Silly reasons to be in jail?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

In a campaign I run the local jail population in an old west style town has been expanding under an inept mayor.

What are some of the goofiest reasons folks can end up in D&D old West style jail? Their fault or not.

[Unoriginal]

Using money that wasn't minted by this town, an act which the mayor classifies as "counterfeiting wealth".

[ImproperJustice]

Go to one of those websites about silly laws and grab a few of those.
Most originated from frontier towns, where some highly specific circumstance lead to the creation of a strange law, such as it being illegal to serve ice cream to a Donkey in a bathtub.

Some others mights include:

Tying your horses with the wrong type of knot.
Failure to tip your hat to a lady.
Smoking outdoors.

[Corran]

The mayor used town funds to buy a dog, at a very high price. The merchant assured the mayor that the dog was specially trained to sniff necromances. So when the dog barks at someone, the accompanying guards arrest the person being barked at, and the prison has now some more inmates.

[samcifer]

Excessive licking?

[SirGraystone]

Riding an horse while drunk
Wearing weapons
Wearing heavy armor
Using magic without a license
Not being human
Healing someone without the permission of the local church (make the local priest the mayor brother in law)
Killing goblins (they are used as slave labor in the local mine and to be bring back alive)
Cheating at gambling (of just winning too much against someone local)

[Ganymede]

Using a catapult on a Thursday.

[Imbalance]

"Resisting arrest"

[LordEntrails]

- Failing to double knot your horse to a railing
- Having a rooster within town limits at dawn (real law)
- Spitting on the boardwalk
- Having a round in the cylinder under the hammer
- Wearing white after Labor Day
- Wearing spurs into the bank
- Carrying a concealed deck of cards
- Not taking a bath at least once per month
- Riding two different horses on the same night

[TregMallin]

Carrying a chicken down the main road through town. (Paraphrased by memory from the city of Greyhawk)

Edit: or was it a duck?

[Pixel_Kitsune]

The Mayor is missing a tooth and feels self conscious about his smile?

-It is Illegal to smile in this town unless you are missing at least one tooth.

This is a real law in Tombstone, AZ. Other fun laws from AZ include

-Hunting Camels if Prohibited
-Any misdemeanor committed while wearing a red mask is a felony (Change it to red anything and you can nail the players for any minor screw up).
-A decree declares that anyone caught stealing soap must wash themselves with it until it is used up.
-No one is permitted to ride their horse up the stairs of a court house.

[Moredhel24]

Riding an horse while drunk

Unbelievably this is a real law doing so results in a DUI.

Weird laws from kentucky:
citizens required to shower 1/year
Horses not allowed on streets/highways w/out a red taillight on their hind quarters
cats and dogs can't molest cars
illegal to dye a duckling blue and sell it unless 7+ are up for sale at same time
legal to have 1/8th ounce or less weed on you (considered for personal use and cops got bigger fish to fry, i.e meth heroin and pills)
illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket

[Lord8Ball]

Somebody puts a rotten banana in your pocket and you notice and try to return it to him only to be accused of attempting assault when you try and forcibly return his banana and the guards come running. On top of that, the man claims you tried to murder him because of the poisonous nature of the banana and claimed he was not a fool to the court. Somehow you were sentenced as guilty due to the man hiring children witnesses or being backed by his guild. You are now in suspension/jail for three days because of the incident.

Based on a true story.

[Xihirli]

Me?
I flipped off a box of kittens.

[KorvinStarmast]

Inflating condoms and using them as balloons for a child's birthday party.
(A blue law from Indiana or Illinois that was IIRC repealed in the 80's)
Spitting on a public walkway
(Actual law in New York city about a century ago, IIRC)

[Corran]

Somebody puts a rotten banana in your pocket and you notice and try to return it to him only to be accused of attempting assault when you try and forcibly return his banana and the guards come running. On top of that, the man claims you tried to murder him because of the poisonous nature of the banana and claimed he was not a fool to the court. Somehow you were sentenced as guilty due to the man hiring children witnesses or being backed by his guild. You are now in suspension/jail for three days because of the incident.

Based on a true story.
Never underestimate someone armed with a fruit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piWCBOsJr-w).:smallbiggrin:

[Son of A Lich!]

