In concurrence with other posters here, the wearing of armor isn't a matter so much of
breaking the law, as it is a measure of the players (
of whom we speak & serve as GM's)level of paranoia of a rough dirtside encounter versus local cultural standards of behavior & dress codes.
Ownership of weapons is already predicated by LL (
0-9) as establishd in canon. In the absence of of any weapons (LL's
A-G), armor
IMTneTU is relegated only to those serving the Government's Military/Paramilitary forces, and persons of the government itself (diplomatic armor, etc).
It stands to common sense
IMTneTU also that if one's world's LL bans the high energy weapons, then the military alone has access to them, and thus the sale/wear of reflec armor versus the most common weapon, lasers, is forbidden.
Battledress? Only for sale on LL 0 worlds for me, and then, one has to have a lawful liscensed reason to own it outside of active duty service: i.e. a Starmerc group, for example. In former Imperial times, such was the case as I see it. In the Tne era where salvaged relic tech can be had by our clever players, the best tech BD is usually bought outright by the salvage-buying world at point of resale. The same holds true with non powered combat armor.
It is a sure bet if they allow sale of TL-C Combat armor (AR 7), then they have the Armor Piercing weaponry to the local Law/Military to deal with any player character mischief.
IMTneTU the collapse from the MT-era Hard Times, then the AI-Virus to the present day campaign leaves in the Wilds three possible TL's of armor on a world on average.
The best remaining pre MT/HT Tech level armor teds to be used and worn by the elite/veteran armed forces of the world (roughly 5-10%).
The intermediary TL (where the decline had halted prior to the advent of Virus) of armor, used generally by 30-35% of the armed forces.
And the current TL (post Virus) which 60% of the local military & police forces are using armor wise.
Culturally, on Vaccuum & near Vaccuum worlds (Atmospheres
0-3) and Exotic Atmosphere worlds (
A, B, & C), Vac suit wear is a daily cultural thing, as well as possible hazard of living there. As a GM if your PC's homeworld comes from such a world, I give the feat/Skill of Vac Suit as an additional one to any the trade mods may say. Vac suits have AR value, but here, they are just another layer of clothing.
Its harder to explain on worlds with a breathable atmospheres (Types
4-9) why your PC's are still wearing their Vac suits long after their ship docks!
Typical Police/SPA queries like "Hey you! Yeah, you, starjack--going someplace?" or "Ser/Sera, a bit overdressed aren't we?" generally get the point across.
Wearing their armor beyond the Starport and environs of their ship will raise eyes everywhere, raising suspicions among the local military/Law enforcement agencies that these offworlders are "up to something".
One of the best examples I saw of this was in a FTF game several decades ago and the perplexed players (all of whom were mercs ashore & between jobs) on a low Law world asked the GM,
"why the local's were shadowing them with G-carriers armed with Rapid Fire Fusion gun turrets and Battledressed troops?"
His answer:
"See how you're dressed? Like you're going off to fight a world war? Well, that's what they're keying in on--not who you are or what you did elsewhere."
Moral--if you wear it, and LL aside, the local armed forces will follow. If that doesn't shed you out just for privacy's sake, then the locals will shame 'em down:
"What, you blokes don't feel safe here? You look like you're looking for trouble, and I don't serve no troubleseekers or makers here-G'day!"
Lovely topic gents.
Game ON!
