Field Plate before UA? (and after)

[AxeMental]

Matt, curious to know what you think of the optional armor and WSF rules in 1E? Do you think they help replicate the sort of combat factors your group is looking for (as opposed to armor absorption of damage)?

[Bargle]

I've been tempted to try a system where armor wasn't DR, but rather the determinant of hit die.

No armor d4 hd
Leather d6
Chain d8
Plate d10

in truth isn't DR of 1 (UA field plate) the same as granting a fighter d12 hd while it's being worn? Of course you'd have to roll HD every time you put armor on or just assign average hp.

[Matthew]

Matt, curious to know what you think of the optional armor and WSF rules in 1E? Do you think they help replicate the sort of combat factors your group is looking for (as opposed to armor absorption of damage)?

The weapon type versus armour class modifiers I think are too haphazard and fiddly as they stand in first edition AD&D, but they definitely make two-handed weapons and crossbows a better prospect in man-to-man combat than they otherwise would be. In order to broadly simulate the effect without worrying too hard about specifics [i.e. being abstract] I give two-handed weapons and crossbows a blanket +1 to hit. Whilst weapon speed factors are an interesting idea, they rarely come into effect in first edition AD&D, except when used against spell casters. Off and on I use them as second edition suggests, modifying initiative generally, but I am not too happy with that, unlike the weapon length and charging rules, which I think are excellent. Individual spacing is extremely confusing, and there is no way I can see to sensibly implement it as written, so I prefer to take the advice in B2 for that, where you can get more combatants into a given facing with spears, short swords, hand axes, and the like, which is something I have been considering for War & Battle. Basically it means:

12' Space = 3 Combatants with Long Swords [ 3(1d8) = 3-24 or versus large 3(1d12) = 3-36]
12' Space = 4 Combatants with Short Swords [ 4(1d6) = 4-24 or versus large 4(1d8) = 4-32]

I like the way that works out, making it a roughly equal choice between more combatants with less damage each and less combatants with more damage each, and demonstrates exactly why a character might use a short sword over a long sword when space is limited (rather than confined).

As far as how these aspects rate against damage reduction from armour, I see all such optional subsystems as having similar value, which is to say a subjectively slight improvement on the game system (perhaps in terms of complexity, simulation, or balance) in exchange for some increased, but easily mitigated through familiarity, complication of play. That is to say the game runs fine without them, and plays almost exactly the same with them.