That's Steve, we don't talk to him no more... Out here, we have to protect ourselves first n' foremost. Some monsters should just be left under the rock satan birth'd 'em from

What's he in for?

3 Accounts of litterin' with intent for homicide.

Warning: May cause players to ask questions you don't have answers for.

[Kane0]

NPC: “I killed a man, you?”
PC: “I got caught fudging rolls.”
NPC: *Shifts away*

[stoutstien]

Failure to report to jury duty?

[XmonkTad]

NPC: “I killed a man, you?”
PC: “I got caught fudging rolls.”
NPC: *Shifts away*
Amazing. Put him in the cell with the guy who was talking in the theater.

As for ridiculous crimes, you could always imprison people for crimes that couldn't possibly have been committed (by a normal non-magical human) like "drank the entire well" (took a drink from a well that went dry). Could also imprison people for ridiculous historical crimes like "vagrancy" or working on a holy day.

[kenposan]

One of my players ripped a map out of a library book. When they tried to re-enter the city, I had the character arrested. Had to go to court, pay a fine, do community service, and the best part... deal with all the bureaucracy that entailed. It was a fun session.

[Karl Aegis]

Another PC tried to kill my character for trying to leave the wealth of bandits slain dishonorably (and corpses desecrated) behind with the bandits. Rather than try to discuss what would happen to their share (5 gold pieces) their 8th level Rogue tried murdering my Warlock/Paladin while I was performing a ritual for the departed souls in the middle of a sandstorm. They did not succeed, but my character ended up getting expelled from the local Adventurer's Guild for the incident. I guess that's silly enough.

[Mercurias]

Ooh, if the PC kills a criminal in town for a bounty and doesn't bring back the body with them, have the Mayor fine them for littering.

[Tentreto]

A classic one I remember is a law forcing people to tip their hat/bow to the sheriff, or his hat, which is mounted on a pole in the centre of the town. Of course, if the party are new in town, or don't do it fast enough, they can be arrested for disrespecting law enforcement or even treason.

And a few intersting ones:

A member of a certain race is allowed to be shot by arrows on a certain day. Conversely, that person has to allow themselves to get hit.
Admitting to being a drifter or beggers. Meanwhile, it is a crime for all drifters and beggers not to make themselves known.
Making incredibly bad jokes.
Loitering.
Throwing someone through a window except in the bank.

[Brutalitops]

The mayor used town funds to buy a dog, at a very high price. The merchant assured the mayor that the dog was specially trained to sniff necromances. So when the dog barks at someone, the accompanying guards arrest the person being barked at, and the prison has now some more inmates.]


It would be even funnier if the person arrested was a necromancer but the dog did not know that and it was pure random luck he was arrested.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

In a campaign I run the local jail population in an old west style town has been expanding under an inept mayor.

What are some of the goofiest reasons folks can end up in D&D old West style jail? Their fault or not.

slapping the sheriff with a rubber trout. or throwing a wolf carcass out a 2nd story window. Exchanging peoples guns for squirt guns that shoot backward.

Edit: tricking townsfolk into thinking they can juggle knives.

[Bohandas]

*Poaching eggs

*Smiling on a sunday

*Killing mosquitos without a hinting license

*Describing a ball game without the approved written consent of Major League Baseball

*Assaulting a man with fresh fruit

*Exposing their ankle with lewd intent

*Serving champagne that isn;t from France

*Played a song on the saloon piano that they don;t have the rights to

*Instigated a bar fight by cheating at solitaire

[Sigreid]

In one of the published campaigns I won't identify to not ruin any surprises, people are put in the stocks for failure to be happy enough.

[Bohandas]

In one of the published campaigns I won't identify to not ruin any surprises, people are put in the stocks for failure to be happy enough.

That's also a Monty Python sketch (the "Happy Valley Fairy Tale") and part of the premise of the game Paranoia

[Bohandas]

*Did not salute the mayor's hat

*Looking ethnic

*Farting in a house of worship

*Wearing sunglasses at night

*Owning a non-neutered cat in violation of the Rat Protection Act

*Killing a man without having a valid hunting license

*Wearing a non-regulation wig

*Being ugly

*Number of visible gears on steampunk gadgets was outside of legal range

*Drunk on a sunday

*Not drunk on a saturday

*Public display of affection with an ugly person

*Pointing out government incompetance

*Dancing without a permit

*Horseriding with an expired driver's license

*Beating a dead horse

*Having a foreign accent

[LudicSavant]

One of the silliest of all time is probably the criminalization of poverty. There are a shocking number of people spending years in high security prisons without ever being convicted of a crime simply for lack of immediate ability to pay a trivial fee.

