Encumbrance makes a lot of sense in the context of old D&D, progression was tied to how much treasure you could get out of a dungeon. It also works well in survival-type games where resource management is a key mechanic. But like many facets of old D&D it is applied widely with no consideration.
I also think that like a lot of old d&d, it just wasn’t very good.
Having an encumbrance system isn’t necessarily bad - there are plenty of design goals it can support, as you point out. But counting out every pound and ounce has always been more work than most players want to do.
Encumbrance makes a lot of sense in the context of old D&D, progression was tied to how much treasure you could get out of a dungeon. It also works well in survival-type games where resource management is a key mechanic. But like many facets of old D&D it is applied widely with no consideration.
I also think that like a lot of old d&d, it just wasn’t very good.
Having an encumbrance system isn’t necessarily bad - there are plenty of design goals it can support, as you point out. But counting out every pound and ounce has always been more work than most players want to do.
so many dm’s would give bags of holding and such early on so that it became just keep track of what you get and sell what you don’t.