Quote from: Benoist;302927Another interesting question linked to this: Do you feel it should matter? Do you like it when whatever your PC's wearing matters to the situations at hand?

Well, yes. It's yet another detail that makes the situation more vivid and puts the PCs into the proper context. In any game I run, no one sleeps in plate armour because of a slim chance that they might end up being ambushed at an inn, or wears outlandish outfits in public without suffering from at least some degree of ridicule or worse.

And hey, shopping. What's not to like?

Another example that comes to mind is Changeling: The Lost with its Hedgespun, an enchanted fabric from the borderlands of Faerie. Hedgespun clothing is definitely a status symbol among the changelings on Earth, and although it's usually purchased as a special Merit, the GMs are encouraged to give each PC some small garment made of it (like a hat or a scarf) for free.

Mithril will matter in LotR/MERP if done right. I mean, it's a trade secret among the dwarves so people kicking around with mithril blades and shirts should get the odd look.

And wearing a red shirt in a Star Trek game....would give me pause...

Bah. Most of your examples are weak sauce.

Now, I once had a great little 'critters of the night' type of RPG whose name I keep forgetting despite referencing it constantly on the webz (from the makers of 'It came from the Late Late show' or something like that, which I never owned but still can remember the name of far more easily...".

90% of the equipment list in the game was, in fact, clothing and the amount of money your characters spent on clothes was a tracked mechanic.   Unlike games where having the 'right clothes' might give you a minor bonus if anyone bothers to remembers to apply that one based on some clothes you wrote down at character creation and promptly forgot, your wardrobe was a tracked thing (tattoos were a way to avoid some of the recurring expense, but really... if you weren't paying 1000's of dollars a month on new clothes (or... 5000 powder blue leisure suits...)... you just were able to compete socially in the Night. (Nightlife? Was that the game?).

Take your poncy incidental bonuses and shove them. If you were a real 'clothes whore gamer' THIS was your game of choice in the 90's....

Dying Earth.

Quote from: gospog;303046Dying Earth.

Beat me to it.

Stylish hats are very important in the Dying Earth.

I consider clothing a factor in all RPGs, specially in social situations. Not covered by the rules does not mean it's irrelevant.

Quote from: Zulgyan;303090Not covered by the rules does not mean it's irrelevant.

Whammo!

Clothing / Appearance / Personal Presentation are all important tools for the GM to increase the immersive experience of the RPG.

I had a wealthy mage in FATE with the trait "Looks Fabulous in Anything" and I once spent an extra point once on Instant Change in Champions to be able to alter my clothing.  Kinda like Superman when the continuity supervisor isn't paying attention.

You don't need a system for this.   You just need a GM and players who desire to add another layer of immersive roleplaying.

Would you consider Assasin's Creed an RPG..I know its more of an action/adventure game but I believe clothing let you slip passed enemies

I spent some time clarifying what kinds of clothes people wear in the Dawnlands, so I consider it an item of middling importance, mainly useful to PCs to allow them to accurately identify what sort of person they are dealing with, or to represent themselves as members of a particular group.

It can also influence adventures due to the lively trade in textiles and finished clothing due to the uneven spread of the relevant manufacturing knowledge and infrastructure. The Kaddish are mad for silk but don't have any way of acquiring it except by trade with an independent power (Dwer Tor). Others are very interested in complicated clothing like breeches, button-up shirts, collars and chiral footwear, which only the Kaddish know how to manufacture. This means that if PCs meet traveling merchants, they're very likely to be in the textile business, which gives a bit of colour to the typical "A merchant asks for help" plotline.

Quote from: RPGPundit;302989A well-written Gangs of New York RPG would be a thing of beauty.

RPGPundit

It was very good and I did try to get him to write it up (like I did with many of his other games) but to no avail.

Player-characters were all leaders of their gangs, so there were some cool rules for creating your own gang and creating scenarios based on inter-gang emnities and so forth.

I'll see if I can get it from him and do something with it myself.

Simon w

I guess in a D&D style world it 'should' be completely unimportant in a dungeon, possibly important in a wilderness depending on who you run into, and vitally important in the city.

This could also be a good use of hirelings. Having someone carrying your stuff would likely have very little effect on your actual abilities, but it would mark you as someone of means.

Quote from: Simon W;303117It was very good and I did try to get him to write it up (like I did with many of his other games) but to no avail.

Player-characters were all leaders of their gangs, so there were some cool rules for creating your own gang and creating scenarios based on inter-gang emnities and so forth.

I'll see if I can get it from him and do something with it myself.

Simon w

Obviously, playing out the whole political element of the game would be the point, yes. Otherwise you just have a generic 19th century thug game.

RPGPundit

Quote from: Claudius;302929If I recall correctly, you can get a bonus or a penalty to reaction rolls in GURPS and Capitán Alatriste depending on the clothes your character wears.

YES, in GURPS that is true.

 In the later sessions of my campaign that became quite important.
You see the starship and its crew were starting to get quite a reputation as "Pirate-smashers" or enemies of Pirates.
 So, whenever they entered 'Star town' or other shady parts of town the players would specify whether or not thewy were wearing their ship crew jackets that had the ship's name on it.

They also had dress uniforms for fancy dress events ....and a few non-descript outfits for when they wanted to be 'undercover' while spying on folks.


- Ed C.

Quote from: gospog;303046Dying Earth.

And it should also matter in Talislanta.

I admit I have a Patrick Bateman-like obsession with what the characters are wearing.

Clothing is an indicator of status, and characters that don't dress appropriately suffer significant social penalties. Clothing is also a survival tool - it takes weeks to die from hunger and days to die of thirst but only hours to die of exposure.