Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2013 16:50:35 GMT -5
I'm stuck at work without my artwork, and thought if anyone was interested I could add an armor digest for reference and educational purposes. Other topics go into the math of the game, where I'm about useless but ive actually had some experience dealing with both people who make and use the old types of armor, and wearing some myself. (Go SCA!)
Hide and Leather armor: Ever handle dry pigs ears or rawhide bones for dogs? Its hard and tough, and pretty easy and cheap to make. It requires a human analog to help shape it and steamed into shape. Leather armor is more rugged against the elements, but both are stiff and rigid with limited flexibility. Its good against nicks and cuts but doesnt stand up well to penetrating or blunt force. Better than nothing.
Quilted Doublet, or Arming Jacket: This is usually a thick neck to belt full sleeve garment and packed with linen or other fiber. Mail and plate armors are nowhere near as effective without a jack underneath to soak up blunt force and to help mail keep its shape. It also functions as a kind of heat sink in hot weather. As the wearer sweats, the sweat pulls heat from the body and into the jacket, where it eventually can radiate from the metal. Its not perfect, and big boys like me tend not to prefer it. By itself the jack's thickness affords some protection, but not veru much.
Sometimes with added mail to protect the joints under the plate.
Lamellor and Brigandine: This stuff is amazing. Ive known one who could afford it, in the form of Samurai armor. Brigandine is a bit different but close enough for this analysis. A vest of interlocking steel plates about the size of army dogtags and twice as thick are drilled and bound together into the shape of a human torso with a weave of soft- pliant leather thongs. The result is a flexible, form fitting armor that is very springy and excels against direct and indirect arrow attacks and decent against blunt force damage. Its also about half the weight as mail or plate, and exceedingly quiet- so much so that ninja whom had access sometimes wore it when on especially dangerous missions.
Brigandine
Mail- or "chain"mail: I feel for the fingers for those who made this stuff. I tried it for about an hour but my fingers are too big. Thick steel wire-18-20 gauge I think, is heated up and wound around a steel form, like a long thin pencil. Heavy clippers cut the resulting coil lengthwise making a bunch of open links about as big as a pinkie nail. Each link is again heated, struck to square the surface, the ends are pounded flat. A center punch put holes in each end. When affixing to the other links, a tiny copper pin is run through the holes and hammered, sealing the link. Do this about ten THOUSAND times. The armor itself is very affective against slashes, but not at all against blunt force or penetrating damage. Aggressive sword strokes routinely broke bones. But nonetheless was prized highly from the Roman period until foundries were able to make larger armor plates effectively. Chain mail is still used, from shark suits to butcher's gloves. There is also decorative kinds, but the links aren't flattened on the face and back of the links- which the links 'grab' when struck; meaning its useless as an armor.
Scale Mail uses a coat of links as a scaffolding for better coverage against penetrating attacks. Much heavier than standard mail armors.
Banded Armor: Referred to as Lorica Segmentata by the Romans, banded mail was a tight shingling of iron-and later steel bands held in place by leather fastened. I remember trying one and it being a bit lighter than chainmail- I'm not sure why (perhaps made of a less dense steel or iron) but I didn't have to jog in it for leagues on end either. Also historically it was good all around against slashing cuts and most penetrations. I say most because the Visigoths had a technique they developed where they would try to break up the Roman tetsudo formation and flank the shield, and striking from underneath under where the bands connect.
Coat of plates: Never saw this one but they are similar in construction to brigandine armor.
Interior:
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Plate: Never tried as there wasnt a cuirass that would fit. Typically these are made to order and form fitting. Very expensive but giving the best all around protection against almost anything. Eventually two handed weapons were favored because the knight wore the shield. The cuirass was the centerpiece you could put on first, If you dont have the type that ties onto an arming jack. after which everything else tied on or attached from visor and pauldron to waister and greave. It could take at least half an hour to get into one. Ive heard of shorter times but never saw it. Greeks also had a bronze version of plate armor- again hideously expensive and they typically left upper arms and thighs exposed.
Practical plate could be fully articulated using interlocking joints. NASA actually used a few examples when researching space suit designs. Its been said that the wearer couldn't get up after falling down. In fact the armor weighs about 60lbs and since it fully surrounds and is distributed around the wearer is not that big of a deal. Knights could run, tumble, and do far more than modern soldiers could do in their full kit:
The "Bucket" helmets you sometimes see were of a type used only in jousting competitions as they maximized protection from splinters to the face. Its extremely heavy and visibility sucks unless you're looking straight ahead.
