The Captain’s Log: 50 Years of Iron Spikes, Star Crystals, and Mega-Damage
Exploring the history of tabletop RPG equipment is like looking at the DNA of the hobby itself. Every item, every price, and every weight limit reveals a game’s underlying physics and its vision of heroism. We’ve moved from a time when the most important decision was how many iron spikes to carry, through an era of extreme simulation and gear-fetishism, into a modern period where your equipment list is essentially your active ability bar.
This is the mega-update. No nerfs. Just the full stats, the history, and the crunchy evolution of the RPG inventory.
1. The Survivalist Foundations (1974–1979)
The earliest days were defined by a transition from mass-combat miniatures to individual survival. Equipment wasn't "loot" yet; it was a physical bridge between life and death.
The "Ironmongery" of OD&D
In the late 1970s, equipment lists focused on the physical footprint of items.
The Weight of Exploration (Old-School Essentials/OSE SENSIBILITIES):
Weight was tracked in "coins," where 10 coins are equal to one pound. The absolute maximum a character can carry is typically 1,600 coins.
| Item | Cost (gp) | Weight (Coins) | Mechanical Purpose |
| Backpack | 5 | - | Holds up to 400 coins |
| Crowbar | 10 | - | Prying open doors/chests |
| Iron Spikes (12) | 1 | - | Wedging doors/anchoring rope |
| Lantern | 10 | - | 30' light; 1 flask oil/4 hrs |
| Pole (10' long) | 1 | - | Poking/prodding suspicious items |
| Rations (Iron) | 15 | - | Preserved food for long journeys |
| Rope (50') | 1 | - | Supports weight of three people |
| Sack (Large) | 2 | - | Holds up to 600 coins |
| Tinder Box | 3 | - | Used to light fires |
| Torches (6) | 1 | - | 30' light; 1 hour burn time |
| Waterskin | 1 | - | Holds up to 2 pints (1 quart) |
Weaponry & Armor (OSE Baseline):
| Weapon | Cost (gp) | Weight (Coins) | Damage | Qualities |
| Battle Axe | 7 | 50 | 1d8 | Melee, Slow, Two-handed |
| Crossbow | 30 | 50 | 1d6 | Range 5'-240', Reload |
| Dagger | 3 | 10 | 1d4 | Melee, Thrown |
| Long Bow | 40 | 30 | 1d6 | Range 5'-210', Two-handed |
| Plate Mail | 60 | 500 | AC 3 | Heavy Armor |
| Shield | 10 | 100 | +1 AC | Defense Bonus |
| Sword | 10 | 60 | 1d8 | Melee |
The First Sci-Fi Milestone: Metamorphosis Alpha (1976)
James M. Ward's Metamorphosis Alpha gave us the first "high-tech dungeon crawl" aboard the starship Warden.
Warden Artifact Danger Ratings:
The Warden also featured the legendary Color Band security system, where bracelets allowed rank-based access:
Blue and Red: Command personnel
Red: Security
Green: Horticultural
Steel Gray: Engineering
White: Medical
Gold: Programmers and architects
The Ken St. Andre Legacy: Tunnels & Trolls (1975)
Ken St. Andre created the second-ever fantasy RPG as a simpler, more whimsical reaction to the complexity of wargaming.
Attributes: Strength (ST), Intelligence (IQ), Luck (LK), Constitution (CON), Dexterity (DEX), and Charisma (CHR) .
The Delver’s Package: Essential tools including a small bronze mirror, wax sticks, chalk, salt, and a short length of rope.
3 Dwarven Cave Moss Porridge: A staple comfort food race-locked to Dwarfs that looks like "gooey green oatmeal" .
Monsters! Monsters! (1976)
Flipping the script by allowing players to play as the monsters, this ruleset is compatible with T&T 5th edition . It introduced unique biological "equipment" in the form of monster vulnerabilities .
Dragons: Must designate a "soft spot" (e.g., under the wing). Struck there, the dragon dies. Fire breath accounts for 15 of its 25 hit dice; if the fire "goes out," effectiveness drops to 10 .
Shadowjacks: Can disappear into any shadow, repairing all Constitution hits while hidden .
Mummies: Burn to ash instantly if they fail a saving throw against fire .
Ghosts: Immune to material weapons but susceptible to magic .
