01-02-2017, 01:50 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2016
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Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
So, I've been working on a high/dark fantasy, TL3 world for some time now. I'm grappling with a decision regarding armor style and would like some advice.
My game uses the Low-Tech armor rules. I really like the look of plate armor and brigandine, which are both TL4. I can easily work these into the game by saying that the region has TL4 armor. However, I also really like transitional armor, which is also more TL3, and I'd like both styles of armor to exist in the world, in the same region, in a way that makes sense. My first thought was to say that only a few armorers in the region have the skills to create TL4 armor, so it would need to be created by one of them, or imported from a TL4 area. But, my issue with this is the question of "why hasn't that knowledge spread to the rest of the area's armorers?" It would be easy enough to say that TL4 armors are still really new, but that wouldn't explain why old ruins have magically animated suits of armor guarding them. The other idea is that, because the story is based around civilization recovering from a great interplaner war, perhaps these armors are simply revivals of old armoring techniques, from a once-TL4 world gone back to TL3. What are the thoughts of the wise forums? |
01-02-2017, 01:57 PM | #2 |
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ellicott City, MD
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
You can go with the rules in Basic Set for higher TL equipment: +1 TL is double cost. So, only the wealthy types have the TL4 armor.
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01-02-2017, 02:02 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: Oct 2016
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
Quote:
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01-02-2017, 02:14 PM | #4 |
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ellicott City, MD
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
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01-02-2017, 02:14 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
Trade secret.
Only some armorers know how to make the TL 4 armor and they jeoulsly gaurd that knowledge so they can keep the price up and be in the minority people have to go to if they want that armor made.
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01-02-2017, 02:32 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
Two other solutions:
1) Historically older styles of armor like mail continued to be used alongside plate by less wealthy soldiers. Also, textile armors never went out of use during the age of plate because of its usefulness and much lower cost. 2) It is perfectly reasonable in the period to have the best armors made in only a few places. Historically northern Italy and southern Germany were known for producing the best armors. You could simply stretch this a bit to saying that your plate armor producing regions are even further ahead in metallurgy relative to other places in your world. |
01-02-2017, 02:34 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Austin Texas
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
The techniques are state secrets. I'm reminded of the optics among the (forgive me I think it was the dutch but I can't remember for sure). The techniques to purify glass to make clear lenses were impossible to develop for a while in surrounding countries.
Just make the purifying process or the ability to smelt at that heat a state secret. It wouldn't hold forever but it would get you through several generations of experimentation and it would mean in a multi-generational game world it might matter but wouldn't until then.
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01-02-2017, 02:49 PM | #8 |
Join Date: May 2015
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
You said it's a fantasy world, so perhaps the tech level is 3, except that some people have access to some magic that results in the better armors, one way or another. e.g. higher forge temperatures, metallurgical advantages, spells or spirits that accomplish things smiths haven't figured out how to do, enchanted tools, ability to shape metal with magic, TL4 armor being bought from faerie smiths...
As has been said, there is historical precedent for different places having different skills and styles of armor. With not so much literacy nor communication technology, and reasons not to share, I can see some places keeping ahead of others, at least for a while. Though the ancient armors is another matter, but yes you could have had some technological decline. |
01-02-2017, 02:58 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
TL4 armour is a trade secret or one particular culture (such as Dwarves) are advanced in armour making and so have TL4 for that technology. Double the cost as it says in Basic Set.
Just because a particular culture is classed as TL3 doesn't mean that every technology is the same Tech Level. The Romans are classed as TL2 but they were advanced in some technologies such as engineering (TL5), architecture (TL4), medicine (TL3), and so on.
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01-02-2017, 03:13 PM | #10 | |
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sumter, SC
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Re: Trouble with Armor and Worldbuilding
Quote:
One matter you have to determine is how common is magic and what magic is available as this will form the framework regarding TL4 armor. One way to keep TL4 rare is that it is really TL(3+1) armor which uses Shape Metal. Shape Metal is a Tech spell meaning it is at -5 for a TL3 person to make TL(3+1) armor and requires Magery 1 to even learn. Last edited by maximara; 01-02-2017 at 04:20 PM. |
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Tags |
armor, fantasy, low-tech, opinions, worldbuilding |
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