Considering that most of the Dramatis Personae carry maybe 5-10 thrones, I really don't see how any group of pcs would manage to be treasure hunters in Dark Heresy, unless the GM allows it become like that. (Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm respectfully chiming in Adeptus-B!)

My players strip dead NPCs of everything they have- specifically armour and weapons- to 'sell in town', D&D -style. I've tried to shame them out of it, but, short of violating the First Rule of Game-Mastering ( never tell your players "You can't do that!"), I don't see any solution other than eliminating coins from the game...

Not sure how you handle your selling exploits. Could you describe them for me? I'll describe mine

I have my pcs roll an Inquiry test (modified by circumstance) to find an interested buyer. Using the Barter skill, the prospective buyer/seller would roll an opposed test to undermine, overcharge, or otherwise best the pcs (and perhaps swindle them). Deal is done after that.

Proscribed items, things that belong to the Adeptus, and other trinkets that wouldn't normally garner attention from the masses would be encounters on their own, and come with a narrative hook that simply might cause the pcs to draw attention to themselves (Arbites, Mechanicus, etc, etc), raise the metaphorical klaxxons and alert the baddies (thus making them disappear, or get armed up in preparation).

Ultimately, I don't get a 'dnd-style' looting spree going on. Plus, rear up your old friend Encumbrance at appropriate times to keep it that way (oh, weighted down? How's some nice water to fall into...)

Not sure how you handle your selling exploits. Could you describe them for me? I'll describe mine

...

Ultimately, I don't get a 'dnd-style' looting spree going on. Plus, rear up your old friend Encumbrance at appropriate times to keep it that way (oh, weighted down? How's some nice water to fall into...)

I use pretty much the same system as you describe, Cog. The fact that the PCs are only getting a fraction of an item's value doesn't deter them- it just convinces them that they need to loot even more stuff...

And I do use Encumbrance to reel in my players' worst excesses, calling for occasional 'Encumbrance Audits' (as per Munchkin !), which usually leads to some amusing negotiations as heavily-loaded PCs try to cajole or bribe other party members into carrying some of their kit...

I use pretty much the same system as you describe, Cog. The fact that the PCs are only getting a fraction of an item's value doesn't deter them- it just convinces them that they need to loot even more stuff...

And I do use Encumbrance to reel in my players' worst excesses, calling for occasional 'Encumbrance Audits' (as per Munchkin !), which usually leads to some amusing negotiations as heavily-loaded PCs try to cajole or bribe other party members into carrying some of their kit...

There is one player in my group who does that (a fellow PC, I'm not the GM). It's often very amusing, as he's the only member of the party who constantly wants to loot, and the rest of us all tend to think (in game -- out of game he's a great guy) he's a little deranged or, in some scenarios, a dangerous impediment to our mission when he starts looting and tripping alarms in the bad guy's secret facility. He's had character who would literally rather die and start fights with their fellow acolytes than give up their loot.

For players like this, I think it is purely an attitude and just how they approach the game/have fun with it. Changing the rules will not deter them from looting. I don't think my friend ever even managed to sell much of his loot, he would grab it and either use it as personal gear, or he would end up losing it somehow. He's more like a kleptomaniac than a looter.

Not sure how you handle your selling exploits. Could you describe them for me? I'll describe mine

...

Ultimately, I don't get a 'dnd-style' looting spree going on. Plus, rear up your old friend Encumbrance at appropriate times to keep it that way (oh, weighted down? How's some nice water to fall into...)

I use pretty much the same system as you describe, Cog. The fact that the PCs are only getting a fraction of an item's value doesn't deter them- it just convinces them that they need to loot even more stuff...

And I do use Encumbrance to reel in my players' worst excesses, calling for occasional 'Encumbrance Audits' (as per Munchkin !), which usually leads to some amusing negotiations as heavily-loaded PCs try to cajole or bribe other party members into carrying some of their kit...

I actually really like the Encumbrance Audits idea. That sounds absolutely fun! Would you be able to share the way you pull that off (perhaps in a pm?). I'd like to give that a try.