The First Interstellar Frontier: Starfaring (1976)
The Interstellar Frontier: Starfaring (1976) Ken St. Andre's Starfaring was the first to treat the starship as the primary "player character". Measured in Megacredits (mc), where 1 mc equals one million credits, the economy centered on Vedic-inspired components.
| Starfaring Tech Item | Type | Function |
| Brahma Crystal | Ship Component | Standard power supply for movement |
| Shiva Crystal | Ship Component | Weapons system for offensive output |
| Vishnu Crystal | Ship Component | Powers shields for preservation |
| Bio-mechanical Link | Personal Gear | Helmet device interfacing brain with ship's computer |
| Psionic Booster | Personal Gear | Helmet device amplifying psi abilities via feedback |
| Psionic Nullifier | Personal Gear | Helmet device that dampens psi centers in the brain |
2. The Starship Warden: Metamorphosis Alpha (1976)
James M. Ward's Metamorphosis Alpha gave us the "high-tech dungeon crawl" aboard a 50-mile-long generation ship . Finding technology involves a Tech Comprehension roll; failure means the device short-circuits or explodes .
Warden Artifact Danger Ratings:
| Artifact Category | Example Items | Tech Danger Rating |
| Most Dangerous | Protein disruptor, laser pistol, gravity generator, atomic torch | Lethal Malfunction Risk |
| Dangerous Tools | Paralysis rod, slug projector, medical analyzer, aqualung | Moderate Risk of Harm |
| Possibly Dangerous | Sonic metal disruptor, sonic torch | Risk to Possessions |
| Not Dangerous | Hand dart charger, color bands, ecology life analyzer | Low to No Risk |
Access is restricted by Color Bands: Blue/Red (Command), Red (Security), Green (Horticultural), Steel Gray (Engineering), White (Medical), and Gold (Programmers) .
2. The FASA Revolution: Treknology and Mecha (1982–1993)
FASA Corporation redefined licensed gaming by interlocking personal-scale gear with massive vehicle performance.
Star Trek: The Role Playing Game (1982)
FASA's Star Trek was the first to formalize "Treknology" into an inventory, using an Action Point (AP) system to weight the use of gear in combat.
Federation Phaser Specs:
Settings ranged from Level 1 (Light Stun) to Level 8 (Kill) and Level 16 (Disintegrate). Other standard issue items included the Tricorder (comms/detection), Communicator, Life Support Belt, and PADD (Personal Access Display Device).
MechWarrior and BattleTech (1986) FASA introduced tiered equipment divided between personal survival gear and BattleMech systems.
Shadowrun (1989): High-Tech Cybernetics
FASA's Shadowrun introduced Essence to limit cyberware and the Street Index (SI) for black market pricing.
| Shadowrun Cyberware | Essence | Avail | Cost |
| Datajack | 0.1 | 2 | 1,000¥ |
| Wired Reflexes (R1) | 2.0 | 5R | 55,000¥ |
| Dermal Plating (per rank) | 0.5 | (R*4)R | R*3,000¥ |
| Muscle Replacement (rank) | 1.0 | (R*5)R | R*25,000¥ |
| Smartgun Link | 0.5 | 4R | 400¥ |
Earthdawn (1993): Legend-Based Loot
Earthdawn innovated with Thread Items that grew in power as characters learned their Name and history.
3. The West End Games Era: Cinematic D6 Tech (1987–1996)
WEG revolutionized cinematic agency with the D6 System.
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (1987) Detailed tech appeared in supplements like Gundark's Fantastic Technology.
| BlasTech Blaster | Type | Cost (Credits) | Range | Notes |
| DL-18 | Pistol | 500 | 10m | Standard sidearm |
| DH-17 | Pistol | 550 | 12m | High reliability |
| DLT-20A | Rifle | 1,300 | 30m | High damage |
| E-11 | Rifle | 1,000 | 30m | Imperial standard |
| Thermal Detonator | Explosive | 2,000 | - | Restricted Class-A |
Specialized tech also included Ni-Technology Light Commando Armor (6,500 credits, +1D Physical/+2 Energy protection, UV nightvision) and the Ynex Triclops Combat Armor (17,000 credits, remote targeting system) . WEG later released OpenD6 (2004), providing generic lists for Bulletproof Vests (+3D armor) and Cred-keys (standard banking interface).
4. The Simulationist Era: Granularity and Tech Levels (1977–1989)
Traveller: Quantifiable Sci-Fi
Traveller pioneered the Tech Level (TL) system to dictate gear availability across systems.
