How Do You Divide Up The Plunder?

[Ferret]

I'd divide the loot so each team member was equal. My old group did finders keepers on magic items, one of them found a sword with a "black opal" in it, took a few sessions figure out it wasn't magic, or evil, and they weren't. Oh and no demons were involved .

{edit} I remember, I'd roll initiative, most players weren't listening so I didn't need to.

 

[Norfleet]

This is very interesting. I never suspected that people DIDN'T actually simple dole out the loot to whoever could use it in a sort of group pool. That's the way I've seen it done for years, and that's the way I've always done it. Oftentimes, one player, generally the one with the highest strength, winds up in role of "quartermaster" simply because he's the one physically CARRYING everything, but ownership of the actual items never even comes up.

I expected that an overwhelming majority would do it this way, since all of about a half-dozen seperate groups I've DM'ed for, and played in, all did it this way. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that my groups tended to consist of a large percentage of military/ex-military players, which contributes to the tendency to see the group as a unit?

 

[Norfleet]

For everyone who goes for some sort of equal-splitting system, what do you do about characters which, by their very nature under the core rules, are destined to chew up most of the party's funds? Wizards, for instance, tend to chew up a vast majority of the party's funds, purchasing and scribing scrolls, buying those expensive spell components, and whatnot, whereas fighters or monks tend to operate primarily on reusable resources: They swing their swords, fists, and feet over and over and over, not really consuming much in the way of resources since nearly everything they use tends to be reusable: Weapons, medic calls, etc.

 

[jasper]

On cash it is either all cash into the kitty, or party +1 split. The +1 is the kitty.
Magic items are generally those who could use them first with a general rotation, and then thrown up for grabs. ex wizard has a magic wand from last adventure the bard will get the next wand if (he is able to use it).
The ones thrown up from grabs are diced for.
Some times things get handed down. Here Bucky the Wonder Paladin have my +2 sword, I will take the new +4. This generally happens when regulars are playing with the drop ins.
Also depending on the group, treasure is divided at the end of the night or adventure.

 

[Norfleet]

The groups I've been involved in have never really been possessive about the items: The wand in question, for instance, isn't viewed as belonging to anyone, but instead viewed simply as carried by somebody: The person appointed to carry the item is typically the person most able and likely to use the item, and this can change on a regular basis with the same casualness that one would request some ammo or a hand grenade from a comrade. It's a tool: If you're not using it, let someone who can do so. Disagreements about the loot tend not to be over who the wand belongs to, but whether it's a good idea to actually use it that way. Your request to use the wand of fireballs isn't denied because the wand of fireballs belongs to Wazoo the Wizard: Your request is denied because this is not a good place to lob fireballs, or he needs it right now more than you do.

Of course, we also tend to strictly track encumberance and where you're carrying the item on your person, and this plays into the decision in who carries the item.

 

[Derfel]

Money and anything we sell we split evenly. For magic items we make a list and roll dice and then pick in the order of the rolls. After the first pass, if there is anything left, we all roll again. If a pass of the list is not enough to give everyone something, we give out a bonus portion of the money. People are usually logical about what they grab and generally only take what they can use. If it turns out someone gets something another person wants, an offer is usually made to buy/trade the item from personal funds and they work it out among themselves.

Our group does something similar to this but with a slight modification. Whenever our pool of treasure reaches a certain level (usually when it exceeds the number of characters) we write down all of the items on a list. Money and gems are usually pooled and divided evenly. The list of items is passed around the table and every player puts their name down beside their first choice. If there is no conflicts everyone receive their item and the list goes around again. In the odd case where two or more players want the same item, it is up to them to negotiate a solution with the DM arbitrating. Anything left afterwards is usually kept as party booty and sold, with the money being divided amongst the group.

Players can choose to pay for the item in money, other items or even future choices from this list. We've found this to be the most equitable solution. Basically this sytem eliminates the idea of one player choosing first, since the actual division of items only comes after everyone has made a choice.

Of course, thieves and the like will often do their best to ensure choice items never make their way to the party treasure pool.

 

[dekrass]

In the games I've been in it all depended on the characters.
The good aligned parties almost always gave magic to the most suitable, and the rest was group money or divided evenly.
The neutral or more mercenary groups used equal shares of everything, but sometimes divided the magic by usefulness.
The evil groups (of which there have been many) usually divide the treasure by deception, force, or a combination of the two.

 

[babomb]

Say, I hate to hijack this thread, but I have been meaning to buy [Settlers of Catan] based on reviews alone. Is the game relatively easy to pick up and play? I don't think my group will want to read another thick rule book.

I recently purchased it myself. Yes, it's easy to learn. Go to http://settlers.cs.northwestern.edu/ and try the Java version.

 

[jrients]

In all the groups I've played in magic and non-magic have always been handled separately. Non-magic (i.e. GPs in various forms) has usually been split evenly, occasionally held in common. Magic has always been either given to the one person that can use the item in question, given to the person who most needs it, or held in common if no one could use it. Magic items have not been sold off if no one could use it.