Limits of encumbrance

By Dark Bunny Lord, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

So I've run into a bit of a pickle that the raw doesn't fully cover and that is when is enc to much for a character to carry. Now the rules I've seen just state that once over your enc threshold you suffer setback dice equal to the amount your encumbered and once encumbered by your brawn you loose your free manuever. But that seems to be where the rule ends.

Of course this would make lifting to much make you likely to fail certain checks but where is the limit of "you're just not strong enough to lift that".

The only houserule I can come up with on the spot (assuming I'm not missing something), is that ie once encumbered by x2 your brawn you loose your action (resulting in only allowing the player a manuever if they suffer 2 strain) and once encumbered by x3 or more you simply can no longer take actions or manuevers.

I'm here to see what others think of this and if they have better ideas.

I think it'd deliberatly left to GM's call, because Encumberance isn't just weight, it's also bulk. So once you hit a particular point, "how are you going to lift it?" becomes more of an issue. And, indeed, most lifting limits are going to be hit by bulk than weight. Think of (open) beer bottles or large boxes. The former you run out of hands and fingers before weight, the second you can't move well (if at all) because you can't center the weight under you. Meanwhile, a strong character might be able to lift a 200lb lifting bar and walk around with it on his shoulders with only a minimal loss of movement.

I think past week's Mythbusters covered this in their "Doom" test. They showed the limits of weight and bulk on low Brawn characters and high Brawn characters. Check it out if you haven't watched. They called it their "Video Game Special" it was fun.

I think it'd deliberatly left to GM's call, because Encumberance isn't just weight, it's also bulk. So once you hit a particular point, "how are you going to lift it?" becomes more of an issue. And, indeed, most lifting limits are going to be hit by bulk than weight. Think of (open) beer bottles or large boxes. The former you run out of hands and fingers before weight, the second you can't move well (if at all) because you can't center the weight under you. Meanwhile, a strong character might be able to lift a 200lb lifting bar and walk around with it on his shoulders with only a minimal loss of movement.

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

I think past week's Mythbusters covered this in their "Doom" test. They showed the limits of weight and bulk on low Brawn characters and high Brawn characters. Check it out if you haven't watched. They called it their "Video Game Special" it was fun.

So I've run into a bit of a pickle that the raw doesn't fully cover and that is when is enc to much for a character to carry. Now the rules I've seen just state that once over your enc threshold you suffer setback dice equal to the amount your encumbered and once encumbered by your brawn you loose your free manuever. But that seems to be where the rule ends.

Of course this would make lifting to much make you likely to fail certain checks but where is the limit of "you're just not strong enough to lift that".

The only houserule I can come up with on the spot (assuming I'm not missing something), is that ie once encumbered by x2 your brawn you loose your action (resulting in only allowing the player a manuever if they suffer 2 strain) and once encumbered by x3 or more you simply can no longer take actions or manuevers.

I'm here to see what others think of this and if they have better ideas.

I don't think there can be a hard/fast rule for this as Encumbrance isn't the same as weight. Think about something like a sleeping bag. 1 isn't all that heavy or awkward, but what happens when you're trying to carry 6? That's what Encumbrance is modelling. So, since the setback just keep stacking up, they'll get slower and suffer more strain just from the rolled Threat over time. That seems to be more than enough to deal with the situation... heheh.

I think past week's Mythbusters covered this in their "Doom" test. They showed the limits of weight and bulk on low Brawn characters and high Brawn characters. Check it out if you haven't watched. They called it their "Video Game Special" it was fun.

interesting, I'll check it out

Basically they tested "can you actually hold all the gear characters in Doom carry and still be effective".

Their method;

  • Setup (in an abandoned cool looking building) a Doom type level.
  • Have weapons modified to shoot nerf darts and yet have accurate weight/bulk for the real item.
  • Have people dress up and pretend to attack them and hide/etc. The sounds were fun.
  • Go through one time each (one for Adam, one for Jamie) where when they encounter a new weapon, they put down the old one. They called this their Baseline.
  • Go through the level another time where they had to carry all their items, including med kits and ammo cases.
  • Finally they used a UFC fighter to replicate the "Marine" in Doom. That UFC fighter did the same baseline and all weapons runs.

It was neat to see how they adapted a video game to real life and how it is totally applicable to this thread.

Edited by fatedtodie

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?


Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

So I've run into a bit of a pickle that the raw doesn't fully cover and that is when is enc to much for a character to carry. Now the rules I've seen just state that once over your enc threshold you suffer setback dice equal to the amount your encumbered and once encumbered by your brawn you loose your free manuever. But that seems to be where the rule ends.

Of course this would make lifting to much make you likely to fail certain checks but where is the limit of "you're just not strong enough to lift that".

The only houserule I can come up with on the spot (assuming I'm not missing something), is that ie once encumbered by x2 your brawn you loose your action (resulting in only allowing the player a manuever if they suffer 2 strain) and once encumbered by x3 or more you simply can no longer take actions or manuevers.

I'm here to see what others think of this and if they have better ideas.

I don't think there can be a hard/fast rule for this as Encumbrance isn't the same as weight. Think about something like a sleeping bag. 1 isn't all that heavy or awkward, but what happens when you're trying to carry 6? That's what Encumbrance is modelling. So, since the setback just keep stacking up, they'll get slower and suffer more strain just from the rolled Threat over time. That seems to be more than enough to deal with the situation... heheh.

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

Edited by Dark Bunny Lord

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

except they don't have to spend to strain to move if they convert their action to a manuever, at which point you have a player capable of dragging a mountain around

Yes he does. When you convert your action to a maneuver you still have to follow all rules and limits of a maneuver. Since you must spend strain when overloaded to execute a maneuver...

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

except they don't have to spend to strain to move if they convert their action to a manuever, at which point you have a player capable of dragging a mountain around

Yes and no... Walking through a crowd... ooohhh... roll that coordination to see if you keep it all balanced... can you get all that through the door? hmm... roll and find out...

Compare the Olympic weight lifting records for different techniques, as well as the different competitions in the “World’s Strongest Man” competitions.

Then look in the Guinness Book of World Records and compare/contrast.

Last I checked, the heaviest weight ever lifted by a human being was over 6000 pounds, but that was done by getting underneath the object and lifting it with the back and leg muscles. That’s way, way more weight than the highest “clean and jerk”.

So, technique matters. And some techniques are going to be more (or less) appropriate than others, in a given situation.

Does the PC have a special container or harness to allow them to pick up the really super heavy/bulk object? Or are they just trying to lift an AT-AT walker with their bare hands?

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

except they don't have to spend to strain to move if they convert their action to a manuever, at which point you have a player capable of dragging a mountain around

Yes and no... Walking through a crowd... ooohhh... roll that coordination to see if you keep it all balanced... can you get all that through the door? hmm... roll and find out...

careful. we're getting into rolemaster territory now. I played it once. you wake up. you try tosit up, roll. you try to put your feet on the floor. roll. you try to stand. two checks (pushing off the bed and balance) you even roll to use the bathroom. every step you take, every button on your blouse. can we not go there in star wars. id rather have fun

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

except they don't have to spend to strain to move if they convert their action to a manuever, at which point you have a player capable of dragging a mountain around
Yes and no... Walking through a crowd... ooohhh... roll that coordination to see if you keep it all balanced... can you get all that through the door? hmm... roll and find out...

careful. we're getting into rolemaster territory now. I played it once. you wake up. you try tosit up, roll. you try to put your feet on the floor. roll. you try to stand. two checks (pushing off the bed and balance) you even roll to use the bathroom. every step you take, every button on your blouse. can we not go there in star wars. id rather have fun

On the other side of it, what is the GM doing to the group that one Player thinks they need to carry the contents of a Gun Range with him wherever he goes? Maybe tone down the combat and have some "think-y" type issues for the Players to deal with?

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

except they don't have to spend to strain to move if they convert their action to a manuever, at which point you have a player capable of dragging a mountain around
Yes and no... Walking through a crowd... ooohhh... roll that coordination to see if you keep it all balanced... can you get all that through the door? hmm... roll and find out...

careful. we're getting into rolemaster territory now. I played it once. you wake up. you try tosit up, roll. you try to put your feet on the floor. roll. you try to stand. two checks (pushing off the bed and balance) you even roll to use the bathroom. every step you take, every button on your blouse. can we not go there in star wars. id rather have fun

Well as long as it's a roll everyone must make I see no problem. I mean something as simple a difficult terrain can do it. So.. person is Sil1:Speed1, so base roll will be... 1 Red. Add those 8 black from the enc issue....

And isn't Threat able to be expended to hit strain...

