10 Overused RPG Mechanics That Must Die Next Generation

Weight limits and encumbrance are potentially the most arguable entry in this list. On the one hand, they’re a pain, stopping the flow of the game to make you hike back to town to store those special potions and sell the nine swords you picked up. On the other hand, they can be a really interesting feature when paired with realism. For example, working very well with the aforementioned survival mechanics of managing hydration, hunger and sleep. If you have to worry about your backpack, it’s not too far of a stretch to be worrying about eating or even warmth.

Where it becomes stupid, though, is when you can carry two missile launchers and a Fat Man, but not a Power Fist along with it. If we take a step back we can appreciate that there’s a weight limit for the sake of game design, so you don’t pick up literally everything you come across. However, if you really think about it, how much of a problem would raising or removing the weight limit, in these situations, affect the game? Plenty of people would play along, holding as organised and neat a backpack as possible. In regard to the hoarders, so what if they can truck their pockets full of flowers and bugs back home to craft a couple hundred potions?