There are many ways that you can come upon or obtain the equipment or other
belongings of other players. These ICly include taking it from their corpse;
stealing it from their person, pet, cart, home, or steed, finding it
abandoned, dropped, or misplaced; and convincing, coercing, or forcing them
to give it to you. OOCly, you might obtain it in cases of mistaken identity.
In all of these cases, we ask you realize that the other player worked hard
to collect those things, some of which may be unique, renamed, or otherwise
customized for them, and not treat them flippantly. No matter what the
situation, don't merely sell them off to a merchant, which will generally
mean their destruction when the game is rebooted. PCs are encouraged to place
a note into any containers of importance to them, specifying to whom the
container belongs; this will make it easier for lost items to be returned,
and also cover the situation where the item is taken without the realization
that it is OPP.
If you have OPP, you should give the owner every IC opportunity possible to
get it back. Except by accident, you should not take OPP from other PCs
except with the intention of furthering roleplay. While it is acceptable to
RP a hardened thief, such a character should target NPCs, except when there
is a clear roleplay reason for stealing from another PC. Taking OPP purely
for the sake of greed is not acceptable.
* Breaking and entering into a player's dwelling, or the storeroom of a
player-owned shop, is not permitted at all, and is a banning offense.
* If you notice an item on the ground and there is a player in the room with
it, do _not_ pick it up without first getting permission from the person or
persons in the room. Taking such items may be considered stealing if you do
not first obtain permission from those present. If someone is nearby, in
stables for example, you should check they are not just organizing their
possessions.
* It is never wise to leave items or containers unattended and expect them to
be there when you return. If there is an item on the ground and there is
neither a character corpse nor a player in the room, the object is considered
abandoned and free for the taking.
* Please see also the helpfile on looting corpses