Grid-based inventory vs. inventory tracking (e.g. wilderness survival)

[Greywander]

I've seen a few attempts to redo the inventory/encumbrance system so that it's grid based, with larger/heavier items taking up more squares on the grid. The idea is interesting, but it seems like it would conflict with games where carrying all kinds of random odds and ends might be important. Just look at the list of camping gear you'd probably want to carry for wilderness survival: tents, bedrolls, tinderboxes, messkits, rations, torches, rope, blankets, buckets, waterskins, pots, lanterns, oil, soap, shovels, and on and on.

I was considering trying my hand at creating a grid-based inventory, but I can't help but feel like it might be antithetical to the style of gameplay I want, where things like wilderness survival aren't just brushed off, and you really do need to carry a blanket if you don't want to start rolling CON saves on cold nights.

[KorvinStarmast]

4e was grid based. It was one of the criticisms of that edition, despite some of its good features.
I'll advise against that.

[Thrudd]

You might want to look into abstracting the camping gear down to "camping gear", and decide that a single normal strength person is able to carry enough gear for themselves to camp, if they are carrying nothing else. Maybe cold gear will add some extra weight. You could give them enough item slots for one more item on top of it for each point of strength bonus. They should be able to hire porters to carry their gear and set up camp for them, for relatively cheap - porters who won't fight, and will run and hide from threats if they possibly can. There's also the option of cart pulled by beast of burden.

[Anymage]

4e was grid based. It was one of the criticisms of that edition, despite some of its good features.
I'll advise against that.

4e was minis based, but both 3e and 5e have options for the same. 4e encumbrance was very much abstracted away and had no involved inventory management subsystems.

To Greywander's post, I'll just note that if a subsystem is progressively phased out in editions of D&D, it's often a sign of player disinterest. That encumbrance in 5e is basically handwaved away says that players are generally at best disinterested, and at worst will outright ignore the system. So while I won't say never, I will say that asking his players is much more important than asking the playground.

[Leon]

Starfinder does things with Bulk which Ive always found a neat idea, generally your only going to have one Large item, several smaller items and the however many of the really little things that don't have a bulk (but people being people i also would assume they'd find some way to cheese that...)

[Pinkie Pyro]

If you've got some way of doing this digitally, I'd say it's fine.

but by hand would be a pain, IMO.

[Thrudd]

4e was minis based, but both 3e and 5e have options for the same. 4e encumbrance was very much abstracted away and had no involved inventory management subsystems.

To Greywander's post, I'll just note that if a subsystem is progressively phased out in editions of D&D, it's often a sign of player disinterest. That encumbrance in 5e is basically handwaved away says that players are generally at best disinterested, and at worst will outright ignore the system. So while I won't say never, I will say that asking his players is much more important than asking the playground.

It is still a worthwhile exercise to create a subsystem that will work for the game that he/they might want to play. It's still always an option to play by the book, if no players are interested. It makes sense to ask the playground to bounce ideas off of, even if they never actually get to use it. What the heck is a forum for, if not for that? lol
Yes, of course, the DM would ask/inform their players when they are going to be using homebrew material.

I like the idea of trying to do away with tracking the specific weight of items and change to a more abstract encumbrance system similar to the "bulk" idea. This does not need to conflict with the idea of treating travel and camping with more verisimilitude. In fact, I think it would aid in this, since such a system, I believe, would be intended to make the amount of gear being carried more "realistic", not less. I'd want my players, through this system, to visualize how their characters are actually carrying all this stuff and where it is stashed on their body, and limits how many weapons can be carried (and accessed with speed) to what is actually reasonable for a human being. I also would want to impose disadvantage for people carrying a full pack, regardless of their strength - it is just unreasonable to do much more than moving - you take your pack off when it's time to fight, and yes, that takes a little time. If you want to be ready for action at all times, then the solution is to hire beasts of burden, porters, camp followers, etc, to carry your baggage (as "adventurers" and armies have done in RL). Rangers or characters with special wilderness survival skills can potentially camp without gear- they know how to make effective shelters and rest more comfortably using only the natural environment. Obviously, some D&D magic will help with this, as well. Druidcraft, shaping moss and leaves for pillows and blankets, branches into shelters?

Perhaps the actual weight of items can still be optionally tracked, as well, if you don't mind the extra book keeping, to make things even more "realistic". But I think that the only time actual weight should come into play is if a character has exceptionally low strength- in which case, they might have difficulty carrying some gear, even when they have enough space on their body/in their pack. Or extra high strength, in which case they should be able to carry heavier-than-expected items in their pack (though it still must conform to the bulk space available). Personally, I think this will get too fiddly for me.

I'm brainstorming a potentially similar equipment system for a homebrew I'm cooking from the ground up, not 5e, so some of the system assumptions about magic, treasure and what sort of things players will be expected to find and the effectiveness of various armor and weapons will be different. But I think this sort of idea can plausibly work for 5e and have the effect of keeping the game a bit more grounded, as opposed to a basically unlimited inventory space (presuming you don't hand out bags of holding willy nilly).