MNblockhead
A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
Have players that actually look at them as more than just new game mechanics.
This is precisely why I don't bother trying to make the magic items in my games special anymore... because none of my players interact with them or roleplay them as being anything more than just higher numbers and additional powers. I've tried... whether it be stories of the items, or plotlines connected to their existence, or anything like that... they just don't care. They treat the items merely as tools and game mechanics to use when necessary.
So I don't really bother anymore. I throw out items here and there that they hold onto and use when they need the power, but I don't bother trying to make them special because the players just don't see them as anything to invest their time or imagination in. And I suspect the same will hold true for many other tables... magic items are only as special as the players are willing to treat them as such.
Yeah, and that's fine. Some times a new tool is just a new tool.
When I want magic items to be meaningful beyond some numbers on a character sheet, either they are sentient with their own agendas, are the cause of--or are tied to--a geas, or they are a specially fit-for-purposed item needed to complete some aspect of a quest to defeat some big bad.
In my game, +1 are just incredibly well-created weapons or armor. There is a enough magic in them to kept them from dulling and breaking and able to affect creatures that can only be affected by magic. They are still rare, but more because of cost. Commoners would be aware of and likely to have seen +1 weapons and armor, just as I am aware of and may have seen in person a McLaren, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, or Rolls Royce, although all of those vehicles are well out of my reach.