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

except they don't have to spend to strain to move if they convert their action to a manuever, at which point you have a player capable of dragging a mountain around

Yes he does. When you convert your action to a maneuver you still have to follow all rules and limits of a maneuver. Since you must spend strain when overloaded to execute a maneuver...

1. Spending advantage

2. Converting an action

Or 3. Suffering 2 strain

Going to pull out my book a check that

Ok yeah I'm right on that. Page 200 of the core says:

"A character may perform one free manuever on his turn. He may also perform a second manuever by voluntarily suffering two points of strain."

Now if you stop reading there you'd be right but it goes on to say:

"(Characters may also perform a second manuever through a particularly successful skill check, or by other means listed elsewhere.)"

The important word there is "also" showing an alternative to suffering 2 strain. One of those alternatives is converting an action as shown on page 203 under "exchange an action for a manuever".

I don't really see why this needs to be addressed any more then it already is.

I mean everything stacks. So a seriously over encumbered character is getting a pile o black on pretty much any check relevant to much of anything (all attacks, coordination, piloting, stealth, resilience, and so on) and that stacks with any black they are already getting from environmental or roll effects.

Then, they also have to spend 2 strain just to move, limiting their function to around what? 6 Maneuvers before they fall over?

Currently our heavy is loaded down with weapons and trying to toss someone over his shoulder, he can hold 15enc but is carrying 23 with her and only has 3 brawn (5+3+6modular backpack+1 utility belt) which puts him fairly highly encumbered

Ok so... 23-15=8

So he's getting 8 setback on all Brawn and Agility checks and he's gotta suffer 2 strain to do so much as pull a stick of gum out of his pocket...

But if he's got to haul another players rear outta the line of fire, it's doable...

How is this a problem?

except they don't have to spend to strain to move if they convert their action to a manuever, at which point you have a player capable of dragging a mountain around
Yes and no... Walking through a crowd... ooohhh... roll that coordination to see if you keep it all balanced... can you get all that through the door? hmm... roll and find out...

careful. we're getting into rolemaster territory now. I played it once. you wake up. you try tosit up, roll. you try to put your feet on the floor. roll. you try to stand. two checks (pushing off the bed and balance) you even roll to use the bathroom. every step you take, every button on your blouse. can we not go there in star wars. id rather have fun

On the other side of it, what is the GM doing to the group that one Player thinks they need to carry the contents of a Gun Range with him wherever he goes? Maybe tone down the combat and have some "think-y" type issues for the Players to deal with?

Compare the Olympic weight lifting records for different techniques, as well as the different competitions in the “World’s Strongest Man” competitions.Then look in the Guinness Book of World Records and compare/contrast.Last I checked, the heaviest weight ever lifted by a human being was over 6000 pounds, but that was done by getting underneath the object and lifting it with the back and leg muscles. That’s way, way more weight than the highest “clean and jerk”.So, technique matters. And some techniques are going to be more (or less) appropriate than others, in a given situation.Does the PC have a special container or harness to allow them to pick up the really super heavy/bulk object? Or are they just trying to lift an AT-AT walker with their bare hands?

When carrying someone, remember that any gear on them adds to the Enc of the guy/gal you're lifting.

Also, don't carry, drag them of you must.

Also, don't carry, drag them of you must.

Drag ‘em by one leg. Don’t be too careful when going up or down stairs, or around corners. Feel free to casually toss them onto the speeder truck, or whatever.

If you’ve got to carry ‘em out, then they deserve whatever dents and dings that they get in the process.

;)

When carrying someone, remember that any gear on them adds to the Enc of the guy/gal you're lifting.

Also, don't carry, drag them of you must.

See what actually happens is that, when a character is over-encumbered by 10 points, they are immobilized and the GM must pass them a note that says "You are too over-encumbered to move." Then they have to drop all those rat meats and watermelons that they picked up.

When carrying someone, remember that any gear on them adds to the Enc of the guy/gal you're lifting.

Also, don't carry, drag them of you must.

oh yeah of course, the person though is just a small women who was taken by slavers and sold to a hutt casino on Nar shadaa. She was non-compliment and so was being chemically "re-educated". They've broken into the facility (something that's bound to cause trouble down the line) found her and engaged in a firefight with the guards. So she's only 6 enc (5+1brawn). He just insisted on taking several weapons with him (don't ask me why this player just wants to play Rambo).

But Rambo didn't run around with tons of weapons on him...