The Crusades; Light Armor. - Page 3

Blood Legend · 10-18-2012, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Get a hunting dog. He can sniff out Saracens in the dark.

Oo! That one is a great idea.

@Fred do we have rules on wearing light colors in heat?

@Star will do, GM probably wont let me take a technique for that. It's just a matter of getting more Observation.

It's currently heading into in real life here, and since the game is "today only hundreds of years ago" in the campaign, I'm probably in some kind of heat wave. It'll get better for me as we play on I guess but thanks for the advice.

DanHoward · 10-18-2012, 02:04 AM

It is a myth that light colours, at least for loose robes, are better in hot climates
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal.../283373a0.html

Conclusion: "We report here that the amount of heat gained by a Bedouin exposed to the hot desert is the same whether he wears a black or a white robe. The additional heat absorbed by the black robe was lost before it reached the skin."

I've also heard that black is better at blocking UV radiation but haven't confirmed this.

Bruno · 10-18-2012, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanHoward

I've also heard that black is better at blocking UV radiation but haven't confirmed this.

Talk to the .AU cancer society. The problem with white clothing is that many white fibers are bleached transparent, rather than coloured white with an opaque pigment. Like white/silver hair, they're not clear because the small fibres scatter light incoherently - but scattered UV on the skin still causes sunburn.

It's natural fibres that tend to be not-properly-opaque - but cotton is such a good material for hot-weather clothing that other types don't have much commercial traction.

White is better than going out without anything covering you from the sun, but given a choice, pick an opaque pigment over a random white garment.

The .AU cancer society does endorse some white garments - it's not impossible to get white that's good for UV blocking. It's just that most white isn't.

Your UV blocking white garments are either specifically treated with a UV-opaque pigment that is transparent to visible light (and therefore not changing the appearance in the visible spectrum) or woven from opaque white fibres, and either way with a dense enough weave that it blocks the light sufficiently.

jason taylor · 10-18-2012, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by combatmedic

I tramped around Iraq (only part of which is desert, but most of which gets really hot in the warm months) in a vehicle with no AC in the front compartment (nothing that worked well, anyway) and on foot. I was wearing full uniform, helmet, and body armor. I carried extra weight-- my aid bag. I was fine, despite being uncomfortable part of the time(it got better, and the heat isn't high all year). You can acclimatize and take precautions to avoid heat injuries.

Drink a lot of water. Don't be a goofball and run around in the hot sun when you don't need to do so. Rest often. Get in the shade when you can.

The insurgents didn’t like to fight in the noontime sun, either. They weren’t that stupid.

Substantial parts of the Holy Land actually have a milder climate than places I campaigned. Look at pictures of Syria and Palestine. There are greenbelts, light woods, high hills, etc. It’s not a vast baking desert.

For the matter of that, any place worth the bother of fighting over has water nearby.

Fred Brackin · 10-18-2012, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blood Legend

My GM isn't unfair, but I've yet to find plate armor.

You should probably stop looking. Historically the mid-1200s are much too early for anything but little drips and draps of plate. No iron/steel breastplates at all

Got a spare CP? Buy a level of Temperature Tolerance and put all of it on the hot end. That's probably what several real life people in this thread did.

.......At least if you assume the temperature rules aren't broken. They might well be.

Bruno · 10-18-2012, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

.......At least if you assume the temperature rules aren't broken. They might well be.

As far as I understand, moving your "comfort zone" around is a 0 point feature. There's no guideline on how far humans can shift theirs around before it's more a "parahuman" species modification, but just in this office I'm at the cooler end (I'm comfortable in a t-shirt with a room temperature of 17-19C) and my co-worker from Bangladesh is at the warmer end (she's not comfortable until it's 25-28C - she wears extra layers at work).

We had someone from Cuba in my program in college and he had to drop out - the cool temperatures in the computer labs were crippling for him; he was sitting in a tuque, scarf, coat, and gloves with the fingertips cut off, and he was still pretty miserable.

~~combatmedic~~ · 10-18-2012, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blood Legend

Oo! That one is a great idea.

@Fred do we have rules on wearing light colors in heat?

@Star will do, GM probably wont let me take a technique for that. It's just a matter of getting more Observation.

It's currently heading into in real life here, and since the game is "today only hundreds of years ago" in the campaign, I'm probably in some kind of heat wave. It'll get better for me as we play on I guess but thanks for the advice.

I'm not sure what 'today only hundreds of years ago means.

I can tell you that 110 is hardly unusual high summer weather not only for good chunks of the Near East but for the SW of the United States.

It sometimes snows or sleets in Damascus.

DanHoward · 10-18-2012, 03:16 PM

If you want realistic rules then get rid of the myth that armour is stifling in hot weather. Replace it with a rule that covers enclosed helmets and decouple it completely from the outside temperature. At the Battle of Towton knights were collapsing from the stifling effects of their helmets even though they were fighting in a snowstorm.

Anders · 10-18-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by combatmedic

I'm not sure what 'today only hundreds of years ago means.

His GM has a calendar with weather for the area marked.

~~combatmedic~~ · 10-18-2012, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

His GM has a calendar with weather for the area marked.

Ah, well then we should simply follow weather reports from the region. Those are easy to access.

Yes, it's going to get cooler.

10-18-2012, 02:04 AM	#22
DanHoward Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia	Re: The Crusades; Light Armor. It is a myth that light colours, at least for loose robes, are better in hot climates http://www.nature.com/nature/journal.../283373a0.html Conclusion: "We report here that the amount of heat gained by a Bedouin exposed to the hot desert is the same whether he wears a black or a white robe. The additional heat absorbed by the black robe was lost before it reached the skin." I've also heard that black is better at blocking UV radiation but haven't confirmed this. __________________ Compact Castles gives the gamer an instant portfolio of genuine, real-world castle floorplans to use in any historical, low-tech, or fantasy game setting. Last edited by DanHoward; 10-18-2012 at 02:14 AM.

10-18-2012, 03:16 PM	#28
DanHoward Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia	Re: The Crusades; Light Armor. If you want realistic rules then get rid of the myth that armour is stifling in hot weather. Replace it with a rule that covers enclosed helmets and decouple it completely from the outside temperature. At the Battle of Towton knights were collapsing from the stifling effects of their helmets even though they were fighting in a snowstorm. __________________ Compact Castles gives the gamer an instant portfolio of genuine, real-world castle floorplans to use in any historical, low-tech, or fantasy game setting.