Gear Up!

Originally published March 26, 2014

Equipment is both a boon and a bane to a good roleplaying session. On one hand it brings detail and imagery to the game. The villain isn't just pointing a pistol at you, he's has a huge Desert Eagle, the barrel gleaming in the florescent light. On the other hand, a typical shopping trip can jar the pacing of the game. If you've ever had an action paced game thrown off by an hour-long trip through the equipment tables, you will understand what I mean.

In terms of pacing what matters is when the equipment scene occurs. If it occurs at the beginning of the game, it more or less postpones the action, cutting into the time for the main fun of the game. Similarly if it interrupts that crucial period between when the characters resolve one issue and begin another it can make the two sections of the game feel disjointed. For example you've just dealt with some bandits outside of town, one of many seemingly unrelated threats conspiring against the local town. If the characters do a shopping trip right after that might pull away from the urgency the game master is attempting to instill in the game.

On the other hand if placed in the proper point of the game, it can reinforce the tension and sense of tension in the game. The idea become that the characters must prepare to be able to face this threat otherwise they won't stand a chance.

The Gear Up Scene

Guns, lots of guns.

In movies we often see the heroes gear up just before the final act, when the main characters equip themselves for the final confrontation with the antagonists. This is when the characters pick out the big guns, strap on their armor, prepare their tricks and traps in anticipation of a finale conflict. Examples include Neo gearing up to rescue Morpheus, Arnold building his traps and weapons to fight the alien Predator, and Ripley arming herself to save Newt from the Alien Queen.

I think the reason these examples work is that they flow nicely from the tension within the narrative. At that point in the story it matters to the characters (and us as an audience) whether they picked the best gun for the job or if their trap will be sufficiently concealed to surprise their enemy. In many ways these scenes resemble the training montage (warning TV Tropes link) which shows the characters becoming stronger and more capable. We care which tool we pick, partly because the character's success might depend on it and partly in anticipation of seeing it in use. The immediacy of the threat invests us in the character's choice.

In a roleplaying game this means we don't lose our momentum. We know the big fight is around the corner and we only have so much time (both in and out of game) to prepare. Moreover we often know what we are up against and that removes some options, making our choices easier. Who cares about Hellsbreath rounds if our foe is immune to fire.

Character Establishment

I believe in being prepared.

Another place where I think narratively it makes sense to spend time on the choice of gear is when we are establishing how badass or skilled the character is. The scene that comes to mind is when Rick O'Connell rolls out his bundle of weapons shortly after the heroes begin their journey to Hamunaptra. Rather than dwell on how the character got these tools (especially given that the character was supposedly in prison to be hanged a few days prior), we are shown that Rick is both a prepared and dangerous man.

This could work fairly well in a roleplaying game I think, where after the initial introductory scenes where the heroes learn why they are here and gain a sense of the dangers involved, we then workout the gear that as skilled professionals they have prepared. This is where the Vatican demon hunters pull out their vials of holy water, silver bullets and sanctified weapons or where the ex-special forces mercenaries show off their big guns.

Again we create an anticipation about the tools, where we look forward to seeing them in use. like a new spell or combat trick, we want to show off our characters abilities (or in this case equipment). This equipment exposition then helps to build our excitement.

By placing it after the introductory scenes, I think it is also possible to avoid some of the extraneous item hunting, focusing the characters on things they might actually need. This is still a theory but one I hope to put in practice in my next game.

Equipment Assumptions in Other Games

Not all games care to track your character's equipment, let alone things like ammunition or how much they cost. Fate, for example, assumes you have the gear to use your skill. If you have Medicine as a Skill, you have a med kit. If you have Shoot, you have a ranged weapon. GUMSHOE also has this philosophy to a certain extent.

Unsurprisingly both games assume that the characters are highly competent individuals as befits games where a character can take out a half-dozen mooks before breakfast. I think this philosophy is applicable to most roleplaying games other than highly realistic or horror games based around mundane people (i.e. victims).

An interesting thing about GUMSHOE is that it has a skill for having the right equipment when you need it. Called Preparedness, it allows a character to have a handy flash grenade or silver knife when you need it. I think this might wider applicability. In Fate I could see a stunt that lets one have the right tool for the job at the cost of a Fate point. Here is an example for World of Darkness:

New Merit: Prepared (1 to 5 dots)

Like a good boy scout, you are always prepared. Your go bag has everything you need to deal with whatever problem you can anticipate. You can assume you have items for basic survival (light sources, compass, spare batteries, maps), getting around in urban areas (cash, roll of quarters, maps, bus pass), and whatever skills you have. You gain an equipment bonus equal to half of your dots in Prepared (rounded down) if you have time to dig through your pack.

For better gear and stranger stuff roll Intelligence + Survival + Prepared to have the item handy. The item has to relatively common place in the game world. For example a flash bang grenade in the 21st century is fine but not dose of polonium-210. If the item is unreasonable (especially if it is illegal and/or restricted to military use) the Storyteller is within his or her rights to say no.

Potential Modifiers: -2 per previous use this Chapter (cumulative), -3 (or more) for items that require black market connections or unusual status.

For characters that lack this merit (and are not super competent professionals), the Storyteller might call for an Intelligence + Survival roll to determine if the character remembered a generic useful item such as a flashlight or writing implement. I occasionally fail this roll.