Strangely cheering

[smokingboot]

There is an interesting article in the Times about what British householders can do in defence of self, house and home against burglars. The article in entirety is here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1466593,00.html
but the Cluedo rules make me smile, so here they are.

The Cluedo rules

Colonel Mustard awakes to find a burglar standing by his bedside — he reaches for a length of lead piping, strikes out and knocks him unconscious or kills him.
Lawful

Miss Scarlett hears noises in the night. She creeps downstairs and sees a burglar in her dining room. He has not seen her. She seizes a candlestick, hides behind the door and strikes him unconscious.
Lawful

The Rev Green is woken by the noise of a burglar making his escape. He races after him and and with the butt of his revolver knocks him unconscious to the ground.
Lawful

Mrs White disturbs a burglar in the library. She seizes a knife in the kitchen and stabs him. He falls to the ground and is rapidly becoming unconscious. Just to teach him a lesson she stabs him again.
Unlawful

Professor Plum hears on the grapevine that a man he suspects of thefts from his house is planning forced entry through the kitchen. He lies in wait to trap the burglar and then shoots him or knocks him unconscious.
Unlawful

Mrs Peacock disturbs burglars in the billiard room. They flee empty-handed. She chases after them with a shotgun and shoots one of them dead.
Unlawful

larians' journal mentions the whole Florida 'Kill Bill' issue. On a good day, said news would appall me. On a day like today, it's just a temptation to post certain peeps a free ticket to the sunshine state and meet them at the other end.

Just kidding of course;-)

Comments

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Rev. Green needs to be careful post Dunblane, however - merely the fact of having his revolver to hand will be the cause of questions from the police - I can't remember whether it's now illegal for you to have a handgun in your house at all, but at the very least you have to have a weapons safe for a handgun.

I'd have thought that the miscreant in question would have an excuse to claim against the good Vicar, unless Rev. Green has a good explanation for why he hand his gun in hand at the time.

And Professor Plum is a fool. "I wasn't lying in wait, Officer; I heard a noise downstairs and on investigating, found the burglar inside my property. In fear of my life, I struck him unconscious."

That brings up another peeve, of course (was the Times article written by a roleplayer?).

It's bloody difficult to knock someone unconscious without doing them serious damage at the same time. While that may well be justified, it's not as easy as Hollywood or RPG rules would have us believe :-)