Quote:
Originally Posted by The Benj
It's about how much the character can actually cope with, thus why I advocate a new levelled Disadvantage, where each level is an encumbrance level. The fact that Pudgy Pete is lugging "20 extra pounds" according to his doctor isn't relevant, only that it means he's always at a minimum of Light Encumbrance. It should scale with his ST, not just be related to his weight.
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I think that's kind of pointless, really. The net effect of "always carries 20 lbs of extra encumbrance (for ST 10)" is that it always lowers Move & Dodge by 1 for always being at Light Enc or worse, it lowers the maximum weight of equipment that can lifted, and it slightly changes when Move/Dodge penalties for carrying equipment come into effect.
You can simulate lowering Move & Dodge simply by lowering Basic Speed. You can lower how much weight you can lift by buying down Lifting ST (or, rather by buying down ST and buying up Striking ST and HP).
So really the only change that is made is when Move & Dodge penalties for carrying equipment comes into effect, and that is a very minor change. Nor is there any evidence that it's a change that garners any more realism. And it certainly doesn't make the game rules any easier - in fact it slightly complicates them. It also removes some flexibility from the system.
What if I want my Fat character to Move more slowly but not to have a lowered Dodge or Lifting ST? That's not possible if all Fat characters are handled by your "Carries Extra Encumbrance" disadvantage, where as it is possible in the current system. That makes it a net loss, IMO.