When i read the rules, i would like to point out, that they were already obeyed even before they were written down in every single incident i can think of.
Also, i only let chars of players join the guard, which i consider good roleplayers, which is, of course, nothing but an opinion, but we do our best. This is especially necessary, as many people are just identifying with their chars too much, when it comes to IG conflicts.
I would also like to say, why the key was necessary in the first place, at least from my point of view. Because the roleplay of the arresting scenes became nothing but ridiculous.
I wont write down the names, but there were people, who didnt want to leave the town, no matter how often you killed them, shoving orgies for more than 45 minutes, invincible ors, who are able to break the grip of three men, people "hiding" in the building "shadows", yelling and casting all around, searched criminals that chat on the marketplace, dead people, who come back from the cross and simply continue their conversation, ignoring even their own death, the regular visit of people playing the smartass for hours on the other side of the river and finally the infamous "#me disapears(logging out)". They werent only ridiculous, if one tries to imagine, how the scene would really look like, but also annyoing to play. In many cases for both sides.
Critizism/suggestions:
The usual twice a day visit from an outlaw on the other side of the river can be easily solved ig i guess. Claiming the land as Troll´s Bane´s territory or build and additional wall.
I think it would be good to add an additional rule, considering how to roleplay, if people try to hold another char and how and when to use the shoving function. Not all of us are mages and im sick of invincible halflings that break the grip of a man, two times his size and orcs that keep on shoving away three men, that try to grab him, but are just too clumsy.(or the orc is slippery, i dont know) This leads back to Keikan´s point of "logical roleplay" and people, who seem to think their chars are gifted with superhuman strenght and agility. A technical mesure like using a rope with the other char, to restrict his movement and/or fighting ability would be appreciated, but i guess that would be difficult to make. (perhaps considering the "tied" char as overencumbered, so he cant escape easily.)
For the other problem, there is already a rule. Logging while the char is being arrested is a breach of the rule, not to use OOC means to evade IG drawbacks. But i would like to mention, that i do not consider it good RP when a hunted criminal walks out of the screen and logs, when there would be no way to run.
To your comments:
"Sneaking" inside the town, while no char is online, who could jail you, is also doubtful from my point of view. The theory of invisible guards is of course doubtful too, but i think noone can expect from us to stay online 24 hours a day, so that every outlaw has the chance of roleplaying his tresspassing.
Because this will result a more realistic jailing, chance for guards to actually have to think about how to catch criminals, a chance for criminals to actually get away, and overall more possibilities for better roleplay on both sides.
Of course it is not realistic to be "teleported"into prison/arrested by invisible guards, but if you really want to make it realistic, then invent a technical measure for all i have written above, about the examples of very poor roleplay. (besides i only teleported people that are far away from me, when either OOC means were used, or who did not give us a possibility to react, when they "break our grip" and immidiatelly run away, counting on the fact, that it needs some seconds to write a #me attacks or whatever)
If people would roleplay fairly, there would be no need for the key. I think there are some players, who can verify, that the more they roleplayed, the less i had to use the jailing function. (if we werent too lazy to walk all the way to the prison, i admit
) And there were many people , who got away, because Hagen was too tired, to follow the people, he sent to the cross, or because he was tricked outfoxed or whatever. Unlike some criminals, he is not invincible, just experienced in his job, so that you have to be inventive, of how evading punishment. (And once and for all. People, who run around in town, wearing a mask ARE strange enough to be questioned!)
If it were very realistic, there would be no need for it either.
Give me a way to hold other chars, to tie them, to chop of their hands, if they stole, to let their skills reduce while in prison because of malnutrition, diseases and an unhealthy atmosphere, delete every account of a char, that i beheaded and enough players to let two of them stand at the gate the whole day and check the pictures of the known criminals and i would gladly give away any OOC mean to jail other chars. But i guess that wouldnt make you happy either.
And finnaly i want to express a wish of mine
:
Dont overdo it. Tresspassing every third day is not realistic. Yelling every day over the river is simply annoying. Attacking the other side every day, is no roleplay, but boring. Especially if one scene resembles the other and comes repeatedly.
Learn, when you have lost. This is a game and there is no need to get upset, whatever happens to your char. Stay calm and do not open a new thread everytime your char "lost". I did not whine on the board everytime, when the situation was not in our favour and i see no point in doing so. There are drawbacks for criminals in this game and this is, as it should be like. Why should a criminal walk easily in a town and haggle with the shop owner? He would need to find someone, who does this secretly. But this problem, like almost every other, can be solved by IG means. But this needs initiative from your side and is not the problem of the game or your fellow players. The outlaws got a depot on their own, thanks to a fellow player of their enemies, which i consider rather strange. Instead of whining OOC, IG ideas are much more appropriate.