[Bohandas]

*Metagaming

*Failure to adhere to ethnic stereotypes

*Undertipping

*Exaggerating on a sunday

*Wearing a black hat

[Bohandas]

*Giving wine to horses

*Spitting on the wildlife

*Hunting after 2:00 pm

*Dividing the restaurant bill incorrectly

*Eating chocolate on a sunday

*Mispronouncing the name of the town

*Flirtatious behavior

*Stealing third base

*Whistling on a sunday

*Wearing cowboy boots despite not being a cowboy

*Predicting the future without a license

*Raffling off a dog

*Teaching children to play poker

*Holding a going out of business sale when not actually going out of business

*Using patio furniture indoors

*Writing on a sunday

*Carrying confetti with intent to litter

*Fishing on horseback

*Riding a tornado while under the influence of alcohol

[KorvinStarmast]

*Beating a dead horse You are having way too much fun with this. Please continue. :smallsmile:

[Kane0]

Impersonating an individual of low status

Delegating authority

Brewing beer that is too weak

Rattling roof shingles

Raindancing beyond the legal limit

Growing mutant vegetables

My cabbages!

Harassment (via Speak with Dead)

Beekeeping

[Bohandas]

*Teaching a monkey to gamble

*Discarding a hoop skirt without taking it to a licensed disposal facility

*Lodging more than four unrelated persons in a single house

*Dancing

*Being a cliche character

*Snapping their fingers on a sunday

*Raising pet rats

*Using chopsticks to eat non-eastern food

*Performing music without doing an encore

*Burping in a house of worship

*Drinking in a cemetery

*Beautifying the city without a permit

*Coughing on a sunday

*Distributing peanuts with intent to kill

*Frowning at a police officer

*Frowning in a house of worship

*Chewing loudly

*Using the Oberoni Fallacy to justify these crazy laws

*Eating ice cream without a prescription

*Consuming sasparilla on a sunday

*Serving breakfast after 10:30

*Selling foods named after locations that don't exist in-setting (ie. French toast, italian bread, texas toothpicks, american cheese, california rolls, peking duck, english muffins, etc.)

*Pretending to be rich

*Being poorly dressed

*Proposing stupid dares

*Wearing a hat indoors

*Trying to dodge parole after serving a 20 year sentence for stealing a single loaf of bread

*Kissing on a sunday

*Questioning authority

*Surreptitiously replacing someone's regular coffee with Folger's Crystals to see if they notice

*Picking their nose on a sunday

*Transporting liquor across state lines

*Getting married on a dare

*Playing softball after sundown

*Consuming pancakes on a sunday

*Performing an unlicensed puppet show

*Teaching a monkey to smoke

*Excessive trashtalking

*Being poor

*Discussing the weather on a sunday

*Polygamy

*Farting in the presence of a judge

*Wearing baggy pants

*Calling a bingo game while drunk

*Juggling on a sunday

*Transporting weapons inside of a casket

*Giving off bad vibes

*Walking backwards on a sunday

[Maelynn]

https://images-cdn.9gag.com/photo/aoejPmX_460s.jpg

[Menelik]

For bonus laughs:

The major wonders why not a single merchant, peddler, travelling entertainer, preacher, religious pilgrim, adventurer or even normal traveler has visited the town in years despite his efforts to make the place clean, orderly and safe with lots of strict laws...

That is seriously hurting local economy, because local artisans and farmers can't export their stuff, people can't get stuff from outside they need, and they have failed at organizing their own caravans and trade lines due to excessive regulation and micro-managing from the major...

The major is convinced all the troubles are due to a conspiracy from his political rivals, and hires the party to unmask them!

No matter how much the players try, the major won't believe that people don't come to town anymore simply because he sends to jail more than half of the visitors... as far as the major is concerned, all the people he sends to jail are dangerous criminals and perverts...

