High-tech/sci-fi plate armour?

[Maz]

I can't find any rules for high-tech plate armour?

I looked through Low-tech, High-tech and Ultra-tech.

Preferably I would like to use the rules from Low-Tech (p.100) but have a list like the one on p.110-111 but with updated materials from TL:8, 9 and maybe 10.

Basicly if I had some sort of feudal-tradition high-tech setting where we still have "knights" fighting in melee, but who,ofcourse make use of better/cheaper steel production, or even going into TL:9 some completly new materials "plasteel" super light durable armour or super dense armour.

I seem to recall some suggestions to this effect back in the 3e ultra-tech book. But sadly I have lost it and do not have pdf-version either.


So have I missed something, or does someone have a decent idea for DR, price and weight of TL:8, 9 plate (I can live without TL:10 for now).

[Varyon]

The Armor Design Articles from Pyramid would be of use - notably, "Cutting Edge Armor Design" (TL 5 to early TL 9, Pyramid #3/85) and "Ultra Tech Armor Design" (TL 9 to TL 12, Pyramid #3/96).

[clu2415]

In UltraTech, there’s the heavy and light clamshell on page 176 and the combat hardsuit on page 179-180.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Varyon

The Armor Design Articles from Pyramid would be of use - notably, "Cutting Edge Armor Design" (TL 5 to early TL 9, Pyramid #3/85) and "Ultra Tech Armor Design" (TL 9 to TL 12, Pyramid #3/96).

Thanks! I just bought both of them. :)

I can see I probably could have just gotten #3/85 as #3/96 doesn't have much in the way of TL:9 rigid materials but it does have high-tech bows, which was another thing I was looking for, so that was great as well :D

[Varyon]

Yeah, "Cutting Edge Armor Design" is probably the best of the series. If you ever do anything at lower tech levels, or maybe want a few other armor options, the original article in the series, "Low Tech Armor Design" (TL 0-4, Pyramid #3/52) is pretty good for that. I've also made a few threads to expand on the system. The first is from before the TL 5+ articles were published, so the new materials are superseded by those later articles, but some of the options (like brigandine) may still be of use to you. The second has more transparent materials, in case you opt to give your knights clear faceplates (or at least eyeslits). Again, might be of some use to you.

[Rupert]

HT does have a bit on this - "High-Tech Low-Tech" (High-Tech, box, p.65) is a short discussion on using modern materials to make low TL armour.

[Polydamas]

Three issues are that smokeless-powder-bullet-resistant armour has to be too thick to articulate, that modern bullet-resistant steels are hard to shape deeply, and that bullet-resistant armour over anything but the vitals and skull currently eats too much of the wearer's mass budget.

In one of Icelander's threads, I did some back-of-the-envelope calculations of what a full harness of near-future steel would look like in GURPS stats if you could overcome these issues.

[DanHoward]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Three issues are that smokeless-powder-bullet-resistant armour has to be too thick to articulate, that modern bullet-resistant steels are hard to shape deeply, and that bullet-resistant armour over anything but the vitals and skull currently eats too much of the wearer's mass budget.

Each piece also has to be custom-fitted to each individual. Even if it were made from a futuristic magic steel, this kind of armour simply isn't practical for anyone outside of small elite units or a very well funded mercenary company. For regular grunts, some kind of power armour is far more viable for futuristic protection.