Walkabout Items
There are signature items that recur in the stories where they're found.
Mad Max's Interceptor
Tank Girl's Tank
MacGyver's Pocketknife
Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber
Relationships are a massive part of Australian Indigenous lore (and law), and therefore they need to be a part of Walkabout. Relationships may be between people, they may be between a person and the land they inhabit, or they may be between a person and something they hold dear.
Many items in Walkabout are the remains of the past, fragment of a civilisation that is lost and exist in a world that is no longer able to maintain them, some items are newer constructions, crafted from natural components, or cobbled together from the pieces of the past. They are generally disposable, they don't mean a lot in the scheme of things, unless someone specifically develops a connection to them. If a character chooses to adopt an item with a relationship to it, they often customise it in some way to mark it as their own. This might be as simple as putting their name on it, but might involve carving a shape or symbol onto the item, painting it, wearing it constantly, or regularly talking about it so that others understand the owner's connection to it.
There's something similar to this in the Japanese religion of Shinto, which posits that every item has a spirit within it, and that spirit can be nurtured for good by someone who cares for the item, or it can be tainted by abuse. I've read that the belief is that spirit's awaken within an item at 100 years of age, and any item must be carefully preserved if it has been cared for and survived that long, or it should be disposed of before that point if it hasn't been cared for. This isn't necessarily the same in Australian Indigenous cultures, but they both draw on similar shamanic contexts, and the idea of relationships beyond social connections between humans holds.
I'm going to add a list to each of the cultures that are a part of the setting. This list will be a common assortment of items that the groups tend to possess. Just like ability aspects, a player will be able to choose a bunch of vaguely useful items, and if they can make sense of how one or more of those items is beneficial to their current action, they can gain a bonus die (1 item = d4, 2 items = d6, 3 items = d8, 4 items = d10, 5+ items = d12). There will naturally be some overlap in the items that different groups have access to, and there will be nothing to stop a character from picking up other items as they start playing. I'm aiming for about 10 things that are common to each culture within the setting, where one or two of these will have asterisks (and will be capable of becoming more powerful as characters develop their relationships to the item).
Clean Born: Fancy Clothes, Watch, Sunglasses, Digital Tablet*, Wind-up Radio, Wind-up Torch, First Aid Kit, Identi-card, Batteries, Solar Charger
Rust Scavengers: Multi-tool, Trusty Knife/Machete, Geiger Counter, Sturdy Clothes, Backpack, Lantern, Blanket, Almanac, Shovel, Toolkit, Bag of Scrap Parts*
Darksiders: Scrap, Pouch of Herbs, Bladed Weapon*, Makeshift Shield, Geiger Counter, Chalk, Mask
Dirt Farmers: Horse*, Pistol, Swag, First Aid Kit, Gloves, Almanac, Canned Food, Trade Trinkets, Tractor*
Nomads: Motorcycle*, Map, Backpack, Goggles, Compass, Almanac, Trade Trinkets, Chalk, Notepad & Pen, Utility Belt, Jerry Can
Neo-Tribals: Spear, Trade Trinkets, Sacred Stone, Ochre, Stone Knife, Bone Jewellery, Wooden Shield, Sewing Kit, Fishing Rod, Staff, Basket.
Outlanders: Scrap, Pouch of Herbs, Bladed Weapon*, Makeshift Shield, Sacred Stone
Skyfarers: Multi-tool, Rope, Map, Goggles, Ultralight*, Duct Tape, Water Evaporation Purifier,
Angels of the Waste: Unsure at this time, but since they tend to infiltrate other cultures, they'd be likely to acquire the same types of items as the culture they're with.
Demons of the Waste: Unsure at this time, but it could be the case that they consider themselves so far evolved away from humanity that they don't think they need equipment any more.
Other Items: Old Military Rations, Starter Yeast Culture, Matches, Fatigues, Armoured Vest, Scrap Paper, Toilet Paper, Chess Set, Poison, Anti-venom, Spraypaint, Air Filter, Antiseptic, Flashlight, Lockpicks, Glass Cutter, Canteen. Binoculars, Signal Flares
Other Upgradable Items: (These are the kinds of things that might be picked up over the course of play, and may be necessary to open up specific character options, which then form a feedback loop capable of upgrading the item) Car*, Tank*, Truck*, Armour Suit*, Building*, "Experimental Weapon from the Pre-Cataclysm Age"*, Dog,
(Most of the cultures need a few more items, and I'm still trying to come up with suitable ideas.)
For those items that develop beyond the simple one-off action benefit, I'm thinking of a path of aspects, much like the abilities that have been mentioned in the cultures and careers described so far. There might be selections for melee weapons, ranged weapons, land vehicles, air vehicles, toolkits, information sources, armour, holy/sacred items, and a few others. A player chooses the list most appropriate and starts selecting options from the item type as they become more skilled in using it.
An example might be...
Land Vehicle: Armed, Armoured, Easily Maintained, Fast, Maneuverable, Sturdy, Large/Small (choose one or the other)
When characters have possess certain minimum levels in attributes ability aspects, and meet certain story goals, they have the opportunity to follow new career paths. The same should apply to these upgradeable items... perhaps if a vehicle has the aspects Armed and Armoured, it might be able to follow the upgrade path of "Military Vehicle". Similarly, a land vehicle in the possession of a Nomad might have the option of becoming a "Convoy Runner"...I'm still working my way through this idea. The whole thing is that tinkerers would be able to upgrade items and vehicles along known pathways, or could create alternate upgrades with enough successes on their rolls.
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