managing accounts...

[eris404]

how closely do you manage food, money and general supplies?

Heh. I've been worried about money lately, so my first thought was that you meant in real life...

BUT, in game terms, we don't normally worry about things like this too closely. Usually the DM allows the characters to keep track of such things if it's necessary. I have recently kept better track of possessions, because I am playing a Gun Mage in one game and bullets are expensive...

 

[Wombat]

Changes wildly from campaign to campaign.

In one campaign I used washers as coins and kept track of every purchase, every treasure, etc. That was fun for some of the visuals -- players stacking "coins", the fear that actually gripped them when they were low on money, etc. Very different kind of campaign

In my current campaign we are very much in the outdoors, some $, per se, is of little use. We also have a ranger and a druid, so we assume most of the provisions are scavanged in the wild. Ergo we keep little track.

Like I said, depends on the campaign...

 

[Arnwyn]

We keep track of everything (including food, water, arrows, weights, etc.) as accountants would. However, since I'm a professional accountant by trade...

 

[Mercule]

Equipment is closely watched, except for the almighty Spell Component Pouch. We do track things like the salve for True Seeing, etc.

We also have two guiding rules for equipment in the dungeon: 1) If it ain't written down, you ain't got it; and 2) If something bad happens (theft, dropping backpacks, etc.) and it isn't clear what items are in what containers/bags/etc., the DM is free to cherry-pick your sheet.

Gold is generally well accounted for, but we do use the "upkeep" option from the DMG. Within the first three sessions, we all know who drinks ale, who drinks mulled wine, and who drinks turpentine. We don't need it endlessly repeated.

On an amusing note, I realized my new/replacement 13th level Sorcerer-who-blows-stuff-up knew spells that pretty much all had material components that were made of glass (or bat poop). So, I got him a portable hole and set it up with a glass-blowing lab.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

Oh, you mean "IN game" ! ?!!! Well. I'll have to change my vote then...

 

[Czhorat]

You know what else I wonder about? Arrows, Crossbow bolts etc?

I know I don't really keep track of them as best I could. Do you all keep track of them?

I, personally, am decent with arrows. I'll sometimes forget to mark them off my character sheet without a DM reminder, but am OK at least 70% of the time.

My last DM was a bit of a control freak and kept a tally of each character's arrows himself. It was a bit disconcerting when he'd tell me that my rapid-firing bard was down to his last three arrows before I knew it myself!