Caution: RANT follows!Originally posted by LordRhys:
And yes the tank does carry a bigger gun than the guy in Battle Dress. But, the infantryman in Battle Dress shouldn't be as well armored as a Heavy Tank designed at the same Tech Level. The description of Battle Dress on page 209 of the THB states "Battle Dress is an advanced and powered version of combat armor.".
To have a 300vl set of personal armor be as heavily armored as a 30,000vl tank of the same TL, is completely absurd.
TL15 Battle Dress may be better armored than a TL8 M1 tank, but it should not be as well armored as a TL15 Intrepid grav tank.
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[rant mode] I believe that, if the rules make it possible in the OTU, then it's not "absurd" in the OTU. This technology is a staple of Traveller, not to mention science-fiction in general. In the "real world", footmen aren't armored like tanks because the armor's simply too heavy. But if you're willing to postulate a 1.5-vl fusion plant (15 liters!) powering a 300-vl armature, then carrying that much armor isn't so much of a stretch.
I think a better test of "absurdity" would be to attempt to design a TL-8 battle dress, and see what happens. It probably won't work, because the tech level is too low. And if it does work somehow, then yes, I'd call that an absurdity. However, to say that a design at TL-15 is "absurd" because it can do something which isn't possible at TL-8 is, well, absurd. That's what technology advancement is all about, isn't it? --to expand the definition of what is possible.
The THB p209 description of battle dress seems contradictory; if it's "an advanced and powered version of combat armor", then why is it designed as a vehicle, when non-powered combat armor isn't? It makes me wonder if T20 simply takes the wrong approach to battle dress. In CT and MT, it wasn't treated as a vehicle, and there wasn't so much confusion. [/rant mode]
Okay, I'm done. I've got my fire extinguisher; flame if you must.