Quote from: soltakss;841471That's the point - many players would sooner their PCs take off the iron armour and get more damage from the acid than take the chance of burning through their precious iron armour.

It's like the story of Einstein taking his hat off in the rain.

Some of my larger cities have laws to make weapons peace tied in town. But for the most part I think most of the smaller towns are like a fantasy version of Fallujah or Tombstone. Better keep your weapons close and nobody gives a second thought to it.

I can understand how it can be irksome in a historical setting and that walking around in armor all day would wear you out faster and chafe no end.

But in a fantasy setting where there are no safe places (what's that giant rats with a disease attack in the wine cellar of the local tavern?) I'm not going to get hung up on whether my players declare the removal of their armor or not.

By the way, some of the current metropolitan fantasy settings with goblins/ orcs/ noble vampires etc, roaming freely through town irk me way more than players that don't remove armor.

In the group I'm currently in, we have two PCs. An Trogruta Jedi who has a pair of lightsabers that she keeps under her coat and wears a blaster pistol openly, and dons padded armor when we are planning to make a ruckus, and my Mandalorian walking arsenal* who just carries a pistol and knife in public and has all the armor and rifles and whatnot safe on the ship for when necessary.

*I call him that due to the fact the he currently owes a modded blaster rifle, a modded unique blaster pistol, two heavy blaster pistols, a holdout blaster pistol, a Sidewinder rotary blaster cannon (think portable blaster Gatling gun), a vibroknife, a vibrosword, and a thermal detonator and random grenades.  That plus heavy battle armor.

Needless to say, he only wears a concealed armored duster in public, because locals tend to get nervous when someone walks past with enough firepower to take on the local defense forces and win.  Even when full kitted out for war, he doesn't carry all that shit.

When I run SF, the PC's spend a lot of time in "weapon free" zones, and that restriction applies to armor as well. They were nervous about it at first, until they realized that it wasn't an excuse for the GM (me) to screw them over - their enemies don't have any weapons or armor, either.

The 'no armor' thing confused the heck out of them at first, until they got into a bar fight. (It's Savage Worlds.) I asked them how they felt about fighting unarmed - using martial arts, etc - versus armored opponents, then they were OK with it. Fists (and the occasional knife or stunner) against heavy armor would take all night long, and result in some really dull fight scenes.

In fantasy games, I incorporate some variation on sumptuary laws into civilized regions of whatever setting I'm running, so there's a rigid code governing who can wear what in the cities/towns. Including armor.

Depends on the setting. My DCC game remains mostly urban, everyone can be assumed to be armed somehow but leather/hide is generally the most armor to be seen on anyone not in the militia.

In our Pathfinder games the GM's assumption is that unless you state otherwise you are not armored. We often get caught with our pants down, "Did any of you stop to put on your armor when you left the inn?"...
That hasn't stopped the resident powergamer from trying to wear plate everywhere. He toasted when we went to the desert, got fried when one of my lightning bolts went awry and drowned while we were investigating some canal smugglers... it's also been adverse for any sort of meetup with merchant, militia or potential mistress.

No. Such things depend on the setting and the circumstances and cities are pretty much out unless you are actively working at a job that dictates wearing armor - like SWAT team member at a hostage situation or Royal Bodyguard guarding the Queen.

Right now I'm running France in in the 1620s. Only one of the players even owns armor. Its a buff coat and heavy gloves and he only wears it if he is expecting trouble. Which in the city would be something like raiding a den of thugs. It would definitely not include walking around the market, hanging out at court, drinking in a tavern, or fighting a duel. On the other hand, all the PCs now wear swords. But for the most part, their PCs are nobles, gentlemen, or soldiers in an elite unit. Though do I need to crack down more on the ones who carry a brace of loaded pistols in town.

My characters wear what would make sense in a situation. I can't help it. I'm a role-player.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;841437Video games. You answered the question.

Two really good MUDs I played on actually had encoded that the NPC law or equivalent would go after you if you did not stow your combat gear. In one case they'd beat you up and toss you in jail sans all your gear.

Any waterborn adventure is going to be hell for armour reliant characters. Be leery around port towns too. I successfully one-hit killed two evil knights during a pierside battle by using dash charger and catapulting them into the river.

Quote from: Omega;841562Any waterborn adventure is going to be hell for armour reliant characters. Be leery around port towns too. I successfully one-hit killed two evil knights during a pierside battle by using dash charger and catapulting them into the river.

5th Edition I take it?

Love it.

Quote from: Omega;841562Any waterborn adventure is going to be hell for armour reliant characters. Be leery around port towns too. I successfully one-hit killed two evil knights during a pierside battle by using dash charger and catapulting them into the river.

Quote from: Warboss Squee;8415815th Edition I take it?

Love it.

One of the things that makes Breichtur in Birthright so dangerous. It's essentially the Hanseatic League in the Baltic/Sargasso Sea with pirates. Very easy to drown in 2e with armor. Delightfully easy to drown in armor in 5e, too! Hope is stays that way.

i just assume that they are not wearing armor if they are in urban area or on ship.

This is one issue where D&D might benefit from a concept that put the screws to the idea of fully armed and armored at all times; Traveller Law Levels.

Many a time I've heard (and expressed) a disappointed "Ah, man..." when reading a planet's UPP on the way to a mission. Guess that Battle Dress and FGMP 15 will be in the locker, at least for now...

Some of this is pretty predicated on the game you play.  Mine is very 'town/social/political' based, so appearance and fashion and the law matter quite a bit.
And very long running, so these relationships matter.

I can see this being a lot less important in a shorter term, very adventure-site oriented game.

I'm not recreating some historical time.
I'm not bound by what some society did 1100 years ago.


I'm playing a fantasy game.