The Basics (Essential Equipment)

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by DungeonCrawler

And every party should be carrying at least one 12-foot pole. It's great for spanning those ten-foot holes. And, with care, can be used to anchor a rope for those pits/trapdoors in hallways where there is nothing to tie a rope to. (Spikes are also good for this, but spikes and a pole are better yet.)

Also good for those things you wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.

[reb]

Originally Posted by BLloyd607502

Everyone has their basic gear in Adventures.
For each of the following Genres What is the basic equipment you take if you can. Optional is equipment it would be great to take but that arn't absolutely needed.
Fantasy
Modern Day
Cyberpunk
Futuristic (Non-Space Faring)
Space Opera
Any others you care to mention

The following is a list of my Basics in each
Fantasy (Outdoors, Dungeon Crawl, ect) - Clothes, Weapon (Melee), Weapon Ranged), Armour, Paper, Pen, Ink, Lantern or Torch (Usually lantern), Flint & Tinder, a pint of Oil, Backpack, Bed Roll, Rations, Grappling Hook, Rope (50 to 200 Foot), 'Lock Pick' (Small hammer and Chisle hidden in clothes), Tent, Weatherproof Cloak (Keep the rain and Snow off). (Optionals: Wading Boots, Spare Bag (For Loot), Spare Clothes, Climbing pinions, Matches, Back up weapon, More Food, Horse or Pack Animal, Warm Blanket, actual Lockpicks, Small Knife (For Skinning and so forth), Identifying equipment for loot.)
Modern Day - Clothes, Weapon (If Appropriate), transport, ID, MP3 (Good For Montages), Transport (Car or Van). (Optional, Lockpicks, Small Knife, Fake ID, Rope (50 foot), Matches, Tool Kit, Zip Ties, Torch (Wind Up), Armour.)
Space Opera- Clothes, Weapon (Solid Slug or Fire.), Holorecorder, Electrical Lockpick, Space Suit, Rations, Hack tools, Tool Kit, Ship (If Flying), Crew. (Optional, Ships weapons, escape Pod for ship (X Many People), Weapon (Plasma or Laser), Radio, Bionic Implants (Various use), Swiss army Laser Knife.)
Survival Horror: Paper, Pen, Swiss Army Knife, Thermos of Tea (Calms your Nerves usually, unless you're looking Cthulhu himself straight in the eye...), Spare Clothes, First Aid Kit.

So what are your Basics and optionals?

depends totally on the mission scenerio and the various equipment loadouts are to many to list.
this is the equipment my ranger scout tracker carries in a typical game
..............ready for combat and being ''tactical''................................
line one:
forest green linen woodsman blouse long sleeved
soft deer hide leggings
loin cloth
dk brown waist sash linen 4x8 ( useful for all sorts of things )
soft mid ankle supple thick soled trail moccasins
thick smoke grey canvas gaiters w inside laces
tan or green sweat rag on head
scarf type length of camo netting around neck
light cloth half fingered brown gloves w a reinforced soft leather palm
light rigid leather wrist gaurds w two black metal lames rivited to the outside face.
leather thong to tie hair back
brown felt wide brimmed hat with eagle feather in brim
line two gear:
waxed leather haversack large with a wood slat in bottom / dk brown
contains.....
small sharpening stone 2x1/2x4 in leather case
small file flat wrapped in oil cloth
12' of leather thong waxed
spare head rag forest green 2'x3' linen
30' of fishing line wrapped around a wood float
peice of cork burnt to blacken face
pouch of tobacco ( apple ) 2 oz
clay pipe
1/2 pnd of venison jerky
3oz sack of hard sweet candy
small paring knife w sheath
brown leather belt 3'' width with various small rings for the attatchment of gear. brass belt buckle (blackened)
small leather belt pouch (holds 8 30z eliptical lead sling bullets)
fighting knife on left belt bone handled 7'' single edged heavy bladed blade in a wood and leather sheath. 1.9 lbs.
throwing knife in right legging 5'' double edged 6oz.
usually tucked in back of sash-fronteirsman axe with a 31/2' hickory haft knobbed on one side and a tapered bearded type axe blade on other.end of haft is capped with a pointed iron ferral for thrusting. (balanced for throwing) 1.13 lbs
waxed semi-rigid leather quiver with flap to protect fletching / contains....
8 41'' ash broadhead arrows with goose fletching
10 tapered bodkin ash arrows
2 crescent moon tipped arrows
quiver can be affixed to belt but is usually carried on back
in a pouch affixed to quiver....spare bow string (braided flax)''waxed''
yew longbow 5'11'' length 112 pnd draw stained brown with leather wrapped grip in center.
small signal mirror in left legging pouch
3/4 qt leather canteen carried in a padded cloth belt carrier (can be slung over shoulder)
of course this list is set up for being in ''steath'' mode and when he is near his camp and or traveling light and fast.
armor consists of a padded jack augmented with lames but mostly he preferes to use his speed and relies on mobility to stay alive , he is a ranger after all!
he does have a pack which contains the essentual other survival necessities and includes the following:
30' of waxed braided leather rope.
8x10 green heavy linen sheet (grommeted)
lgt wool blanket 5x6 brown
flannel lined kapock w detachable hood lgt leather shell(waxed) dk tan
trail rations (varies)
spool of waxed hvy thread (green) 140'
fletching kit goose feathers,uses pine pitch for glue or pitch,fine thread,20 bone arrow nocks.
first aid kit...herb packet,linin wrapps,ointment,splints x4,etc...
bone whistle
three spare bowstrings
2 shirts linen green & tan
charr cloth flint & steel
poncho oiled canvas brown
this is his standard list and does not assume he is going to be traveling more than 10 days away from his cabin , if that was the case then more would be carried on a pack horse , in the case of gear and supplies if he was trapping or guiding a group through the wilderness.
this is just my list and i like to be very detailed with my gear as it lets the g.m know EXACTLY what i am carrieing and why.most players don't get this exact but then thats me.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by BLloyd607502

