News 2 15 - Trackable Thief-only items

NEWS article 2-15:

Dateline 5/17/2010: TRACKABLE THIEF-ONLY ITEMS

IC: Rumors abound of a new commercial enterprise stemming from the ruins of Throne City: a new merchant who sells goods to a very select clientele. Word has spread that these items are intended to remain in the hands of the worthy, and any outsider possessing one or more articles will certainly encounter trouble from the underground.

OOC: With the opening of GuildFest 2010 comes the release of King Fade's Back Alley Bazaar: a new shop exclusively for members of the Thieves' Guild. All weapons sold by this merchant are strictly intended to be used by guildmates only. Any non-Thief who chooses to interact with these items will almost certainly face confrontation and possibly violent consequences from other players.

The following is an in-depth explanation of the rules and policies regarding these specific, Thief-only weapons. However, the concept can be summed up very simply for non-Thieves: if you don't want to get hurt, don't play with fire.

The overarching rule: ANYONE who maintains possession of a Fade weapon, regardless of guild or profile stance, is at risk for PVP repercussions. You are a target as long as you hold onto these specific items, though decidedly less so as a guilded Thief. Therefore, if you wish to use Fade weapons in any way, it is HIGHLY recommended that you change your profile's PVP stance to GUARDED or OPEN.

The ultimate goal of the Fade items is to allow containment and tracking to remain solely in the players' hands. This includes policing of non-Thieves by various techniques, not the least of which can include verbal and physical confrontation in either a single scenario or repeated conflicts over time. The bottom line is if a non-Thief does not want to be harassed, whatever the capacity, she should not ever be in possession of one of the Fade items.

Thieves are encouraged to use verbal means to obtain contraband whenever possible, at least at the start. It is preferable that guild members use a logical escalation of tactics in order to reclaim a weapon from a non-Thief. While this is not mandatory, it reinforces the roleplay aspects of the scenario rather than just straight up killing people.

Ample warning is provided to the non-Thief (through in-game messaging when handling an item and OOC information, such as this article) regarding the potential consequences. Frankly, you will be hit over the head with messaging, and this is intentional so that no one can claim ignorance. Any time a non-Thief comes in possession of a Fade weapon, she also is declaring the fact that she is willing to accept any and all consequences that may come from her actions. We do recognize the potential for abuse, so there are various mechanics that alert the non-Thief to the illicit item in her possession in case she inadvertently obtained it.

Thieves will also have a way of detecting the items in the possession of other players, both fellow Thieves and non-Thieves alike, through a new facet of the MARK verb -- MARK ITEM. Upon successfully finding a non-Thief with a Fade weapon, the Thief must wait 7 MINUTES before taking any physical course of action. The reason for this is to ensure that players who are new, oblivious, or victims of trickery/deception are not being punished for accepting or possessing an item without being properly aware of the danger. If a weapon-carrying person is attacked before the 7 minutes is up, the Thief could potentially be at risk for a policy violation.

In order to not "out" anyone, Thieves will only be able to discover if a player has one of the weapons via MARK ITEM, no other information about the target. Thieves should keep in mind that the main focus should be non-Thieves, not fellow guildmates. No one is required to "out" oneself if confronted about possession of a Fade weapon. However, at the same time, if loyalties are to be kept secret, then the weapon owner understands he still is at risk for potentially violent confrontation.

Thieves who deliberately distribute Fade items to non-Thieves will also be at risk for punishment for betrayal, whether from the Guild itself or its members.

Traders are considered responsible for any Fade weapon placed on their tables or auction blocks regardless of who actually "owns" the item.

NO REFUNDS will be offered to non-Thieves who purchase a Fade weapon by mistake or without knowing the consequences. Caveat emptor.

Thieves are free to confiscate weapons from non-Thieves if they wish as opposed to just forcing the target to dispose of the item. Thieves are also allowed to keep any weapon retrieved from a non-Thief. However, if the non-Thief wishes the item back, normal theft policies apply. Thieves will always have the upper hand, however, due to the exclusivity of the items.

Despite all of the precautions developed, there is still the possibility for abuse of the system. Therefore, the GM Staff reserves the right to intervene in a conflict at any time and for any reason in order to make a judgment on how things are to proceed.

In summation, it will be repeated again -- If any of the above information is unsettling to you or is something you disagree with, simply do not involve yourself. Be conscientious of the items you purchase and possess, and you should not run into trouble if you do not wish to participate.