I'm pretty sure that the Administratum taxes are actually tithes. They take as much of whatever they can including soldiers from each planet. If they find out that a planet has an abundance of something else that they didn't know of, they take that too. It serves three purposes:

1. fuels the Imperial war machine

2. Keeps planets that have no source for a particular resource going.

3. Keeps the tithed or taxed planet in check so that they can never have enough resources to rebel.

I actually really like the Encumbrance Audits idea. That sounds absolutely fun! Would you be able to share the way you pull that off (perhaps in a pm?). I'd like to give that a try.

Munchkin (the AD&D -parody game) has a rule that anyone can call an Encumbrance Audit at any time- then, everyone has to stop what they are doing and add up their total Encumbrance...

I don't go quite that far- I just occasionally have my players check the total weight they are carrying during 'down times' between missions.

I'd like a rough translation based on rarity for those campaigns that would require strict survival, like a group of acolytes stranded on a hostile hive world.

I actually really like the Encumbrance Audits idea. That sounds absolutely fun! Would you be able to share the way you pull that off (perhaps in a pm?). I'd like to give that a try.

Munchkin (the AD&D -parody game) has a rule that anyone can call an Encumbrance Audit at any time- then, everyone has to stop what they are doing and add up their total Encumbrance...

I don't go quite that far- I just occasionally have my players check the total weight they are carrying during 'down times' between missions.

Mind you, it also instructs the players to begin the game by " each player rolling a die then arguing about what the results actually mean ."

I tend to have players explain what they're carrying before going 'on-mission' - both weight and where ; this also gives be an idea of which weapons, etc, are in any way concealed - either visually or in extreme cases for being searched.

..or in extreme cases for being searched.

Should we be worried?

Having money adds to the "I need to struggle to come by" feeling

Having just a resource number is more like "I only need to roll a D100 to get a brand new gun"

Thats how me and my players see things and why we do not play RT or anything but DH where you actually can loot things. And no, my players do not loot things in order to sell since they well **** know noone in their right mind simply buy your stuff of the bat. They loot corpses to stay re-freshed on ammo, grenades and other nicknacks. There is nothing that says that just because you have or do not have money the players will automatically loot or not loot fallen enemies.

Money is for us a means of desperation - another game-mechanic if you so want to control and better limit certain equipment then simply roll a dice and get it in the mail the following week.

Aa few example/issues;

The player asks the GM to get hold of a Stub revolver. The GM is rolling the dice and rolls an 95 a fail to get the gun. The player then looks up at the GM and asks:

- Okay, so what the dice tells me is that the same guy I last week got my plasma pistol from cannot this week get me an Stub revolver...

Perfectly valid question and points out a major flaw in the system. It is not realistic that some weapons and the chanse to get them boils down to a single dice-roll.

The second issue - things are lacking in value. "Oh noes, my bolter got dented, I'll just roll the dice and get a spiffy new one, since Bolters are no less rare then what I manage to roll on my dice. And with my boosted Influense I might even wer my umbrella in the Bolter-rain."

Third issue. I want to bribe the guard but seemingly I do not have any cash one. "How about an point of resource mr Guard? Say what, you cannot eat a resource point you say? Well I... DIE!!!"

You'all get the point - no money makes the world just a whole lot more unbelievable.

Players using influence to find rare items takes some common sense on behalf of the GM. I do not allow any powerful weapons to fall into my player's hands until they are deemed worthy of them. And when a weapon says that it's rare, I actually make it RARE in my campaigns. Anything that is rare or very rare is not something that can be simply found at a shop or anywhere else. I see these items as objects that the owners would never part with and at the most they might loan it under very specific conditions and with "insurance".

Also, unless a PC is on a planet that is feudal or lacking in common or uncommon equipment, I usually don't make them role for influence.

- Okay, so what the dice tells me is that the same guy I last week got my plasma pistol from cannot this week get me an Stub revolver...

A local gang war caused a 'run' on cheap firearms- easy peasy.

And using Influence for bribes includes cash- 'Influence' means having whatever the particular situation calls for: credit, coins, ingots, IOUs, etc.

With Influence (and this is where the rulebook lets us down IMO) the GM is supposed to come up with a plausible explanation as to why a particular item or service is unavailable. Ruskendrul, perhaps in your example the GM can say, "It looks like you're a bit short on cash after buying that plasma gun last week." Maybe it doesn't even get to that stage, maybe the GM says that the dealer can't be found because the local law enforcement is cracking down on the illegal gun trade.