I don't think choice has much to do with it. It has to do with how unrealistic it is that a gangster should be able to make his way through a hundred-and-seventy-five bodyguards, then pummel the Consigliere to near-death, without the bodyguards doing anything. You could say a Consigliere picking the pocket of a gangster is unrealistic too, I guess. But not as realistic, I'd say.

Have either you or Sereno read what Squishy wrote? I have to agree with him.

Do you think a mademan would be pickpocketing at all?  I really don't think we need to add in any form of protection for the mademan if they want to go down the slums and slum it up themselves.  Thats like the bratty spoiled 11 year old that hits his little sister, then cries for mommy when the sister hits back.

I think this is the point, that a mademan did and does have that authority over a non made member in the mafia. They have certain rights a non made member doesn't, so if they felt like standing over a lower ranked member and pushing him around a little then the lower ranked member had/has to just cop it on the chin. It's the whole entitlement of being a mademan that allows them to act bullish and not fear any retaliation. The rank itself has such power.

Do you think a mademan would be pickpocketing at all?  I really don't think we need to add in any form of protection for the mademan if they want to go down the slums and slum it up themselves.  Thats like the bratty spoiled 11 year old that hits his little sister, then cries for mommy when the sister hits back.

This is why I feel it is partly a player problem and it is us that should be enforcing rules on this sort of thing.

It may seem beneath a made guy, but then you could say there's a story to play behind why they are still pick pocketing, gambling problem, drink problem, drugs, etc leading to a temporary cash flow problem. It may also be a way for them to reminisce on old times and to see if they still have the skill. At least with regards to the made doing it, you can see that a story can be made from it and a character is playing a role.

Whereas a super human fucking ninja warrior Gangster, somehow managing to invisibly slip through 175 Bodyguards and then beating a Don to a bloody pulp, taking his gun and a massive amount of his money in the process seems a tad unrealistic.

I appreciate it is a feature in the game so in terms of changing any coding, I don't think that's needed, but as mentioned before I do feel it's something players could control better.

As Squishy said, Made Men + shouldn't really be Pick pocketing at all, its not something that a mafioso would do. however, it is in the game, I therefore prefer to think of it as a 'Shakedown' rather than an actual pick pocket. You are shaking down other criminals for a share of their profits. A Simple name change would make all the issues of made Men wouldn't PP go away, and allow us to concentrate on the mugging aspect, which although I agree with, never seems to have any down sides. Everything else in the game has a potential downside, whether its death or Jail. Sure you can technically shoot a mugger, if he didn't steal your gun, but the way we play you'd die for that.

Yeah good point on the name change. Picking pockets would only be done by thugs, really, and I see it in exactly the same way. Someone is just using a standover tactic against someone else to get their cash. I role-play it as if someone picks my pocket and they return the money then they asked me for a loan. If they return it with interest (the cool ones do) then it was a simple business transaction that had a vig to it.

I've only once been pick pocketed by someone not returning the cash (on this char) and it was met with a mugging, and I role-play this as someone tried to shake me down and they got their ass handed to them.

A name change might clarify why exactly a made+ member would be slumming it in the first place, as they wouldn't be, or any high rank. They are just 'leaning on' someone else for some extra cash. In this instance if the retaliation is for the person being leaned on to kick up a stink and choose to beat their ass down, take their gun and spit on them, then something like taking BG's and rank difference into account should be in play. The wack feature has these variables taken into account, so why not this feature?