CSI: River Kingdoms

[Purplefixer]

We know stealing and looting is going to be in the game, but what do you do when you want to catch your antagonist?

Well... that's downright -simple-. This is DnD, so, as always, 'A Wizard Did It'.

Create 'clues' in a robbed house or establishment, or -right in- the player inventory, and allow any number of skills/magic powerz to affect that clue. Legend Lore should reveal the thief, as should Commune, as should sufficient Gather Info/Diplomacy in a 'warm/cold' style of investigation.

EXAMPLE: You walk along and your bandoleer potion-slot goes suddenly empty, replaced with a little golden 'ticket' that needs investigation skills. You notice, and turn instantly around to discover that the thief has already disappeared into an alleyway. You give chase. You lose the suspected thief somewhere in the alleyways of the Empyreal City. You examine the ticket. The clue opens a little navigation/compass/wayfinder on your HUD that leads you to the place where you were robbed, and a parchment scroll with an outline of a head on it. Talking to ANY NPC in the area allows you to fill out the clue, bit by bit, until all the little edges and details of the wanted poster are filled in. You may then pay gold to a settlement to make reproductions of that poster and you may post them in approved locations. ANYONE who clicks on that poster gets a lore/check to see if they recognize the individual thief created on the poster. If they do, that thief is flagged as red/hostile/aggro to them for 5x INT hours. Attacking that thief is worth a reward from the city/bounty from the aggrieved party.

These same clues could be left behind if your house is robbed, but they last much longer.

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?

[Hark]

I like it, so long as the thief can get skills that make it harder to identify them through the investigations.

[Purplefixer]

There's zero a thief can do in defeating magical detections, but for mundane skill vs. skill...

When Robbing A House: Stealth vs (Local/Settlement Spot Value)
When Pick-Pocketing: Sleight of Hand vs (Local/Settlement Spot Value)

These values can be buffed by additional guards, guard training (buildings/upgrades), wide-range magical effects (hallow + skill-buff/owl's wisdom), and local lighting and other administrator decisions/projects/programs.

The difference between the Thief Trained Skill and the L/SSV should be the starting point with how many interactions are required and how difficult the skill checks are to get the poster 'accurate', IE: working.

This is a great game for having Knowledge: Local be a serious, need-to-train skill for investigators, and a way to give people who want to PLAY investigators an actual niche to fill.

'Hire a thief to catch a thief'.

[Tatertoad]

The thief would be flagged for stealing anyhow, and thus attackable by at least the victim if not everyone.

I like the idea of the investigator, just wondering how it would benefit anyone since they can already attack the thief (maybe only for a short time). Also, I'd think the bounty would need to be player driven unless the thief stole something from an NPC.

Great concept though! :)

[Purplefixer]

On Bounties: Yeah, we'd need to have a 'justice pool' or some such, as well as respawn rights for a jail, perhaps, once the thief goes down?

Also, do we know for sure already that they will be flagged for EVERYONE if they pickpocket? I thought it was only for the victim? Wanted Posters would flag that individual for -everyone- unless they had activated a disguise. Again, more use of 'soft skills'.

[Carbon D. Metric]

I imagine a Rangers Track ability being like the clairvoyance spell from skyrim being a ghostly line or set of actual tracks the Ranger type person only can see given they activate the ability. This could be a huge help.

[Being]

Tatertoad wrote:

The thief would be flagged for stealing anyhow, and thus attackable by at least the victim if not everyone.

I like the idea of the investigator, just wondering how it would benefit anyone since they can already attack the thief (maybe only for a short time). Also, I'd think the bounty would need to be player driven unless the thief stole something from an NPC.

Great concept though! :)

I would have thought the very opportun ity to conduct an investigation to ID the perp would be a significant benefit to the player who is interested in more depth to the game than hack-n-slash.

Its Holmes and Watson... or CSI as Purplefixer put is.

[Papaver]

All this sounds really interesting so don't get me wrong. But somehow this sounds like an idea for a standalone game or a Sherlock themed module.

[Being]

Papaver wrote:

All this sounds really interesting so don't get me wrong. But somehow this sounds like an idea for a standalone game or a Sherlock themed module.

What about it sounds to you like it would be a standalone game? The whole idea revolves around at least two players.

[Papaver]

I mean that the original proposal sounds complex (not in a negative sense) to enough to it's own game :)

[Being]

Ah, I see. There actually are single player CSI games matter of fact: I recall buying one for my niece, a bright girl now employed as an au pair in Germany.

Still it doesn't have to be al that complicated. Simple things relate to make complex outcomes at times.

Still, point taken.

[Purplefixer]

HAH! Realistically:

Crime spawns clue. Clue has investigation interface. Investigation interface only turns on if you log on to check if your stuff is still in your house, because otherwise no one sees the -clues-. Soft-Skill based challenge ensues to reveal criminals name.