Isaac Whatever

I'm still mulling over a post on a thief class. A thief, by his nature, would interact with other classes in scary and intense ways. Mechanisms are necessary to prevent griefing and make every interaction equitable for all characters, without too much restriction of a player's options.

What if a thief steals your favorite sword? Can getting it back become a quest? Do you get experience? How can we make the whole series of interactions, from the initial theft to the eventual retribution, seem organic and interesting (and scary), and still result in a fulfilling experience for both the victim AND the thief?

Do we involve other people? Should some classes have special anti-thief abilities? Insurance on items? Player-run insurance companies, which get back stolen items to keep from having to pay for its loss?

Many interesting possibilities.