I've been thinking about encumbrance recently and the best way to handle it at the table. Like all things D&D related, some amount of abstraction is used as to not have to provide a perfect representation of the world. Lets take a look at a few historical weapons from around the end of the 15th century and how they pair up to the rules provided in B/X.
In the games I run, all magic items offer some form of activated magical ability as well as passive bonuses, typically in the form of a number of gemstones set into the handle of a weapon or the face of a shield. When used the gemstones cloud and will need to spend a day under sunlight to recharge. Here are a few magic items laying in my mega dungeon just waiting for someone to find them.
