So here's an interesting question, will you steal in the world of Fallout 4? Before you answer please read the following...

Now undoubtedly, some if not many may have no problem stealing in real life but I think it's interesting that there is a higher inclination to steal in video games than real life due to the fact that the majority of us (i think) don't put a real human emotion, realness or attribute to the characters (victims) in the world of Fallout or video games in general.

The interesting quandary I pose to you the responding poster is, if Fallout made the repercussions of stealing on the victim consequential would you still be a thief? If for example, you go into a new settlement, town or city in Fallout 4 and take someone's prize possession from their home (not getting caught of course) and that character either stays in a state of depression heartbreakingly sobbing all the time or even commits suicide shutting down any quests linked to his/her path, would you hesitate to steal or still have no reluctance to the sinful act?

I personally think it would be a fantastic addition to the gameplay if repercussions and consequences from the minor to the dramatic were implemented in the area of larceny, of course the range of this being dependent on what exactly you stole. What do you think?

If I can't buy it or get it as a reward then probably.

I don't apply the same logic as the real world as the real world isn't a post apoc setting where I walk around with a sniper rifle and SMG lol It's the reason why in the 3 and NV they had the karma system to simulate doing something wrong and if caught could be punished for.

I love playing a thief in any game that I can I do so. Unfortunately there's (so far) never been any big repercussions for being one in TES/Fallout games (unless you get caught). It'd be nice if the karma system represented that.. "you just stole water from a thirsty man -10 karma!" I am rather a picky thief. I'd say I was a Robin Hood type except for the fact that I've never reverse pickpocketed valuables onto poor characters. I tend to steal less from those that don't have much. If the characters seem well off I'd steal stuff just to sell it. If they don't have much then I don't bother taking it.... unless it's something I really need or want. ... I am a thief after all. I'm not just going to leave something really valuable behind because I feel sorry for the person.

Survival of the fittest in the wasteland. If I can get away with it without shedding blood then yes, but if I have to kill to get what I want then I must really need it.

Depends on who I'm roleplaying. Some of my characters might be compassionate and want to help his/her fellow kin while others only look after Numero Uno.

Depends from character to character, my first one, tho practical minded, is above stealing from the defenseless, that said he isn't above looting corpses, or loot from the posetions of the dead. Once that raider camp is cleared out he happily pick there place clean, even if it's loot they in turn stole from others.

I don't steal very often... as most npcs have nothing worth taking, or don't have anything I can't get from simply killing raiders. I have taken skill books though, but I doubt those would throw an npcs life into a downward spiral.

Usually stealing has absolutely no consequences for any party involved in video games. None that are visible, anyway. You could steal practically the entire NCR Armory in New Vegas, and it would have absolutely no bearing on your reputation, or their chances of victory. Hell. Even mass murder has virtually no consequences in that regard. You could wipe out every single non-named NPC, and STILL not affect their chances of victory in the endgame.

So... unless Fallout 4 makes it VERY clear that stealing from people will have a negative effect, I will probably be taking everything that isn't nailed down.

I never steal food or drink (mainly because I don't USE them and they aren't worth selling)... and I usually won't steal some poor family's "nest egg" of thirty bottlecaps since, in the grand scheme of things I don't need it ~that~ much. If some lone hunter happened to have a unique (or just very very very good) rifle above the mantle in his house, I might steal that, of course. A game that can make me not WANT to steal from NPCs is a powerful game indeed.

Er... no. If someone commits suicide because I stole their favorite cheese wheel that's their problem. I would hesitate to steal something if I know it's "important" to them though like a widower keeping his husband's wedding ring or something. Actually I probably wouldn't steal that at all, not just hesitate. Well. Unless it was reeaaaallllyyy valuable. Or he was an [censored]. I also try not to kill people for their weapons anymore because, really who'd do something like that?

It depends. Who am I stealing from and what I am stealing. I just hope the karma system is changed (more like skyrim). In Fallout 3 I felt bad every time I stole due to that sound effekt that played every time I picked up something

I never had the problem in the fallout or elders scrolls series, as stealing doesn't seem to have consequences for you or the NPC you are stealing from.

In "This war of mine" stealing can result in the death of the character youre stealing from... and has a "despressed" effect on your character as well...

This is the issue with video games. When stealing is too easy (as it really has become in Bethesda's games) and consequences barely exist, all of my characters (even the righteous ones) are f***ed up to some extent because they have no quandaries with stealing from people.

