What do you guys think about ignoring minor consumables?

[squiggit]

I'm working on a new campaign and I've been tempted to just ignore things like mundane ammunition. Torches (unless they don't bring any lightsource at all) and stuff.

This is mostly after a campaign I played in where level 1 archer/gunslingers(if pathfinder) had terrible usability at low levels and at high levels it basically wasnt worth keeping track of anyways.

[Fouredged Sword]

Generally, if something is worth less than 1gp, it isn't worth tracking. YMMV though, but I dislike too much paperwork.

[Slipperychicken]

This is mostly after a campaign I played in where level 1 archer/gunslingers(if pathfinder) had terrible usability at low level

Even at level 1, a dedicated ranged combatant should have 15-30 gold to spare for ammo (assuming he didn't do something stupid like dump his starting gold into a chain shirt), and treasure should quickly recoup that. Even a gunslinger should be able to craft his own bullets for ~1 gold per shot.

[Brookshw]

Personally I don't expect players to track things like rations or torches (barring maybe a survival or horror campaign). Same for normal ammunition. Not worth the book keeping unless its adding a particular value to the game.

[Harlot]

Depends on the campaign: I had the PCs in my last campaign start out as commoners, peasants, and i made every CP count for the first levels. By now, theyre level 7, and no-one keeps track anymore.
Also: in my other group we are on a prolonged dungeon crawl and EVERY arrow/bolt matters. The DM keeps track and we pick up whatever is left to pick up after each encounter.

In general, thoughn I'd say we start keeping track when items are priced at around 20-20 GP.

[mucat]

My way of looking at it is, "If this were a story in any other medium, would we call attention to this detail?"

If the characters have easy access to civilization, and can buy rations and ammunition whenever they run low, then it's not worth the trouble of tracking. Maybe charge them a monthly living expense that includes such things.

If they're trying to survive in a hostile wilderness, then finding food, water, and shelter is part of the story. If they are running low on these things, then that's a tension-filled plot point in its own right, and should damned well be tracked...

...unless the story, as perceived by both the GM and players, is simply about something else, and adding in the material challenges of survival would dilute the focus too much. In which case, they simply scrounge for food "off-camera", and get on with the story!

[Zirconia]

My way of looking at it is, "If this were a story in any other medium, would we call attention to this detail?"

This reminds me of the Lawrence Watt-Evans fantasy stories, which often do get into details of the characters' problems with lack of supplies, shoes wearing out, and so on. Then again, this is with characters who are commoner types, or, for example, a wizard apprentice who has learned one cantrip before his master gets blown up and he has to go out on his own.

I found it sometimes interesting, but sometimes distracting from the flow of the story. Lord of the Rings, for example, I think did it better; supplies only really become an issue for Frodo and Sam when they are deep in enemy territory.

[Azoth]

I guess I am the rare player/dm that does keep track of these things. Then again I am prone to doing campaigns where my players have to go long stretches without a chance to truly resupply in cities.

[Keneth]

It depends on the players' level. At 1st level, I insist everyone keeps track of everything, but as players advance in level I allow them to ignore mundane ammunition, torches, cost of food, lodging fees, and after mid levels even stuff that would generally cost a sizable amount of gold (like healing kits). I don't keep a running tally, but once every few session I generally tell the player who maintains the party pool to subtract an arbitrary value for expenses.

[Fouredged Sword]

I generally do track how much the players are carrying, but not the expense of the items they use. Torches can get heavy, and so can food and water.

[Adam...?]

