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A thief run town... How?
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<blockquote data-quote="Rechan" data-source="post: 4520400" data-attributes="member: 54846"><p>In a city, which out numbers which: citizens, or authority figures? </p><p></p><p>Answer: Citizens.</p><p></p><p>Of some thieves were literally the government, and being literal thieves, representatives of the government kick down your door and steal your valuables, well after about the third time, you are going to have a riot on your hands. Having the veneer of "Everything is normal" is a very powerful tool, especially when you're not waving the fact in front of the citizenry. Gulags, death camps and secret prisons aren't exactly housed in city parks, after all, they're held in undisclosed locations. </p><p></p><p>It's a control issue. And organized crime likes to be organized about things, rather than having a sense of lawlessness. When you have lawlessness, you can't control the citizenry, and you have a serious chance of getting ganked by your neighbor. Or the citizenry panic, or try to rebel, because their government are a bunch of tyrants that rob the citizenry.</p><p></p><p>Also, the problem with the Thieves Guild officially running the place is that the Thieves Guild has to run the government. Bob the Pickpocket doesn't want to handle government work, he should pick pockets. The Guildmaster doesn't want to deal with roads, he wants to sit back and enjoy the spoils of his guild. </p><p></p><p>Stop saying "Thieves Guild" and think more like "Mafia". The mafia are the equivalent of a thieves guild. An organization of men who carry out illegal activities under the guise of proper business, have general codes, pay off officials, and otherwise deal with corruption. Back in the 30s-40s, Mafioso ran some areas of Italy; in Russia, a large percentage of the banks are Russian Mafia banks; several US cities are rife with corruption. Just take it one step further, and you have a thieves guild. </p><p></p><p>Despite the Mafia having the leaders in their pocket, they don't advertise. They do their thing in secret. Skulking in the shadows, if you will. </p><p></p><p>Another point is that you can have government-sanctioned illegal activity. Wetworks, espionage, secret police. The KGB didn't exactly advertise. In Eberron, in the nation of Zilargo, there are no police, no jails. The government employs an agency known as the Trust, a bunch of spies and illusionists and spellcasters who work to put criminals down without much of a fuss. And the citizenry are happy, because they keep the peace, and keep other nations out of their hair. </p><p></p><p>So imagine if this government-sanctioned organization decided "Hey, we have power to do what we want in the name of our government. So let's do a silent coup." There you go.</p><p></p><p>Or, the Thieves Guild could be the equivalent of a corporation. A private business that does it's business-ing, but it has funded the organization(s) that run government, helped those who are sympathetic to the corporation gain power, in exchange for support. If you're a noble, you want the guild's approval, so they don't sanction anyone robbing you. This corp also can be hired by citizens, both to steal specific things, and to do espionage ("What is the special ingredient in my rival baker's kitchen he puts in his bread? I must know!")</p><p></p><p>In exchange, the Guild keeps crime down, because if you're doing crime without their approval, they hunt you down and do bad things to you. So they're tolerated, as a "Devil you know".</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rechan, post: 4520400, member: 54846"] In a city, which out numbers which: citizens, or authority figures? Answer: Citizens. Of some thieves were literally the government, and being literal thieves, representatives of the government kick down your door and steal your valuables, well after about the third time, you are going to have a riot on your hands. Having the veneer of "Everything is normal" is a very powerful tool, especially when you're not waving the fact in front of the citizenry. Gulags, death camps and secret prisons aren't exactly housed in city parks, after all, they're held in undisclosed locations. It's a control issue. And organized crime likes to be organized about things, rather than having a sense of lawlessness. When you have lawlessness, you can't control the citizenry, and you have a serious chance of getting ganked by your neighbor. Or the citizenry panic, or try to rebel, because their government are a bunch of tyrants that rob the citizenry. Also, the problem with the Thieves Guild officially running the place is that the Thieves Guild has to run the government. Bob the Pickpocket doesn't want to handle government work, he should pick pockets. The Guildmaster doesn't want to deal with roads, he wants to sit back and enjoy the spoils of his guild. Stop saying "Thieves Guild" and think more like "Mafia". The mafia are the equivalent of a thieves guild. An organization of men who carry out illegal activities under the guise of proper business, have general codes, pay off officials, and otherwise deal with corruption. Back in the 30s-40s, Mafioso ran some areas of Italy; in Russia, a large percentage of the banks are Russian Mafia banks; several US cities are rife with corruption. Just take it one step further, and you have a thieves guild. Despite the Mafia having the leaders in their pocket, they don't advertise. They do their thing in secret. Skulking in the shadows, if you will. Another point is that you can have government-sanctioned illegal activity. Wetworks, espionage, secret police. The KGB didn't exactly advertise. In Eberron, in the nation of Zilargo, there are no police, no jails. The government employs an agency known as the Trust, a bunch of spies and illusionists and spellcasters who work to put criminals down without much of a fuss. And the citizenry are happy, because they keep the peace, and keep other nations out of their hair. So imagine if this government-sanctioned organization decided "Hey, we have power to do what we want in the name of our government. So let's do a silent coup." There you go. Or, the Thieves Guild could be the equivalent of a corporation. A private business that does it's business-ing, but it has funded the organization(s) that run government, helped those who are sympathetic to the corporation gain power, in exchange for support. If you're a noble, you want the guild's approval, so they don't sanction anyone robbing you. This corp also can be hired by citizens, both to steal specific things, and to do espionage ("What is the special ingredient in my rival baker's kitchen he puts in his bread? I must know!") In exchange, the Guild keeps crime down, because if you're doing crime without their approval, they hunt you down and do bad things to you. So they're tolerated, as a "Devil you know". [/QUOTE]
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