How creative do you expect a simple robbery to go? It does not feel like staff want us to give high quality role play, but to instead, say anything but "Hands up or die". As long as we saying anything but that, it seems to be fine.
For example:
If i am initiating on someone robbing them or taking them hostage, the main role play begins when the victims agrees to surrender, you don't sit there explaining the reasons to why you are robbing someone in the middle of an open road. Once the victim agrees to surrender or you take them by force then you should engage in high quality role play. The fun and role play begins when they are in your hands. If they decide to pull a gun once you have initiated then that is their choice and they have signed their own death warrant.
You can really only rob someone or take someone hostage by saying "Put your hands up pal this is a robbery" or "Mate, throw them hands above your head your coming with me", going up to someone nicely and asking them politely does not work. Some form of initiation has to be made because 1. It scares them 2. Realism, the situation should be intense and startling if you want it to be.
I feel like staff are getting too involved in role play to the point it is becoming forceful. When i first started here role play was happening, it always has, The more rules and changing of the rules the more confusion there is and the less fun it will be. What i am mainly trying to say in simple is the staff should deal with the rule breakers, and in turn let roleplayers do their thing. I don't understand how staff make it sound so sophisticated to make such a simple initiation, and the thing that is the worst is that all staff have a different interpretation of the rules making it hard for a "set in stone" version to be made.
Personally when i take someone hostage or rob them (I rarely rob) i like to let them know what is happening as shown in examples above, this gives them the time to react, they have 2 options, surrender or have force used upon you wherever that be you being shot, or you being smacked over the head.
Anyways im just airing my views, not targeting staff, if you could clarify and analyse what i've said that'd be great. Also please be constructive about what i've said, i know some staff like to jump down peoples throats.