It depends on the players' level. At 1st level, I insist everyone keeps track of everything, but as players advance in level I allow them to ignore mundane ammunition, torches, cost of food, lodging fees, and after mid levels even stuff that would generally cost a sizable amount of gold (like healing kits). I don't keep a running tally, but once every few session I generally tell the player who maintains the party pool to subtract an arbitrary value for expenses.
This is pretty much exactly how I do things. At low levels, especially if isolation/wilderness survival are important themes to the game, I think that forcing players to keep track of what they do/don't have on hand can help keep people in the right mindset. Once you gain a few levels, though, the gold costs becomes so negligible that it just doesn't matter. You have thousands of gold pieces, how much are you going to miss those few silvers you just spent at the inn? Not at all. Does it really matter if you spent an extra gold or two on arrows? Nope.

[Ravens_cry]

It depends on the game. A game where you are making you are exploring a new area where food and water are uncertain, I would have players track rations. If they were exploring a cave system and light was an important resource that added to the desired dramatic tension, I would have them track the number of torches.
In most cases though, it's not worth the hassle.

[Zaq]

It depends on the players' level. At 1st level, I insist everyone keeps track of everything, but as players advance in level I allow them to ignore mundane ammunition, torches, cost of food, lodging fees, and after mid levels even stuff that would generally cost a sizable amount of gold (like healing kits). I don't keep a running tally, but once every few session I generally tell the player who maintains the party pool to subtract an arbitrary value for expenses.

We call this the "I pull it out of my level 10" principle. (Or whatever level we are at the time.) After a certain level (and it's not necessarily a predefined level), my group generally starts assuming that every adventurer is going to have just about whatever mundane or minor gear you want, just as a matter of principle. We put some limits on it, of course, but the response to "ugh, this is useless, I'll just pull out my bow and hope for a 20" isn't "wait, since when you do you have a bow?" It's "well, a nonmagical bow isn't going to do you too much good, but that's why you said rolling for 20, huh." No, you don't have to write down that you have chalk, or rope, or flint and steel, or approximately 3d4 daggers. You just do.

I've even gotten away with "okay, my character has a few spells that have expensive components ranging from 5 gp to 50ish gp; I'm just going to throw 1,000 gp into "spellstuff" and not keep track of it any more, deal?" (Numbers made up, but it was something like that.) Ease of play is more fun than bookkeeping, as far as we're concerned.

Now, specific and weird things (particularly in any great quantities) are another matter. It's one thing to assume that you have one Lava Stone on hand (and even that's pushing it; it may be mundane, but you either have to be established as being more crazy prepared than most adventurers or as having some specific connection to that sort of thing), but if you're actually in a volcano and using them left and right, then yeah, we're keeping track of those. That matters. I feel like that makes things more fun. But keeping track of torches and arrows doesn't.

[BWR]

We always track all consumables at all levels. At some point we usually stop needing to keep track of quite as much as we did to begin with- Continual Light stones, Create Food & Water/Ring of Sustenance, etc.
We always track encumbrance after our first game where at one point four of us were carrying around something like 30 full sets of plate armor, shields, swords, bows etc. We took a look at our character sheets and said 'no way we're carrying all this. Maybe we should look at those encumbrance rules we've ignored so far'.

Honestly, it's not that much paperwork, and if you are playing in situations where it's important (low level characters crossing a desert, for instance) it makes planning and pushing an expedition through a lot more interesting.

[Talionis]

I think it's important to look at who it affects in the party. If casters are getting by without needing ammo and such, I see no reason to keep track if it helps to bring balance.

Others have said it can be a plot point and something you want them to feel is scarce, but generally, No. We don't keep track of it past level three or four because it takes the fun out of things and most of that stuff feels diminimus.

It also may make more difference when your ammo users are using silvered and cold iron weapons and you want to make them make choices.

I see nothing wrong with not keeping track, short cutting it some how possibly with DM fiat and fair warning, or being meticulous about it.

I always try to keep gameplay fair and balanced between PCs.

[Keneth]

As far as encumbrance is concerned, things can quickly get out of hand, but after a few levels, these things are generally countered by handy haversacks, bags of holding, and portable holes. For the first few levels, all of my players know the value of pack mules and aurochs or heavy horses if they plan on moving around a lot.