Currently reading the rules on Emcumbrance and i need a quick fix:

When you lift something that gets you above your maximum Encumbrance (and give you black dices to all Agi or Brawn tests), do you add these penalties to the Athletic test required to lift the very object that gives you a penalty?

The example provided says that the Woolie has to make a 3-dice difficulty athletic check to lift the Rodian. And will suffer 3 dice of penalty to all check. To the penalty impact the Athletic required to lift?

Basically, you should always keep your gear under your encumbrance threshold. If you go over, you suffer the penalties. When you pick up an item that makes you go over your threshold, you need to make an Athletics check, with the difficulty being the number of encumbrance points over your threshold (maximum of 4). Since Athletics is Brawn based, you'd also take the setback modifiers.

One thing that none of the three books actually mentions, however, is what the Athletics check is actually for, and what happens if you fail it It's implied that you need to make the Athletics check just to be able to pick up the item that makes you go over your threshold. Once you have it, you can continue carrying it for a "short time" (whatever that means) before... well, I guess before you need to make another Athletics check, or just drop it.

The main thing I'm getting out of the CRBs is that it's a big no-no to carry too much stuff, but as long as you're being reasonable (that is, carrying under your threshold), it has no effect on the game. Once you pick up that final blaster, datapad, or unconscious wookiee that tips you over the top, that's when it becomes something you have to worry about.