[Grey Watcher]

Here's some fodder for inspiration: http://www.skrause.org/humor/stupidlaws.shtml

Also, I don't know if it's true, but I once heard that, in Texas, it is illegal for you to pay someone to shoot you.

[Sigreid]

Teaching women and or slaves to read. This kind of thing has been illegal in various places at various times.

[Bohandas]

*Making excuses

*Breaking character

*Smoking after dark

*Drinking coffee on a sunday

*Playing the piano while drunk

*Licking self-adhesive stamps

[XmonkTad]

*Drinking coffee on a sunday

Coffelock police

[Honest Tiefling]

You could subvert expectations by using silly laws that exist for strange reasons but the mayor is enforcing them regardless of their reason. For instance, he arrests anyone going into a cave system even if they have good reason to go in there because it's illegal to trespass or go into the cave because no one wants to fish your corpse out. But some might have gone in there to deal with bandits/goblins/horse rustling orcs/bandit goblins, and get arrested for their troubles.

I've heard that the law against having ice cream in your back pocket is to prevent horse theft. I don't know if horses really want ice cream, or if they want the sugar cone, or if the law has a weirder reason to exist. But the mayor is enforcing it, even if he has to throw the small son of the town healer into jail.

[Tentreto]

Another good one is simply at the sheriff's choice. Due to high banditry, they have authority to put anyone in jail (if only for a night). This would be very good if there were werewolves or similar about.

One other is outlawing worshipers of certain gods. This could range from political, to very strange arrangements where gods of madness demanded locking their followers up for boons.

Finally, one of the players broke a mirror, or saw a black cat, and by law they have to be locked up to keep the bad luck away.

[Bohandas]

*Taking care of business and working overtime on a sunday

*Squinting at a police officer

*Failure to offer a large enough bribe

*Being rude to a clergyman

*Impersonating a horse

*Not wiping their feet before going inside

*Eating dessert before dinner

*Not saying "please" and "thank you"

*Excessive kayfabe in alligator wrestling

[Bohandas]

*Bringing outside food into a theater

*Putting "e" before "i"

*Spelling color with a "u"

*A wardrobe malfunction

*Giving chewing tobacco to a dog

*Bogarting

*Being ethnic

*Copyright infringement

*Singing off-key

*Using third-party splatbooks

*Playing wargames on a sunday

*Playing Texas Hold'em in a setting where Texas does not exist

*Attempting to square the circle

*Having a good time and enjoying themself on a sunday

*Eating a sundae on a sunday

*Insufficient toadying

*Listening to music on a sunday

*Mentioning blue laws too many times in one joke

[Zhorn]

Visitor: "Who's the mean looking one in that cell?"
Jailer: "That's Mega-Murdering Joe, the notorious killer who's slain over 100 people all over this country"
Visitor: "What brought him to this town?"
Jailer: "Declared he had a mission to burn down the orphanage"
Visitor: "Did he kill anyone in this town?"
Jailer: "Yes, but it turns out the orphanage was actually a vampire den, and all the children were blood sucking monsters"
Visitor: "Was he arrested for his prior killings?"
Jailer: "No, he had an official pardon from the crown. Fully exonerated for every life they took"
Visitor: "Then what are they in for?"
Jailer: "Jaywalking"

[Sigreid]

I've been places with guff laws. It's literally an arrest-able offence that the cop doesn't like you.

[Bohandas]

*Taking more than 30 minutes to deliver a pizza

*Drinking beer before liquor

*Wearing white shoes after labor day

*Not covering their mouth when they cough

*Not saying "please" and "thank you"

*Making faces

*Using the wrong fork for salad

*Cutting in line

*Not washing their hands after using the bathroom

[LudicSavant]

*Not covering their mouth when they cough

*Not washing their hands after using the bathroom

Those ones might not actually be all that silly. For instance:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/typhoid-marys-life-sentence-quarantine

Being an irresponsible carrier is a very serious danger to whatever community you happen to be a part of.

