Valles Wrote:So, wait, how the heck do you define 'half plate', anyway? 'Cause, as far's I can find, the term has no definition.Let's break down the definitions a bit.
Full plate is a full coverage of shaped plates of metal. It's not as limiting to mobility as many believe and could weigh as little as 45 pounds. However, it's obscenely expensive and wasn't developed until the fourteenth century.
Chainmail of equivalent coverage was much more common earlier - the Romans learnt how to make it from the Gauls. Typically it weighs about half as much as full plate and allows more flexibility but doesn't distribute the weight as well so wearing it for long periods is less feasible. It takes as much effort to manufacture but requires less skill and is better suited to mass production. It's less effective against piercing however.
Just to give a reference for mobility, someone in the sort of physical condition you mention for the Royal Guard could actually swim in either of the above.
Half-Plate or Three Quarter armour mixes chain and plate to mix the benefits of both. Alternatively scale armour of the roman pattern or lamellar armour of byzantine rome or japanese samurai gives formidable coverage.
Alternatively, simply have seperate plates covering parts of the body but no coverage on other areas. A cuirass, helmet, greaves and bracers would leave only upper arms and lower thighs vulnerable, somewhat equivalent to the greek hoplite armour.
D for Drakensis
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