Cooking books

[Konrad]

Hi,

This recently happened in Riombara:

Gold disappearing   (5 hours, 42 minutes ago)
Something fishy is going on in Riombara. The tax books appear to have been tampered with and some gold is missing from the chests.

I was subsequently informed that this is 100% IC proof that the banker did it. We all know OOCly that the banker clicked the button, but the message reads so generically that ICly it seems more vague than that. I and others have argued that this could be RPed as corrupt tax officials,etc. I don't really know BM etiquette anymore so would love clarification.

Thanks

[Nosferatus]

infiltrators can also steal tax gold, and so can nobles by looting isolated villages without anyone knowing.
So basically everyone is a suspect.

Please try to approach the game less mechanical from a players point of view.
But rather, try to stay in character and figure out what your specific character would do.
Be creative and use the many available options to explain certain events.

It helps to figure out what character your playing before you start playing.

[Zakilevo]

Your banker is stealing gold.

[Nosferatus]

Your banker is stealing gold.

No.

He's asking if the message gives his character 100% IC proof.
The answer is no.

[Zakilevo]

People use it as a proof. Realms banish their bankers based on that.

[JDodger]

and it is terrible rp

[Zakilevo]

and it is terrible rp

Good enough for most people.

[Vita`]

Which is unfortunate. But is by no means a reasonable argument against those attempting to promote different roleplay explanations for situations.

In my view, at some point, our characters know the world around them and are not stupid. But many things are also written vaguely to allow alternative explanations. And those alternatives add to the game experience instead of the same old, bland reactions to events. Each situation is different.

[Noone you know]

infiltrators can also steal tax gold, and so can nobles by looting isolated villages without anyone knowing.
So basically everyone is a suspect.

Please try to approach the game less mechanical from a players point of view.
But rather, try to stay in character and figure out what your specific character would do.
Be creative and use the many available options to explain certain events.

It helps to figure out what character your playing before you start playing.

This!

You don't KNOW that the banker is stealing. There are all sorts of tax collectors and bureaucrats all over the realm - they are mentioned throughout the game, when you loot, when you do takeovers. Infiltrators, as well, wouldn't leave any trace if they aren't caught, meaning the numbers are all wrong for what is in the coffers.

ANY of those people could be involved, and probably most of them are.

Only the PLAYER knows there's a button that the banker has.

[GundamMerc]

This!

You don't KNOW that the banker is stealing. There are all sorts of tax collectors and bureaucrats all over the realm - they are mentioned throughout the game, when you loot, when you do takeovers. Infiltrators, as well, wouldn't leave any trace if they aren't caught, meaning the numbers are all wrong for what is in the coffers.

ANY of those people could be involved, and probably most of them are.

Only the PLAYER knows there's a button that the banker has.

Well until we add something else that sends you that exact same message, a character is perfectly justified in saying it is the banker with complete certainty. And they're justified anyways, because sometimes characters are looking for something to use against the character who is the banker for internal political reasons.

[Noone you know]

"Characters looking for something to use" is 100% justified RP

Characters insisting that it had to be the banker with nothing else to offer than "we all know the banker has a button" are !@#$ RPers who should go play WoW instead.

[Constantine]

So what's the point of that message then?
If it's "OOC we notify you that your Banker is a thief, but IC you can't touch him" then it's just begging for tension between players and bad rp.

[Anaris]

What's needed (here and in several other places in-game) is another way for the exact same message to be generated.

Then you can have legitimate suspicion that the Banker is cooking the books, but not certainty.

Much like how (now that things are working again) buying a region at the turn looks just like the region spontaneously naming a lord, and the Secret Police are sometimes wrong about whether someone's in the undergroundâ€"in either direction.

[Vita`]

The message does not notify that the banker is a thief. It indicates suspiciously-missing gold. Players know its the banker; characters just know bankers and tax are affiliated domains. It could make just as much sense to request the banker to investigate the missing gold as head of the realm's finances if you do not initally assume banker is guilty.

Not so much that you cannot touch him IC, more that IC there's no guarantee of guilt for both the above reason and that only one character receives that message in the first place. Everyone else receives a copy of that message from the one character who received it.

So maybe, just maybe, that character is framing the banker or whoever reported missing tax gold. Or maybe the banker is guilty (was just reported to have bought a region, known for corruption in the past, you just plain don't like her silly hats, whatever). Each situation can develop differently. It depends entirely upon the political context of the characters and realm involved.

[GundamMerc]

"Characters looking for something to use" is 100% justified RP

Characters insisting that it had to be the banker with nothing else to offer than "we all know the banker has a button" are !@#$ RPers who should go play WoW instead.

Really the truly !@#$ RPers are the ones who demand people roleplay their way, and !@#$post about others claiming they should "go play WoW" as an insult.