House Vendors

Pretty simple, House Vendors should not be able to be set to only sell to House members, or another mechanic should be put in to enable non-members to purchase from all House vendors. I think anyone should be able to buy from them, as many classes have ways to break into a House Hall and get things from a vendor. If not something like that, let pickpocketing House vendors give a chance to lift some random item the denizen sells, with a decent chance they see the Serpent and 'call for help' over HT.

There's no 'RP' reasoning to why they shouldn't. If your argument is 'Oh, they would just not sell to people who aren't in the House!', then explain why you can't kill the vendor and simply take all the items they had for sale.
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Cascades of quicksilver light streak across the firmament as the celestial voice of Ourania intones, "Oh Jarrod..."

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Comments

  • edited December 2012
    Jarrod said:
    There's no 'RP' reasoning to why they shouldn't. If your argument is 'Oh, they would just not sell to people who aren't in the House!', then explain why you can't kill the vendor and simply take all the items they had for sale.
    I'm not sure what I still need to say in reply to your post since you stated the entire argument against it yourself. The argument that you might kill the vendor otherwise is quite meaningless because it's a different scenario. Just because I can't explain IC why there's a mechanical barrier that prohibits you from killing them and taking their stuff doesn't mean we should just open up a new thing we can't explain IC either.

    I understand where you're coming from, with trespassing nowadays being much harder and still not very profitable, but just removing a sensible RP option for the sake of this would be a wrong solution to the issue.

    If you want to argue that vendors should rather drop certain items on being killed - well, that's something I'd find discussable.
  • You could also say, with the classes that can illusion, and the existence of the Staff of Illusions, House Vendors could easily be tricked into thinking they -were- selling to House members.
    image
    Cascades of quicksilver light streak across the firmament as the celestial voice of Ourania intones, "Oh Jarrod..."

  • I kinda like the pickpocketing idea Jarrod proposed. Think it's a fair middle ground and doesn't destroy the sentience of house tutors. If I walk into a room with a house tutor as of now, they're not reporting it via HT, so it wouldn't detract by making them any less aware.
  • Oh, didn't even see the pickpocketing idea when I first read the post. I could get behind that, sure.
  • I would figure assign them a relatively high level (Vertani, maybe?) to detect you, if they detect you you can't re-pickpocket them for a certain amount of time, and they report to HT based on how badly the pickpocket failed.


    "Someone has just attempted to steal my wares!" vs "Jarrod has just attempted to steal my wares!"
    image
    Cascades of quicksilver light streak across the firmament as the celestial voice of Ourania intones, "Oh Jarrod..."

  • I could get behind this.

    Organisational raiding should have an equivalent of city raiding. A reward for the criminal as well as an easy to repair loss to the victim. This is a good step towards that sort of ethos.
    "Trust in me, Universe, I will deliver / the promise that no-one shall ever / set their mind to games or play / for Serious Order is the way. I will not rest until it is done; / rules will be made for everyone. / They will know Order and its graces - and just like me, all shall be Greyfaces." - The Heroes of Sapience, Act 5, Greyface.
  • SherazadSherazad Planef Urth
    What is this?! Our house vendor sells to anyone. :(( Jarrod knows. 
    Bleh, work ate my gaming life.
    내가 제일 잘 나가!!!111!!1


  • LOL to Jarrod's first statement about Tutors selling to everyone. Sure-why-not to the pickpocket idea.

  • One thing that's not mentioned is that house tutors are incredibly exceptional beings. My own house tutor is at the moment transcended in 31 skills (but really every single skill in the game, because that's how it works), and we only permit 4 classes in my house. I don't know the mechanics behind pickpocket, but I don't think 'Vertani' is an appropriate level for theft success on somebody who can cataclysm and vivisect you in viridian, while making a puppet as well.
  • I don't know about your House, but our tutor and vendor are two separate denizens.
    ________________________
    The soul of Ashmond says, "Always with the sniping."

    (Clan): Ictinus says, "Stop it Jiraishin, you're making me like you."
  • SherazadSherazad Planef Urth
    From what I remember, Merchants tutor also sells house stuff.
    Bleh, work ate my gaming life.
    내가 제일 잘 나가!!!111!!1


  • She does. She was also one of the primary forces that noticed the whole green barrier in the north moving, when Istarion and Jeramun were found. I don't think you're going to fool her with a staff of illusions, or a newbie robe.
  • NizarisNizaris The Holy City of Mhaldor
    No to selling, yes to pickpocketing.
    image
  • Tyrandiel and Epicurus aren't all-powerful beings, they're scholars. Just because a tutor knows something, that doesn't mean they can practice it.

    OP: Yes, pickpocketing or something sounds fine. No, selling would be bad for the reasons Iocun listed.
  • ...holocaust orbs unwisely stacked in retardation are causing nuclear fission and Tasur'ke is uninhabitable for the next thousand years.
    I really want to try this. Not on Tasur'ke, though.