Everyone has their basic gear in Adventures.
For each of the following Genres What is the basic equipment you take if you can. Optional is equipment it would be great to take but that arn't absolutely needed.
Fantasy

Assuming pseudo-medieval D&D style dungeon fantasy:

• A good sized backpack
• A couple of empty leather sacks (usually for putting treasure in, but can also be used for carrying water, air (for a short term flotation device or very brief underwater trip), sand for weights, misc. puzzle bits, and whatnot).
• 20 days of food (often starts the trip in one of the leather sacks) unless I'm SURE the next civilized point is less than a 10 day trip away.
  Then I might take 10-15 days worth. (Someone will always manage to break a leg, get us lost, or ambush us, slowing the trip down).
• A waterskin or two. Under good circumstances, provides someplace for the magical water creating character to create water. Under more LIKELY circumstances, for carrying perfectly mundane water.
• Flint and tinder, for starting a fire when the magical fire starting character is dead/lazy/kidnapped/in a no mana zone/cursed with critical failures.
• A bedroll, ideally with a spare blanket in case you need more bandages, an impromptu stretcher, or if someone falls in a river and gets their bedroll soaked (or if you pick up/rescue an unequipped NPC along the way).
• Where wealth and weight allowances allow, a tent. Attempt to convince party members that everyone paying in for a 4 or 6 man (as needed) tent will be warmer and cheaper and safer than one tent each, where we can be picked off quietly by monsters and no-one be the wiser.
• Clean Bandages/Lint for dressing wounds.
• A horn lamp and oil (less breakable than glass, dimmer but that's an asset in a dungeon).
• A knife or two, even if my character can't/won't use one in a fight - for eating with, cutting ropes, sharpening stakes and whatever.
• Chalk or Charcoal (ideally both). No good for outdoor trail marking, but that's where the knife comes in handy. Good for various things indoors though, and can be used to reduce climbing penalties for sweaty hands, or to darken skin and equipment for camouflage.
• Rope strong enough to hold the two heaviest party members (and their gear) at the same time. This should be strong enough, therefore, to haul one party member and a huge pile of treasure, or to survive one party member + a monster, or if it's an emergency, any two random adventurers scrambling up it. If possible, 100' feet of rope or thereabouts. If the strong rope is too thick for tying people or things up, also 20' of tying rope.
• As weight allowances and wealth make available, in this order: A crowbar, a shovel, a small mallet, pitons, a chisel, a pickaxe, a handsaw (think "Japanese crosscut saw"), a jigsaw, a ball-peen hammer, 2" nails.
• Depending on what's available in the game world, a toolbelt or bandoleer to sling much of it on.
• As wealth allows, silver for trading, bribery, ransom payments, etc. Never spend all of your money before the adventure starts.
• As wealth allows, hard liquor of the highest proof available. Also very useful for trading, bribery, ransom payments, etc, making friends, and (in a pinch) cleaning wounds, shedding light, and starting fires.
• Lastly, whatever armor, equipment, and weapons are required for my role in the party.

Every time I go into Canadian Tire, I see "adventuring gear" everywhere - it helps that they have decent hunting and camping gear along with the tools. Rifles and shotguns and crossbows and compound bows and razor head arrows oh my! 30 different kinds of wrecking bar! Combination hatchet/chisel/hammer/screwdriver/compass gadgety camping tools!

Yes, my characters tend to adventure with about 60 lbs of backpack. That's a suitable load for camping unsupported in the wilderness, which basically is what you do on the way to and from the dungeon, and often IN the dungeon. Plus the kinds of things you need while IN the dungeon to get all the treasure out, and to get everyone safely from point A to point B in the dungeon and back again.

