Why does a skirt weigh as much as a hauberk?

[Bren]

What is the explanation/rationale for why a scale armor skirt (which only covers the abdomen) and a scale armor hauberk (which covers the chest and abdomen) have the exact same encumbrance values? (Light scale = 2 ENC, heavy scale = 3 ENC, see the armor table in RQ: RiG p 214.)

I know this is the same encumbrance as that in RQ2 (and I wondered about it then too, but didn't have a handy source for answers), but it seems odd that halving or doubling the area of protection results in no change at all to the weight/encumbrance. 

[Scorus]

It is encumbrance and not weight. If you look at illustrations, the skirts aren't much shorter than hauberks that folks are wearing since they come down to the upper thighs. That said, you can change it to 1.5 or whatever in your game if you think that more appropriate.

[David Scott]

22 hours ago, Bren said:

but it seems odd that halving or doubling the area of protection results in no change at all to the weight/encumbrance. 

(to echo) Encumbrance is not weight, it's things. There's no change as it's still the same number of things.

Quote

“Things” for ENC

Any item that can be held easily in one hand (a sword, a rock, an axe, a rope, etc.) is treated as a “thing.” Most one-handed items have an ENC of 1 or 2. Even though they may have very different weights, they take up about the same space and are about the same difficulty to handle.

Every item has an ENC, measured more by how many “things” it is equivalent to, rather than by its actual weight.

RQG, page 150

[Bren]

On 7/1/2022 at 2:54 PM, David Scott said:

(to echo) Encumbrance is not weight, it's things. There's no change as it's still the same number of things.

Yes, two things. But the encumbrance for those two things is 6 ENC, i.e. 3 ENC per thing. This is equivalent to saying that a jacket and a pair of pants (2 things) when worn is twice as encumbering as wearing a pair of coveralls (1 thing). That seems off to me. If an armorer attaches the skirt to the breastplate with rivets and straps does that then become one thing and thereby half the weight? 

If all that matters is the number of things than cuirboulli greaves and plate greaves would have the same encumbrance. But they don't.

If the rationale is 1 heavy scale thing is always 3 ENC regardless of size or mass then I understand the rationale, though I disagree with it. Of course I can change the numbers when I'm the GM. But I'm curious if anyone who has experience wearing different types of actual armor can explain why the hauberk (ENC 3) would be half the encumbrance of a properly fitted scale shirt (ENC 3) and skirt (ENC 3).

Edited July 3, 2022 by Bren

[Monty Lovering]

Because the weight of a hauberk is distributed across shoulders and hips (as you’d never wear a hauberk or skirt without a belt of some sort), so although there is more of it it is no more of an impediment than a skirt.