[Zanthy1]

Ordering a drink before ordering food at a tavern

Sitting at the tables in the back corners of taverns

Shopping without a permit

Ordering alcohol without express written permission from the mayor

Attempting to meet with the mayor before meeting with every single one of the secretaries, each of which require at least a 2 day waiting period

Failure to report any crime that occurred within 50 feet of you, regardless of if you can actually see it

Being a tattle tale

Not tipping everyone you interact with

Failure to flirt with the barmaids

Aggressive flirtation with the barmaids

Attempting to sell or trade something without a merchant's license

[Resileaf]

I don't know where Bohandas lives, but I wouldn't want to be there on a Sunday.

[TrashTrash]

Dancing on an elevated platform without a receptacle for tips

Not arranging books alphabetically

Drinking water from a horse trough without owning a horse

Bathing with floral-scented soap

Talking loudly in a library

Talking quietly anywhere but the library

Failing to solve a math problem twice in a row

Wearing green on Tuesday

Telling a story and then leaving it on a cliffhanger

Selling cups without saucers

Selling saucers without cups

Not sorting your tableware

Kissing a cat while drunk

Owning only one houseplant

Woman riding a horse in a bathrobe (real law from California)

Using a catapult (owning one is fine, though)

No stealing someone else's catfish

[Sigreid]

A gnome working in any industry but landscaping. Pointy red hats required.

[Bohandas]

*Eating lunch food before 10:30 AM

*Drinking before 5:00 pm

*Having too many cliches in their backstory

*Not being politically correct

*Being too politically correct

*Burping too much

*Being disabled

*Not trimming their mustache in an approbed manner; only handlebar mustaches permitted

*Not waiting an hour after eating before they go swimming

[The Jack]

Interracial marriage
Interspecies marriage
Intergenderal marraige
Interclass marraige
Interdimensional marraige
Interplanar marriage
Marriage .

[LordEntrails]

This is a real law in Tombstone, AZ. Other fun laws from AZ include

-Hunting Camels if Prohibited
Unless you know the history :)
Camels were actually used by the US Army in Arizona in the 1800's. So hunting a camel is like hunting a horse.

(Of course, later on the Army gave up on camels and just released them into the wild, not realizing or caring that they would survive, and reproduce, hence their are now protected wild camel herds in Arizona!)

[LudicSavant]

I don't know where Bohandas lives, but I wouldn't want to be there on a Sunday.

Not wanting to be there on a Sunday is also grounds for prosecution there. :smalltongue:

[The Jack]

Maybe a bit not-what you want but, thanks to the great balded sage, I recieved a very informative lecture on why -people did not commonly throw their waste out of their windows in early-modern england. (I didn't think they commonly did it, but I never looked the subject up)

But maybe someone's been trying to 'fit in with the times' and, subsequently, was beaten and arrested.

[jaappleton]

You stole WiFi.

[The Jack]

You stole WiFi.

and downloaded a movie.

You also didn't contribute to public bathroom grafiti scrawl. There's no such thing as a free ****, you were meant to pay with art.

[Bohandas]

*Running with scissors

*Refused a dare

*Didn't put the toilet seat down

*Snoring too loud

[The Jack]

What about perfectly reasonable dislikes becoming serious offenses?

Using the terms 'uhm' or 'ahh' when ordering food.
Ordering a Bento box from a japanese restraunt.
Getting a personal curry when buying indian food as a group.
Playing in a band with no drummer.
Grooming a dog.
Having a **** dog. Like anything small that isn't a pug.
Having long heels
Wearing shoes in porn.
Using Food in porn
Being Old in porn.
Making mince pies without meat.
Possessing a 'cornish' pasty made past Devon.
Asking for Fosters in Australia
Consuming non-diet coke.
Asking 'is pepsi OK?' when someone orders a coke.
Buying "Kvass" in a store.
Not thanking the bus driver.
Wearing a black suit when you're not the boss
Wearing a plain tie.
Owning a sports vehicle.
Appreciating Jazz
Peeing in the public toilet when there's a urinal available.
omitting the offensive and dated parts of the national anthem.
Arachnophobia
demanding someone to kill a spider for you.
An unnatural aversion to quality feet.
Having an unnatural attraction to quality feet.
Not unplugging your laptop when you put it in your bag.
Inane you tube comments.
Not culturally appropriating
Failing to anglicize all your foreign phrases you use with english.

[PastorofMuppets]

Singing without having an official Bards License

[Misterwhisper]

I have been in a game where I was jailed for trying to return stolen property that someone else in the party stole, to the rightful owner.