And it's difficult to just not steal in a Bethesda game, when they're so heavily loot-driven. You feel like you're missing out and disadvantaging yourself, but I guess that's just what you have to do to get the most out of a game sometimes.

If this is anything like Skyrim, thieves will get bounty hunters after them.

For me, this is a pure RP thing. I'm no hardcoe RP'er but I usually have mindset for every character I play (no matter what game I play).

If I'm a good aligned character I don't steal.

If I'm playing a more mission oriented character then I'm also often playing a more cold hearted person and I may steal if it benefits the greater good.

If'm playing an evil character I do whatever I want. Many times I steal peoples lives too.

Now, I have almost 15 years of experience from Ultima Online and stealing from other players (with real emotions since they're real people) has been one of my greatest joys in Ultima Online. I made millions of Ultima Online gold by stealing valuables from people, sometimes it's been items people have payed with real money for, sometimes it's been paid for through hard work in the game. Never the less, I've stolen items from people in real life ingame. I have sometimes had to persuade people to "be stupid" to be able to steal from them ingame, but never in the scamming kind of way.

And before anyone bashes me for this, I have only used built in game mechanics they way they have been intended to be used by doing this. I have never cheated.

I have also had items stolen from me ingame, I was even scammed once for ingame items but that was due to me being stupid so I know the feeling of loosing something.

There have been occasions where I have felt bad for stealing from other people and in those cases I have returned the items stolen. Many times I have stolen something insignificant just because I like the chase that almost always occurs afterwards. For those unfamilliar with Ultima Online it's and MMO, one of the first and still the best one IMO. There are plenty of documentation on how the game works.

To summerize, stealing in games is okay for me, if there are other players involved and they have accepted the terms of aggrement (else they wouldn't be playing, right?) I say it's okay. It's a game and no need to feel sorry for anyone unless you choose to do so. I play games because it takes my mind of the real world, some people read books, watches the telly or do sports, I play games.

EDIT: I would love to have certain quests and such to be disabled after stealing from NPC's as a direct result of my actions. That would make the game play much more interesting since every action you make would require you to think twice before you do them.

Based on past Beth games, probably not a lot, but it depends on circumstances.

In Oblivion, the only thing I ever stole, I think, was the Nirnroot in the back of that one shop in Imperial City.

Fallout 3, I may have grabbed a few skill books that were labeled as "owned".... and a bunch of stuff from lairs where a quest led me to kill the population, but then the game said everything was still owned (The Family hideout, Roy Phillips' place). And even then, I only grabbed things that I was specifically interested in (ammo types I was short of, lots of Scrap Metal).

Skyrim, I might have stolen a few more rare crafting materials? And not from major cities/towns/nice places.

(I generally don't do anything "bad" to friendly NPCs. I only attack hostile NPCs or ones a quest leads me to fight, I don't loot cities, only pickpocket quest targets....)

I always still, no matter what game really. My logic is, I save the world, but I'm going to take your stuff when your not looking.

If I roleplay an honest character my character will not steal. If I roleplay a dishonest (or desperate) character my character may steal. It depends on the character and the circumstances the characters find themselves in. My characters steal, not me.

I still blame The Legend of Zelda for my kleptomania.

I'll usually steal if it's something I need for a quest. (a key, some notes, etc) It's better then just storming in and leaving a trail of bodies. Other then that, I pick my targets. Items that they don't need, but have high value. Books, Soul gems, rare components.

I make enough money off the shmucks who try and kill me.

No worries, I usually plant a subsonic round in the owners head first.

Personally the reason I can steal is because there is no conscequences for it.

I there was (like someone dying because I stole his water supply) then I would not.

As with others it depends on the RP I'm doing. I personally in RL don't steal and in game I'm generally playing a good person that doesn't. I will however run certain RP's where my character may be a thief, or a murderer, in which case that's how they are played. I usually run those just to try out some faction or something that more less requires thieving or murder. Then I go back to playing good guys/gals.

I really depends if they fixed the karma system. For example; stealing from the inhabitants of Goodsprings gives negative karma, as it should. I completely agree with that. In the other hand, if you steal from the criminals that took over the prison; that's also negative karma. Why? They stole all this to begin with!

If I can get away with stealing from thieves, then yeah, I'll rob them blind.

edit: to be honest, even if it's from someone good, while I'd leave all their junk, I'd more than likely snag anything collectable.

I never steal in Fallout games, Fallout 4 will be no exception.