Is the policy of this game too procedural/onerous?

[Geras]

This is from the pandora's box of a post I made on Reddit. One poster complained that the cnote policies for conflict are onerous and are being weaponized by more established players. I realize that the point of these policies is to try to reduce the subjectivity in assessing if someone has bullshit OOC motives to do some IC bullshit, but I think in practice it just as moved things from sponaneous OOC bullshit to premeditated bullshit. The quality of the IC motives is what should matter (and help disposable heroes should be better enforced).

Thoughts?

[Taunya]

A lot of criminal stuff is a bit of a pain, which becomes a deterrent.
I think most of the pkill policy is in good shape, but maybe the thievery stuff can be relaxed a bit, and maybe automated. For example, lockpicking could leave signs automatically.
A crime logging mode could be another option. You can enter it when you do the deed, and it logs all your actions. Only thing to fill in then would any special precautions regarding vNPCs, and maybe the motive if it doesn't fall under a previous cnote. This could only be an option- either log or full cnote.

This is somewhat tangential, but one change I would like to see on the pkill policy is changing this exemption for cnotes:
+ A PC defends themselves from a crime or attack.
to
+ A PC defends themselves from an attack.

Stealing is very low reward in general, and this makes the risk too high. Pilfering an item or a couple of coins doesn't seem like enough of a threat to the victim to allow such an exemption.

                            Helpfile for Stealing and Trespassing Policy

There must be an IC reason to steal, burglarize, or trespass against
another character recorded in cnotes.  Please describe the character's
motivations with this sort of behavior, who they will and won't act against
and why.  The staff should be able to discern if the criminal action in
question was appropriately in-character instead of merely OOCly convenient.
To prevent players from creating characters to simply troll the game, the
pick command will not work until the player has gained enough RPxp to
establish the character as known ICly.

Also, thefts and break-ins must be ICly plausible; for example, it is not
okay to simply ignore a guard mob standing at a door, cnote how your
character got around them.  Stealing characters MUST RP getting close
enough to their target that it'd be reasonable to steal, and if there's
something that would prevent it ICly (like the player putting their hand on
their coin purse), then the player may not steal from the character in
question.

If a player is trespassing (eg, crossing into another player's private
domain without permission), the player MUST write a permanent mood desc to
let someone who comes across the scene know that something has occurred.
If the invasion was subtle, a mood alteration is still required, though it
too may be subtle.  If a burgled area was accessed by picking a lock, a
permanent mood is also required to indicate that the lock has been tampered
with.  Note that even simple trespassing in a private area with a key is
trespassing for the purpose of this policy.

On top of this, please thoroughly document the burglary in cnotes (as per
Help Policy Cnotes) to include:

1) How the character entered/left/and acted whilst on the premises.
2) What their goal was in enacting the burglary.
3) What mood was there previously.
4) The mood that was left afterwards.
5) Any special precautions they took to avoid capture.

This information is to assist the RPA Staff.


Note: Stolen goods are not to be disposed of with the junk command.

See also: CNOTE, LOCKPICKING

(Subject area: policy                 Last modified: Sat Mar 18 07:37:46 2017)



                           Helpfile for PKill and Maiming

Player Killing (otherwise referred to as PKILL or PK) is ICly killing
another character, which generally permanently ends the character's life
on TI. Maiming is any permanent damage that could affect a statistic or
change a character's able-ness in RP. Together, they are collectively referred
to as PK/M.

As The Inquisition: Legacy is a role-play game, all PK/Ms requires a solid RP
basis and must meet minimum standards.

PK AND MAIMING RULES

- Cnotes explaining why a character intends to PK/M another should exist
  at least 24 hours in advance of the actual event.  This allows time for an
  angry player to cool off and think about if their character would actually
  do the intended action.  See HELP POLICY CNOTES to see what a proper
  cnote entails.

  All players, including Inquisitors and Reeves, are required to have a valid
  cnote for any PK/Ms they enact.  However, when acting in an official,
  public execution or crime-punishment capacity, they may enact a PK/M with
  only four OOC hours in advance.  If the cnote implies that the PK/M might
  be for private reasons despite the public facade, the 24 hours rule still
  applies.

- The only exception to requiring cnotes is if a character acts out of
  self defense.  Self defense is explicitly one of the following conditions:

     + A PC defends themselves from a crime or attack.
     + A PC catches another person casting magic. (Either party
       may consider a PK self-defense.)
     + A PC is threatened by another PC with deadly force.
     + A PC attempts to restrain/arrest another PC.
     + An awaken attempt was made on a PC without permission.

