Item Rules Reminder

There were several issues with compliance with the item rules this past event and I want to direct your attention to them once again:

www.knightrealms.com/index.php?option=co...ew&id=331&Itemid=179

I have about a dozen receipts from players who stole things this past event, and complied with the rules and took those things directly to Logistics and were given receipts for them. The purpose of the receipt is so that the player can return to Logistics later and get the item card, which the owner is supposed to surrender upon retrieving the phys rep. That I have a dozen irredeemable receipts means that there are a dozen Rules Violations to be handed out, because a dozen items were stolen in accordance with the rules of the game and the players whose characters were robbed ignored those rules and retrieved their belongings without surrendering the item cards.

Obviously it's very unlikely that I will catch the people involved in these infractions, because my receipts say things like "1HE" and little else, since absent the item card the MM cannot have known what properties the item had that would have made it distinctive. So, good job to those of you who retrieved your things because you got away this time.

If you made an honest mistake and would like to make good on it, feel free to PM me about any phys reps that you recovered from Logistics this event and I'll see if I have a receipt that matches them; if I don't, then you're free and clear.

Yes, I run the rogue plot and therefore thieving is near and dear to my heart (hmm, that doesn't sound good), but this is also a fundamental matter of the game rules - rules that were recently revised to be as clear and direct as possible. If you play a character that steals alot, you should know these rules like a caster should know his spell effects. If you are a character that is likely to be the target of thieves, you should also take the time to know these rules, for many reasons while will be evident when you read them. These rules do in fact protect the victims as much as they protect the thieves by safeguarding the treatment of phys reps and by forcing consistent treatment of all items.

If the associated Item Card for a Phys Rep is attached to it or placed beneath it, a player can only take the Item Card during an IG theft, unless the Item Card specifies that the Phys Rep must be stolen.

MUST be stolen, or MAY be stolen?

MUST.

Sometimes, someone decides it's easier for them and their friends to spot, for example, someone carrying Sorel's polearm than it is to spot somebody leaving a cabin with the card for said weapon in their pocketses.
In that case, the item cards are marked as phys-rep stealable, meaning you must steal both the phys-rep and the card in order to turn it in.

The flip side of that is that the player with phys-rep stealable items must attach the card to the phys-rep, or leave them together. If they fail to do so, that should be a  rules violation.

Are you allowed to steal the physrep and then send an RM to get the card from the weapon's rightful owner?

Three clarifications.

1. Vince's last paragraph is not entirely accurate. The rules for items require that all item cards be attached to or within five feet of the item's phys rep. Failure to comply is a Rules Violation. The "phys rep stealable - yes" checkbox on item cards means that you want the player to take the phys rep; Vince's example is an excellent illustration of why you might want this. It also means that the player cannot deposit the phys rep at Logistics, because he or she is required to keep it as proof of possession of the item.

2. If an item card is attached to or placed with an item, and the card is marked "phys rep stealable - no", then the player can only take the item card. Taking the phys rep in that instance is a Rules Violation.

3. If a player sees a prop and cannot determine if that prop is just an OOG prop or a phys rep of an IG item, then the player is allowed to take the prop, but must take it to Logistics and deposit it. If the player keeps the prop longer than is necessary to get it to Logistics, then the player is guilty of a Rules Violation. One way to ensure that a thief can tell the difference is to comply with the item rules and place your cards with your IG items. You should find that thieves will leave your props alone if they can identify the things in your cabin that they can really steal IG, because no thief wants to go clunking around in the night with three lanterns, a decorative bowl, a zweihander, and a gold necklace if the only thing that is an IG item is the necklace...

In answer to Zach's question, yes, but if you steal something from Zahir's cabin and have no idea where Chris is, then an RM can decline to assist you until he is located. In other words, RMs aren't your personal search parties. If you know who the item belongs to and where that person is, an RM will be happy to help.