off with pretty much anything that wasn't tied down and they thought they could get away with.

I also take into consideration whether in real life, the boat would have been better secured.

For example, in Cantr, you can't tie the boat up more securely; you can't take the front wheel off a motorbike to make sure it can't be driven; you can't do anything that stops it taking only a split-second to steal the vehicle. But in real-life, if you were really keen to protect your vehicle, you might do something like this. Similarly, if you were stood nearby, and noticed someone starting the engine or getting on board and untying the ropes and lifting the anchor, you'd run after them and try to stop them. So to a certain extent, if I consider that the boat would have been more difficult to steal under those circumstances, I'm less likely to steal it, because that fits better with the roleplay of the thing. But if you're a member of the crew, left with the keys to guard it, and no-one else in the town checking up on you, then it would be pretty simple to steal it, saying to anyone who looked concerned that you'd been asked to pop off to collect some wood or something. In those circumstances, it boils down only to your character's conscience. And only you can know that.

In comparison, resources left lying around to steal are almost always because the person didn't bother to pick them up or lock them away, so I don't have a problem with resources being picked up pretty much instantly and run off with.

[genner]

Good people do bad things somtimes.