Armor in a Non-Military Campaign

[Ezra]

How much armor do you make available to players?

I'm asking because I ran a GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars, 4th edition campaign every week in 2020. Since the GIW source book says that Terrans use tactical armor, I allowed it. However, as the campaign proceeded, I began to feel that the armor detracted from the campaign. Since the IW setting occurs at a TL level above that listed in the Basic Set for tactical armor, that armor affords 30 DR. As a result, since few weapons in the Basic Set can overcome such a high DR, every battle degenerated to a game of who gets the first headshot, etc. This resulted in drawn out battles that gobbled up entire sessions (I prefer to keep combat short in my campaigns). Also, it didn't help that several of my players were new to GURPS and struggled with even the basic combat mechanics, so they rarely took advantage of the numerous strategies the GURPS system affords, such as "Targeting Chinks in Armor."

In hindsight, it doesn't make sense that non-military characters should have access to tactical armor, and I may restrict its availability in the future, but I'd be curious to know how other GMs handle armor.

 

[Spinward Flow]

For most civilian uses, in CT terms I would say primarily Cloth, Ablat, Reflec and Vacc Suit would be the main armor types.

Combat Armor and of course Battledress would be explicitly military armors and not normally available except on worlds with high tech and low law levels (such as Efate/Regina/Spinward Marches) where they make every thing you need ... and you need everything they make ...

Because ... Cash Rules Everything Around Me ... is not just a slogan.

 

[Condottiere]

Generally speaking, protection would reflect the usual threats.

So if you expect to face mostly people using assault rifles, cloth armour with a ceramic plate around the chest.

 

[kilemall]

Premium armor gets premium LE attention, especially if flaunting it walking down the street or using in the course of conducting shenanigans.

If you use the Law Level daily hassle roll, I'd say add +1 per day the players are out with the stuff visible. Roll 1d6 after each stop- if the number is below number of stops conducted, the players start getting a tail and LE visibly has equipment capable of defeating said armor.

 

[aramis]

Premium armor gets premium LE attention, especially if flaunting it walking down the street or using in the course of conducting shenanigans.

If you use the Law Level daily hassle roll, I'd say add +1 per day the players are out with the stuff visible. Roll 1d6 after each stop- if the number is below number of stops conducted, the players start getting a tail and LE visibly has equipment capable of defeating said armor.

I prefer (and recommend) using that check per 4 hour watch, but then generating the initial reaction roll, so that players get that sense of paranoia when doing the naughty things...
And put visible armor as a DM -(LL/4). (round down). This is negated if the armor is part of a local ceremonial tradition, or local law enforcement, or current Imperial Army/Navy/Marine uniform

 

[Ezra]

I prefer (and recommend) using that check per 4 hour watch, but then generating the initial reaction roll, so that players get that sense of paranoia when doing the naughty things...
And put visible armor as a DM -(LL/4). (round down). This is negated if the armor is part of a local ceremonial tradition, or local law enforcement, or current Imperial Army/Navy/Marine uniform

Is DM -(LL/4) from Classic Traveller? I'm using GURPS, but I get the idea. They begin to suffer reaction roll penalties. Security personnel start tailing them, etc. This makes sense.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Is DM -(LL/4) from Classic Traveller? I'm using GURPS, but I get the idea. They begin to suffer reaction roll penalties. Security personnel start tailing them, etc. This makes sense.

It's basically the equivalent of wearing full tactical for a trip to WalMart (or equivalent warehouse box retailer store).
The place isn't supposed to be a warzone ... so why are you cosplaying like you expect it to be one (or become one)?

Or put it another way, there are people who like to claim (they're wrong, but they still claim it) that "An armed society is a polite society" when that is demonstrably untrue, with lots of examples of it. The actual truth is that "An armed society is a paranoid society" is a lot more realistic, so when people start wearing and carrying full tactical gear in settings where that kind of thing isn't warranted it's going to arouse suspicions pretty quickly ... not to mention make you stand out like a triangle at a circle convention.

 

[aramis]

Is DM -(LL/4) from Classic Traveller? I'm using GURPS, but I get the idea. They begin to suffer reaction roll penalties. Security personnel start tailing them, etc. This makes sense.

It's a house rule, based upon the canonical idea that body armor is legal to LL3, and restricted at higher.
Also, the peak law level I recall seeing is 20 or so. At a reaction DM -5, the best reaction is neutral, and the average reaction to body armor will be immediate attack. Of course, at LL20, doing anything without explicit permission is pretty much impossible....

CT is heavily about "here's a toolchest, twist it to needed shape for your game, you've got optiosn and can add more."