They were angry that someone in the group stole from them and I was the only one there.

[Sigreid]

Failure to kiss your horse on the lips and thank it for carrying you.

[Bohandas]

*Running an illegal ant fighting ring

*Bleeding all over city property

*Swatting flies without a valid hunting license

*Fishing for compliments without a fishing license

*Being a party pooper, killjoy, spoilsport, or wet blanket

*Cheating on their girlfriend

*Dragging out a gag too long

*Being too fat

*Mixing metric and imperial units

*Using hackneyed old jokes

[Mordaedil]

Trying to ripping off an inn-keeper by putting a skeleton in one of the beds and insisting the rooms were so dirty and disease ridden that one of their party members had died, and then as the innkeeper steps in, one of them strips a piece of bacon off the skeleton and eats it, while the person they insisted was dead climbs in through the window because nobody conferred with him what they were doing.

Charges were fraud, cannibalism, potential murder. They got off with a slap on the wrist because it was a very filthy inn.

[Segev]

Stepped on a crack without making the official sign to ward-off back-breaking.
Telling a lie without crossing your fingers.
Cutting in line.
Being robbed. (It only encourages thieves to continue their criminal ways)
Failure to contribute to the Town Swear Jar after swearing in town.
This includes swearing oaths.
Eating with your left hand.
Hanging out with the opposite sex without cootie vaccinations
Giving cootie vaccinations without a license
Unlicenced healing
Flirting with the School Marm

[LudicSavant]

The Bard king won't stand for people talking in the theater. You are awaiting execution and have a spot reserved in the deepest layer of the hells. :smalltongue:

[furby076]

Not being able to buy cars on Sundays (PA and NJ) ...or, in fantasy game - horse or buggy. Google Blue laws or sunday laws.

[PastorofMuppets]

You were visiting a friend there and lost your visitors badge

[Bohandas]

Double parked their horse

[Personification]

I don't know where Bohandas lives, but I wouldn't want to be there on a Sunday.
'MURICA!!!!!!!!!(Y'ALL)!!!!!!!!!!!

The Bard king won't stand for people talking in the theater. You are awaiting execution and have a spot reserved in the deepest layer of the hells. :smalltongue:

https://media.giphy.com/media/kSA7u0tUziLXq/giphy.gif

[Bohandas]

The Bard king won't stand for people talking in the theater. You are awaiting execution and have a spot reserved in the deepest layer of the hells. :smalltongue:

Reminds me a bit of the Mastadon song "Cut You Up With a Linoleum Knife (Don't Talk, Watch)"

[Segev]

You proved that you were not, in fact, speeding when you rode your horse through town. Unfortunately, winning a case against the sheriff is a crime that carries a six month sentence in jail.


Apparently, "being mugged without killing the muggers" is "aiding and abetting criminal behavior."


Though you've managed to talk yourself out of trouble each time the constabulary interrogated you about the string of robberies, you've asked to be housed in the jail for the next few nights, hoping that more robberies will occur and thus proving you aren't the thief by virtue of you being in prison when they happen.


You're a minor in jail, and they have a "no minors" policy, so they jailed you for breaking it.

[Bohandas]

*Using british spellings of words

*Acting stupid without a license

*Making too many spelling errors

*Having acne

*Snoring too loudly

*Failure to salute the mayor's hat

*Failure to salute the mayor's chamber pot

[Aaedimus]

We spread a vicious disease throughout waterdeep that killed over half of the population. Their answer was: stick them in the least sanitary place, with a revolving group of the least sanitary people.

[5crownik007]

Practicing medicine without a license, saving dozens of lives from a plague.
12 months in the Gaol, all equipment confiscated, $100 fine.

Carrying an unlicensed sword, which he used to defend against a serial killer.
6 months in the Gaol, sword confiscated, $100 fine.

Demanding the listed bounty for a wanted criminal.
Bounty waived, 1 week in Gaol, $25 fine.

Starting a new business within a 25km radius of the town without a license.
All assets confiscated, 2 years in Gaol, $500 fine.

[TregMallin]

Cut the tag from a mattress.

[LudicSavant]

Cut the tag from a mattress.

