yes it doesofc ur unprotected status would be of a small duration..5 min would be enough to stop thief spamforget about rep.. that as nothing to do with itu steal/shoot in a guarded city you get unprotected and every1 should see it.. but only if your not sucessfull in your actionsif u fail u can still enter tyhe city but youll problaby be shot.. so i would have to wait out to enter that particularly city.. giving so time for the others players to be relax.. u might not loose any items in doing.. but it will cost you time
This is about PvP stealing, everyone forgets the massive amounts of loot thieves have farmed off encounters before.
Not all thieves were BoS and perhaps VC members.
Maybe not, but i'm pointing out that thieves can and do make more money from NPC's then players. and newbie thieves can level up from stealing from NPCs, than use their loot to buy the thief outfit and steal from players in towns if they want.