What would you like to see in Cantr...

[mortaine]

*rolls eyes*

OK, consider the following scenario:

Someone goes into four different unlocked buildings in town. In any building where someone is present, they take nothing. In the other buildings, who knows?

Someone else goes into the buildings that were vacant, comes out and says "Hey! Stop! You took stuff!" and the town reacts by locking this person up.

This person claims he's not a thief, that he didn't take anything, and that the missing potatoes/sand/iron were all missing when he got there.

Who's going to believe him? Who would dare defend him?

[Nixit]

Well, I guess... but someone did know because they physically saw them take something... or that's what they claim. But that's the same in real life too, a witness is a pretty strong piece of evidence.

[mortaine]

No, no. The "witness" in this case is going in after the accused has left the building. Now, they might claim that they were in there before and everything was there, but they'd have to prove that nobody else had gone in there in the meantime, and very few people keep records of what items were randomly strewn around in what buildings.

I'm just saying, it's not a clear-cut case. And yet the accused will probably be put to death for it.

And that's the other thing-- the only penalty I ever see for the guilty is death or banishment (which is basically "death but we didn't catch you in time). You see a man steal 500 grams of carrots and run away, he gets killed (if they catch up to him). You see a man steal 5000 grams of iron and run away, he gets killed.

It's like nobody is creative enough to think of alternative punishments.

[nitefyre]

No, no. The "witness" in this case is going in after the accused has left the building. Now, they might claim that they were in there before and everything was there, but they'd have to prove that nobody else had gone in there in the meantime, and very few people keep records of what items were randomly strewn around in what buildings.

I'm just saying, it's not a clear-cut case. And yet the accused will probably be put to death for it.

And that's the other thing-- the only penalty I ever see for the guilty is death or banishment (which is basically "death but we didn't catch you in time). You see a man steal 500 grams of carrots and run away, he gets killed (if they catch up to him). You see a man steal 5000 grams of iron and run away, he gets killed.

It's like nobody is creative enough to think of alternative punishments.

I don't see why you're complaining. Many towns offer alternatives if you turn around/get dragged away for a timed punishment. Also other ways to prove one is guilty is simply be doing a weight test, or keeping track how much is stored in the building.

[Nixit]

Oh, I see. I must've misread it. Sorry. Yes, I understand now. And actually, most crimes I've seen result in just going to prison, they may get hurt first in order to get them to return, or they might die because they refused to return... but I've never seen someone suffer punishment of death like that. I killed two people and only got two years in prison.

[Blackdeath]

how do you do a weight test?

[nitefyre]

CD Requested Edit:
THe weight test is a novel idea, but they believe that you should be able to figure it out IC.

[Revanael]

Thanks, Nitefyre. I'd never heard of/seen the idea IC myself, and I think it should be kept to those who managed to work out the idea.

(PD, if you disagree, discuss it in the CD forums )

[Missy]

I played a judge for a while and I saw a perfect opportunity to play a great lawyer, it was just too bad that it was because of my ooc knowledge *sigh.* I could have really made a case for reasons as to why Purple Tortoise should have lived. Instead I got tell her she'd die.

[Cookie]

I got another one. K Island gets made into a maximum security prison!

[mortaine]

K Island = penal colony?

Could be an amusing idea....

[I've never been to K Island, so have no idea if it's suitable as such....]

[Lumin]

I'd like to see a more developed judicial system in general. People get killed all the time for the pettiest little crimes. And if they're not killed they're dragged into prison and left to rot. It's like once they're out of sight everybody forgets about them. I've never once seen a trial for a person accused of a crime; usually the sheriff or whatever will just attack them, ask anyone awake to help, and then drag them to prison where they can be killed at their leisure. Very few people even question the practice at all.

Half the time I don't blame thieves for refusing to turn around, because there's no telling what will happen to them if they do...of course I can't always blame their pursuers for killing them, because when you -do- capture someone they tend to fall asleep and you have to wait until they starve to get whatever they stole back.

All I know is that there's only one town I can think of where I'd allow my character to be arrested. In most other places I know of there's no guarantee they'd survive if they surrendered.

If there were clearly laid out punishments for different offenses, punishments a character could actually live through, I mean, with a chance of going about a normal life afterwards, then I think we'd see less indiscriminate slaughter and less people just writing their characters off for dead when they're caught. Honestly, I think interacting with a prisoner or even being a prisoner could make for interesting roleplay, if more people would bother to do so.

[nitefyre]

I'd like to see a more developed judicial system in general. People get killed all the time for the pettiest little crimes. And if they're not killed they're dragged into prison and left to rot. It's like once they're out of sight everybody forgets about them. I've never once seen a trial for a person accused of a crime; usually the sheriff or whatever will just attack them, ask anyone awake to help, and then drag them to prison where they can be killed at their leisure. Very few people even question the practice at all.

Half the time I don't blame thieves for refusing to turn around, because there's no telling what will happen to them if they do...of course I can't always blame their pursuers for killing them, because when you -do- capture someone they tend to fall asleep and you have to wait until they starve to get whatever they stole back.

All I know is that there's only one town I can think of where I'd allow my character to be arrested. In most other places I know of there's no guarantee they'd survive if they surrendered.

If there were clearly laid out punishments for different offenses, punishments a character could actually live through, I mean, with a chance of going about a normal life afterwards, then I think we'd see less indiscriminate slaughter and less people just writing their characters off for dead when they're caught. Honestly, I think interacting with a prisoner or even being a prisoner could make for interesting roleplay, if more people would bother to do so.

Likewise, I would spend more time with a prisoner if he was worth a listen to. For example, my character stayed inside to talk to Draco as we decided his fate. However, for the most part, most thieves are not worth busying myself to (nor do most of my characters attend to thieves, either).

[Thomcat]

I think imprisoned characters are being abandoned, possibly for good reason (few like to role-play a prisoner). And since the game allows you to create new characters, there's not even a reason to try.

If a player were limited to one character, then I think more roleplay would happen around crimes, etc.

Either that or some sort of "voting" scheme --- when a character steals, other characters (players) can vote against them being allowed to have a new character. Of course, that would open a much larger can of worms...

No easy solutions here!

[Cookie]

K Island = penal colony?

Could be an amusing idea....

[I've never been to K Island, so have no idea if it's suitable as such....]

Not unless anyone knows a smaller island. To be more realistic though a proper prison would be good. With multiple cells, and inmates and security guards etc. Much better than a room with a lock on it!