03-15-2017, 09:14 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Mar 2017
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Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
I'm fairly new at GURPS so I'm probably quite late to the Party with this question. Still, this is bothering me.
When I compare the Prices for TL 0 - 3 armor from the Basic Set to one listed in LowTech Instant armor I see quite a difference. Of Course the question is: what Prices are the "correct" ones? I only own Instant Armor, not the actual LowTech. Just for the case this is adresssed there... |
03-15-2017, 09:18 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
While the official word tries to soft-pedal it, Basic Set low-tech armor is essentially nonsense. If you want it at all real, use Low Tech. Regardless of what you use, don't try to use Basic and Low Tech armor together, they're incompatible.
That said, low-tech armor costs are probably not especially correct either, from a perspective of history or economic realism. From discussions, the author seems to have used game balance as a factor in pricing. At least the weight and DR values probably make sense, though.
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03-15-2017, 09:39 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Medford, MA
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
You can use either one. Both are correct for different uses. The Dungeon Fantasy line, if I recall correctly, uses the Basic Set armor system. But Low Tech goes for a different vibe than Dungeon Fantasy. So it is your choice.
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03-15-2017, 11:05 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Central Europe
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
Generally, if you want realistic detail about preindustrial techology, use Low Tech. If you want realistic prices, look them up in your local library. Its impossible to give one set of prices which is correct everywhere in the world for several thousand years.
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"It is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." H. Beam Piper This forum got less aggravating when I started using the ignore feature |
03-15-2017, 11:09 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
...Good luck with looking up the prices of historical armor in your local library...
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I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident. |
03-15-2017, 11:11 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Central Europe
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
I did it in my undergrad days ... and today there are all kinds of things online which your reference librarian can help you find.
One place to start is Thorkild Rogers' History of Agriculture and Prices in England. That was very widely printed about a hundred years ago, so copies are available all over.
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"It is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." H. Beam Piper This forum got less aggravating when I started using the ignore feature |
03-16-2017, 01:54 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Mar 2017
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
Ok, I will use LowTech prices then.
Quote:
Also, figuring out historical prices for gear is not a simple matter of finding a historical source with some numbers, especially of those numbers are given in form of currency. Medieval currency didn't have a set value over time. Numers given in cows (or something) would be more useful, as the relative value of a cow would presumbly not change much over the course of the centuries. |
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03-16-2017, 03:26 AM | #8 | ||
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
Quote:
Quote:
(And, of course, realistically such prices could vary a great deal.)
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03-16-2017, 07:00 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
Also, I recall one of the Low Tech team saying something along the lines that even in Low Tech the armour prices are based on relative effectiveness rather than any estimate of production costs ... again, probably due to the problems of estimating production costs.
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03-16-2017, 07:12 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
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Re: Armor Prices: Basic vs. Low Tech
Quote:
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