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I can think of at least two:

First, the biggest of all: Superheros.  Your uniform matters. In my Legion campaign yesterday I have one character playing Magnetic Kid, the younger brother of the legendary Legion founder Cosmic Boy. Now, Magnetic Kid was wearing a PINK uniform. He started wearing it back in the Legion academy. Why? Because his older brother also wore Pink (it was apparently not thought of as a "sissy colour" on their homeworld, though it is sometimes thought of as such on Earth).
Eventually, when Magnetic Kid became a Legionairre, his player decided it was time to change, and he switched to the same uniform only blue. This was while his brother was away visiting the 20th Century.
But when Cosmic Boy returns, everyone was surprised to see Magnetic Kid there, back in pink. Why? Because he's a legacy hero, and he couldn't dishonor that or disappoint his brother.

This is just one element of it, but of course in any supers game what you wear is crucial to so many things about your character.  The "look" should be a big part of any supers campaign.

The other I can think of is Pendragon. There, your clothing (including your armour) are a definer of your a) social class and b) courtly fashion-sense. In a well-run pendragon campaign you make these things important. Being of a certain class entitles you to wear certain clothes and armour that other classes cannot, but it also obliges you to keep up appearances.

I'd like to thank Droog, who inspired by my genius wrote something on some other site that inspired my genius a second time. Thank you droog, for being such a good helper of my genius, you pathetic douchebag.

RPGPundit

Yggsburgh (Castle Zagyg, Vol. 1). Clothing actually matters when it comes to the PCs' dealings with the city's inhabitants.

From what I've heard, the upcoming Eoris RPG has an actual grid-based system for fashion and style, which then has a social impact which may vary depending on the local customs.

Aha, here we have a bit more about that, from an early teaser at another site: "To change a Character’s appearance, a Player must roll a Presence + Appearance Skill Check; if successful, the Player may change the current position in the grid by one dot/space in only one direction. In the Rough-Elegant axis, the Difficulty Number for this type of Check is determined by the following formula: 2 + the number of dots between the Rough extreme and the Player’s desired position on that axis. In the Menacing-Approachable axis, the Difficulty Number is determined by the following formula: 2 + the number of dots between the Character’s current position and the desired position on that axis."

In L5R I seem to recall that clothing heavily modified your social rolls.

How about Dogs in the Vineyard?

Quote from: John Morrow;302918How about Dogs in the Vineyard?

You know it's not an RPG. :D

Also, as mentioned in another recent thread (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?p=301706), the PCs in Maid become less efficient whenever they are "out of uniform", suffering cumulative attribute penalties to all actions for each missing or damaged or soiled article of their clothing, and especially the frilled headdress which is the very symbol of how neatly maids are expected to present themselves (and so worth -2 whereas any other garment is -1). Under the basic rules, there's only a single exception to that: the Will Power "Absolute Maid" which makes the character the embodiment of all that maids aspire to be no matter what she's wearing and thus immune to the penalty.

However, the optional equipment rules introduce another alternative in the form of "Costumes" which can be purchased with points of Favour and which typically come with their own requirements or effects. While wearing one of these outfits, the PCs don't suffer the usual penalties for lacking clothing, unless they somehow wind up completely nude in which case they aren't really wearing any Costume any more (except maybe for the Birthday Suit); but on the other hand they cannot use their Maid Powers either, and their Stress Explosions are temporarily replaced with "Fainting" which may render them more vulnerable if they gain too many points of Stress. Also, a Maid in a Costume is technically no longer a maid for the time being, and so can't be ordered around by the Master.

Some examples:

"Secretary
Cost: 15

Requirements: Maid Types must include Cool or Sexy, and Skill must be 3 or higher.
Restrictions: The character cannot attempt tasks related to cooking, cleaning, washing, or other kinds of housework.

Benefits:
Advice: Add +2 to the die roll for any action the Master takes.
Schedule: When the game session concerns daily life, up to three times per day the character can make others stop working, making their die rolls ineffective.

Notes: The character becomes a business partner who manages the Master's business. Talent, wits, and brains are a must for this job."

"Valkyrie
Cost: 20

Requirements: Athletics and Will must be 2 or higher.
Restrictions: You gain a 'Valkyrie' Special Quality ('a Scandinavian battle goddess who gathers the souls of fallen warriors').

Benefits:
Garlands of Death: You always win combat against those with Special Qualities like Necromancy, Vampire, Ghost, Zombie/Mummy, Immortal, etc.
For the Fallen: When you cause 'Death' to an NPC, you gain Favor equal to the average of their attributes.

Notes: A warrior goddess with a helmet decorated with wings, and light armor. It's not clear how they might be related to the character, but at this point anything is possible."

"+Blood Splatter
Cost: 10

Requirements: The character must have just caused Stress to someone with a weapon.
Restrictions: None.

Benefits:
Accessory: This costume can be worn in addition to others. If there is a conflict between the rules for this costume and another, this one takes precedence.
Prelude to Tragedy: The character can spend 2 Favor to cause an Action or Horror Normal Event.
Aura of Fear: Opponents have a -1 penalty to the die roll when attacking.

Notes: The character is covered in someone else's blood. Her pure skin, and whatever clothes she was wearing, are now stained deep red. And the expression on her face..."

Another 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?

It goes along with wherever a character lives, the daily habits and so on. Some people I feel just love to delve into this kind of details which make their characters alive. Others think it's a burden, a boring addendum to the real adventuring. Where do you stand?

If 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.

A friend of mine wrote a rpg inspred by the Gangs of New York movie, in which the gangs' clothing style was an important factor. We only got to play it once (it was fun though) and I can't really remember the mechanic now.

Simon W

I really wish clothing mattered more in RPG's.  So many games I've been a part of in the past coupla decades have so many players wearing the same basic things... almost like a pattern built into the game that no one can break out of.

Quote from: Benoist;302920You know [DitV is] not an RPG. :D

But it is awesome!

I know Houses of the Blooded has mechanical effects for clothes.  But it's by John Wick, I've never played it, and it might not be an RPG.

Well, in Rolemaster you can assign item bonuses to just about anything and can get bonuses up to +20 from non-magical things.

Pirate Shirt of +20 to Duping!
Low cut dress of +20 to Seduction!
Strapy shoes of +20 to LEGS!

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?
 
It goes along with wherever a character lives, the daily habits and so on. Some people I feel just love to delve into this kind of details which make their characters alive. Others think it's a burden, a boring addendum to the real adventuring. Where do you stand?

Good question.
 
It's immersive to have clothing enabled in game but I'm also bored to tears by going shopping for them in game or having alot of in game time devoted to describing who's wearing what. I prefer to just say what people are wearing generaly and then allow them to describe the details as they become important in game.

Quote from: Simon W;302931A friend of mine wrote a rpg inspred by the Gangs of New York movie, in which the gangs' clothing style was an important factor. We only got to play it once (it was fun though) and I can't really remember the mechanic now.

Simon W

A well-written Gangs of New York RPG would be a thing of beauty.

RPGPundit

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.

Depending on your GM and campaign, clothing is very important in Shadowrun

Its interesting to see most people's replies are mechanic based, whereas the OP never mentioned mechanics as the reason behind the question...