Get rid of the Trial Process

[Random_White_Guy]

The greatest thing that EFU:M ever accomplished was the removal of the trial process that plagued Underdark and EFU:A

Being dropped in a cell for 30+ minutes waiting for a DM, unable to log but unable to proceed forward, while PCs wait on DMs to make a decision, is painstakingly miserable.

Stocks are fine, exile-pending-trial is fine, having to pay a fine is fine, but being locked into an area of the server and basically told "Stick around but do nothing" is something I'm not too thrilled to see returned to EFU. The hapless muster made many mistakes, but the removal of the trial system made everything so much easier, for the guilty and innocent alike.

It's seriously not cool for any facet of crime or even if you are innocent, to be dropped in the box and told "U ARE UNDER ARREST PENDING AWAITING WORD OF NOT-COMING PRESENCE".

Or at the very least make arresting someone on charges of a more serious crime that absolutely requires someone make the call, DM presence only.

Even when PCs were named Mayor or given the authority to commit crimes you're stuck in a miserable limbo when no one is around to tend to those matters. If those PCs aren't around, or if DMs aren't around, legal PCs seem to feel obligated to leave people locked up waiting,

Which sucks.

[Random_White_Guy]

"If you want to arrest someone and see them incarcerated you require a DM presence just as you would if you wished to FD or Subdue in a public area. Blacking out individuals for movement from exterior to interior to await trial, asking PCs to "Come with you to the watch house" and forcing them to await processing, or otherwise without DM presence is undesirable"

^

Problem solved of so many things that have occurred on EFU in regards to law enforcement.

[Knight Of Pentacles]

you can accomplish this in game


hee hee

[Heavyfog]

Agreed. Let PCs have more power to dole out consequences rather than making people languish in a cell, unless jail terms of days/weeks are implemented (also a bad idea imo).  If the punishment doesn't fit the crime then let the affected PCs work it out IG when a DM is more available or through the forums via letters. If a Faction Watcher or Spellgaurd agent makes a bad call and punishes someone too severely then said Faction PC should be reprimanded appropriately.

[Ivory Rook]

Waiting for trials was always a horrid affair. However I find trials to be very much desirable and fun to be involved in.

You could always set up a "court date" system whereby you confiscate a large sum of gold or a valuable item(s) and let the person go. If they show up for their scheduled court date and are proven innocent they receive their items back. If they fail to show up they forfiet their items, assumed guilty and are hunted accordingly.

This way while they are crippled for a time in that they've had some belongings taken, they can still interact with those around them. Though I guess I have to echo that all of this could be achieved in game.

[Random_White_Guy]

Not really a "Solve IC" issue because ICly these things would be addressed by typically IC methods.

This is an OOC problem that is always veiled as an IC one.

PCs just locked up and tossed away and told "Don't play until a DM is present".

Look at it from a non-law perspective.

If I beat up a PC or they willingly followed and put him in a faction HQ and just logged off, or went elsewhere, or told them "Don't log in until a DM is present" there'd be more flooded emails of Griefing than you could shake a stick at. But since it's a law issue PCs seem to think it's not a problem, even if it's raised on trumped up or completely legitimate charges or otherwise.

[HerDarkMajesties]

You seem to be acting a little hysterically over what is a very rare and very minor inconvenience. Let's try and avoid knee-jerk reactions to a couple of hours of lost RP freedom.

It's a reasonable price to pay to accurately portray Upper Sanctuary's authoritarian and orderly aspects.

It's going to be much less of an issue when there are PC Magistrates about to preside over trials.

[Inquisitor]

...So, you got arrested, RwG?

[PositiveSingularity]

I saw this play out very poorly for a PC in the past. As one of the PCs who went to lengths to arrest him, I felt pretty bad about the affair.

I would support PCs (who have already gone to lengths with an application) have more authority to doll out street justice, but give the other PCs in question the opportunity to have a DM presence later reexamine their case, should they wish.

I think Naga said it best in the past that it was better to act in the moment and apologize later. Assuming the Watchmen aren't executing people in the streets I see no harm in it - DM's could issue warrants if there is sufficient evidence of a crime in a criminals absence that Watchmen could doll out in person or via bounty hunters, should they wish.

[Inquisitor]

If you're going to commit serious/capital crimes (Such as killing a PC) then you should be able to accept some time in a jail cell, if you get caught/apprehended. I don't agree that you should have to stay logged in with nothing to do, and I do feel the process should be expedited, if it can be.

[Knight Of Pentacles]

Put them in the worm caves to labor away, lol.  >_> Seriously... a labor camp as opposed to a prison would be far more cool and could build its own sort of sub-culture over time.

[Inquisitor]

How about; if you get arrested for a serious crime, your worming XP is limited to 1,000...? >.>

[Blue41]

Forced time-out sucks. I've put some PC's in cells and I've been locked up in cells, and waiting for DM oversight to proceed is a drag for both the punisher and the punished. It doesn't seem like such a big deal to have a DM present for arrests for higher offenses.

There used to be PC magistrates in efu:a. Trials were cool. Waiting for people to log in so you could do shit was not. God help you if you couldn't play at any time of the day, or if the PC judge was in a completely different timezone from you.

Alternative would be great.

[Vlaid]

I would think making that change to PVP rules would favor crime a little too heavily, don't you think?

You can attack anyone you like in the wilds, mug them, take all their posessions even end their PC with FD all without a DM....but you can't arrest them if you happen to best them? It is a small and unfortunate inconvenience, but I don't think it is as big a deal as you are making it sound.

Perhaps they could be shackled, with some kind of Spellguard tracking beacon attached while awaiting trial, and allowed to roam Upper....leaving Upper needing a DM. It would be some fairly authoritarian "Look what happens to those who cross us" if you wanted to roam around for a bit, so shackled.

[The Band Played On]

If PCs wind up being imprisoned for days on end without a trial then, agreed, this is a problem. But if it typically only takes a couple hours to a day (or even two on the outside)? Then I don't see a problem at all. Sometimes you just need to wait a little for resolution because of player and DM availability.