Equipment in RFI: Reelancers is handled with a simple philosophy in mind: a device is only useful if it enables a person to achieve something useful. As a realism based science-fiction settings, most technology feels like a logical extension of the technology we have today. However, all technology exists only to serve the end user.
Fundamentally, all equipment functions as a form of Trait, as described in the Core Rules. In essence, a piece of equipment will allow you to do one or some of the following, depending on what the item is:
Equipment traits should typically be viewed as positive and beneficial to the user —you wouldn’t carry around something that was a hindrance unless it was valuable or useful in some other way.
Equipment traits can be moved from character to character, so long as the narrative of this transfer makes sense; a mobile phone can be handed to another person easily, but it takes more effort to ‘give’ someone else the car that your character has been driving.
Note: Even things like 'incriminating evidence' or 'scandalous rumors' can be handled as a trait, like other equipment.
(See Acquisitions, Resources, and Credit Ratings for details.)
Aquiring items depends on the character's Credit Rating, the item's credit rating, when and how you aquire the item. In general, it's not considered difficult to require anything CR 4 or under.
The assumption we make in RFI: Reelancers is that, in general, it's easy to get your hands on basic items. Consumer goods, personal electronics, food, etc is assumed to be trivial to purchase, and the details about procuring them uninteresting from a narrative perspective.
Some items have a Restricted next to their cost and are considered 'restricted' items. This means, regardless of Credit Rating, they require a Special Requisition to obtain them.
For the most part, RFI:Freelancers doesn’t worry too much about how heavy items are, or how much a person can carry, at least not to the degree of tracking how heavy an individual item is and how much weight a person can carry.
Rather, we opt for a simpler, more direct way of handling size and carrying capacity.
Items are divided into three categories for the purposes of carrying capacity: trivial items, minor items, and major items. Any equipment larger than a major item is too large for a person to move and carry by themselves, and will commonly be classed as a vehicle (in which case it follows its own rules), or as a facility (where the equipment is fixed in place within a building).
Trivial items are tiny objects, stowed away in pockets, clipped to belts, or in various other places. A character can carry an unlimited number of trivial items (Gamemaster’s discretion applies if players try to push this too far), and it doesn’t really matter where they’re carrying them. Some trivial items are so minor that they don’t even need to be written on the character sheet in advance: small change, a book or matches or a lighter, a pen or pencil, and similar tiny personal items can be assumed to be on a character’s person as and when needed unless the GM says otherwise.
Minor items are small and easily carried, their size and weight allowing them to be stowed in pockets and pouches, hung on belts, or tucked into clothing. A knife, pistol, phone, or wallet is considered a minor item. Minor items are not immediately obvious when carried, though any search (a difficulty 0 task) will find them unless they’re specifically hidden away.
Major items are large and bulky, limiting how many you can carry and how easily they can be stowed away. Major items are carried in-hand, take up a significant amount of space in a bag or pack, or may be fitted with straps for easier carrying over the shoulder or on the back. A rifle, laptop computer, sword, or toolkit is a major item. Most major items are immediately obvious when carried.
A character can carry one major item, and up to three minor items without being weighed down. You may carry three extra minor items in place of a major item, or you may carry one extra major item in place of three minor items.
Characters wishing to carry more can do so in one of two ways: carrying items, such as backpacks, briefcases, and suitcases (which may also make it easier to hide items), or by having a high Fitness attribute.
| Fitness | Extra Items Carried |
|---|---|
| 8 or lower | None |
| 9 | 1 minor item |
| 10-11 | 2 minor items |
| 12-13 | 3 minor items (or 1 major item) |
| 14-15 | 4 minor items (or 1 major and 1 minor) |
| 16+ | 5 minor items (or 1 major and 2 minor) |
A character may also choose to carry more than their limit by choosing to be encumbered. Being encumbered is a trait, making moving or carrying more difficult, or even impossible depending on how much the character seeks to carry.
Note: Some races, such as NorAellians are incredibly strong, able to throw small vehicles. As such, some races may modify these rules, based on situation.