NPC's that have things you can't take.

1. To add ambiance and lessen small worlding. If you see the same 5 snakes walking around every day, you would be right to assume that there are only 5 snakes. Despite it being a huge gang with tons of members that we can't reasonably have on screen all at the same time.

2. For backup. Lots of factions (not just gangs) have NPCs that spawn, walk around, and are available to automatically (via the Dispatcher) or manually (via characters that can boss faction NPCs around) respond when shit goes down.

3. To provide a lesser challenge than full time faction members. These NPCs are typically on the lower end of the stats/skill range for a group.

I think the point I made about scarcity was misconstrued. These NPCs don't exist to manage item scarcity. We don't let you endlessly farm the autospawning memento NPCs because these NPCs don't persist. They spawn, exist for a bit, then unspawn. If you kill one and steal their gear, another NPC will still spawn with the same gear a few minutes later.

We don't want people farming NPCs for gear. If you get gear from combat with an NPC it should be a side bonus on top of the RP or goal you achieved through that combat. Not the reason for the combat (in the majority of cases anyway).

This isn't a game for farming mobs, or endlessly killing NPCs that autospawn. And we reinforce that by not giving you gear for killing throwaway NPCs.

I have dealt with the exact 'rolex' experience that you used in your example. I feel your pain and frustration.

That said, just because one character cannot get anything of 'value' from a particular NPC, does not mean that other characters cannot.

@Slither and @Quotient touched upon the subject of farming in different ways.

I will admit that I was guilty to approaching the game with a farming / MUD based mentality when I started playing. In my defense, I started playing MUDs in the 1990s. Farming IS what you do in those games. In that regard, Sindome will always have to deal with some level of new players treating a MOO like a MUD.

I think the FAFO aspect of dealing with mementos that can't be looted is about the best that the game can do, from a coded perspective. After the second or third time of failing to loot a memento, most players are going to figure it out. Or get told by staff to look at 'help farming'.

IMO - everyone "should" (personal opinion here) play a gang character sooner or later. So many of the systems in the game make a lot more sense once a player had worked through, what I would call, 'low level gang content'.

It would be cool to have some greeters adopt a jaded persona of, "I don't have time to teach you the ropes. Go find a gang who has time to deal with you. If you can make yourself valuable to a street gang, you can make yourself valuable to practically anyone else in Withmore." or a similar narrative.

Watching a cam where someone dons a digi-poncho over a poncho before walking somewhere you're worried about, then suspiciously gluing them all together feels like an oversight more than a feature.