PSA: The Watch Prop.
Regarding the Watch:
It's a public prop. If there's crime happening out there; if someone wants to say a brawl happened or a murder took place or hell an attack on an embassy? Well involve the Watch. Nobody has to deal with me. There are other PCs in the Watch who are more than willing to assist anyone with Watch issues. If you're not a part of the Watch DON'T make assumptions about what the Watch is or is not doing or what the Watch is or is not capable of until you speak to a member of the Watch or the PropCo ... oh yeah, that's me.
Someone also mentioned training: The Watch consists of recruits from the military and navy as well as sons and daughters of the noble houses, Major and Minor. Think these people haven't been trained? Think again. Think they don't undergo any formal training when recruited into the Watch? Think again. There are PCs and NPCs actively engaged in training the Watch.
Everyone is very quick to defend their props and OBJECT to anything they don't like happening within their sphere of influence; show the same measure of respect. It's a public prop, yes but that does not mean it is open to abuse because you feel like it. The Watch is there. They are patrolling the streets, arresting people and doing their job. When visiting the Palace do you assume the Hounds are not there guarding the castle, because their Commander is offline? You don't assume they're lazy, ill trained or unwilling to do their jobs because it suits your purpose. If you want to know the scope and measure of the Hounds, you speak to the person in charge to discern their true nature. If you don't, you're guilty of ignoring the Prop and can't complain if someone turns around and ignores you and your Prop.
Oh and one last point, if you're a PropCo and decide to stage an attack against your own Prop and then complain about the Watch not being there so you can IMPACT the WatchProp in a negative fashion to further your own agenda be prepared to prove that the Watch wasn't on hand to assist. If you can state that the Watch never showed up, it only stands to reason that I can say in return that you were never attacked.
Last but not least, here is the Prop description of the Watch:
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The Gulls, known for their distinctive black capes, are the watchmen of Amber City.
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* The Gulls are corrupt, but only tolerably so.
* The Gulls are the largest single force in Amber City, a fact which requires they be very careful politically.
* The Gulls first job is to keep the peace, but they will investigate crimes when someone of importance takes an interest.
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So if anyone wants to complain about how they're undermanned or not around, think again.
This Public Service Announcement brought to you by your local Watch; We are keeping an eye on Amber!
NOTE: This is not to say that people do not have the right to run private plots, but private plots should not 'negatively' impact on the Watch without the Watch being present or having been contacted. If you want to get mugged in a dark alley, fine, get mugged in a dark alley but do not have yourself getting mugged without Watch approval and then say that the Watch didn't save me, they must be undermanned and ill trained. This message is not meant to stop small scale/personal story lines involving crime but rather to encourage people to involve Watch PCs if possible in order to spread the RP around.