Equipment uniformity is highly desirable, in some campaigns mandatory at all levels. It is especially critical in regards to ammunition.

In some campaigns or situations a team's staging area, usually a bolt hole, is very cramped. This is not the case in my campaigns nor do I think is taken to an extreme in many others. There are other issues tied to this but I'll get to them later.

Personnel being put into hybernation had little use for money where they were going. Individuals suddenly had no use for their savings accounts, etc. since any family would be taken care of. (We assume that hybernating characters either had little or no family, or if they did when they "died" the families recieved a good life insurance payment which the individual had the forethought to purchase. :) The Project also made what assurances it could.

Project personnel were not entirely unmaterialistic.

Players as a rule like their characters to be unique.

Given all the asumptions above, we tied them all together into the IGA or individual Gear Allotment.

Personnel knew (more or less) what was in store for them and the world and wanted to bring some of their own stuff. Maybe they had valuable family keepsakes they wanted to "take with them", or they had other reasons. The Project gave them the opportunity to bring it. The IGA was created, and was very simple. A G.I. footlocker was given to each person, and they could stuff whatever they wanted into it, within reason.

The IGA only works if feasible in your campaign with regards to space taken up. A team of 6 has 6 footlockers to lug around which may not fit into, or even on top of, their cramped vehicle! One solution is to put them in a cache somewhere. Another is to have them in the team's base if they have one (this was convenient for me because I gave most every team a small, simple base).

The GM must regulate the contents of the footlockers. Nothing hazardous to the team is permitted. Obviously, pets, food, or similar items would not keep very well! The GM, playing the part of a Project officer, gives the final yea or nay on ALL items. The players must use restraint & common sense- no footlockers filled entirely with gold, bizarre sci-fi gear, etc.

Some items can be "mandatory". If an individual wears glasses, the project can mandate that 6 extra pair will be included in their locker.

Finally, the players have some freedom to take what they want within the guidelines. I find that some players have no interest in putting thought into the matter, but most relish the chance to take some time & draw up a list of what they really think would be cool to bring. That's really the whole reason we use this. It gives the players in my campaign, who are faced with certain weapon & ammo restrictions, to bring unique guns they like. Want a MAC-11 but the Project won't issue one, and they certainly aren't supplying any .380 ammo, well here's your chance to bring that MAC and at least some ammo. Want to bring a few boxes of Glasers, a kukri, or a pair of single-actiion revolvers? Go for it.

Different players will take different philisophical approaches here- some will bring extra combat hear they thing may give them the edge, others will use the space to bring books to educate the locals, some will want to bring keepsakes or scientific equipment. Whatever approach they take is fine.

The Project footlocker has inside measurements of 15" high, 18" wide and 36" long. It's made of plywood with metal furniture (hinges, etc.) and weighs 5kg empty. They are reasonably well made but not waterproof or indestructible. I find it helps to have a 15x18" rectangle drawn on a piece of cardboard or paper to help the players visualize how big the space is.

Some of these I've seen before, others are just included as ideas. I tend to think *mostly* about weapons but hey that's just me... :) Anything that's not plain-Jane Project issue gets stuffed in here or it doesn't go.

A sword. Grandaddy's old .45 he use in the war. Jewelry. The family bible. Photo albums. A set of reference books. The character's trust 10mm S&W from his FBI days. The old green beret. Cammies. A personal knife or dagger. CD-ROMs with custom data. A couple of M72A2's. A box of flashbang grenades. Ninja weapons & clothing. An astronomy telescope. Starcharts. A video camera & accessories. An Ameli LMG, the kind that breaks down into a suitcase. Foreign language dictionaries. All of Jeff Cooper's books. Tapes of Howard Stern's radio show. A copy of Action Comics #1. A chemistry set. A microscope. Blacksmith's tools. A baseball bat with nails in it. A parachute rig. A reloading press setup. Horse tackle & shoes. Rapelling gear. Lockpicks. Armorer/gunsmith's tools. A guitar. A snorkel, fins, and bathing trunks. A bottle of port or cognac. Cigarettes. A chainsaw. An Iron Maiden t-shirt. A ham radio. Handcuffs. Instructional books or an encyclopedia set. Silver bullets. An espresso machine. A scanner. An alarm clock. Cologne. A suit and tie. A pair of comfortable sweats. Jogging shoes. A stuffed animal. A crossbow. Armor-piercing .300 Win. Magnum ammo. And so on...........