- Because death and maiming are final and often difficult for a PK/Med
  player to emotionally handle, antagonists are requested to maintain a level
  of OOC respect and humility when going into a PK/M. The RP surrounding a
  PK/M must be substantial and OOCly courteous with an eye to the victim's
  play experience. We also require a PK/Mer to explicitly and ICly let a
  player know why their character is being PK/Med in the RP if it is not
  self-evident or otherwise damaging to the scene or if the information is
  not damaging to share for OOC Crossover reasons. If in doubt, always tell
  the victim why they are being PK/Med.

     WARNING: Please read HELP VALIDATION to see what staff use to
     determine if a PK/M is valid or not. We do not expect PK/Mers to give
     victims an Evil Overlord exposition, only to prove through cnotes,
     emotes, and respectful play that the death or maiming is a meaningful
     part of the game's plot.

- Death as the result of RP is not possible without the use of one of the
  following commands: finish, burn, dquarter, or die.  Die is the command to
  be used when two players *agree* a death would have occurred.  To use it,
  contact a staff to review the case, then the victim will use the die
  command of their own free will.  There should be no OOC pressure on the
  person dying to agree to do so without code arbitration, nor should
  players request to use the die command just to avoid jail or maiming RP.
  (See HELP FINISH and HELP DIE)

- PK is a major RP event, and it is to be treated with respect.  The PKer
  must ensure that RP tools are in place, such as rumors, moods, and other
  appropriate IC evidence surrounding the PK is left in the appropriate
  places.  If a player is hiding their trail, they must write cnotes
  regarding the steps they have taken to do so.
  (See HELP POLICY TWINKS)

- An IC death can be harsh, and at the very least involves a rename and the
  loss of all RP involving the dead character.  The character is dead, and
  the player may not continue any line of RP involving their dead character.
  Playing a relative, friend, or anyone else that could pick up and carry on
  the dead character's RP is prohibited.  Retaliation with alts or the renamed
  character is not permitted.

- If a player wishes to play a serial killer or a criminal that selects random
  targets, they must apply to the staff through HELP APPLICATION and
  clearly state in the application that this is desired.  The staff may
  choose to turn this character archetype down or place stipulations on
  often the character may take random targeting actions based on the
  impact to the game. When this happens, the killer must still cnote and
  follow the rest of applicable PK policy.

- If the tone or vividness of the RP occurring around PK/M events offends a
  player, they may use the GRAPHIC command to request that the RP be worked
  out OOCly and assumed ICly. (SEE HELP GRAPHIC)

- Players may NOT freeze scenes for any reason. (See HELP POLICY FREEZE)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Dropping link out of a restrain attempt, eg, arrest or kidnapping, is
  treated as RP avoidance regardless of circumstance. (HELP POLICY RP
  AVOIDANCE)

- It is highly suggested that all involved in PK/Ms, thefts, or awakening to
  log that roleplay.(See HELP BURDEN OF PROOF)

- On bugs, fairness, and other issues...  PK/Ms seem to be a ripe time for
  people to discover and make cases that some bit of code used in the RP
  was "buggy" or another player's actions were either "unfair" or
  "unrealistic", etc.  These things are often subjective, so, our policy is
  that we only null PK/Ms where PK/M policy has not been followed.
  (See HELP POLICY REIMBURSEMENT)

- Finally, if a player chooses an antagonistic role in game, chances are there
  will be queries, investigations, and the occasional complaint. Players who
  cannot handle this are encouraged to avoid antagonistic characters. Players
  who give the staff a hard time about being investigated or are found to
  break PK/M rules will have a NOPK flag set on them and be unable to enact
  PKs in-game.

See also: VALIDATION, REIMBURSEMENT, BURDEN OF PROOF, POLICY FREEZE, GRAPHIC,
APPLICATION, POLICY TWINKS, FINISH

(Subject area: policy                 Last modified: Fri May  8 02:50:46 2020)

            =================================================
Multiple instances of that helpfile exist.  See also:
  commands Execution

[galaxgal]

In my experience it's that it's not just PK that gets contested in this way nowadays, it's anything that might lead to PK. So even disliking or openly suspecting someone with the intent to gather evidence is contested all the way up the chain and the result of this culture around policy is that I feel very pressured OOCly to make my characters be everyone's friend.

Like Rasp notes, the low rewards of crime plus the amount of noting you have to do on top of potentially getting killed or maimed for doing it don't help. Very rarely do you see or hear about someone getting robbed, cursed, or having their place broken into because the set-up is extremely hard and the rewards are few, which in turn leads to authority figures (Knights/Reeves) being stuck chasing shadows or doing unproductive "patrols", and targeting players on petty offenses that lead to even more OOC unrest. It's painful all around.