Burglary

Every door in Vesper City has a weak spot. Burglary lets you go looking for it in other players' homes, for the cash they keep there. It also means someone can come looking for yours.

Getting started

Actions → Burglary opens at level 10, for burglars and for the people they rob: below that level nobody can burgle you and you can't burgle anyone. You can't break in while you are in jail, in hospital, on the road or laying low (see Crimes).

Walking the streets

You don't search for someone by name. Walk the streets and you are offered 3 random homes of players whose level is 70% to 130% of yours. Walk again for a fresh list. Only a home on your list can be cased or tried.

Casing the place

Case it costs 5 nerve. You see the home's defences and your exact odds. You never see the cash: you only learn what is inside by breaking in. A casing stays on your notes for 24 hours. From level 5 you can also Gather intel on a house, as on a crime (see Crimes).

The break-in

Break in costs 10 nerve and rolls the dice once. A home that breaks any of the rules below can't be tried, and the page tells you why.

Your odds

Start from 60%, then:

• add a skill bonus: every 25 points of Dexterity add 1%, up to 20%. Only the stats you can see count;
• take off the home's defences: a guard dog, a guard and locks each take off points, and a better level takes off more. The home safe doesn't change the odds: it protects cash;
• take off for the home's size: 5 points for a house, twice that for a villa or mansion;
• take off for drink: 10% when you are Drunk, 20% when you are Wasted (Tipsy is fine). See Nights out and drinks.

The result never goes below 10% or above 85%, however good or bad you are.

The loot

A successful break-in takes 5% of the victim's cash on hand, counting only the part above what their home safe protects. It never takes more than $500 for each level of the victim. The fence then keeps 20% of it, and you get the rest. Only cash in the pocket can be taken: money in the bank, Gold, items and gear are never touched, yours or theirs. A home with no cash lying about gives you nothing.

Getting caught

If the break-in fails, there is a 40% chance you are caught: jail for 20 to 60 minutes (the usual jail rules apply, see Jail and hospital), and the victim is told your name. Otherwise you slip away empty-handed and they only hear from "an unknown burglar". A caught burglar, or a very big job (loot of $2,500 or more), can make The Evening Racket.

The limits

• You: 3 break-ins in 24 hours, and the same home only once every 72 hours.
• Homes: once burgled, a home is safe for 12 hours, and it can only be burgled 2 times in 24 hours. A first home is left alone for 7 days after it is bought.
• Never a target: yourself or a linked account, your own gang, anyone you have blocked or who blocked you (see Staying safe and reporting), players below level 10, players with no home or only a flophouse room or the streets, and accounts that are closing, away for a long time or still being checked.

Protecting yourself

• Put your cash in the bank (Bank). That is the best defence there is.
• Build defences in your home: a guard dog, a guard, locks and a home safe (Home upgrades). The safe keeps some of your cash out of reach.
• Being burgled also costs you some happiness, more when a bigger share of your cash is taken. The first time, the game reminds you to bank your money.

The private investigator

After a break-in by "an unknown burglar" you can hire the private investigator (Harlan Pike), from level 10. His office is in Capitol Hill, so go there first.

• He only takes your break-ins, within 7 days, once per break-in.
• He costs $200 for each of your levels, and you pay whatever he finds.
• He names the burglar 40% of the time. Each extra fee step adds 10% to the chance, up to 70%.
• His answer comes in 2 hours. The burglar is never told you asked.
• With a name you get Get even: put a bounty on them (Bounties).

Tips

• Case a home before you break in: bad odds are a good reason to walk on.
• Sober up first: a drunk burglar gets caught.
• Don't carry more cash than you need.