PHASE #1: Decide upon your disguise
Most thieves strive to fool the surrounding people into thinking that they are just one of the crowd. Thus, they prepare by using a disguise kit to change their name and hairstyle and then dress up in different clothes than they normally use. Thieves use newbie clothes for this purpose, as they will not be lost after death. Often this type of thief will dye their hair a different color as well, since disguise kits cause the hair to turn bright white thus giving the secret away.

Musi likes to play fair though. She wants to give her victims a fighting chance to recognise her as a thief before she even strikes. Thus, she uses the disguise kit to make her hair bright white, and uses no clothing nor hair dye to reveal the fact that she is a thief. Not only is this nice for the victims since they get warning of her motives, but also for Musi because it makes for a much more exciting challenge.

PHASE #2: Preparation
Check to make sure you have emptied your backpack, since you will most likely die in the process of stealing and don't want to lose your valuables. Create two macros on your function keys that are side by side on your keyboard (for instance F1 and F2). For the first key add the Last Object macro. For the second add the Use skill -> Stealing macro. This will ensure that you will be able to open the victims backpack and steal the targeted item swiftly before being discovered.

PHASE #3: Choose the victim
Hide around banks and watch people - monitor what they say and take note of any crude, ignorant or rude remarks. Focus on people who are mean to other just for the fun of it. (Any personal enemies will do just fine as well.) Keep your eyes peeled for phrases like "HA HA I SCAMMED U!! UR SUCH A LUUZR NEWBE!" or... "LOL I PK:D UR A$$ AND LOOTED UR BODY - U LUZER A$$HOLE!". These are signs that the player is a "Kewl Dood". This is the ultimate and most favoured type of victim that you are looking for.

If there are no k3Wl d00dz around, and you feel an overpowering urge to steal, common folk will do just fine. But note! there is a big difference in how to steal from a d00d and how to steal from a kind innocent person! When stealing from a d00d, the purpose is to get revenge on behalf of his victims - to give him a taste of his own medicine. But innocents have harmed no-one, so the objective is to make it a fun roleplaying experience for both parties. What you want is to have nice victims walk away with a smile on their face and a enlightened view of thieves in general.

Here Musi has noticed a k3wlie and is evaluating him from afar. She is walking around "minding her own business" as not to scare the victim away or get him on his guard. She is double clicking his back pack from afar so that it will become the "Last Object".

PHASE #4: Prepare to steal
Now you have your victim chosen from the crowd but stay away from them so they won't know you are targetting them. Now open their paperdoll and double click on their backpack. You will get a message about the backpack being out of reach. The purpose is to make their backpack the "Last Object" in your client memory.

Think now about how you will approach them and what your escape route will be once you have successfully stolen.

PHASE #5: Advance on your victim
The first thing to do once you are near your victim is to use your Last Target macro to open their backpack. While you chat, you can then make an inventory of what there might be to steal. The way you address your victim depends largely on the victim himself/herself. Are they a kewl dood? A well known PK gone blue? Someone who scammed your best friend? Perhaps someone just acting really rude at the bank. A good way to double check that someone is truly a meanie, is to ask them for help. Directions to the local provisoner, or ask for a gate to Britain etc. If you have skillfully evaluated your victim beforehand you will usually get a rude abusive response, but in the case that the person actually bothers to help you out and turns out to be nice after all, it is recommended to thank them kindly, then back out of your dirty plans. Go back to choosing another victim, one that really deserves to be stolen from!

While your victim is spewing obcenities at you, you should already have picked out the item you want to steal and should now get your stealing target cursor ready with your second macro. But before you click on the item, ask them one final question so their attention will be directed toward writing the next crude answer, and not on what you are about to do.

Most times, the victim will have guessed that you want to steal from them and will move out of your reach. Simply follow them pressing down your Last Target macro continuely to keep their bag open. They may even break into a run, which can be really fun to chase them all over the place, especially if you have a faster connection. Note that chasing victims is NOT bannable by OSI law. I have asked several GMs about this and you are ok as long as you do not corner you victim into a place where they can't escape. Chasing is perfectly safe though, and is not considered to be harrassment.

The kewlie has realized Musi wants to steal something and has broken into a run. The chase is on!

If you have to chase your victim around, make it fun by throwing some funny comments. You can prepare some classic favourite comments as macros so you can say them while you run without having to stop. This is especially important if your victim is an innocent player, since they will be terrified by now. This way you you can break the ice and show that you have a sense of humour. Usually they will crack up with laughter over your witty remarks and already at this stage start enjoying their encounter with you. It will soon become a funny game for them, and not a nuicance.

PHASE #6: Steal the item
Once you have the chance to target the item, do so and run immediately away before the victim puts 2 and 2 together. They will usually yell guards, which means that you are dead within milliseconds, but if they don't in time, they will run after you and try to kill you. Always stay a safe distance away to avoid Paralyze and other nasty spells.

PHASE #7: The chase!!!
If they have a faster connection than you, you will need to zig zag the route you run. You need to keep them guessing which way you are going next, to gain valuable time on them. Avoid running in straight lines, instead run around buildings. Each corner you turn will give you an advantage and stop them from casting spells. Try and hide as soon as possible.

If you have a faster connection than they do, there is no challenge (or fun) in simply running away. So be a sport and wait up for them once in a while. Urge them on by shouting things like: "Come on! You can do it!" Run in straight lines so they have a better chance of keeping up with you. My favourite place to do this is around the small hedge park in Moonglow.

The Kewlie chases Musi Mussukka around the hedge park in Moonglow. Musi has no problem getting away because of her faster connection.

The chase is the most thrilling and fun part of the whole process, so endulge by being creative and funny. You have the power to turn a very angry victim into a laughing one if you work hard enough. Use your imagination! I personally like to yell words of encouragement while they are chasing me, and then hide as often as possible, only to reveal myself saying "Yoo Hooo, watcha waiting for big boy?" and continue the chase. For me, this is what stealing is all about, not getting the items.

During the chase you will get a good picture of the victims personality. Do they have any sense of humour at all? Or do they take the game and themselves too seriously? This is the time to start thinking about the last phase - how you want to end it.

PHASE #8: Bringing the episode to an end
If the victim acts like a brat, without any humour or open mindness, and yells things like "I'M GONNA CALL A GM ON U!! FUK U YOU LOOZER!!!" then I usually just bank the item I stole and move on.

But if the victim has proven to be a good sport after all, and shows an inkling of humour, I usually return the item I stole, thank them for the exciting chase and give them some tips on how to protect themselves from thieves better in the future. Sometimes, if someone has been really really nice about it, or is a newbie, I will even give them a small prize for being such a good sport. These are the people that will walk away with a big smile on their face, a warm heart and knowledge that not all thieves are bad thieves after all. Believe it or not, but several of my victims have eventually become my friends :)

MUSI'S ADVENTURES

Musi's Thieving Basics

"Gards!!!"

Case Triumpf