I'm a sucker for gear.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Bruno

[*]Chalk or Charcoal (ideally both).

<nods> I was in one "dungeon" where the walls were white marble and the chalk wasn't any good.

[reb]

Originally Posted by BLloyd607502

Everyone has their basic gear in Adventures.
For each of the following Genres What is the basic equipment you take if you can. Optional is equipment it would be great to take but that arn't absolutely needed.
Fantasy
Modern Day
Cyberpunk
Futuristic (Non-Space Faring)
Space Opera
Any others you care to mention

The following is a list of my Basics in each
Fantasy (Outdoors, Dungeon Crawl, ect) - Clothes, Weapon (Melee), Weapon Ranged), Armour, Paper, Pen, Ink, Lantern or Torch (Usually lantern), Flint & Tinder, a pint of Oil, Backpack, Bed Roll, Rations, Grappling Hook, Rope (50 to 200 Foot), 'Lock Pick' (Small hammer and Chisle hidden in clothes), Tent, Weatherproof Cloak (Keep the rain and Snow off). (Optionals: Wading Boots, Spare Bag (For Loot), Spare Clothes, Climbing pinions, Matches, Back up weapon, More Food, Horse or Pack Animal, Warm Blanket, actual Lockpicks, Small Knife (For Skinning and so forth), Identifying equipment for loot.)
Modern Day - Clothes, Weapon (If Appropriate), transport, ID, MP3 (Good For Montages), Transport (Car or Van). (Optional, Lockpicks, Small Knife, Fake ID, Rope (50 foot), Matches, Tool Kit, Zip Ties, Torch (Wind Up), Armour.)
Space Opera- Clothes, Weapon (Solid Slug or Fire.), Holorecorder, Electrical Lockpick, Space Suit, Rations, Hack tools, Tool Kit, Ship (If Flying), Crew. (Optional, Ships weapons, escape Pod for ship (X Many People), Weapon (Plasma or Laser), Radio, Bionic Implants (Various use), Swiss army Laser Knife.)
Survival Horror: Paper, Pen, Swiss Army Knife, Thermos of Tea (Calms your Nerves usually, unless you're looking Cthulhu himself straight in the eye...), Spare Clothes, First Aid Kit.

So what are your Basics and optionals?

for modern day must haves the list i would recommend for a group would have......
-leatherman multi-tool
-small maglite
-tactical assault vest
-good high quality dual purpose utility/combat knife
-inter-squad commo gear with throat mikes
-small binos
-everyone useing a weapon that uses the same type ammo
-one silenced weapon
-lock opener
-taser
-n.v.g monoculer
-garrote
-wrist rocket (to take out lights and whatever may come up such as having to make a diversional noise further than you can throw a rock)
-cross bow to silently take out sentries or other nuisances,has a longer range and hits harder than a silenced pistol and can be scoped and have a n.v.s mounted on it.
-cylume chem light sticks
-parabolic mike pickup
-flash bangs
-wire cutters
-bolt cutters
-watches that have been synchranized so everybody is on the same exact time in case the op has a precise time schedule.
-if c.q.b is expected then hard hitting weapons that are less bulky should be carried,except for a shot gun that can be used to gain egress quickly by blowing through locks with a breaching round.
-night op? everyone should have n.v.g's and know hand signals.
-zip ties to secure prisoners if ops goal is not to eleminate everybody.
-c.s grenades are extremely useful to break pursuit
-m-79 g.l as it can handle and fire the extended length rounds that a standard m-203 cannot.
-c.s powder is useful to put in a/c vent intakes
-distraction devices to create impromptu diversions
-if sentries can be taken out at range w/o them being noticed they are gone and in a place where their fall will be unheard and unoberved a silenced sub-sonic precision rifle.( beware that the sentries may have periotic set check in times!).
-pre-arranged exfil plan in and out no muss no fuss and discreetly if in a suburban enviroment
-street clothes to blend in after op (if needed) that will not be draw attention.
-sanitized equipment and weapons in case something is dropped and no finger prints (even on the rounds as prints can be taken from casings)
-good alternate i.d's and a pre-arranged rondevou point in case members have to exfil seperatley.
-sapp
-hyperdermics pre-filled to knock out snatches.
-digital camera (if needed) to record intell you can't take out.
-incendiary device to burn the place down if required. better if the device is something that can be totally consumed so c.s.i teams will not be able to find the exact cause.
these are a few of the parameters that may pop up and each mission is unique and will require a lot of forsite and planning to do unto them and they not untill you! the gods of war and death will smile upon you if you put serious effort towards the total end of your enemy whoever that may be.
plan for the worst and hope for the best!!!