[OOC: Roleplay or Scam?]

[rakshak]

[This entire post is OOC. I'm posting it here because I didn't know where else to post it

There was a scam today, in PlaneShift, in the name of "Xiosia" and "roleplay". Some people start a roleplay, drop all their items including armor, weapons, sacs, glyphs and even guildhouse keys. Then they all commit suicide, saying "Xiosia will make them semi-Gods after they come out of Death Realm". Apparently some veteran players were also there, so it all looks believable. As soon as all players reach death realm, one of the players has an alt ready at the suicide site, and he picks up everything and leaves.

If anybody asks you to use /die command during RP after dropping your items, do not do it. They may try to disguise this as "using a knife to die" but never use /die when you dropped your items on the ground. Report it to a GM instead.

Thanks for reading and have a pleasant time]

[Timmothy Perriwinkle]

[Really, IMHO, anyone who complains about this being OOC is a mega-whiner. Donari perfectly orchestrated an awesome scam. Saying he had the name 'Xiosia' holds absolutely no merit, because saying the name is there is OOC, so you'd be just as bad. Anyone can come up to you and promise you immortality. The rabid believers simply were too trusting. Guess they learned a lesson to be wary, but it was all IC.

Your advising them to report it and not do it annoys me to no end however. If your character falls for an IC scam, but you can't handle the repercussions OOC, that's your problem, you should sort out the differences between IC and OOC on your own. Don't spread your thinking onto others.]

[Skrein]

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

[Gavvie Strand]

[I was there at the "role-play".

Someone at the rouge camp claimed to by Xiosia in the form of an old lady (I do have to admit though, she was a good RPer.) . She said that the darkness and greed in the world were killing her. In to save here she said that we will need to give up our greed, and thus dropping all of our items and tria. After this she thanks us and tells us that she will make us demi-gods. She led us to a clearing and gave us a knife. She said that death leeds to rebirth in the cycle of life (which made seance that Xiosia would say that) and then asked us to kill our selves. We waited at the entrance of the DR awhile waiting for her, but she never came.

She was a great role-player and she obviously did her research. But non the less I would still call it a scam. It also was not in character. If she was just a normal person pretending to be a goddess, she (roleplay) enchanted a dagger (which a normal person could not do), and did other (roleplay) spell that only a god could do. So thus, it was a scam.]

[Prolix]

[I have to wonder how many of the people who were not in on this were impressionable children, not everyone who plays this game has the life experience to resist something too good to be true. Then again this might have been approved by the gm's as more  black flame backlash. Yliakum has become that much worse a place to live. Beware the evil tide.
hmm give up material items for great power, sounds like something greedy people would do.]

[Timmothy Perriwinkle]

[Okay, so I'm sitting on my couch, watching Television. I look at my dog and say "HURRRRRRRRRR" loudly. Then I turn to my mom and say my Dog's enchanted. If my mom believes me, she's gullible. If I sell the enchanted dog to her for an insane amount of money, she has just been SCAMMED.]

[Dajoji]

[I have to wonder how many of the people who were not in on this were impressionable children, not everyone who plays this game has the life experience to resist something too good to be true. Then again this might have been approved by the gm's as more  black flame backlash. Yliakum has become that much worse a place to live. Beware the evil tide.
hmm give up material items for great power, sounds like something greedy people would do.]

No player event has been or will be approved by the GM team at this point. From what we heard this all happened IC and the scam was fair play. We will not punish anyone because they RP an evil character.

If the baddies wish to return the items stolen as a nice thing to do for their fellow players, it's up to them. You can work something out OOCly so that both parties are happy.

If we find evidence that someone was trying to impersonate a GM or pretend to be hosting a GM event we will punish that person severely but so far, we have not seen such evidence.

[zanzibar]

Unfortunately, this looks like a "fair", in character scam.  There are examples of this kind of thing happening throughout history.  A good example was in the year 1000 when countless people were scammed into selling their houses for almost nothing, convinced that the rapture was about to happen.  Of course, the year 1000 came, and no rapture...

[Waylander]

[The character was named Xiosia?  That's something that shouldn't be possible.  Besides that, something of a mean thing to do, I suppose but, completely IC.  I imagine bounty hunters will have a job once people come back from the Death Realm and realize what happened.

Only way this would really be considered an OOC scam is if people said /die functioned differently than it actually does OOC. "If you kill yourself you shall gain powers" is fine "[/die and you get powers]" isn't.  Highly doubt Donari did that.  Still, sorry for any who lost their items.  Good luck retrieving them.]

[IkonRevisions]

[I took part in this scam as you would call it and it was all done on both sides totally in character and it simply took advantage of the greed that has ensued from past events.
Just in real life, people can claim to be gods, goddesses, or immortal but no one at the event wished to demand any sort of proof so they were easy targets for the evil plans laid before them.
Players decide to have their characters play a variety of roles within the game so it is best that the players use reasoning to prevent being scammed by false profits promising immortality.
I thank everyone involved for being mature about the situation and I would welcome any form of in game retaliation that is within the game rules on those who have deceived you, would make a nice little event.

If it is later, found that this was in anyways outside of what should be done within the game I would of course yield over the gear I seized and the profits made from selling what I did. However, to my knowledge
I saw nothing but a good role-play scheme by an evil character with me and others in on the plot.

-Ikon]

[zanzibar]

[Ok, so we have testimony from someone that they acted with the best of intentions regarding roleplay ethics.

It's true that people have been greedy when it comes to events.  Events should be rewarding because they're fun, not because you'll get a collectible.

All in all, I say that it was a mean thing to do, but I don't think anyone should be punished.  It would be nice if the items were returned though.]

[khoridor]

Very nice scam.
Congrats to the baddies. 

[Lolitra, Celorrim Purrty Twins]

I have to admit - I was not there - and thus cannot comment on whether or not it was a scam - or just a well played piece of RP.  Surely players must realise that using /die would leave their belongings unguarded,  or if they are in a PvP area to drop something runs the risk of having someone /attack them without need of consent - thus leaving their items unguarded if they lose.  As to putting down or dropping Keys to a guild house - that is solely the responsibility of the Player who has the Key [They surely should know that!].  IF it is only their own belongings - not others' well - they only have themselves to blame so long as at NO TIME did anyone claim to be a GM or use gods' names for a made up character by means of creating it with that name [i.e. the mechanic's label shows Xiosia] - rather than for instance - character 'Numfur' saying 'My name is Xiosia' and /me looks like she is a serene godlike person - that is just good RP.

I would expect members of my guild NEVER to give a key away to another player - without first checking with other players in the guild if they are happy with the Consiquences - i.e. the new holder of the key having access to the house and what that player might do 'in the name of RP' such as raid the house and clean it out.

The only things I think should be returned are any guild house keys - for the sake of other players who use those houses and who did not agree to/or have knowledge of said RP - otherwise it sounds like the RP was done with consent on both sides and mostly reads like it was good RP.

[Donari Tyndale]

Most things I was about to say were already mentioned. One person also dropped a guildhouse key, but naturally we did return it to the owner. The last thing I want to adress is a message to those who whine: The characters commiting the scam are NOT gone. They are still around. Your characters will have chances to get their stuff back, providing they (and not you, the player) find clues that lead to those responsible.

[zanzibar]

[I doubt all those who were affected will have the good fortune of reading your post.]