Forgotten Kingdoms Forums

For those of you out there with alts... ever gotten that -perfect- item for your character from an RMI, only... it's not the character you're on? Chances are, if you've got alts, this has happened to you at some point. Even worse, if you've got several alts, it's sometimes difficult to keep track of which character has sold what to whom, or which shop.

So, what if we were to change the policy so that a PC could sell an item to a shop, and then wait a grace period... say 48 hours, or perhaps even a full week, and then be allowed to buy that item from the shop if it were still there? Would that -really- be so bad? I don't see it as being that much different, if the grace period is there, as some other player getting an item and selling it, and then your PC purchasing it. It would also give other PCs the opportunity to buy it, thus stimulating the economy. Perhaps it would open up some items that people would otherwise hoard.

My original thought was to propose that any shop be available for this, but then it occurred to me that there are some pretty far out shops out there, such as Yuirwood, where people probably don't frequent much, and thus someone could 'back rack' things (ever gone into a store and seen something you wanted on sale, but didn't have the cash to buy it that day, so you hang it on a back rack, hoping nobody else will find it before you can come back?). Perhaps the shops could be limited to places like Waterdeep and Zhentil Keep. I would suggest Daggerford, but the economy is so wonky there, sometimes it's hard to sell things as it is.

Just an idea, and possibly one that won't go anywhere... but I imagine many of us have faced this frustration, especially when we're trying to match our outfits -just- right.

I've experienced this too and I do find it frustrating, but in the end, I think this suggestion does more harm than good.

One of the really good things about the rule is that it encourages your characters make friends and maintain good relationships with those characters you befriend.

Szrenzil (a Wemic) has a very difficult time finding armor since he apparently can wear nothing for his legs or boots that is currently in the game. He knows how difficult it is to find armor that is large enough to fit a Wemic, so he pays an excessive amount and reminds people from time to time that he is still looking. Other characters benefit from this, since they probably won't find anything, but he has given or sold items at a huge discount to motivate people to keep an eye out for him. Sure, I know OOC that there's nothing in the game currently, but that doesn't mean I don't RP it out as I think he would (or anyone else that desperately wants something but hasn't the means to get it).

Then there is the metagaming problem. There's always someone looking for a loophole. "I'll sell it to this shop in the hidden back room here that no one goes to or probably knows about; 48 hours is an easy wait." And both of your characters would have the idea to just go to the same shop? In the reverse, it could spike an increase in locate object command for people looking to exploit the grace period. Lastly, whose responsibility is it to police the game to ensure the grace period is respected? It certainly wouldn't be fair to expect the staff to take the time to create a log system that records when every magic item is sold and bought, the cross reference every player account.

All in all, it's frustrating, but I think it's necessary to keep the game fair.

I generally keep a notepad list of all the random reward items I've gained on all my alts, this keeps me from rebuying them on other alts and let's me brainstorm about renaming them with glory if I am attached to the base item and not its current design. These items sell for a great deal, which allows me to buy other items I find more desirable. I can also trade them to other player characters for money or other items or give them away as gifts at in character events like weddings or festivals.

I would not mind being able to purchase reward items that my alts sold on my other alts, but I don't see the need for it with these alternate means of using these rewards. I will chime in that though I probably would not use this option, I'm not opposed to other chars using it.

Thanks for your contribution Gwain. Valid points.

I would also like to add, that I don't think I would do a LOT of swapping between alts. There are some items, however, that are a little more rare than others, that it would be nice to have be able to transfer. Signature weapons, for example, or specifically colored/patterned armor.

Ideally, this wouldn't be a simple way to transfer across items. The more I think about it, the more I like for a week as a grace period (as opposed to 48 hours).

But, it would be nice for there to be a -chance- for your other character to obtain that special item, especially given the cost of renames. As it stands, if character A is the one to receive the item, Character B may never ever under any circumstance touch it.

On the other hand, I will also admit that no item is 'unique'. Perhaps rare in the extreme, but not unique. Therefore, this isn't a -dire- thing by any means.

I guess a change to the policy would be a good thing.

For example, I finished Jonathon's quest as a prospective ranger and got 3 bucklers. Heck, I don't need one at all, let alone three!

Rather than swap between alts, you could use the opportunity to initiate rp by seeking another player who may have obtained what you covet.