Topic: Food supplies and character encumbrance

I've recently starting running a test game using LoTFP rules and I diligently enforce the encumbrance rules on the player characters.

Currently the players are often traveling from a Keep to an adventure area and thus need supplies of food and water. So here is my question: How much encumbrance on the character sheet does a weeks worth of food and water take?

I could see how a week of iron rations might only take up a single slot but what about water? Humans need a lot water when doing strenous exercise and I can only imagine that adventuring would require quite a bit of liquid supplies.

Or is it simply a matter of not being that important of a thing and just saying 1 week of food supplies is one slot on the encumbrance chart?

Re: Food supplies and character encumbrance

Actually each day of rations takes a slot.

I usually let characters get two days out of a waterskin unless it's hot. There is usually a stream or some other water feature on the map or in the dungeon where water can be found so it can be refilled easily enough so I don't necessarily track water.

But this is why retainers and horses are so very useful.

Re: Food supplies and character encumbrance

David wrote:

Actually each day of rations takes a slot.

I usually let characters get two days out of a waterskin unless it's hot. There is usually a stream or some other water feature on the map or in the dungeon where water can be found so it can be refilled easily enough so I don't necessarily track water.

But this is why retainers and horses are so very useful.

It's really a slot for each day of food?

Re: Food supplies and character encumbrance

Figure rations are emergency supplies unless someone wants to hire a bag-boy or mule to carry the food; your party should plan to hunt for their meals most of the time if they want to travel light. As for the slot thing, think about what a week's worth of food, for one person, really looks like, even if it's hard-tack and dried meat. That's a lot more stuff, both in terms of ease of carrying and space, then a small tool-kit, a blade, whatever.

Re: Food supplies and character encumbrance

If you've ever been hiking, you know how much food actually weighs... and that's modern-day dried or preserved rations. This also assumes that there's plenty of water available.

I go for a slot per day of food for one person, just because I like the pressure of resource management.

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Re: Food supplies and character encumbrance

I'm sold.

I spent 4 years in the Air Force and I can remember having to haul around a full duffel bag worth of stuff during a few exercises. That just included clothes and supplies, no food, and the damn thing weighed a ton!

We had trucks that hauled all the food and water. smile