Keeping track of known and unknown items

[Primitive Screwhead]

I like the idea of item cards inside an envelope..but agree it could be a bit more work than its worth.

Last campaign I did 3x5 cards for major items and for packs... half the time the player forgot to bring the cards to the game..making the 'ease of use' kinda silly.
But then we had an encounter that destroyed a backpack..and it made it really easy to tell what went with it.

If I had time, not being a computer at the gaming table kind of guy, I thing I would expand on the idea to having item cards and envelopes.. each character would get a legal-sized envelope, each pack would get a small-size.
Unidentified items would be taped closed.. so the outside would say 'potion' and the inside would let you know what kind it is.

If I were *really* bored I might even but the crunch on the card so they don't have to look it up

I think the use of cards did improve the game to a degree. The additional book-keeping and 'oops I forgot my character' issue wasn't that bad.
Caveat, my games are pretty laid back affairs anyway.

 

[Festivus]

I really like the excel spreadsheet idea to keep track of it all, with item codes.

I don't want to write the crunch, I will let the players do it once identified. My plan was at the end of each session to make a copy of the char sheets before they went home so that I had a copy at the game table (copier is right in the same room) and the item cards stay with the copy.

My thinking about this was to add a bit more tactile feel to the game, like a prop, but also be functional in terms of tracking who had what items and if it was IDed or not. The rogue picks the lock on the chest and peeks inside... hand them an envelope. They peek in, perhaps tell, perhaps don't tell the rest of the party what is inside, or pilfer something for themselves before handing out the goods. Seems like it would be much more fun at the table.

After mulling it over I have decided to buy a pack of the Paizo item cards so I can take a look at them from a quality standpoint and test how well they stand up to erasers/wet erase/whatever I can figure out... perhaps individual card sleeves. If I like them I might buy a few more or just make my own. The pretty pictures and that they are playing card quality convinced me to give them a look.