Phoenix r67: Loadout weight showing 'dr'

[KataH]

Using the Phoenix r67 form, in my loadouts listing of some items it shows the weight as 'dr' instead of 'lb' or 'oz'.
What is this 'dr'?
The item is question is a coin. Each weighs .005, I have 5 of them for a weight of .025.
GCA shows the weight correctly in the equipment list but the Phoenix form says the weight is 6.4 dr.

Thanks for any help here.

[sir_pudding]

Drams are abbreviated "dr". 1 avoirdupois dram is 1/256th of a pound. 6.4 drams x 1 lb/256 drams= .025 lbs

[KataH]

Interesting.
But why for that one particular item is it using dr when all other items are using oz and lb?

[tmedwards]

Originally Posted by KataH

Using the Phoenix r67 form, in my loadouts listing of some items it shows the weight as 'dr' instead of 'lb' or 'oz'.
What is this 'dr'?

sir_pudding has the right of it.

Measurement usage within GCA has, traditionally, been fairly poor—often inappropriate and/or inconsistent (e.g. showing a measurement in multiple thousands of feet or multiple thousands/millions of centimeters, etc). The reasons for this vary. Sometimes its as simple as poor choices within either the data files or the GURPS rules. Often it's simply the result of an unfortunate confluence between a base measurement and a modifier of some sort—powers are an especially common source of this particular issue.

To combat this, Phoenix attempts to scale measures to the most appropriate unit. The lower end of its mass/weight measurement scaling chart looks like the following:

  US Customary        SI/Metric
----------------    -----------------
grain    (gr)       gram       (g)
dram     (dr)       decagram   (dag)*
ounce    (oz)       hectogram  (hg)*
pound    (lb)       kilogram   (kg)
      * = slotted, but unused

Note: While the SI decagram and hectogram units have slots within the scaling table, they're not actually used during scaling—reflecting their normal usage, which is virtually nonexistent as far as I am aware.

Phoenix offers some measurement scaling options, under the Measurement Options section—though, if memory serves, they're mostly related to US Customary distance/length measures.

Originally Posted by KataH

Interesting.
But why for that one particular item is it using dr when all other items are using oz and lb?

Phoenix attempts to pick the most appropriate unit, preferring units which result in a measurement value that is ≥1.


EDIT: Some clarification on how units are selected.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by KataH

Interesting.
But why for that one particular item is it using dr when all other items are using oz and lb?

Because historical coins are very small and weights that are smaller than tenths of an ounce are typically given in drams (or even grains).

[Bruno]

My pixie, who had a lot of 1/64th weight gear (or something fiddly like that), had just about everything measured in grains or drams.

I'm metric so it threw me a little, but I always have to look up how many ounces are in a pound and I always ask google, so "convert 6.4 dr to grams" tells me they're something called "drams", and then "convert 6.4 drams to grams" got me the answer in more useful units.

[tmedwards]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I'm metric so it threw me a little, but I always have to look up how many ounces are in a pound and I always ask google, so "convert 6.4 dr to grams" tells me they're something called "drams", and then "convert 6.4 drams to grams" got me the answer in more useful units.

You've made me curious. Why not enable SI units for your character?

Tangentially, I suppose that I could add options which would allow users to specify the minimum scaled unit for the various measurement types—e.g. you could set ounces as the minimum US Customary mass/weight unit. Does that sound like something anyone would want?

[ericbsmith]

Originally Posted by tmedwards

Tangentially, I suppose that I could add options which would allow users to specify the minimum scaled unit for the various measurement types—e.g. you could set ounces as the minimum US Customary mass/weight unit. Does that sound like something anyone would want?

I've never run into (or at least never noticed) the units below ounces. If I had seen the use of drams or grains I'm sure it would have confused me too. I'd rather keep it to ounces, pounds, and tons as those are the three units of weight that are commonly used. So an option would be good, but I'd rather see the default to be to use the more common weight units and the user opting in to use the other units.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by tmedwards

You've made me curious. Why not enable SI units for your character?

The GM and game were on US customary. So US customary it was.

[KataH]

Ok, I can live with it. Just a strange result as I have other items of similar weight yet they show correctly both in GCA and in the Phoenix form.

Thanks again

Still a GREAT form