Bookkeeping?

[Diamond Cross]

How much detail do you like to put into your book keeping for your character?

Here's the kind of thing I mean.

Is it preferable to write down something like "a set of winter clothes" rather than having to write out somthing like "cold weather leather boots, cold weather leather pants, cold weather padded shirt, heavy fur cloak"?

Or do you write in detail, such as instead of writing down something like "two days of food" you'd write down" two days of hard tack, two gallons of water in eight wine skins".

Another example, do you write down spell components or list the spell components like five small pieces of obsidian, ten pinches of salt, ten feathers?

How much detail do you like to put into your book keeping?

 

[Umbran]

A long time ago, I put a lot of detail into inventory and bookkeeping. All those little fiddly bits were important to me.

As time went on, though, I lost interest in those details, so now I only keep as much detail as the GM I'm working with requires.

 

[fba827]

For me it's exactly what Umbran said (both paragraphs).

A long time ago, I put a lot of detail into inventory and bookkeeping. All those little fiddly bits were important to me.

As time went on, though, I lost interest in those details, so now I only keep as much detail as the GM I'm working with requires.

 

[amerigoV]

How much detail do you like to put into your book keeping for your character?

Here's the kind of thing I mean.

Is it preferable to write down something like "a set of winter clothes" rather than having to write out somthing like "cold weather leather boots, cold weather leather pants, cold weather padded shirt, heavy fur cloak"?

Or do you write in detail, such as instead of writing down something like "two days of food" you'd write down" two days of hard tack, two gallons of water in eight wine skins".

Another example, do you write down spell components or list the spell components like five small pieces of obsidian, ten pinches of salt, ten feathers?

How much detail do you like to put into your book keeping?

Wow, N/A to all that. I'm here to play D&D, not P&R (Payables and Receivables). Outside of the key items (Hackmaster+12), I do not track any of that stuff. Nor do I have my players track that stuff when I run a game*. they are assumed to have the mundane stuff needed for adventuring.

* Plot specific items are excluded. For example, I was running a Pulp Nazi era scenario where they encountered Werewolves. I made them count every single silver bullet shot. But that is the exception that proves the rule for me.

 

[IronWolf]

I don't go into that much detail. I make sure I have my basic necessities and depending on character he might have a ton of stuff in his backpack, which I will account for on the character sheet, but not beyond the simple entry from the equipment list in some sourcebook.

Now, there might be some item of clothing he wears that gets a little more detail, i.e. a specially tailored cloak or something along those lines which I will mention, but not to that level of detail unless I feel it is different enough from the norm.

 

[megamania]

I keep it simple.... "less is more."

Boots light
Gloves leather



unless there are magical or the such. Then I may add where I got them

Cloak, of the bat Caves of Chaos
Belt, magical (unknown) Plume Mt


But thats all

 

[jonesy]

Pretty much what Umbran said.

Mostly because after gaming with the same core group for so long we've developed certain descriptions which seem perfectly self-explanatory to us. Which can get really funny when the new guy sees that the only item of clothing on someones character sheet is a fur hat*.

*short for: complete heavy winter gear.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

There's enough bookkeeping going on with character sheets, powers, spells, buffs, de-buffs, christmas tree magic item collections, etc.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

I love details - always have, always will.

However, I think there are good details and useless ones. For example, I would still only bother with Cold Weather Outfit rather than listing out each instance of apparel. I do make note of how much it cost, how much it weighs and if it confers any benefit (which in 3.x it does) but that is it.

In terms of spell components, I do not bother with the ones it suggests are there and available (less than 1gp worth). However, I would list out various foci (and which spells they relate to - love roleplaying that stuff) as well as more expensive/heavy material components such as diamonds and lodestones.

As for character sheets I design (again for 3.x), I include space for ability damage, lethal and nonlethal damage, negative levels as well as the myriad of incedentals that are part of the game. If it happens in the game rules, then it has a place somewhere on that character sheet (although at an average of 15 pages, it is more like a booklet).

In terms of details, the one thing I would like to add is a page for skill results. It is one thing to have a certain capacity or mechanical modifier for something. It is another thing actually pulling out the results that matter. For example you might have two characters with knowledge arcana, one with a +10 bonus the other with a +5. However, due to poor rolls or a lack of experiencing certain monsters the +5 guy has made more important DCs than the +10 character. If these are tracked, then it gives more information as to not only what your character can possibly do, but what your character has done. There is so much stuff you could introduce into the game based on this idea - but that's through my eyes I suppose; not for everyone.

So yeah... I like details.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Ed_Laprade]

How much detail do you like to put into your book keeping?

As little as possible. Even stuff like iron rats, arrows, and that sort of thing get put down once and I have the character spend a handfull of GP to replenish them whenever the party hits a town if the GM will let me get away with it. But things that are important to the character, such as jewelry, fancy clothes, etc. get put down. And magic items, of course.