I’m planning to run my first session soon and between reading posts on here and watching a few Actual Plays, I think I have a pretty good handle on the rules. One question I do have is how do you handle looting monsters? The rules say to let obvious loot be collected but to call for a test for anything that’s hidden. Let’s say the party kills a few kobolds. What loot is obvious, their weapons? What if one has a ruby tucked into his tattered clothes? Do you call for a Scout test or just assume the players will automatically find something unless there was an intent to hide it?
Technically, that loot has already cost a turn in the conflict. For it to cost another turn just to find the loot, it should be particularly well-hidden. A gem just tucked into the kobold’s clothes would be found pretty easy, assuming the players actually say the characters are looting the body. Now, if said gem was buried for safe keeping, I might call for a check to find it. But then, since they’re spending another check, I might make it two gems or a gem and a bag of silver or something. But, as we play it, looting doesn’t take another turn.