Pure At Heart - Good And Evil In Traveller

[jamming]

Below is the data for clearance rates by crime.
Homicide Clearance has been from 90% in 1960 to 70% in 2000 (harder to find data.)

Clearance Rates by Arrest (US Data 2008 approximated)
1. Forcible Rape 40%
2. Robbery
__Firearm 20%
__Non-Firearm 30%
3. Aggravated Assault
__Firearm 40%
__Non-Firearm 60%
4. Burglary 10%
5. Motor Vehicle Theft 10%
6. Arson
__Mobile 10%
__Non Mobile 20%
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/data/table_27.html

Which is why we see so many repeat offenders before apprehension.

 

[rust]

Below is the data for clearance rates by crime.

Is the clearance rate the percentage of cases where someone is arrested
for the crime or where someone is sentenced for the crime ?

Just curious, because our statistics contain only the cases where a court
has considered the case solved and someone has been sentenced, so to
be able to compare the statistics ...

 

[jamming]

These are clearances by arrest and extraordinary means. I believe that extraordinary means is like the person is deceased, in prison for other charges, etc. This is probably close to the chances of an arrest being made as a mistaken arrest is a rather low percentage, like extraordinary means. Conviction would be a factor after the arrest based on law levels, corruption, strict hanging judiciary, etc.

 

[rust]

Thank you.

 

[jamming]

Glad to help.

 

[BP]

Interesting that the number cleared is significantly higher when no moneys/goods are invovled... wonder if this reflects false accusations/bad evidence as much as just a system more interested in financial issues than people?

 

[jamming]

Crimes of Property have less clearance rates, whereas Crimes of Violence have higher percentages. I think it is the inverse of what you are thinking BP. These are crimes that were reported and then cleared by arresting (usually) of an individual responsible for that crime, sorry if I wasn't clear enough. Not Clearing of the percent arrested but of the crime being cleared to the solved pile.

 

[alex_greene]

Si Travellers who want to stick around should play the percentages and stick to the low clearance crimes, then?

 

[rust]

Si Travellers who want to stick around should play the percentages and stick to the low clearance crimes, then?

This is basically what the player characters in my campaigns tend to do.

Never injure someone when the problem can also be solved with a theft,
never use an energy weapon if a metal rod can put the guard to sleep ...

 

[alex_greene]

Which makes Hustle-style play and "soft approach" heists more interesting, particularly if the target's a scumbag ...

 

[BP]

Crimes of Property have less clearance rates, whereas Crimes of Violence have higher percentages. I think it is the inverse of what you are thinking BP. These are crimes that were reported and then cleared by arresting (usually) of an individual responsible for that crime, sorry if I wasn't clear enough. Not Clearing of the percent arrested but of the crime being cleared to the solved pile.

Oops - my bad - typical official mumbo jumbo misdirection to make things less 'clear' to the 'non-professionals'. :lol:

Thanks for the clarification. Certainly useful analogies for roleplay.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

I've been inspired by a DnD game we played back in uni, 14 years ago (still play with half the group). The DM was pretty good, a film student who had built his own world from scratch with his buddies back home, and it was significantly better than most fantasy worlds I've seen.

Anyhow, one pc, a badass warrior that would usually just kill everyone, was captured by the evil usurper's henchman, and was being tortured in a dungeon. The player kept daring the DM to pluck his eye out. After a fair bit of goading, he eventually did. It became a bit of a turning point - ther amoral psychopath grew a conscience, helped save the kingdom, settled down with a barmaid and became the king's champion, eventually having a brood of happy children, that thankfully didn't have the horns that grew out of his face.

Since then I haven't avoided knocking out and capturing the pcs in any game I've run. There's either the opportunity for a fiendish escape or a battle of wits with an interrogator. By giving the players clear notice of the various consequences, it allows them to set the level they are comfy with, and the outcomes become great motivations for the characters.

I've also been adding in Mass Effect style moral dilemmas, in the vein of save the hostages while letting the villain escape or letting them die in order to take down the villain.

I'm giving the players a couple of nukes to play with in the next game. Be interesting to see what they do with them....