Bear said:
Theives are given a fair shake in 'court'... what would a father do? He would probably try to get the criminal to see the error of his ways and reform him... but theives RARELY 'reform' so hes bound to return to his life of crime... which means he'll wind up in court again... and I suppose this time even a father would take a stronger hand with his child and punish him accordingly (Once shame on you, twice shame on me). But wouldnt that be classifying the society as "Lawful"? That seems pretty strict, no?
Strict/lenient doesn't necessarily have anything to do with lawful/chaotic. (I'd say it just plain doesn't but I don't think that there's really a coherent interpretation of the D&D law/chaos axis out there so even mine will only work sometimes). If the rule of law approach is taken to the law/chaos divide, then the difference between a lawful and a neutral court is that the lawful court is much more likely to listen to pleas of "sure I did it, but it's not technically illegal--it just (intentionally) looks that way." Similarly, the neutral court is more likely to consider extenuating circumstances not detailed in the legal code--in short, to follow a much more individualized application of justice (although not as individualized as that of a chaotic society).
That doesn't mean that it will be more lenient than a lawful society however. The lawful judge might well say "yeah, it's the fifth time you've been here for drunk and disorderly conduct this week, but the law says that we just give you five lashes and/or lock you in the stocks till noon tomorrow then let you out so you can crawl into the tavern, so that's what I'll do." The neutral judge might well say, "well, you're continuing to be a nuisance so slap a neutralize poison/cure disease on him father. Now, son, you've got a choice: accept a geas/counselling/whatever means of rehab are available to never touch the booze again or leave this town w/a mark of Justice on your forehead that will get you if you ever come back."
And if that approach seems less just/effective/compassionate than the lawful approach in some peoples' eyes, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is (although it could); it just means that everyone isn't neutral good.
Or I suppose the thieves guild could be "Neutral"... Self policing. Maybe they like that the town goes light on them so they, in turn, keep themselves in check so as to not push the envelope. I REALLY LIKE THIS IDEA but then how is the guild profitable? Gambling Den idea comes to mind... Such a den of iniquity wouldn't be 'right' in the eyes of the church but at least they arent doing anything illegal. But i'm not so sure this church could turn a blind eye on drugs, sex and gambling...
Any more input along 'paternal' priest/mayor and 'Neutral' theives guild ideas?
Well, really, I don't think you're going to get very far with a "neutral" thieves' guild. "Give me 1 gold piece each week, and I'll tell my thugs to leave you alone" (protection), organizing burgalries and pick pockets, etc doesn't seem very neutral to me. Even smuggling doesn't seem likely to be neutral in a town with a wise and benevolent government. (Although some of it might be--especially if it's evading the taxation of a king or other overlord who has decided to sacrifice the good of some of the people for either the greater good or his own good).
You're probably best off abandoning the idea of a "thieves' guild" altogether. (It's a supremely annoying fantasy convention IMO anyway). Instead, go with the several small groups of unorganized criminals and let most of them be individuals.Then detail a few low-life establishments. The gambling den could be run by a guy who's more or less honest himself but is willing to turn a blind eye to some of the goings on in his casino. Maybe there's a gypsy family on the edge of town that conforms to all of the worst stereotypes of gypsies. Maybe they pose as prostitutes and then rob or blackmail the johns who are ashamed to appeal to the mayor, etc. Or mabye they're just shiftless beggars. Or maybe they have some redeeming qualities too. Add in a general store/pawn shop owner or two who's known to buy goods without asking too many questions about where they came from (adventurers would probably appreciate that as much as thieves), a few angry drunks with wealthy fathers, and an outlaw from three cities down the road who's trying to lie low but is willing to kill to stay free (and maybe he's running out of money too) and you'll have a believable low-life for the town.
Actually, considering the size of the town, you might even want to split up the criminal enterprises. Maybe the only thing in this town is the general store owner who doesn't ask questions and a tavern where a few card sharks and the outlaw hang out. The smugglers operate in the town down a day's travel away but sometimes sell a shipment to the general store owner. The wealthy hooligans live on a country nobleman's estate and come into town about once a month or so (the rest of the time, they're in nearby towns)--the town leaders don't have the authority to arrest them for any of their activities because of their noble blood so the town people just shutter their windows, pull the children into their houses and the barkeep calls the local wizard who puts a sleep spell on them after a few drinks. (Unfortunately, they're getting to be higher level and are starting to be more resistant to the sleep spell). And those gypsies came through town two months ago but it didn't take the town too long to figure out that they really were as bad as everyone said, so they ran them off. Now the gypsies have set up shop by the crossroads and that's far enough away for most people to be happy but not too far for the less upstanding citizens to go for the "services" provided by the gypsy girls. The ranchers close to the crossroads are worried though--everyone knows the gypsies are cattle thieves and it's only a matter of time before some cattle go missing.
