Okay, time for the big contest. How can private property be protected? Who can help Sean Power recover his stolen laptop?
In this corner we have the universally hailed champion, a vertically-structured coercive institution known as the Police.
In the other corner we have the challenger, a horizontally-structured voluntary institution known as the Internet.
The clock has started! The race is on! And okay, I’m mixing boxing with racing metaphors, but whatever. Which of these contenders will resolve Sean’s problem first?
Right now the champion is just sitting there. And … still sitting there. Is he formulating a strategy? No, he seems to be … eating a doughnut.
It was an interesting story until the party where people were speculating it was a publicity stunt and the alleged thief came on saying he didn’t mean to steal it and no hard feelings. I can’t help but think, if this had been the video game “Fallout 3” then the alleged thief would have pulled out a machine gun and a large gunfight would ensue, utterly destroying the bar and everything in it except the laptop; you would then gain karma for having busted a thief.
@Anon73: not if your Speech skill is high and you pass a Speech Challenge against him, or if you pick his safe while he’s sleeping!
Drat I guess I was doing it the hard way this whole time!