But how come they always try and kill me?

Most of their contracts state that they only need to beat me up and teach me a lesson, not murder me! Why can't they just have a punch up and then leave me alone?

Also, why do none of the guards help me? I'm being assaulted in the middle of the street!

Argh!

Thugs would get paid no matter what they do if they get the job done.
Guards always help me.

Bad scripting and writing. Even when a dragon was attacking the village the thugs were intent on 'teaching me a lesson'.

A beggar sent hired thugs against me yesterday

Edda of Riften , cause i picked up a piece of cabbage by mistake that had made its way near the door that leads to the Riften fishery , turned out it belonged to her

I think to was just laziness on Bethesda's part TBH. Guards help me always too.

I've never once had a guard help me with thugs. They just attack me in the middle of town with no repercussions......well almost no repercussions. Last time they attacked and the guards didn't help I killed the thugs AND the guards for being worthless. Arrow to the knee was small potatoes in comparison to axe to the head

Guards ignores them attacking me, even if right in front of them, tend to get atacked outside Riften so the spiders was more helpful.

Hate the thugs, some of the hardest fights in the game, usually has to run forever to stop them from killing me.

It's random for me. Either the guards help or they don't.

because they want you to stand up for yourself. Just run into some water, and go to land and snipe, or catch your health and jump back in. Breaking them up helps

Guards only help if you're with the Legion or the Cloaks and you're in an a hold aligned with your chosen faction.

Those encounters are always a tough challenge at low levels! I hate those guys! Last time, somehow they killed Faendal and I wasn't even using him as a follower.

One time Alvor's daughter, Dorthe, sent hiredthugs on me after I stole something from her

-Note to self, don't mess with Dorthe-

Frenzy solves this problem admirably.

They are quite dangerous at low levels though, since they have a high chance to spawn with enchanted weapons, even an Iron Sword of Embers can make your day come to an abrupt end.

As for why the just try to kill you, Skyrim doesn't have any "Incapacitate" combat mechanics, so what were you expecting?

Actually, for me... The thugs just like stand away as I killed the Legendary Dragon then just follow me... Not attacking or talking... Just follow me... I think they don't want to attack someone who just killed a dragon...

Technically, they do teach me a lesson... A lesson in fighting! Always nice to get a level up just from fighting them.

There is no Simply "beating you" in Skyrim.

When a Mage challenges you to a duel, It's either fight him or he'll kill you.

When you challenge someone to a Brawl, you either beat them in the fight, or they'll kill you with their fists.

If you accidentally stole someones Fork, they'll send Hired thugs to get paid back, then kill you.

"You know what's wrong with Skyrim these days? Everyone's obsessed with death!"

not to mention decent loot sometimes

I do feel pity for any foe who says they yield yet must fight on due to their psychotic programmed ai

Thugs are fun.I've started many,many characters and tend to have some things happen in the same way,and at the same point of the game so, I get the thugs in a lot of the same places.One common place is right after the grey beards assign retrieve the horn quest,thugs show up and get thier a$$'s kicked by the beards.Also right after svcking up the first dragon soul,they show up and get wacked by Irileth and the guards.Once at the truce talks they showed up right after meeting broke,and everybody nailed them.

It's a bit odd they try to murder you. The hired thugs in heavy armor are fine for retribution if you killed an NPC & someone wanted revenge, eye for an eye, on they're behalf. But for stealing, they should send a similar group in light armor or such & when they get close initiate you in a brawl. obviously an unfair brawl with 4 of them against you, and if your beaten (like in tavern brawls) that's the lesson.

Using the Alternate Start Live Another Life mod my orc started out shipwrecked off the coast between Dawnstar and Winterhold. She had no clothes other then miner's clothing so when she got to the shore, she killed Deekus and took his armor.

Several days later she arrived in Dushnik Yal and spent the night there. The next morning as she walked out and was attacked by hired thugs. The whole stronghold laid waste to them fools. Found a letter from the dead argonian Deekus.

Happened to me once. I had to pause the game and put on the Benny Hill theme so that it actually made some sense.

Yeah, how do people write letters to hired thugs from the grave?

Do the hired thugs just go through the portal to sovngarde to pick up letters?

It's funny when beggars do it. I mean the money you spend on hiring these thugs could have been spent on who knows what.

I accidentally picked up a wooden plate as the arch mage. I then pvssyd with Faralda and left. She sent the guards after me. I was kind of like "You just sold me the greatest secrets of destruction magic. I saved this school while you were hiding like a little girl. And so you send three common thugs to do... what? And even worse, you put your name at the end of the letter on their body?"

It would be nice if there was something like a three strikes rule where if I accidently picked up something the npc will warn me while her disposition towards me would be lowered. If I do two other wrong things then the npc goes hostile calling the guards etc. I always liked how in MORROWIND when creating a character in the Seyda Neen census office the dude in charge of giving me my papers let me go with a warning when I accidently picked up something on the desk as I reached for my papers.