[Dragaera] The New Palace

[Howard Brazee]

On Jun 4, 2010, at 5:20 PM, Jon%20Lincicum wrote:

>> This is an interesting point. Is a flashstone useful as a threat? If a 
>> random tough steps into the road holding a small rock, and claims it's 
>> a flashstone, would the fat[1] merchant in question believe it? It 
>> seems like obvious threats would work better than ones the victim has 
>> to take on faith. 
> 
> When a hoodlum sticks up a convenience store with a handgun, how do you know it's loaded? 
> 
> How about if he's just got a gun-shaped lump in his pocket that he sticks at you, menacingly? 
> 
> Is this a credible threat? 
> 
> As with any threat, I'd say it's only effective so long as a) it is not just a bluff, or b) if it is a bluff, the bluff is not called. 
> 
> I think Vlad made a similar observation to Verra in /Issola/ regarding threatening the Jenoine... 

When someone robs a bank, I believe they ask to see the gun.   They don't know it's loaded, but it isn't an either/or thing.   Same thing with a rock - it had better *seem* like a flashstone, or some evidence would be required.

I mean, what would you do?