    Maybe Hashan.
  • edited December 2012
    @Blujixapug: Nothing important ever came of mammoth corpses, but in games like this, "Why did our merchant supply those items?" becomes the elephant in the room. It's the unique and sometimes awkward place of interactive fiction, where the characters themselves are forced to make excuses for a plot hole. You can't explain every possible detail, of course; the trick is to explain the things that most people care about.

    To use Captain Reynolds' example, no one cares about cell phone emergency lock whatever because it's unneeded fluff. But if a loyal merchant is just blindly selling things to an enemy? That's kind of a huge deal. It's possibly treason. Everyone has a vested interest in that, and it's frustrating when there's no real answer in sight.

    For me, the best solutions address things from both sides. I'd actually like to be able to loot a few of the wares from fallen NPC merchants, though this would probably make some expensive items far too easy to obtain.
  • Sounds like unanimous yes to pickpocketing house tutors. I vote yes too even though I don't have a personal stake in it.
    I like my steak like I like my Magic cards: mythic rare.
  • edited December 2012
    edit: ignore.
  • I like the idea of serpents being able to pickpocket items from denizen vendors in general - perhaps with increasing risk for higher value items.

    A serpent thief trying to steal maps from Captain Maelstrom - and, likely as not, getting curbstomped for their trouble - well that would add a lot of RP-consistent flavour to the class.
  • Delphinus said:


    For me, the best solutions address things from both sides. I'd actually like to be able to loot a few of the wares from fallen NPC merchants, though this would probably make some expensive items far too easy to obtain.
    Great. Now all I can picture is some asshole stabbing a stablehand repeatedly and then rummaging through his pockets screaming "GIVE UP THE FOOZLING PEGASUS!"

  • Another yes to pickpocketing items from denizen vendors. No to selling to non-House members, though.
  • I like the idea of pickpocketing from any denizen that sells items, just a small chance. Kinda adds to the thief living off his craft roleplay...

    Someone wants to romance a lady..pickpocket Lisagia or whatever that flower girls' name is
    Want to get drunk, pickpocket a barkeep...
    Someone wants to write a book, steal a manuscript from that atavian bookbinder guy or whatever
    Want to sell house items for a profit, steal from a tutor...

    I like the idea of a semi-low chance(25%? and then an even chance of all the items they carry?) to actually palm an item off a denizen that carries items.

  • SherazadSherazad Planef Urth
    If the change to pickpocketing a house denizen goes through, Mhaldor might have a use for shards again. 
    Bleh, work ate my gaming life.
    내가 제일 잘 나가!!!111!!1


  • RuthRuth Singapore
    edited December 2012
    This is back when I was HL of Black Lotus. Seems standards are a little off.

       5332  Artemis      12/20/3:53
     Kai-Shen now only sells to those of the Black Lotus, though others who ask him wares will see that
    he sells things - they simply won't see anything listed.

    Compare that to when I asked Keresis if I could set the items for EF members only, I got told that I couldn't. This was the reason and I expect (or rather it was my perception) it should have been a game-wide regulation.

    p 13482  Keresis      12/09/0:29
     It will cost 50,000 gold to have a bin created to serve only members of the KOJ clan. It will not
    be necessary to have one created for all members of the House as you are expected not to be foolish
    enough to allow outsiders to enter. If they do get in, then your punishment shall be to see your
    items in the hands of the heathens.

    So I'll say yes to fixing it so even non-House members can purchase items off House vendors. Also allow a chance % of lifting house items off them.


    "Mummy, I'm hungry, but there's no one to eat! :C"

     

  • I agree with Ruth.  The problem, as with 99% of house specific things, are that they aren't consistent across divine.  SS whips, SL scalemail, Druid househall, etc.  There needs to be some evaluation and standardization across all of the houses.

    Back on topic: Pickpocket for sure, and selling universally one way or the other.  No one-off houses.
  • edited December 2012
    Those OP whips and scalemail were shut down pretty quick when it was publicised though, no?

    And the druid househall only has increased security because it (along with the CIJ one) is the only one that doesn't have further security from being in a city.

    Generally, most house patrons do seem to be following similar standards and I get the feeling that the administration is now enforcing standards more rigidly than they used to, after that SS whip thing came up.
  • edited December 2012
    So why, then, are the CIJ estate and Druid not equivalent?  99% is a massive overstatement, I will give you that.

    I realize there is a desire for unique little items, but mechanic differences should not be allowed.  Is it still a problem?  Yes.  To the extent as it was, as often as it was?  No.

    AFAIK the SL scalemails only were noticed when I ran off with them, and they were made to decay.  The SS whips were leaked to the forums and they (as well as all the other items) were rapidly addressed.

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