"Medieval" fantasy with tech 2?

[Flyndaran]

Very basic plate, but not anything at all like full suits. Breastplates and back plates rather than even a full cuirass like I tend to imagine chest plate.

[weby]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

So if you don't mind not having knights in shining armour - which might even reduce the combat advantage for very rich characters (or to put it another way, save dedicated fighters from having to drop a lot of points in wealth).

Or the opposite, as bronze armor is even more expensive than iron armor requiring even higher wealth.

[Varyon]

First and foremost - what we typically think of plate is not TL 3. Bronze plate is TL 1, while iron/steel plate is TL 2 for vambraces, greaves, a pot helms, TL 3 for most limb armor and other helms, and TL 4 for torso and full suits (which is what most people are going to picture when you say plate armor). See Low Tech and Low Tech: Instant Armor. Typical knight armor in the medieval period would be mail, which is TL 2. This functionally costs more in a TL 2 setting, as characters have lower starting cash, so expect a bit less armor (or more points spent on Wealth) if you do your campaign at TL 2.

As far as weapons are concerned, you lose a lot of what I tend to think of when picturing medieval combat if you do things at TL 2. For swords, you're pretty much stuck with broadswords and smaller - no bastard/longswords, no greatswords. Morningstars - the flail version, which may or may not have actually been used - are also an iconic medieval weapon that's going to be missing. The warhammer - which is basically a big two-handed pick - is similarly MIA (and note the one-handed version is as well). Probably one of the biggest ones is this - no halberds. In fact, when it comes to polearms, you're either using a glaive (full-sized) or importing a naginata. On a larger scale, you've got no castles, and no trebuchets - war is going to look more like classical/Roman than medieval.

That said, if you're just looking for Dungeon Fantasy style action, TL 2 should work nearly as well as TL 3.

[Flyndaran]

Gurps puts TL4 at 1450, but some iron plate items were certainly around in the 1300s.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Gurps puts TL4 at 1450, but some iron plate items were certainly around in the 1300s.

GURPS puts LASER weapons at TL 9, but we've got some functional ones around today. Early full suits of plate will also be lacking the sliding rivets of proper TL 4 plate armor, and additionally when we get to the late 1300's (when LT indicates full plate harnesses started to show up) we are really nipping at the heels of TL 4 (around the last 10% of TL 3). I don't really think it's appropriate to consider full plate harnesses as a medieval thing.

[Flyndaran]

I'm sorry. Which army is outfitted with man portable weapon lasers?

I don't count a full century before a TL change as ignorable.
Sliding rivets aren't the end all be all of plate. But the tech improves over time like any other.
Iron plate is just a late TL 3 invention. Trying to manhandle it into fitting with Gurps broad stroke TL system isn't what I'd prefer with a semi-realistic setting.

[(E)]

Higher frequency of spear users (depending on culture) including a few more higher status users too.

[JoelSammallahti]

TL 2 is just fine for mostly-familiar fantasy. I don't think there's anything in The Lord of the Rings or the Conan stories that's exclusively TL 3+? (Except brandy or something like it in the Shire, I think. Hobbits are technologically advanced in beverages.)

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by JoelSammallahti

TL 2 is just fine for mostly-familiar fantasy. I don't think there's anything in The Lord of the Rings or the Conan stories that's exclusively TL 3+? (Except brandy or something like it in the Shire, I think. Hobbits are technologically advanced in beverages.)

Conan, not that I can recall, although there may have been an advanced kingdom or two he passed through. LoTR has a ton of TL 3-4 stuff, though, starting with the brass doorknob at Bag End

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by JoelSammallahti

TL 2 is just fine for mostly-familiar fantasy. I don't think there's anything in The Lord of the Rings or the Conan stories that's exclusively TL 3+? (Except brandy or something like it in the Shire, I think. Hobbits are technologically advanced in beverages.)

Some Architecture, with Flying Buttress or thin towers 550+ feet high.
Although this is debatable.