My Take on Masterwork Weapons

Recently, a player asked if there's a way to "upgrade" their equipment or buy better weapons. My eyes went black. "Upgrade?" I shouted. "Better equipment?" I jumped from my seat and knocked over a bowl of chips. The group went quiet. I pointed my finger in the players face and then slammed it on the table, where a copy of Moldvay Basic happens to be open to page B27. "You see where it says 'sword?'" He nodded. "That's every sword. This isn't some video game where you ditch your iron weapon once you find a steal one. The 'sword' on the equipment list is every sword. Every quality. Every make." I leaned in so close my breath fogged his eyes. "And that's is the only one you get." The player started to sob. I cleared my throat and addressed the table. "If you want a better weapon, find a magic one." ---But something in me recognizes this is an unsatisfactory answer. It wasn't the first time someone raised the question in one of my campaigns. Some part of me suffers from the same addled…