My personal favorite is the 'Sallet' with visor.
Thats about all I can remember offhand.
Hide and Leather armor: Ever handle dry pigs ears or rawhide bones for dogs? Its hard and tough, and pretty easy and cheap to make. It requires a human analog to help shape it and steamed into shape. Leather armor is more rugged against the elements, but both are stiff and rigid with limited flexibility. Its good against nicks and cuts but doesnt stand up well to penetrating or blunt force. Better than nothing.
Quilted Doublet, or Arming Jacket: This is usually a thick neck to belt full sleeve garment and packed with linen or other fiber. Mail and plate armors are nowhere near as effective without a jack underneath to soak up blunt force and to help mail keep its shape. It also functions as a kind of heat sink in hot weather. As the wearer sweats, the sweat pulls heat from the body and into the jacket, where it eventually can radiate from the metal. Its not perfect, and big boys like me tend not to prefer it. By itself the jack's thickness affords some protection, but not veru much.
Sometimes with added mail to protect the joints under the plate.
Lamellor and Brigandine: This stuff is amazing. Ive known one who could afford it, in the form of Samurai armor. Brigandine is a bit different but close enough for this analysis. A vest of interlocking steel plates about the size of army dogtags and twice as thick are drilled and bound together into the shape of a human torso with a weave of soft- pliant leather thongs. The result is a flexible, form fitting armor that is very springy and excels against direct and indirect arrow attacks and decent against blunt force damage. Its also about half the weight as mail or plate, and exceedingly quiet- so much so that ninja whom had access sometimes wore it when on especially dangerous missions.
Brigandine
Mail- or "chain"mail: I feel for the fingers for those who made this stuff. I tried it for about an hour but my fingers are too big. Thick steel wire-18-20 gauge I think, is heated up and wound around a steel form, like a long thin pencil. Heavy clippers cut the resulting coil lengthwise making a bunch of open links about as big as a pinkie nail. Each link is again heated, struck to square the surface, the ends are pounded flat. A center punch put holes in each end. When affixing to the other links, a tiny copper pin is run through the holes and hammered, sealing the link. Do this about ten THOUSAND times. The armor itself is very affective against slashes, but not at all against blunt force or penetrating damage. Aggressive sword strokes routinely broke bones. But nonetheless was prized highly from the Roman period until foundries were able to make larger armor plates effectively. Chain mail is still used, from shark suits to butcher's gloves. There is also decorative kinds, but the links aren't flattened on the face and back of the links- which the links 'grab' when struck; meaning its useless as an armor.
Scale Mail uses a coat of links as a scaffolding for better coverage against penetrating attacks. Much heavier than standard mail armors.
Banded Armor: Referred to as Lorica Segmentata by the Romans, banded mail was a tight shingling of iron-and later steel bands held in place by leather fastened. I remember trying one and it being a bit lighter than chainmail- I'm not sure why (perhaps made of a less dense steel or iron) but I didn't have to jog in it for leagues on end either. Also historically it was good all around against slashing cuts and most penetrations. I say most because the Visigoths had a technique they developed where they would try to break up the Roman tetsudo formation and flank the shield, and striking from underneath under where the bands connect.
Coat of plates: Never saw this one but they are similar in construction to brigandine armor.
Interior:
Plate: Never tried as there wasnt a cuirass that would fit. Typically these are made to order and form fitting. Very expensive but giving the best all around protection against almost anything. Eventually two handed weapons were favored because the knight wore the shield. The cuirass was the centerpiece you could put on first, If you dont have the type that ties onto an arming jack. after which everything else tied on or attached from visor and pauldron to waister and greave. It could take at least half an hour to get into one. Ive heard of shorter times but never saw it. Greeks also had a bronze version of plate armor- again hideously expensive and they typically left upper arms and thighs exposed.
Practical plate could be fully articulated using interlocking joints. NASA actually used a few examples when researching space suit designs. Its been said that the wearer couldn't get up after falling down. In fact the armor weighs about 60lbs and since it fully surrounds and is distributed around the wearer is not that big of a deal. Knights could run, tumble, and do far more than modern soldiers could do in their full kit:
The "Bucket" helmets you sometimes see were of a type used only in jousting competitions as they maximized protection from splinters to the face. Its extremely heavy and visibility sucks unless you're looking straight ahead.
My personal favorite is the 'Sallet' with visor.
Thats about all I can remember offhand.