Padding Inventory to Assuage Attrition

question
#1

Hi folks. I know that Hank mentioned the cheese of loading your inventory with ham sandwiches to pad against attrition, but what is to stop someone from loading up on legitimate gear to do the same? For example, players can justify the use of all kinds of equipment, from 10-foot poles and caltrops, to pick axes and lanterns. Is there a mechanism that I can employ that balances out this proclivity? For example, in order for a piece of equipment to be eligible for attrition, does it have to have some sort of monetary or mechanical (in-game) value? I haven’t read the entire rules yet; I’m still exploring whether or not to dive into the system. Thanks for any insight.

#2

Though not C&S related, an interesting and simple way to track Inventory could be by slots/size. Depending on the objects’ size:

Inventory space = 10 minimum + CON/STR (etc)
Little = Stacks up to 10/20. 1 slot.
Small = 1 slot
Medium = 2 slots.
Big = 3 slots.

So, if you have an spear, it occupies 3 slots. And so on, so on…

#3

If it’s legitimate gear, it’s legitimate gear. Everything costs points, and if you want to load up on gear to pad out your attrition slots, you’re gonna have less to spend on skills and customized gear.

With that said, there’s also nothing stopping you from laying your own ground rules (for example, only 4 starting items, skills can’t start higher than 12, only 1 customization per item…). You’re the Game Master.

50 Hero Points goes fast though, I don’t think you’re gonna have a real problem. If you do, set some house rules or just talk to your players.

#4

If the player gets a lot of cheap and small items, they go into a small Sack that counts as 1 inventory space. That will stop the Ham Sandwich situation.

If an item is too big with no way of being condensed, it can be considered to take more than 1 slot.

What you’ll also notice is eventually, they will have small and cheap equipment that may not actually be useful to them in that situation. As the game progresses, they will have to leave some stuff behind and use specific loadouts.

If the player decides to cheese the system, they aren’t really effective with cheap tools. They just last longer. It’s not fun for the player.

#5

I think a good house rule would be “If it’s good enough quality and adds a believable, legitimate, logical use, then it’s allowed”. Otherwise, you have players picking up a rusty half broken axe and claiming it’s usable equipment.

GM: You find a broken staff.
Player: Great, i’ll just add that to my equip…
GM: Hold on… it’s garbage. You can strap the garbage to your backpack if ya wanna hall around garbage, but it’s not usable equipment to be listed.

#6

Thanks for all of the help. I’m digging the system the more I read. It’s certainly different. I’m typically someone who doesn’t quite go for loose rules, so it’s taking me a bit. I’m also really surprised by how much I like the world-building present in the book.

#7

Have you an example of the kind of cheesing you are seeing?

The game says to be stingy with loot. Proper equipment is proper, and when you start destroying equipment, they’ll be able to find and replace with quality equipment.

I’m very old school minded so if they have the right tool for the job, they usually get what they want. And they only have the 10 slots. Nothing carried “unequipped”. If they can’t take it with them, it better be stored somewhere safe for them to come back to OR it’s lost.

#8

And perhaps if the quantity of objects ever fill half the slots then a disadvantage is given to the PC?

#9

I would simply slowly introduce more opponents that deal Destroy damage. That will once in while take out the padding equipment and if they are unlucky some of their high value items. And as mentioned before even cheap stuff costs HP that could have been used on skills or weapon upgrades.

#10

I would say once you fill all of your inventory slots and want to take in other things then you have disadvantage, like in Skyrim

#11

Strict limits. 10 pieces of equipment max. Random junk and small assortment of items go in a sack.

Having a thief with two daggers, bow, armor, cloak, boots, rope, lockpicks is legit and not padding.

Someone carrying 7 daggers has two equipped and 5 in 1 sack

#12

I like this idea. I’ve been reading a lot of similar posts like this and forget that it’s ruling over rules. Gotta make sure I focus on the narrative and not bind myself to what is and isn’t stated in the rules.

#13

Can you elaborate on this? Does that mean if a PC finds a Dagger from an enemy or on the ground and choose to carry it, it will cost the PC 1 Hero Point? If they don’t have that spare HP, they cannot carry the item?

#14

He was referring to enemies destroying player equipment with Destroy Attrition.

If the PC was looking to get something useful in general, they would have to spend and pay Hero Points in narratively appropriate places. In most cases, the enemy equipment is destroyed or useless to the players unless the GM is willing to reward them something they deem is worthwhile.