I've amended the PvP and Flagging rules to include a special section about thievery. Just for clarity, I use the term "thievery" to describe taking in-play treasure, as opposed to "stealing," which is taking out-of-play property and explicitly against the code of conduct. Please let me know if there are any ambiguous cases this doesn't address.
Thievery
The following special rules apply to thievery of in-play treasure.
- Searching another character takes time. Per the Search assumed action, searching a character takes as long as it takes for the searched character to hand over his or her props and tags.
- The player holding the prop possesses the item. If a piece of treasure has a prop, that prop represents the item and its treasure tag acts similarly to a character sheet. Thus, if someone is in possession of a prop but not its tag, that tag must be forfeited to the person holding the prop. If an item does not have a prop, the treasure tag itself represents the item.
- Flagged characters may not store treasure in out-of-play locations unless they are also out of play. This includes the Dragon's Den, kitchen, bathhouses, and cabins.
- Non-flagged characters may be searched for restorative items used on their behalf. For example, it is permissible to search any dying character for a Tonic, provided that it is then used to heal that character.
- Props for stolen treasure must be returned at the end of the event. Regardless of in-play possession, props are property that belongs to a person out of play and must be returned to that person when play ends. The new owner of the item is required to provide an appropriate prop the next time it is used in play.
Nick and I have discussed the prop issue. If a game admin is involved (owner or plot), I don't see a problem with the prop going back to its owner and the tag becoming the item, even to the point of not taking it off in the first place. Until somebody official is involved, however, the prop itself has to be treated as the item to avoid he said/she said scenarios (e.g., you kill me, loot me, I agree that the tags in your hand represent my treasure so I don't have to take off my props, then I go to plot claiming that I have the props so I have the items).
The rules on searching state that the person being searched removes the items. I'd rather not have players groping one another to take off armor. If the person tries to take your sheet but not the props, the rules are clear: If the item has a prop, the person holding the prop is in possession of the item. Yes, if you want to take someone's gear, you have to haul it around until you figure out something to do with it. There's an intentional realism to this that I feel fits for PvP.
I'll have to consider the summer armor rule issue. I'm not a fan of special exceptions. I'm sure I'd immediately get people asking about exceptions for non-armor equipment such as cloaks. I'll let you know when I come up with a good answer. In the mean time, if it's a concern, you can always put the tag in your stash and leave your armor home.
I think quite a few players will be faced with the predicament of "what do I do with my armor when I don't want to wear it during the heat of the day?" as Scott mentioned, or "what do I do when I have too much to carry?" For example, if someone were to obtain a full set of armor, or weapons, and they already have their own to carry. Is there any other temporary storage option other than hiding them in the woods?
In game/ roleplaying-wise, most players have residences where they would logically store items that exceed their carrying capacity. For instance, the Brotherhood has the Tower. Right now, the only location that dually exists in role-play and physically on-site is the Shady Corner. I think a nice way to solve the carrying-capacity problem would be to have a physical representation of some of the other role-playing establishments / forum locations. In addition, I'm sure such establishments would have some kind of security system, whether it be a Djinn or some rudimentary lock, that would create interesting obstacles and add more immersion should an intruder want to enter.
Personally, as a non-flagged player, I would love to have some of the forum locations come to physical existance for rp purposes. Just an idea =)
I believe a good compromise here for the summer armor rules question would be to allow the item and tag to remain in the persons cabin, as cabins are out of play areas. This solves the problem of whether I can get the item as it is in an out of play area, and it also solves a mess clutter issue in out of play areas. If monstering, we could dictate one of the side rooms for players' gear so that you dont have to go all the way back to your cabin to stash your stuff while you are monstering. Just a thought.....
The rest of it I think is straighforward and pretty clear. Armor, as most of it is pretty expensive in game and out, should be harder to snag off of someone than a potion in a pocket afterall...
Might I suggest that props acquired through "thievery" be given to plot instead? I don't mind so much if someone takes my items, but small things like rings, necklaces, and other incidentals (latex weapons, slightly more expensive props) I would like to have back AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so they don't get lost or ruined.
In regards to items with tags having precidence - does someone have to physically take my armor off me in order to get the tag? Being dead I know that I can't argue too much with it and I should at least assist in removal of the objects they're looking for. But what happens if they grab my treasure sheet, but never try to take off my armor/boots/etc etc? They have the tag, but I have the physreps that correspond to it still
Also, what happens for armor wearers during summer armor rules if we're PvP? Do we just have to leave it in front of our cabins for anyone who's flagged to grab? If I can't store it in an out of play area if I'm in play, or I opt not to wear a piece that I have a tag for on a mod because I don't want to (armor gets heavy and players get tired), does it mean this piece of treasure is vulnerable to theft because its impossible for me to "safely store it away with the rest of my stuff"? Or do I just need to do a very out of character thing like hide it in a dufflebag and cover it with leaves where its even less safe?