Fun fact: Contrary to it being made the subject of memes and the like by people who don't know why the tags are a thing, there's actually a really good reason that's illegal. (And it's only illegal for mattress salespeople to remove it to commit a dangerous form of fraud, it's totally legal for the buyer of the mattress to remove it).

Here's some more information if you'd like: https://www.livescience.com/33039-why-do-mattresses-have-do-not-remove-tags.html

Long story short, people used to do things like fill mattresses with garbage then claim they were stuffed with high quality materials, and people would not only fail to get the quality they paid for but would also get sick or injured. And so they started saying you had to put tags on them so that consumers actually knew what they were buying. So the fraudsters just started cutting the tags off and doing the same thing. So they made cutting the tags off illegal (not for the consumer, only for the salesman advertising what was inside the mattress).

[TregMallin]

Fun fact: ...

Yes. That was fun.

[jh12]

Other fun laws from AZ include
-Hunting Camels if Prohibited

It may seem silly now, but at one point there were camels roaming the Arizona desert. And they were honorably discharged veterans from the US Army, so prohibiting their hunting seems appropriate.

But I don't think anyone was prosecuted for shooting Red Ghost (a big ol camel with a dead body strapped to its back).

[darkrose50]

In a campaign I run the local jail population in an old west style town has been expanding under an inept mayor.

What are some of the goofiest reasons folks can end up in D&D old West style jail? Their fault or not.

Walking you chicken after 8:00 PM on a Sunday (I remember something like this from a book of silly laws).

-----
The below are from this webpage:
http://www.dumblaws.com/random-laws

"It is illegal to urinate on the Alamo."
-San Antonio, Texas, United States

. . . Being arrested for peeing in the wrong place sounds like a fun start to an adventure. The rest of the party was arrested for aiding and abetting unlawful urination . . ..

-----

"If you are released from prison, it is required that you are given a handgun with bullets and a horse, so you can ride out of town."
-Canada

. . . This sounds like the start of an excellent campaign!

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"Cards may not be played in the street with a Native American."
-Arizona, Globe, United States

. . . I want a picture of folks playing MTG in the street in Globe Arizona!

[Bohandas]

*Farting too loudly

*Farting too quietly with intent to blame it on someone else

*Saying "liberry" instead of "library"

*Mosspellig words on a government form

[PastorofMuppets]

The king has conducted a survey of his kingdom and found the towns with the most problems have the most adventuring groups. Therefore to prevent problems and keep the peace all adventurers are banned and put in jail. They will undergo job training programs to be reintegrated into society with proper jobs like Baker or Fisher or Farmer.

[Bohandas]

*Dividing by zero

*Operating hand puppets without a license

*Pointing out police stupidity

[Ganymede]

*Operating hand puppets without a license

You say that, but the guilds of Waterdeep are notoriously strict about scabs practicing their trades. The Jesters' Guild would definitely have words with a rogue puppeteer.

[Bohandas]

Never underestimate someone armed with a fruit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piWCBOsJr-w).:smallbiggrin:

Replacement link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnSeKHnB_k8

[GreyBlack]

Loitering.

[TrashTrash]

- Not eating everything you're given, even if the part that's left is quite literally inedible (Mayor doesn't understand that eating "everything" shouldn't be taken quite so literally)

- Pretending to be a horse during rush hour (you'd be charged with intentionally congesting traffic)

- Not sorting your underwear in alphabetical order (the sheriff is allowed to search your drawer if he/she suspects you of breaking this law)

- Drinking skim milk (ew)

- Making spaghetti without meatballs (what if it's lonely?)

- Petting any animal with a form of identification on it within 12 feet of a shop, even if it's your animal (Supposedly to prevent animal theft)

- Baking pie on the Mayor's birthday (he really doesn't like pie)

- Not thanking inanimate objects for functioning properly (being inconsiderate)

- Failing to control your facial expressions when/if a city official does something stupid or funny (public ridicule)

- Sharing food that hasn't had a blessing said over it (apparently it "might be cursed")
- Not sharing blessed food (stinginess)

- Writing a book and not dedicating it to the Mayor (he runs the town, and "if the town didn't exist where would you write the book?")

- Sneaking food from another person's dish (stealing, obviously)

[Bohandas]

CRPG style vandalism and trespassing