Encumbrance in Traveller

[atpollard]

I don't generally like Encumbrance rules (too much fussy book keeping for too little game benefit) ... but I want to avoid people carrying around a metric tonne of equipment with no adverse impacts.

The OFFICIAL CLASSIC TRAVELLER RULES are STR in kg for unencumbered or 2xSTR for encumbered.

Checking that against reality ... that places a 7 kg unencumbered/ 14 kg maximum limit on the average person and a 12 kg unencumbered / 24 kg maximum limit on the top 3% of the population. I can carry more than 14 kg in a backpack (maximum encumbrance) and I am an old fart. Soldiers loads are close to 50 kg and recommended Camping backpacks are 20 kg loads (10 kg for a light day hiking pack).

Does anyone have any alternatives that they use to offer?

I was thinking maybe STR + END rather than just STR to place the GAME closer to REALITY ... for Joe Average 777777):

• 14 kg maximum unencumbered
• 28 kg maximum encumbered
• 42 kg maximum military load

[Rex]

I just use the eyeball test. The DM/GM/whatever you want to call them looks over each PCs equipment list and decides if they are encumbered. No recording weights or encumbrance values or anything else. The only thing I assign encumbrance for is armor and large objects that will encumber automatically if someone takes them.