Do you track rations?

[was]

No I don't. I trust the players to keep track of them.

 

[Yig]

We track them until the cleric can cast Heroes Feast

 

[c0mA]

Caudor makes a good point

In my Dm's campaign, I think I am the only one who keeps track of that stuff (encumbrance, food, water, ammo.) Hmm, maybe that's why my character has a ring of sustenance and a bag of holding now . He probably got sick of me worrying about medium loads, lol.

Seriously though, Caudor's mention of environmental variables and the condition characters might find themselves in gives me a feeling that things matter when they are implemented. When these things aren't factors it feels much like when there is little or no threat of dying in any particular combat.

 

[devilbat]

Every once and a while, I'll spring a surprise character sheet check, to see if they are keeping track of ration, encumberance and the like. Generally I just throw enough wildlife at them, that they'll have a continuous supply of fresh meat.

 

[frankthedm]

Every once and a while, I'll spring a surprise character sheet check, to see if they are keeping track of ration, encumberance and the like. Generally I just throw enough wildlife at them, that they'll have a continuous supply of fresh meat.

The BEST time for an encumberance check is mid jump over fatal pit.

 

[Dog Moon]

For some reason our group never really pays much attention to this until we end up in the underdark without having any idea where we're going. Of course we generally have a Cleric with us who casts Create Food and Water, so it doesn't really matter. I always write down 2 weeks of rations on my sheet just and case and whenever it seems like a month has gone by, I deduct a few gold from my amount depending on the character and what sort of lifestyle I believe he has [this goes for renting a place to live too].

 

[genshou]

Tracking meals is as simple as making a mark on your character sheet once per game day. I'm a bit of a rat-bastard DM when it comes to PC starvation and thirst, so it's always tracked in my games.

At least until the party encounters Namfoodle Ningel's magic shop (usually by having it pop up in the middle of their camp). Then they get wands of heroes' feast at 1/2 cost. (An odd gnome, that Namfoodle, but leaving him in charge of my shop has dramatically increased sales.)

 

[Buttercup]

It really depends on the context. I tend toward not keeping track of water, rations and ammo, unless it will be an issue for some reason, like a long wilderness trek or getting caught in a besieged city.

I do require them to pay for lodgings and meals in town. My players are all into the roleplaying, and two of them really like cooking IRL, so they want to know things like what's on the menu at their current lodgings, what orcs eat for dinner and exactly what provisions are in the kitchen cupboard of the druid BBEG they just killed.

Also, I've got a player who loves to play characters that invent things. His most recent creation is exploding arrows, which use the two barrels of black powder the party found not long ago. He has just paid a blacksmith to make molds for ceramic arrowheads. This player keeps careful track of the special arrows and vials of assorted goo, gunk and bilge he concocts. He doles things out to the party if any of them are willing to take a chance with his dubious inventions.