(Ignoring) Encumbrance

Story Arc has no encumbrance system. This is a roleplaying game, so it's only natural that players will want to be able to lug a lot of junk around for when they inevitably get into a fix. Why deny them the fun of trying to come up with creative solutions to problems using bizarre combinations of ordinary objects? Why not let their characters tote backpacks overflowing with oil flasks, coil 50' of rope around their shoulders, lug sacks of treasure in their left hands, wield a few staves of fireball in their right hands, and wear single weapon belts containing four swords, a mace, three full quivers and a longbow? It doesn't upset game balance, it's just silly enough to be fun, and it's easier.

If you aren't entirely comfortable with this idea, or if you think your players are the sort who will take advantage of this to carry rhinoceroses and big screen televisions everywhere, have them note the area in which they're storing each of their items on the "Location" blanks on the back of their character sheets. Once a substantial load builds up, any remotely reasonable player will start having trouble finding places to put things, and the Cobbler can glance at the backs of character sheets every once in a while to make sure that players are not pushing the envelope. If they are, the Cobbler can find ways to mess with them, by telling them they accidentally drop an important piece of equipment at a crucial moment, for example, or by having them encounter NPCs who ridicule them for their bizarre tendency to cart junk around everywhere. Alternatively, the Cobbler can just tell them they can't carry that much, or assign them appropriate penalties as long as they continue to do so. This should be enough to prevent players from stocking up on exorbitant quantities of equipment without boring everyone half to death with weight ratios. This system also encourages players to think about what their characters are wearing and what storage devices (backpacks, gunny sacks, or whatever) they're carrying. Also, it’s often nice to know where your items are kept. If, for instance, someone tries to pickpocket you, you'll have some idea of how accessible your valuables are. Or if you accidentally teleport yourself into a wolf, you’ll have some clue which items merge with wolf flesh, and which items can be salvaged from your corpse. The latter traumatic experience never happened to the author of this text, however. No way.

The following chart succinctly explains the Story Arc encumbrance system:

Encumbrance Reference Chart

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