This sorta spawned from the whole discussion about macros, but it is also something I have actually written code for. I want to get everyone's input on this so we can flesh out this idea as much as possible.

This should also be integrated with macros/triggers so that it would be a LOT more interactive than just a set of "if/then" commands...

Okay. In the real world, you break the law, you go to jail. In DL, you break the law, you get whacked. Doesn't seem very, ah, fair, does it? I mean you get caught stealing a loaf of bread and a knight turns you into a red smudge on the ground? Where's the justice in that?! Now if you manage to kill someone, then yeah, let the knights grind you into a pulp.

There should be different levels of criminal activity, two that I can really think of: Misdemeanors and felonies.

If you have a bunch of misdemeanors, you either just get hit with a fine or tossed in jail. If you don't pay your fines, then you get tossed in jail and have to pay an even BIGGER fine. Perhaps some mobs can be designated to accept fine payments from players. If you're caught littering, for example, the Turien knights can issue you a citation. You bring that citation and something like 100 coins to the proper place and pay your fine. You get to walk away, but it won't go on your 'record'. You keep doing it and you'll get a rap sheet started.

Some crimes you'll just pay a fine.
Some you'll pay a fine and get jail time.
Some you'll just get tossed in the slammer.
Probably only murder, or mass murder, and you'll sleep with the fishes.

How long you stay in prison would be determined by what you did. If you only stole a loaf of bread, then maybe you'd spend a night in jail. If you stole the crown jewels, then you'll probably spend a month in the slam. Something like that. Not realtime, but game time, now, so don't get too worried

And of course with the concept of prisons, comes prison breaks.

If you know someone is in the slam, and manage to get past the guards, you can try to pick the lock and bust your buddy out. If you get caught, the escapee would go back in the slam for the rest of their term (possibly time tacked on as well) and the one who did the liberating would probably get thrown in solitary for a good while.

Also, is it just me or does the way that the system works now is really weird? As soon as a criminal logs into the game, everyone who's hunting them from the local templarate to the police of the farthest city, start to converge on that one point where the criminal is, almost as if they instinctively know they're here. Sure, mages can get away with it by scrying, and maybe clerics through divine intervention, but warriors? Wouldn't it make more sense to sort of start the whole process over again? If you walk outside, all those that remember you would start shouting, and then eventually word would get back that you're around and the hunt ensues.

Of course this is just a diamond in the rough and needs to be refined and polished, so I'm asking for the help of anyone who reads this... let's start tossing around ideas for this!

Hrm...

I'd only like it in RP, not in normal hack/slash play. Too many rules ruin the fun.

If you're broke can your friends pay your fine to get
you sprung early from the slammer?

Posting bail would definitely be something to add into the mix. Sometimes all you need to do is pay your fine to get out of jail, but how can you get to the bank when you're in a steel cage?

The gemmed knight would be a good mob to be the "jailer". You pay fines, bail people out, etc from him. Might need to just change his name or his room desc a bit. Maybe even put a jail cell in there and he loads the key, if you commit the felonies or are put in jail, there you go and cannot get out at all during rp. It could be a 1 minute rp timer if your rp runs out while you're in jail so you're permanently stuck. You can pay bail from your bank account and maybe set up so that the gemmed knight can accept the money. Every couple of minutes it could macro that he stops by the cell and asks if you'd like to say anything to him about your crimes and for 1 minute you have a chance to pay bail. I.E. Pay bail gydin. "The bailor takes 5000 gold coins from your bank account and Gydin is released." Then I would appear in that room and the knight would scold me or something. I could then check rapsheet, or fame to see how I'm known to people around different towns.

When you check your fame it could say: In Turien you are quite the criminal and people fear you. Or. The citizens of Turien seem to respect you.

It would help general revenue for the towns and help keep people from wonton slaughter during rp. Killing a player is a felony automatically, but if it's done outside a town, maybe no one knows. Stealing from stuff are petty crimes if you're caught. And besides, the mob attacks if they notice anyway, and if you fight back, that's assault.

I completely agree that the gem knight would be a great jailer for Turien, but what of other cities/towns? Would/could criminals of one town be extradited to the town they're wanted in, should word get around?

I really like the idea of a reputation of sorts. It could have all kinds of effects. Such as, if you have a really good reputation (such as bringing in criminals, etc) then maybe some of the shopkeepers could give you a discount (while in RP of course) for being an upstanding citizen.

Which also brings up the point of a character actually having citizenship in a particular town/area. Suppose I don't want to be a citizen of Turien like everyone else. Maybe I want to move to Rocksport and get a nice house on Red Brick Lane or something. Perhaps if you purchase property in a particular city/town (or even within so much distance from one), you could opt to become a citizen of that area. If you own multiple houses in different areas, you could only be a 'citizen' of one, I would think. If I owned property in New Orleans, Tallahassee, New York and Los Angeles, I could only be a citizen of one (which would be New Orleans right now.) I could frequent the rest of my properties as often as I like, but the place where I lay my head most often, and work, would be New Orleans.

Posting bail from a bank account is a good idea instead of having to have the cash on-hand. The only thing about your RP timer ticking away while in jail kinda bothers me a bit. Perhaps it can be set so that your RP timer will not expire if you're in jail, just like with tasks. The timer doesn't run out until the task is completed - on the same token, it could not run out until you've served your time or bail has been posted.

Thoughts? Keep the ideas coming!

Yes, the rp timer not expiring like it does on tasks was my point. Maybe you could even retire from the jail and when you return, you're still rp with 1 minute to go and still locked in jail. I think if you went link dead, it would still do that kick though. So that's the only feasable way I see of people getting out of jail free.

Turning in criminals is interesting. So I can be a nark? Cool. Would it be like when I called the cops on my soon to be brother-in-law because he had the plates I reported stolen from my faince's car on his truck? Nice. He got arrested because that broke his probation. Yeah, my brother-in-law is a complete red neck arse muncher and thinks that he can push around his family. But that's not game related is it?

Turning in criminals. I could only see turning in players but I'm not sure how that would go about because most fights against someone end up in death and that's supposed to settle it. Death isn't appreciated anymore in DL.

I love this jail idea.