Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl
Bronze scales are easier to replace if there is a mistake and easier to work because of the flexible nature of the armor. Fitting the bronze plate to an individual requires enormous effort, probably hundreds of hours of skilled labor, as adjusting it is quite difficult.
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Yes, this is a big part of why plate costs more than scale. What of this is different from making iron armor? Perhaps fitting an already-made piece of bronze is more difficult than fitting an already-made piece of iron, as the former cannot be worked hot. However, you likely don't have to work the bronze into shape as much as you do the iron - you can create a mold based on the person you're fitting the armor to, and cast the bronze into that (and then making needed adjustments), rather than having to start with a sheet of metal and work it into shape. Which method requires more labor, or do they require roughly the same amount of labor? It seems like bronze would require a bit less labor, but I may be underestimating the labor involved in making the mold, casting, and cold-working it into final shape as opposed to making iron plates*, cutting them to size, and hot-working it all the way into shape.
*As mentioned in LTC3, you typically don't have the same people making the plates and making the armor. However, as we're just looking at materials and labor, it doesn't matter that the platers and the armourers aren't the same people, their labor counts the same.