If you go unconscious or insane and have to discard half your items, how does this affect having item(s) with the description "[item] cannot be lost or stolen unless you choose to allow it."?

Let's say I have four items. Two of them have the above text on them. Which scenario would be the correct action?

1) The two items with the description does not count when counting total; I thus have a total of 2 discardable items and have to discard half of them.
2) I can choose the two items with the description as the two I want to discard - but then don't discard them anyways since I choose that I wont allow it - resulting in not discarding any item.
3) I have to choose the other two items without this description since the two with the description cannot be lost.

We've always played it as 1), as that seems fairly logical and "half fair", meaning having that kind of items is a small plus when going insane/unconscious, but not a giant bonus.

Are we playing this correctly?

Taurmindo,

All four are subject to the "lose half of your items" rule. The difference is that you need to actively choose to lose the items so marked. I can certaily see you interpretation (#1), as I agree that it's in no way a game-changer, but clinging to the Deputy's Gun.

The Professor

Aye, it's a bit better if you only have items like that (say an Enchanted Cane, Deputy's Revolver, and a Derringer) when you go unconcious. Those items are really mostly for incidents that steal items (usually ones that might steal specific ones, say, you're most expensive or discard all your weapons, or discard a Unique item).

So if you lose half your items, and there are other legal targets, and you choose to lose the Deputy's Revolver, it's lost. Hope that helps!

Though feel free to play the other way. It's a different way to play, and I think it'd be just fine to play that way :-D

Taurmindo said:

The Professor touched the right point; some items cannot be lost or stolen unless you allow it to happen. But when you a Derringer to be discarded as a result of being driven insane, you're consciously doing this, and thus you allow it. So all four items do count against the total. If you the two "normal" items, you keep the two that cannot be discarded, if you any of the "cannot be discarded" items, they are, in fact, discarded.