Players that don't keep track

[ThomasBJJ]

How many DM's have players (or how many of you are players) who do not write down your spells memorized, gold, basic equipment, arrows, current hit points, etc. thinking that you can keep track of it all in your head - only to forget or get mixed up when it comes time to recall that information?

DM's how do you handle that situation? I used to keep track of EVERYTHING myself. But it has just become too much work.

Isn't one important part of RPGs the "resource management" aspect of the game? The drama of knowing that you are running out of food, arrows, or lantern oil.
Just magically assuming that your character had the forethought to pack 200 feet (!!!) of rope in thier pack, along with 100+ arrows, a lantern, torches, etc, etc, etc, etc. Just doesn't make sense.
Clerics casting cure light wounds spells left and right, without even looking at the character sheet or marking anything down anywhere.

I realise the DM should have things done however he is comfortible with, but I'm just wondering how many other groups play very "informally" with tracking things.

 

[Umbran]

I expect my players to keep records. If I ask for a specific thing, and they can't show me the record, occasionally something bad will happen.

"Okay, before we roll for initiative - Joe, can I see how many arrows you have, the running tally of how many you've used tonight? What, you haven't actually kept one? Well, sorry, since you haven't been keeping track, neither has Grignr, who finds he's out of arrows. Roll for initiative..."

 

[Vaxalon]

"if it's not on paper, it didn't happen."

Luckily, one of the players in my game is a lawyer, so the party treasure is ALWAYS well recorded.

 

[Duncan Haldane]

I've recently started a new campaign, and I've had one of my players keep a battle summary for me - listing the combatees in init order, and a brief description of what they did.

This has been useful in keeping track of HPs, and can be used to count arrows fired, etc.

It obviously doesn't track uses outside of combat.

Duncan

 

[thundershot]

I occaisionally do audits on my player's sheets. The only thing that's really annoying is rations. Doing a long term dungeon crawl is kinda hard when rations aren't kept track of regularly...

For the most part, they're pretty good about staying up on them, though. Usually in a town, they'll say they're re-stocking disposables, and take care of it. I make it easy by putting a section on the character sheet for rations, ammo, and expendable items (wands, potions, etc).


Chris

 

[bloodymage]

"If you say it, you slay it."

"If it ain't written down, it ain't there."

 

[maddman75]

If it ain't written down, it didn't happen.

The DM needs to be insistant. I had a guy do this. I finally stopped it by halting the game until I SAW him write down that he had taken three points of damage.

No spells written down? Guess you didn't prepare any.

 

[BluWolf]

DRIVES ME UP A WALL!!!!

But then again, I enjoy the resource managment aspect of the game as a player.

I prefer a strict accounting things and items but I also realize not everyone plays for the same reason. My last group fell under the Heroic gaming approach or High opera kind of attitude. They were not interested in the nuts and bolts. They wanted the drama.

So I would aquiess a little.

Still the occasional "inventory" check shouldn't hurt.

I did a check one time and found our party elven ranger was carrying over 200 arrows!!!!!!!!!! ON FOOT!!!!!!!!!

Those are the things I try not to let bug me, but they do.

 

[Leopold]

all my players use pcgen to create and manage their PC's. Before each game they hand me their PC's on disk and i import them into my laptop and make sure everything is kosher.

If they don't they don't get XP for the evening

 

[the Jester]

If a pc doesn't bother to write down their spells, they don't have any.

If a pc doesn't track their ammo, they run out.

If a pc doesn't track the DAMAGE THEY'VE TAKEN, they have 1 hp left. And I'll track the damage they take next time, thank you.

If you need to 'splain it to him, just say this: "Oh, I don't need to write down the dragon's hp- I'll keep track in my head. No, he's still fine. And he's still got more than enough spells. And all the treasure he needs, until you defeat him and loot his 35 gp and potion of feather fall. Well, yeah, he was using a wand of lightning bolt on you but it's out of charges now, he used it up. I remember how many it had at the start of the fight."