Reducing Low-Tech Armour Don Times

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Agent

I really want to see the supplement 'Dan Howard Unfettered: The Gameability-less, Pitiless Conversion of GURPS Low-Tech to Untenable Levels of Realism'.

Or is there already a similar blog? :-D

I admit to being a bit of realism fan. But not allowing one to slip on complex state of the art armor like a pair of pants isn't pitiless or inherently un-fun.

[Tomsdad]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I admit to being a bit of realism fan. But not allowing one to slip on complex state of the art armor like a pair of pants isn't pitiless or inherently un-fun.

It also further reinforces the point that even if knights owned full sets of fantastic plate armour you probably didn't go around in the full set when combat wasn't imminent. But quite often you had either a travelling "mooching" set of less complex, lighter and more comfortable armour. Or your armour was to an extant modular so that you could walk around partially armoured relatively quickly and more freely, but have all the extra bits added on if you needed them.

Something I believe that was quite common with armour for the face and neck, and great helms going over smaller ones.

Also Knights had squires and batsmen for a reason

Counter to D&D-SOP where everyone walks around with their best armour on, visors down and weapon drawn every moment of the day in case the DM throws a random encounter at them while they take a p*ss or haggle for bread.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Agent

I really want to see the supplement 'Dan Howard Unfettered: The Gameability-less, Pitiless Conversion of GURPS Low-Tech to Untenable Levels of Realism'.

I'd buy that.

[DanHoward]

It would be full of pretty boring things like the so called "bagdad battery" written up as a scroll case, clerics' maces that actually shed blood when they smack someone in the head, longbow arrows bouncing off plate armour, and medieval peasants that only work 200 days a year.

[PK]

Originally Posted by Sindri

If people were really interested in reducing the time it takes to don low-tech armour what (if anything, but presumably they can get some amount of improvement) could they do without requiring major technological developments?

Rules Exemption (Don Times) [1] (GURPS Power-Ups 2: Perks, p. 20). Lets you put on armor as fast as a normal set of clothing, or in 2d turns if the GM wants to be generous.

[Sindri]

Originally Posted by PK

Rules Exemption (Don Times) [1] (GURPS Power-Ups 2: Perks, p. 20). Lets you put on armor as fast as a normal set of clothing, or in 2d turns if the GM wants to be generous.

Well I'm really looking for improvements in armour not in the wearer, that aren't silly and for reasons of "tacticool" more than donning times actually being at all relevant.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Sindri

Well I'm really looking for improvements in armour not in the wearer.

Methods for reducing don time (at any TL) boil down to one of the following:

• Proper Storage. If you have to untangle the cords before you put armor on, you're losing time. I'm guessing LT already assumes the armor is properly stored.
• Improved Fasteners. It's likely that low-tech armor already uses the best available, though maintenance to make sure the fasteners are in good shape should make some difference. Again, I think LT assumes properly maintained armor.
• Looser Tolerances. If you care less about how well the armor fits once donned, you can make it faster to put on. This will generally mean the armor has weight or DX penalties.
• Limited Coverage. Each additional little piece of armor does take a bit of time to put on -- so just leave some of them off. This will mean the armor has rather large gaps which can possibly be targeted quite easily.

[gilbertocarlos]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

It would be full of pretty boring things like the so called "bagdad battery" written up as a scroll case, clerics' maces that actually shed blood when they smack someone in the head, longbow arrows bouncing off plate armour, and medieval peasants that only work 200 days a year.

You seriously underestimate the geekdom of this forum.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

It would be full of pretty boring things like the so called "bagdad battery" written up as a scroll case, clerics' maces that actually shed blood when they smack someone in the head, longbow arrows bouncing off plate armour, and medieval peasants that only work 200 days a year.

The real reason so many were religious; all those holidays you weren't allowed to work. ;)

Arrows off plate, like sniper rifles' bullets off tank armor. Why do people think they should penetrate?

[Balor Patch]

The Japanese use armor stands that were intended to allow the warrior crouch under it and basically crawl up into his armor in less than a minute. I think my source on this is some Time-Life book series when I was a kid so take it for what it's worth.