Buying the con

[bilbous]

If you were roleplaying with someone who was obviously trying to sell you a bill of goods, how difficult would it be for him to successfully swindle you? Would you use OOC information about whatever item he was trying to pass to refuse to deal with him or would you try to make a deal without resort to it?

[lordraleigh]

If my character was a Kran with 35 INT, piece of cake.

Otherwise, well that's a little subjective isn't it? But I guess 55 or 60 is the average Intelligence from the way the stats are now, it would be the same difficulty of tricking an average person, while anything above should raise the chances of failure. Also the Charisma and Intelligence of the con man should influence on the final outcome.

[zanzibar]

Is the con doing it IC or OOC?  Is the con using OOC tactics?

[Karyuu]

I'm very intrigued at just how many people would let their characters be taken advantage of, IC.

[lordraleigh]

I'm very intrigued at just how many people would let their characters be taken advantage of, IC.

I don't have a vacant character slot to make a dumb Kran, sadly... 

[zanzibar]

I'm very intrigued at just how many people would let their characters be taken advantage of, IC.

It's better to think of it as taking risks in character and then finding out what happens.  If you know you're getting conned but pretending you don't realize it... I see that as play-acting, not role-playing.

[bilbous]

I was assuming in context of course although you are correct I should have said so in the setup. If he was using out of context methods it would not be so obvious a con of course.

As far as stats goes they do not always tell the tale as sometimes you might get taken by how pathetic he seems as much as how confused or amused he makes you. Sometimes people sell themselves and buy knowingly.

One thing I think is virtually certain is that there will never be skills developed like sleight of hand which would help pull off some scam fully in context.

[zanzibar]

IC = in character.  The rest of your post lost me.

[bilbous]

equate "in context" with "in character"

As for people selling themselves Why do tourist buy cheap souvenirs that are destined for the garbage once they get home? Why does someone buy a busker's tshirt on the street, if it isn't because they were entertained? why does the guy in the wheelchair make more than the guy sitting on his backpack if it isn't pathos? How do people end up with extended warranties on the new appliances if they are not confused about its usefulness?

[zanzibar]

equate "in context" with "in character"

I have resistance to doing that since they don't mean the same thing.

As for people selling themselves Why do tourist buy cheap souvenirs that are destined for the garbage once they get home? Why does someone buy a busker's tshirt on the street, if it isn't because they were entertained? why does the guy in the wheelchair make more than the guy sitting on his backpack if it isn't pathos? How do people end up with extended warranties on the new appliances if they are not confused about its usefulness?

I don't at all see how this is in any way relevant.

[emeraldfool]

As for people selling themselves Why do tourist buy cheap souvenirs that are destined for the garbage once they get home? Why does someone buy a busker's tshirt on the street, if it isn't because they were entertained? why does the guy in the wheelchair make more than the guy sitting on his backpack if it isn't pathos? How do people end up with extended warranties on the new appliances if they are not confused about its usefulness?

I don't at all see how this is in any way relevant.

He's saying that your charisma or intelligence don't affect things like whether somebody takes pity on you due to being disabled, or whether someone is under social pressure to buy a souvenir to show off to his family.



And my characters are all either transspecies, tactless or crazy - I screwed them over long before anyone else did

(But I'm all for conning. I've actually paid thousands of trias for information I already knew OOC before )

[bilbous]

Well Chief, would you believe "in the context of the character?" I assure you I was using the terms interchangeably in this case. What I was suggesting is that someone with a predisposition to buy is easier to con than someone more skeptical.

Aside to Zanzibar: Thank you for the PM. Was I not supposed to reply, did you forget to remove your block, or is something wrong with the forum software? I made the attempt to no avail.

[zhai]

If everything happens IC and my character has no way to know that what she is being told is bogus but trusts the person saying it (despite the fact that I may know OOCly that such a thing does not exist or is not possible), I would go along.

For example, if someone my character trusts offered a <made up name> Glyph and explained all its properties and their need to sell it, my char would show interest. I, as a player, know such an item doesn't exist but not my character because she has limited knowledge of magic. I can't be sure if the RP is heading towards that (wouldn't be the first RP glyph to appear) but that's part of the fun. Thus, she may fall for the con. That wouldn't happen with a weapon probably, since she has more knowledge in that field than magic.

The fact that you may know OOC that something isn't implemented yet or simply won't, doesn't mean that it can be presented ICly somehow, and it doesn't have to be a scripted RP at all.

[ThomPhoenix]

Well, I once conned someone IC.
He didn't like it and /report'ed me.
Fun stuff.

[emeraldfool]

Well, I once conned someone IC.
He didn't like it and /report'ed me.
Fun stuff.

I like to drop hints as to what my intentions are with that stuff. At least then you can accuse them of being idiots