How strict is your DM with mundane equipment?

[Jdvn1]

Do the players have to buy it to have it, and do you enforece encumbrance?

Yes and yes.

When the players say to you "okay we tie a rope around each other before crossing the ledge" and you know they don't have rope listed on their equipment list, do you call them on it?

Yes.

As much as I would like to, it seems to me to be getting into too much detail for most player's likes. But at the same time it seems like I'm giving them a free pass. After all, they can spend all their money on expensive armor and weapons if they don't have to worry about equipment. It also means encumbrance isn't a big deal and makes the tough decision of what equipment to bring or whether to use a pack animal easy.

How is this handled in your game?

Encumbrance is a part of the game, and buying equipment is both a matter of preparedness and a matter of color. Some characters are the sort to always be prepared for any instance (many Rogues, IME) and will have a large variety of items. Some other characters only need a couple items and are content (some Fighters, some Wizards).

A good adventurer will be able to handle a variety of situations, though that doesn't mean he'll have all the items you can think of. It could mean that he knows that other people have certain bases covered, and that he only has to cover certain other bases. If no one remembered to buy rope, that speaks for the preparedness of the party. Sometimes, you just don't have all the tools for every situation and you have to find other solutions to a problem.

 

[green slime]

But, he'd bought things like disappearing ink, dice, locks, lockpicks and stuff that might not be all that easy to acquire under normal circumstances.

Some of that stuff, I didn't actually allow him to have. I mean, they were in a tech level 4 town, so a "long sword" and "chainmail" were actually hard to come by in this town, let alone things like locks and disappearing ink.

Lemon Juice is that hard to get hold of?

 

[Hussar]

We keep track of mundane items. Mostly because in my current campaign, there's no stores and nowhere to replace anything.

The rogue is now down to his third last lockpick.

 

[DonTadow]

It seems to be an important part of the rules. We keep track of mundane items the same way they keep track of magical items.

What a chaotic game we'd have if we just let people pull out whatever they want at any time... who nees gold then.

 

[Heathen72]

My players hardly put anything on their sheets unless it's magical, odd enough to make note of, or extremely expenssive I handwave a lot of stuff, unless I have good reason to suspect they don't have it in which case I ask. If they can't answer reasonably, they don't have it.

My players often say "and we grab some adventuring/dungeoneering stuff" and that is fine with me - I hardly want to waste game time roleplaying through the haggling, or even waiting why they look through price lists. Accounting and encumbrance just aren't important enough a part of the game aspect of D&D to interest me, and they are rarely an important part of the 'story' side either. And the game hardly falls into a state of anarchy.

 

[Ravellion]

You must write it down, but I don't really track encumbrance for anyone that doesn't mind light encumbrance. If you are a 10 strength rogue, using your 30 foot move rate, I'd like you to check up on ecumbrance. Although I'm getting less and less strict, with that kind of stuff moving more and more to the background of the game.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Yes I do enforce the presence or abscence of items on a PC as well as any possible encumberance issues. However, most of my players manage this without me having to.

I provide for them detailed character sheets so tthey can tick equipment off easily as well as organise it properly (three columns:items worn/equipped, items carried and items stored [not on the PC]). This makes it very easy for them to calculate encumberance and several times they have called themselves on it (or permanently state that they are medium encumbered).

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Asmo]

It seems to be an important part of the rules. We keep track of mundane items the same way they keep track of magical items.

What a chaotic game we'd have if we just let people pull out whatever they want at any time... who nees gold then.

What the man said.

Asmo

 

[hong]

I don't track encumbrance. Hell, I don't even track ammunition.

I do track visuals, though. A greatsword, longsword, pick and glaive? No problem. Two greatswords? Cheesy.

 

[Aus_Snow]

If its not on your sheet you don't have it.

Yep, same here.