Now that I've played with the complicated and confusing armor rules in GURPS: Low Tech, I've decided that I'm going to use these rules exclusively from now on.
They're simply more flexible and allow you to put together a suit of armor that's based on real stuff rather than porting the expectations from Yee Olde AD&D.
I am OK with the extra complexity.
Plus, since there's no players to object...
Hated the AD&D rules as they seem to have no basis in reality.
ReplyDeleteLike chainmaille. Is that maille worn over regular tunics or over a padded gambeson?
How much extra protection for wearing a coat-of-plates over your hauberk?
What about a brigandine shirt over leather? And the difference between regular leather and exotic leather or super-hardened leather jack?
The handwavium involved in AD&D (before later editions, never played later editions) bugged the carp out of me from the first time I dealt with it.
Then again, the handwavium goes with the 1 minute combat round, yet another stupid convention. Home-rule division of the one minute combat round into 4 (15 second) or 6 (10 second) or even 10 (6 second) seconds worked much better back in the days I played, but the die-hard TSR fanatics freaked out whenever anyone suggested flexing the rules.
Low Tech explains the layering of different types and you can stack them until your character can't move from lack of DX. You're impervious to all but medium artillery; but you're so slow artillery can be brought to bear.
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