Askold
Topic Author
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed 23 Dec 2015, 12:57

Item weight.

Fri 26 Feb 2016, 11:08

Ok, so the rulebook explains four different weight categories: Heavy, normal, light and tiny. ...And then it mentions that alcohol works with a different weight system as you can have up to ten doses in a bottle that is a normal item AND then you also have grub and water which don't fit any of the former categories and instead they are 1/4 normal item...

...And when you get to the end of the book and look at item stats there is a thing called "weight" and rather than using any of the former names it simply gives each item weight a number. ...Which is simple enough, something that has been previously mentioned as a heavy item has "2" and normal items have "1" and so on.

EXCEPT that you also get items like arrows that have the weight of "1/4." I assume that they use the same system as grub and water, is this correct? Why couldn't you stick to just one method of naming item weights? You could have just used the numbers from the start as it seems simple enough but instead there are four different named weight/encumbrance levels for items and apparently five different encumbrance levels in total.
 
User avatar
SCalvin
Posts: 189
Joined: Tue 03 Feb 2015, 19:06

Re: Item weight.

Sat 12 Mar 2016, 15:22

It's a combination of bulk, shape and weight. This is you holding a bundle of arrows in your hand or stuck down your belt or a pocket. It's easier to understand in Swedish, I think in "weight 1" or "weight 2" myself. Most stuff you will grab is just weight 1. You can carry things up to your strength, so your average Strength 3 mutant could have a gun, food/water for two days and a machete together with some weight 0 items like a fancy hat or goggles. It puts a big limit on how far you can explore without a cart, beasts of burden, the Boss commanding some gangers as carriers or a pre-Cataclysm car vehicle.

For arrows, we have made up the Ark-produced item quiver. Weight one (including content), costs 1-2 bullets, holds maybe 10 arrows. There has been discussions on the Swedish forum for items giving a bonus to carry capacity, like Ark-made and Artefact backpacks.
 
Askold
Topic Author
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed 23 Dec 2015, 12:57

Re: Item weight.

Sat 12 Mar 2016, 20:43

I made a similar rule for quivers but that is not the point.

There are two separate and inconsistent ways of naming item weight. The first system with light, normal, heavy etc. items is explained in one part of the book, the other system is explained when it comes to water and grub BUT that system is also used for other items, like arrows, in the item section of the book but it is never explained. This is sloppy writing.

Besides, even if carrying arrows in your hand is quite easy it does take up your hand (which you may need for other things) and sticking them in a bag is harder due to their lenght and the sharp tip and other encumbering facts. So without a proper quiver arrows and similar items are definitely not easy to carry.
 
User avatar
Tomas
Site Admin
Posts: 4896
Joined: Fri 08 Apr 2011, 11:31

Re: Item weight.

Mon 14 Mar 2016, 01:17

@Askold: We agree, it could have been explained in a clearer fashion! Sorry about that.

Is there something in regards to this that is still unclear to you? We'd be happy to explain it. :)
Fria Ligan
 
Jizmack
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri 12 Feb 2016, 23:48

Re: Item weight.

Mon 14 Mar 2016, 23:17

Exactly what ‘SCalvin’ said…
None of the discrepancies contradict anything. The number system for measuring weight/bulk corresponds to the naming system (heavy = 2, normal = 1, 4 x grub = 1 = “normal”, etc.). In fact, I find it to be a very straightforward system that doesn’t require adding up actual weights and calculating sizes.
Carrying 4 arrows without a quiver is just as encumbering as carrying up to 10 arrows with a quiver. This seems clear, consistent, and sensible to me.
 
Askold
Topic Author
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed 23 Dec 2015, 12:57

Re: Item weight.

Wed 16 Mar 2016, 14:49

It's not that the system is too difficult, it's just that it has been explained and referenced to in an inconsistent way in the rulebook.

Also, is there a reason why "Free enterprise" project cannot be combined with "Slave market" or "Autocracy?" Because USA, for example, certainly had slavery legal even though it was already a democracy at the time and had free market.

And combining Autocracy with Free Enterprise simply gives you a Libertarian* Ark.



*Think Rapture in Bioshock. ...Which does remind me that the ruleset for Mutant: Y0 would be pretty good for playing a Bioshock campaign. Just rename the mutations as splicer powers and slightly change the way you get the powers.
 
User avatar
SCalvin
Posts: 189
Joined: Tue 03 Feb 2015, 19:06

Re: Item weight.

Fri 25 Mar 2016, 01:17

I think the ideology projects have also suffered from translation confusion... In Swedish it's very clear they are opposite ideologies. An Ark with centralised control, one with functional anarcho-socialism, one with extreme laizze-fair capitalism...

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest