Armor, is it worth it?

[Kolk]

Hello,

I'm coming back to TFT after 30 years.

When I first got to know this game, a long time ago, I used it more as a combat system in a home version of a battle game. So often 30 units vs 30, in the first line, etc. A bit interesting, a bit boring.

Recently, I found a website that gives the final result of a clash of any number of different units.
I chose :
A)short sword, small shield-Dx 13, Def 1
B)short sword, leather armor, large shield-Dx13(10),Def3.
Death rate 56:44.
Almost 50/50.
So, all that armor looks useless , but I wasn't sure about the outcome.
I'm not a programmer but I made my version of the code, at the current stage the results are similar, about 50/50.
Maybe I'm wrong but it seems that with the same Dx and Str, the extra armor does nothing, although it costs more.

I'm curious if anyone has noticed such a think, it may be hard to notice when playing 3v3, 4v4, ...., perhaps it is noticeable at larger numbers , and maybe I am wrong

[Shostak]

I've never crunched the numbers, but experience tells me that armor is worthwhile. Light armor is especially so, since it doesn't slow a character down much, but the penalty to MA for chain and plate detract from their defensive value. This is why some GMs house-rule Running giving a benefit regardless of armor instead of just to those wearing cloth or leather. Of course, one could take the point of view that if your chainmail was so cumbersome that the fight was over before you got there, it certainly kept you from getting hurt.

[TippetsTX]

Mundane armor, especially of the heavy variety, has its downsides, but TFT isn't a game limited by mundane assumptions.

Once you can afford DX enchantments, the odds start changing pretty drastically.

[hcobb]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Once you can afford DX enchantments, the odds start changing pretty drastically.

DX enchantments have been further limited in Legacy edition. If you've got money to burn then use that unfatiguing Iron Flesh ring with +5 Water Armor to stop 14 hits at -1 DX. (But you need three wizards who each know Repair or have wizard's chests, and this setup does cost $16k + $16k + $1k???.) The Stone Flesh ring is only $4k and is useful enough in most cases.

One fun use of Leather armor is to cast Fire into your own hex, but given the nerfing of rat stacking mere Cloth armor is good enough for most uses.

The advanced combat talents (Pole Weapons Expertise and Shield Expertise) have made armor less useful in straight up combat, but it still helps with traps and other hazards to some degree.

[Kolk]

Thanks for the answers,

I didn't take talents into account in my assumption.
I used to play the basic version of Melee, just got back to TFT.

I'm wondering if it's better to have more DX or more Def, with the same starting DX, ST and the same weapon.

Increasing DX+1 significantly improves the results.

[tomc]

As long as your adj DX is 10 or better, armor is of marginal value in a duel. When you start adventuring and having consecutive battles with little or no healing between them, armor is worth much more.