Random Minor Importance Equipment

[pmulcahy11b]

If you have a US vehicle, you may still have what are called by US troops "pioneer tools" -- a shovel, an axe handle which you can put a pickaxe head or an chopping axe head on, and a sledge hammer. US vehicles, especially tracked vehicles, usually also carry two length or wire rope to use when towing another vehicle or getting a tow from another vehicle. Inside, they carry a small tool set appropriate for minor repairs and maintenance on the type of vehicle in question, and a small first aid kit which has several bandaids of various sizes, a couple of field dressings, a small package of supplies to treat blisters, a tube of antibiotic ointment, a tube of hydrocortisone, a cravat, a space blanket, cream and dressings to treat minor burns, and a few other things I can't remember offhand. The first aid kit is in a hard plastic box about 6x4x3 inches in size.

[Webstral]

I put together just such a list during my train-up for Iraq. I carried a lot of crap with me at Fort Bliss that I didn't carry in Baghdad.

Come to think of it, I shed a lot of gear after a short time in-country. I locked up my electronics (except for night vision) and never looked at them again. I'd have ditched my M203 if I could have, given that we weren't supposed to use HEDP. Ammunition, water, first aid, my knife, my multi-purpose tool, and a notebook w/ pen were about the only things I carried with me. Of course, I had the luxury of keeping everything else in my assault pack in the truck when on missions or nearby when at the checkpoint. The night vision was never very far away.

Webstral

[StainlessSteelCynic]

There seems to be a lot of focus on the military side of things but I think you'd find the people who are trying to survive after the breakdown of life as they knew it would carry a lot of other little things.
It might help to look at some of the lists people make for AD&D, I mention that because I recall a friend having one such 'random items' list that included such things as -
a half eaten raw potato (that's still good for planting)
a cryptic note (that may or may not be useful, I think the one we got said "turn left at the first well, look for the oldest house")
a not so cryptic note (this one was a 'wanted to buy' note like "Wanted to buy, four horses, will pay top price, see NPC#4 at location X" kind of thing)
a diary page torn from a journal that mentioned the location of something unusual (this was a simple clue to a possible treasure site but in this instance you could have it as "shot down the helicopter that was chasing us, didn't get to loot it because local bandits arrived" - also gives some kind of location info)
a bag of hard candy that's still good for eating
a small handful of local coins

You could expand it to include things like
a handful of rounds of odd ammunition that's almost impossible to find but might sell for a good price to someone e.g. .30 Mauser
keys to an old safe, they have a tag that mentions the town (but the PCs would have to search the town to find the safe)
a spare sight for an RPG-7, useless without the weapon but maybe they find one later that's been damaged?
any random item from the medical equipment list in the main book
worn paperback novels, maybe in a language the PC doesn't yet read
the owner's original beret from when they completed commando training (or some other specialist military training), carefully wrapped in paper and stored in a plastic bag - it's their one memento from the 'good times' before the war
a street level map of some town but it's missing the sections detailing the name of the town, however there are some pen marks to indicate that perhaps there's something important in the town (it could be a cache, an enemy hideout, a slave camp or whatever makes for a good adventure)
the operator manual for a small diesel locomotive - didn't the PCs pass a narrow-gauge railway a few days back?
religious medallions - the PCs notice that a lot of the NPCs have been wearing these lately, maybe the medallions are slightly defaced and are worn by members of a radical offshoot religion or even a cult. Local civilians/militia might pay a bounty on medallions turned over to them as proof that the wearer is now dead.

As you can tell, I kind of like items that may provide a new adventure or might just turn out to be useless junk or worse, they could be red herrings.

[Adm.Lee]

- deck of playing cards*
- deck of pornographic playing cards
- someone mentioned survival manuals elsewhere, I think these would be gold
- maps! some of them might even be for around here. Some of them might be old, and looted from civilian stores.**
- dice (If the dead guys were NATO, they might even be 20-siders! Dead gamers: this fills me with sadness.) Character sheets-- how many guys might be playing an RPG during the long nights in the winter cantonments?
- Cooking gear (pots & pans, strainers, knives, ladles, you name it)
- spices *** including packets of fast-food ketchup or bottles of Tabasco
- vehicles might carry spare parts for vehicles other than themselves, especially tires and inner tubes.
- bicycles (see: inner tubes, spoke wrench, hand pump, chain links)
- cargo pocketful of small tools: adjustable wrench, Philips-head screwdriver, flat-head screwdriver, a clamp or two, all held together with twine/rubber band/plastic twistie/piece of wire.
- handcuffs & keys
- a can of WD-40
- tobacco pouch and a pipe, or rolling papers made from scraps of newspaper or magazines
- Bible (or other religious book)-- the ones with a bullet or shrapnel stuck in them make the best stories.
- cigarette case (metal) with someone's name engraved on it.
- booze flask, also engraved.
- wind-up wristwatch (or several, if the target is into looting)-- all those battery watches are pretty dead by 2000.

Some stories these bring to mind:
* Old Willie & Joe cartoon had one of them telling the other to save weight by throwing out the jokers. Of course, they are both humping the MG, tripod, belts, etc. at the time.
** Another WW2 story: After the Riviera invasion, a young US engineer officer was given the task of finding a way through the Alps from France to Italy. He went to the local library, and hit the jackpot: maps made by Napoleon's topographical engineer, a hometown boy.
*** I was told of a Confederate soldier who filled a knapsack full of mustard jars from a Union supply depot/train. He had trade bait for months, when his companions had the same old beans, bacon and hardtack they'd had yesterday, and the day before....

[rcaf_777]

How's this

[Mock26]

Best thing to do is to get a small spiral notepad (one that would fit in your pocket) and a pen or pencil and carry it with you wherever you go for a couple of weeks and just start writing things down. When you get enough items to satisfy yourself then transfer them to a spreadsheet or Word document, and number them in such a way so that you can roll dice to randomly determine items. And do not just write down useful stuff, write down stuff that just looks interesting (such as a wine cork or a couple of golf tees). Oh, be sure to write down your pad and paper and pen/pencil!

In fact, if people want to do this and then post their results here I can whip up a spreadsheet that will randomly generate a list of X number of items. And remember, the more items the more realistic your game!

[rcaf_777]

Originally Posted by Mock26

Best thing to do is to get a small spiral notepad (one that would fit in your pocket) and a pen or pencil and carry it with you wherever you go for a couple of weeks and just start writing things down. When you get enough items to satisfy yourself then transfer them to a spreadsheet or Word document, and number them in such a way so that you can roll dice to randomly determine items. And do not just write down useful stuff, write down stuff that just looks interesting (such as a wine cork or a couple of golf tees). Oh, be sure to write down your pad and paper and pen/pencil!

In fact, if people want to do this and then post their results here I can whip up a spreadsheet that will randomly generate a list of X number of items. And remember, the more items the more realistic your game!

Hmmm well at work I usually carry the following

Army Notepad
Pen
Cell Phone
Wallet
Swiss Army Knife
Army Roll Call Book

My Wallet has

Pictures of the wife and kids
Pictures on Brothers kids
Credit Cards (Army Amex and my MC)
Bank Card
Blockbuster Membership Card
Army ID
Army Blue Cross Card
Scout Leader Coin
Who to call if trouble card
Phone Card

[Mock26]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

- spices ***

Spices will be worth a lot in the post-apocalypse. Salt would probably be worth its weight in gold.