I use total item weights or bulk points compared to strength having an effect on speed, movement, dodge, and other activities.

Then there are some other limits based on the size of things and where you carry them. By now that's more GM discretion than rules, but my discretion started based in some nice rules which I still check in with from time to time. TFT's In The Labyrinth has some since sensible encumbrance rules and guidelines that aren't too complex, although the actual weights in TFT are off. GURPS also has rules and guidelines I like, although again the actual listed weights are strictly accurate, but I think it's more important that the weight used be practical for encumbrance purposes rather than what the real-world weight is. But then some things may have very different effects on how hard they are to carry - large and big things can be hard to carry but not actually that heavy. It can depend how things are carried/packed and how skillfully, too. Helium balloons in your backpack do almost nothing, but tied to your wrist they mess you up. Each large thing strapped to your body is generally going to have an effect.

Quote from: CRKrueger;931072Encumbrance is burdensome.

Either you assign weights and volume for everything, which sucks...
Or you can replace them with abstractions like Mahoogans and Zots...then you need to assign Mahoogans and Zots for everything... Not the greatest replacement.

All depends on how detailed versus abstract you get.  There is a large area of middle ground between listing a weight and volume for every thing on a gear list, and not using any tracking at all.

The more you abstract out volume and weight, the easier it is to use.  That is if you put everything into big buckets (Light, Average, Heavy) that is far different than if for each item you ascribe a precise weight, such as in coins, for each and every item.  

For example, lets say a Zot (a measure of volume) holding Light things weighs 1 Mahoogan, full of average things 2 Mahoogans and heavy things 3 Mahoogans.  Your don't need to list the Mahoogans for everything, not at all.  You just say these things fall under Heavy (give a few examples of heavy things), these fall under Light (give a few examples of light things) everything else is Average.   This relies upon some common sense but if you want to be more "detailed" and stop rules arguments, just set density thresholds (will fit in a single sentence) for Light, Average and Heavy and then rely on your phone and the internet in game if you need a density.   You cover everything in literally 2-3 sentences.

What do we gain from ENC rules?

AKA, we can eyeball and handwave away stupidity, but how is actual gameplay at the table improved by ENC rules?

Quote from: Spinachcat;931808What do we gain from ENC rules?

AKA, we can eyeball and handwave away stupidity, but how is actual gameplay at the table improved by ENC rules?

It's used in games where attrition is important, and where you want to set an oppressive tone to make exploration feel more perilous. Like in oldschool D&D.

Quote from: Spinachcat;931808What do we gain from ENC rules?

AKA, we can eyeball and handwave away stupidity, but how is actual gameplay at the table improved by ENC rules?

My encumbrance rules are designed to encourage planning by the players for combat. By limiting your choices during combat (armor, 2 weapons, and a career kit), players need to plan ahead and work together rather than arbitrarily pull stuff out of the (magic) hat (of holding). It's a bit more flexible during non-combat, to avoid extra bookkeeping.)

My rules may also help by limiting tools (2 weapons) during combat, to help alleviate possible analysis-paralysis.

But at the same time, I wanted to limit the paperwork and bookkeeping associated with encumbrance.

In Blades in the Dark you have 3 slots. Light items take 1 slot, while heavy items take 2. When you go on a mission you just mark the items you are carrying (there's a little square besides each item) and that's it.

Quote from: Spinachcat;931808What do we gain from ENC rules?

AKA, we can eyeball and handwave away stupidity, but how is actual gameplay at the table improved by ENC rules?

ENC rules can provide a consistent logical situation to play with. They enable tradeoff decisions between what to do or not do with equipment and loot, with natural consequences of those choices.

Examples:

* With ENC rules, there's a choice between wearing more armor for more protection, or less armor for more speed, agility, less fatigue and more ability to carry other things. Without ENC rules, people with lighter armor are just plain at a disadvantage, dumb, or being forced not to by some artificial (class?) limitation.

* With ENC rules, there are choices about what equipment to carry while traveling, and what equipment to bring into dangerous situations, and what loot (or fallen companions or their gear) out of dangerous situations, with natural trade-off consequences. Without ENC rules, those choices either vanish or become more arbitrary.

* With ENC rules, effects on combat ability are well-defined and can provide balanced choices about what can be carried with what negative effects. Without them, the GM has to negotiate with players when they overload, and/or there may be weird exploits and unfair situations between player approaches, or other rules may break down and be less interesting if there is no good ENC system. (e.g. "Oh my weapons were destroyed? No problem I am carrying five backup sets of weapons, so I draw one of those.")

* With ENC rules, there can be interesting logical choices and consequences of who is carrying what stuff. There are logical reasons based on the characters and the stuff and other factors why one person might be carrying what, and when situations come up that split the party of affect a particular character, that has natural consequences which can be interesting and satisfying/immersive to players who like that sort of play element. Without ENC rules, who is carrying what can be pretty arbitrary and artificial-seeming, and there are no real consequences of different choices.

Yes, the GM can rule on specifics without using printed rules (and the rules I like all say the GM should override the rules with his judgment when appropriate), but even if he/she does that very well, he's just providing rules by discretion, which I'd say is just another type of ENC rules - they're just not written down.