He's not heavy, he's my sidearm

David Bofinger · 03-22-2023, 10:24 PM

I think it's important to remember what an encumbrance weight is. Yes, it's the weight of the sword. But it's also the weight of anything you're carrying because you're carrying a sword, starting with a scabbard, and also including a vial of oil to stop it rusting, a rag to wipe off excess oil, another one to wipe off the blood, a belt to hang it off (or at least a heavier belt), etc. OK, a lot of that doesn't add up to much, but the scabbard is quite likely significant.

Secondly, we need to apply the halberds and sofa cushions guideline from ITL 67. There's a big difference between carrying a sword in your hand, or dangling down around your legs where is can bump into things, and carrying it strapped onto a backpack. You will never see an olympic athlete running with a sword attached, even in the modern pentathlon. And a two-handed sword or polearm is just a pain to carry, even if it's not that heavy, partly because you've got nowhere to put it.

So I think all your weights should be a good deal larger than you have. Perhaps TFT isn't so far off.

03-22-2023, 10:24 PM	#4
David Bofinger Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sydney, Australia	Re: He's not heavy, he's my sidearm I think it's important to remember what an encumbrance weight is. Yes, it's the weight of the sword. But it's also the weight of anything you're carrying because you're carrying a sword, starting with a scabbard, and also including a vial of oil to stop it rusting, a rag to wipe off excess oil, another one to wipe off the blood, a belt to hang it off (or at least a heavier belt), etc. OK, a lot of that doesn't add up to much, but the scabbard is quite likely significant. Secondly, we need to apply the halberds and sofa cushions guideline from ITL 67. There's a big difference between carrying a sword in your hand, or dangling down around your legs where is can bump into things, and carrying it strapped onto a backpack. You will never see an olympic athlete running with a sword attached, even in the modern pentathlon. And a two-handed sword or polearm is just a pain to carry, even if it's not that heavy, partly because you've got nowhere to put it. So I think all your weights should be a good deal larger than you have. Perhaps TFT isn't so far off.