Armor Problems in GURPS Basic Set.

There has always been problems with the armor system and it comes up so often in the threads. I'm wondering why Dan Howards articles, which is where they are drawing Low-Tech Armor details, are not made available in the 6 months before Low Tech arrives.

Mail - Why Bother
Scale and Lamellar

These are two articles Locked up in Pyramid and probably won't see any access because Pyramid changed its format. Why not free up these articles to clear up all the hullabaloo.

The only thing I see that needs fixing in the articles is the price adjustment. i don't know where the $ value of the 3rd ed is based on, but assuming the copyright at 1986 in my 3rd ed basic set thats 18years.

So when the value of 4th ed was normalized at 2004, if you average the [URL="http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare/result.php"]inflation values[/URL] you would get x1.7. So the riveted Mail Haubergeon of $400 would cost about $680 in GURPS 4e.

I given the weight and the labor of the material. I would say this is Fabrication Cost instead Individual Sale Market cost. So if you want to get a walk in the store price for PCs that's a x3 the cost. If it was a lord making an order for a Large Set to equip an century it might cost the listed price of $680.

10lbs of drawn wire vs 3lbs of hammered metal - at roughly comparitive prices of 600 vs 680 one should look closely at the context at this disparity. Remember metal is expensive in the middle ages, the way we find titanium rare and expensive today. Historical interpretation of prices sometimes confuse the Mass-Order and Walk-in-the-Store Prices. It would be reasonable to conclude that the $680 is a Mass Order Price. Walk in the store price would be roughly $2040 or x3 the Mass-Order price.

So your Mail Hauberk is equal to half the annual income of a working class peasant or soldier. Having such a expensive gift given by the Lord or the Army to the soldier puts into perspective a source of his duty.

Note that only Guildsmen, administrators and officiers privy to the logistics would know these Mass-Order prices. Everyone else will think the fair price of a Riveted Mail Haubergeon is $2040. Merchant skill will allow you to negotiate, pointing out the actual fair price given supply and demand trend going on.