Old story, but new feedback, from a long time rogue (top level rogue in the 90s, and rogue again since 2010).
Crime there's your gloves!
Gonna bid on the gloves man?!
Even got a tell from a GM or two.
While one part of me wanted to bid, the other knows the pick pocket mechanics are busted (everyone knows this).
I wasn't going to bid on them, straight up because of the pick pocket mechanics. "They're not fun".
However, in the spirit of Gemstone, and due to my namesake, and for the friends who sent me tells, I won them. Happy I did.
But why aren't they fun? There's no perceived real risk to not being very careful about your open bags around rogues. It's more of a role play on other character's parts to chose to be careful around rogues, not because you really do need to be careful around a rogue.
I think historically one mechanic always protected someone from having multiple gems stolen quickly anyway, and that was the fact to put a gem into a bag it takes you out of hiding. So the rogue has to steal, hide, move, stow, hide, return to thieving. Or move into and out of a room, which is an obvious mark.
Yes, something needed to be done, but what was done isn't fun.
Some other mechanism with more depth was/is needed. Perhaps what they should have done was introduce a cool down if a gem was marked "stolen" and placed in a bag with witnesses around, or some other mechanic based around role play design and skills to slow a thief down. Perhaps a mechanic that allows a thief to stow the gem while hidden that takes some round time.
Which leads me to the next mechanic involved in theft, arresting people. If you catch someone steeling from you then you go straight to the deputy / office, and have the thief arrested. This wouldn't be that big a deal if they fixed the risk of complete item loss, and built into the mechanics some more creative way to get locked up items back. If it was socially acceptable to have people arrested, people might think twice about the risk to doing anything stupid, cast a spell, thieve, brawl, whatever. The taboo is due to complete item loss risk.
In short, the thrill of OH BOY I got 127 silver, now I need to wait for a cool down, makes me think it's the first skill I need to sacrifice when I want a spell or a few ranks MIU etc... THAT's DEPRESSING AS A ROGUE.
They've all but ruined a sense of reward from the skill, and a sense of risk for other players. I hope some day they put some real thought into pick pockets to both make it fun for the rogue and the community. I can't say for sure what that is, but I can say for sure, most simply don't worry about it anymore now.
Where is the fun if there is no risk / reward.
Merry Chrismas!
Lord Crime Royal the Enforcer