Star Frontiers (1982): The Metric Milestone
Introduced the Standard Energy Unit (SEU), a universal battery system.
| Beam Weapon (KE-Series) | Damage (per SEU) | Max SEU | Cost (Credits) |
| Laser Ke-1000 | 8 | 20 | 600 |
| Laser Ke-2000 | 16 | 20 | 800 |
| Laser Ke-5000 | 100 | 100 | 6,000 |
| Electrostunner | 40 (stun) | 20 | 500 |
| Sonic Disruptor | Special | 20 | 700 |
5. The Palladium Megaverse: MDC and BIO-E (1981–Present)
Rifts: Mega-Damage Capacity (MDC) Introduced the 100 SDC = 1 MDC scale . High-tech alloys like Glitter Boy armor or SAMAS power armor rendered conventional weapons useless . Standard energy ammunition used E-Clips (100 megajoules storage) .
TMNT and Splicers: Biological Evolution as Gear
TMNT used BIO-E for mutant features (Hands, Speech, Stance) . Splicers (2004) featured Host Armor (living power armor) and bio-weapons like the Hive Sword and Glimmer Gun (3d8 MD output).
6. Modern Consolidations and Tactical Depth (2000–Present)
Wizards of the Coast Era
Alternity (1998) categorized tech into Progress Levels (PL) from 0 to 9.
PL 8 Ranged Weapons (d20 Future):
| Weapon | Damage | Damage Type | Size | Purchase DC |
| Cryonic Rifle | 3d6 | Cold | Large | 21 |
| Disintegrator | 3d8 | nonspecific Energy | Large | 23 |
| Lightning Gun | 3d6 | Electricity | Huge | 24 |
| Singularity Grenade | 15d6 | Energy | Small | 26 |
Pathfinder 1e & 2e (Paizo)
Pathfinder 1e formalized the "Big Six" magic items and Wealth by Level (WBL).
D&D 5th Edition and 2024 Update
D&D 5e introduced Equipment Packs to expedite character creation.
Lancer (2019): Mech-Scale Ordinance Divides equipment between Pilot "Signature Weapons" and Mech "Frames" .
| Lancer Mech Weapon | Type | Damage | Range | Notes |
| Anti-Materiel Rifle | Heavy Rifle | 7 (AP) | 20 | Heavy damage output |
| Cyclone Pulse Rifle | Superheavy | 13.5 | 15 | Superheavy engagement |
| Heavy Charged Blade | Heavy Melee | 6.5 (AP) | 1 | Close quarters |
| Hunter-Killer Nexus | Main Nexus | 3.5 | 10 | AI-guided targeting |
The Wizards of the Coast Era: Star Wars d20 & Saga Edition (2000–2010)
Wizards of the Coast (WotC) brought the galaxy far, far away into the d20 fold, eventually culminating in the highly tactical Saga Edition (2007). This era introduced the Condition Track, a mechanical ladder of impairment that penalized characters as they took damage exceeding their threshold. WotC also moved away from traditional Armor Class (AC), replacing it with three static Defenses: Reflex, Fortitude, and Will.
Equipment was categorized by four Restriction Ratings: Licensed, Restricted, Military, and Illegal. Professional gear was meticulously statted, from Bioscanners ($3,500 \text{ credits}$) to Computer Spikes ($1,500 \text{ credits}$) and All-Temperature Cloaks ($100 \text{ credits}$).
Saga Edition Armor & Droid Shells:
| Armor/Shell Type | Armor Bonus (Reflex) | Max Dex Bonus | Availability |
| Fiber Armor | +4 | +2 | Licensed |
| Light Battle Armor | +5 | +3 | Military |
| Powered Battle Armor | +7 | +2 | Military |
| Matrix Armor | +9 | +1 | Restricted |
| Plasteel Droid Shell | +2 | +5 | Unlicensed |
| Mandalorian Steel Shell | +9 | +3 | Military |
Summary for the Shreveport Cabin
Captain, we’ve come a long way from counting every candle. Whether you’re kitting out for a crawl in the Warden or prepping a Veritech for launch, your gear is your agency.
Final Log from Zimrala One
Captain, we’ve come a long way from counting iron spikes. Whether you’re kitting out for a crawl in the Warden or prepping a SAMAS for launch, your gear is your agency.
What’s your take? Do you miss the days where a 10-foot pole was your best friend, or are you all-in on the 2024 Weapon Masteries? Drop a comment below and let’s keep the conversation rolling.
Product Identity & Legal The worlds of Zimrala, The Tygerian Isles, and all unique artifacts mentioned are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. © 2026. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment