In my view, banditry should more resemble that of a similar nature irl. Bandits back in ye olde times risked their lives to rob folks, but here, if they lose, they don’t die, they respawn. As such, there is no incentive to not commit banditry.
Similarly, there is few faster ways to make good money on the server. I say this as an in game merchant, who prides himself on serving his community. Yes, I make money, but often only a few minas a day unless someone buys out my stock. Of course, voting supplements this to a more livable, and honestly, excessive level. I imagine that voting is the money my character would make from all the other citizens that are not players. But bandits don’t make a few minas everyday. If they get lucky someone is carrying a bunch of minas, and if not, they can sell whatever from the inventory.
And, again, I echo those in other posts who say that banditry rp is very lackluster. There can be good rp there, but the bandit also needs to be scared of something. Just as the victim is scared of violence or the theft of their goods, the bandits have to have a risk attached to the encounter as well. Perma-death would work, except players would just draft up similar characters with even less effort/character development, which might make the situation worse. Somehow, I believe, we must incentivize a different form of rp, something that is more constructive, or we should otherwise lessen banditry in general.
Another thought I had, is that banditry is one of the most consistent forms of rp. If you’re a bandit, you get to force anyone wandering the roads to rp with you. Whereas a general passerby has no real reason to rp with someone they come across while travelling. Often times I ask people if they need directions or something while I’m travelling just to squeeze out any bit of roleplay. But a bandit always has an excuse to stop someone on the street. And as roleplay has been getting harder and harder to find, it’s no wonder people are more attracted to this, even with it being lesser in quality. Especially as gangs and groups of bandits form. Those of us that are outside of the more political side of the server have fewer ways to group up.
I pose no strong solution here, but I know that as a community we can find an answer. I hope I have inspired some thoughts in you, even if I am a relatively new player. I have enjoyed my time thus far on the server, and I look forward to many more moons with you all.
