How much detail you put in inventory management?

How much detail you put in inventory management?

Depends on the kind of game you're trying to run.


What is that, OP?

D&D 3.5

Oops, hit send early (mistoke for another thread)
It's a Fantasy game, nothing too revolutionary.
The PCs are mercenaries travelling a post-apoc land. But the game doen't tae itself too serious

If you're not playing too serious of a game, and you're playing 3.5 at "ordinary" magic levels, where items like Hewards Handy Haversacks and Bags of holding are commonplace, I wouldn't put too much detail into it.

Lots of attention to the stuff I may need to get out in a hurry, or have access to even when my backpack is out of reach.
Otherwise I mostly just have it "in the backpack" or "in an oily cloth in the backpack" or something to that effect.

>dat pic

Under-equipped.

Is this more adequated?

I know which belt pouch or backpack pocket has each item, how much space it takes and how much it weighs even if the DM doesn't care. I just like to.

I once played with a GM who gave us all a wooden frame and said that this was our backpack, then handed us cards of varying shapes and sizes with the names of our items written on them. We had to arrange them like tetris blocks to fill our inventory space. The number of belt pouches we had were extra slots for small, one-square-sized items.

It was kinda fun but not something I'd do myself for my group.

I use Mouseguard's rule of thumb for any game where I'm not autistically keeping track of inventory:
If you can't write it on your character sheet, you're carrying too much shit.
I also have another rule of thumb: if it takes you more than 30 seconds to find an item you're planning on using, it takes your action or to get- or your turn if you're really spending a ton of time looking into where you put it.
More important items will often be used more and will be placed somewhere easier for you to find when you need it.

Is the mouse guard rpg any good?
I actually have the book, but never played

I'm in the same boat as you. It looks to have some great ideas, though I can't test them in practice.

My preference? Take one of the OSR encumbrance systems. Once you get it, it's quite simple, just a question of counting the line items on your inventory. Not much fussing with exact weight units (meaning the idea is flexible and can be applied to multiple systems), and the end result is quite sensible. PCs are encouraged to travel light and use mounts, and they're loaded down with loot for their return trips.


First, items are classed into a few categories, representing an amalgam of weight and ease of carrying: small (most items, one-handed weapons, a flask, a book, a week of dry rations), large (two-handed weapons, shields, anything roughly 8-14 pounds), not worth counting (i.e. a single feather, a single arrow, a ring), coins, and really big.

Characters can carry a number of encumbrance units equal to 20 plus their strength modifier, which ranges from -3 to +3 in most OSR games. Small items are 1/6th of a unit each, large items are 1 unit each, armor has encumbrance equal to its AC bonus, not-worth-counting items aren't counted unless they're a bundle (i.e. 20 arrows), coins and gems are counted as 1 unit per thousand carried (I like rounding it down), and if you're not sure about something (i.e. a life-sized bronze statue) you eyeball it as one unit per 10 pounds of weight.

I like to include movement penalties for encumbrance. At 5 units or less, characters are free as a bird with no penalty to movement. At 7 or less, they move at three quarters speed. At 10 or less, half speed. Anything over 10 is one-quarter speed. At maximum encumbrance (usually around 20), characters cannot move under the weight. If you're a merciful GM, you can have strength modify encumbrance thresholds as well as the maximum (i.e. character with +1 strength could carry 6 units without penalty).

It depends on the game obviously. If it's dungeon crawl, survivalist horror, or post-apocalypse then it matters. Modern era games, games where the PCs have a base or even a vehicle, or something themed toward courtly intrigue the who cares.

I like the encumbrance system in LotFP. It's all based on slots with armor filling a certain amount, weapons a certain amount, etc. Not weighing out every coin or torch or whatever is my style. It's kind of a mini-game too which I appreciate.

Torchbearer, the Burning Wheel OSR variant, has a brutally unforgiving encumbrance system. Also slot based but just overly particular. That's the point of that game though, I guess.

The absolute bare minimum. I'm an action hero not penny counter!

Depends. If the game has a focus on gear such as post-apocalyptic survival or fantasy adventure looting, each item and it's location by pack/pouch/body part needs to be accounted for, particularly weapons/ammo and the like. Weight factors in, and volume CAN but usually doesn't unless they're trying to pack in a keg or something.

If I'm playing a modern supers game or an action hero 007 style romp, I use infinite ammo "until cornered/cut off" rules, generic "equipment bag" rules, and abstract wealth rules.

>Online game
Let the character sheet calculate itself.
>Offling game
Let the players carry whatever they think they would be able to carry. Make sure to remind them to check their inventory every once in a while.

Down to the last button and shoe-lace. I use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate weight and worth.

Im pretty careful about making sure players can only carry as many pouches and whatnot as you can fit on the body and what exactly is in which one.

Inside the backpack though just what you can fit in there its not worth working out what part of a bag contains what items.

A notecard with a line drawn down the middle (or equivalent); players can carry two items per line, in whatever quantity unless it's something like a raft. Really strong characters get two notecards. All this goes out the window if it's D&D and someone finds a bag of holding.