MT combat: Armor confusion

[BuddyJC]

I'm trying to figure out the combat system and the rather vague definitions of the coverage of various armor types leaves me confounded. Particularly two instances:

A) When the penettration is below AV you inflict 10% damage if the target has "exposed areas of less than the full armor value" (player' manual p.70)

Browsing the armors in the Imperial Encyclopedia only the flak jacket specifically calls out that it covers the groin and torso. Most of the other armors are can be a jacket or a body suit. So is there a price difference between the jacket and body suit. And does the body suit model cover the whole body except the head or what? English being my second language, I've got no clue as to the implications of a body suit.
I guess the vacc suit and battle dress counts as a full covering armor with no exposed areas regarding the ability to ignore the 10% damage if pen < AV.


B) The cover rules (p.71 players manual) also states that if you expose body parts "lightly armored, with little or no armor" your AV will suffer. So is this primarily gloveless hands and characters with out helmets and would a body suit version also cover the hands?

It goes back to the definition of what is included in the various armor definitions of a jacket/body suit. A jacket would have no leg armor (are gloves included?), but what about the body suit, does it for instance cover the hands.

I've tried to look up the armor definitions in LBB, TNE and their ilk. But the descriptions are the same general description in each product

 

[BuddyJC]

Ok, scrutiny of the first armor entry, a jack, says it either a jacket (torso and arms, i suppose) or a body suit covering torso, arms, legs.

The next armor, mesh has the same option of jack or suit. I suppose the suit has the same coverage as the jack version.

But is there any inherent mechanical difference, apart from the body coverage? Or rather, why would you ever put on the jacket version if not for aestetical/rpg reasons

 

[aramis]

I'm trying to figure out the combat system and the rather vague definitions of the coverage of various armor types leaves me confounded. Particularly two instances:

A) When the penettration is below AV you inflict 10% damage if the target has "exposed areas of less than the full armor value" (player' manual p.70)

Browsing the armors in the Imperial Encyclopedia only the flak jacket specifically calls out that it covers the groin and torso. Most of the other armors are can be a jacket or a body suit. So is there a price difference between the jacket and body suit. And does the body suit model cover the whole body except the head or what? English being my second language, I've got no clue as to the implications of a body suit.
I guess the vacc suit and battle dress counts as a full covering armor with no exposed areas regarding the ability to ignore the 10% damage if pen < AV.


B) The cover rules (p.71 players manual) also states that if you expose body parts "lightly armored, with little or no armor" your AV will suffer. So is this primarily gloveless hands and characters with out helmets and would a body suit version also cover the hands?

The personal armors which routinely count as "full coverage" are Vacc Suits (including hazardous environment suits), Combat Armor (it's a vacc suit), Battle Dress (it's a vacc suit, too), and a CES in full CBR mode, with the mask and helmet engaged, and the gloves and boots on.

Other personal armors, including Jack, Mesh, Cloth, Ablat, and Reflec are not full coverage; they usually do not include helmets nor gloves, and can reasonably be allowed the 10% as "blunt force trauma effect" even when full bodysuits, as they aren't rigid. Even the CES can be, if the Ref wants, allowed the 10% rule, as it's not rigid (but often is drawn with a breastplate.

Vehicles are the primary reason for not giving the 10%. If you're driving your APC down the road with the top opened and take fire, it takes the 10%; if you've got it fully closed up, however, it doesn't. (There is a longstanding presumption that the interior partitions are not armored.)

Airbreathing vehicles taking an engine hit would also apply the 10% rule, as rounds can enter the intake manifolds. You could also apply that to the mobility hits on wheeled or tracked vehicles, as those portions are of need outside the main armor.

As for suits vs Jackets... I always doubled the cost for suits. But I also use the Traveller's Digest Issue 13 Hit Location Table... no gloves, no armor at all... Gloves, boots, and Helmet I charge half the base cost for each. But that's a house rule.
CES includes armor for all locations, but the face is usually not covered nor are the hands unless the area is A CBR site.

2d	Location
12	L Foot
11	L Hand
10	L Leg
9	L Arm
8	Head*
7	Upper Torso*
6	Lower Torso (1d6–2 organs destroyed)
5	R Arm
4	R Leg
3	R Hand
2	R Foot
1d	Location
6	roll twice more
5	throat
4	L Ear
3	R ear
2	R Eye
1	L Eye
1d	Location
1,2	Heart
3,4,5	Lungs
6	Heart & Lungs

[tc=2]Initial Location[/tc] [tc=2]Head Sublocations[/tc] [tc=2]Upper Torso[/tc]

 

[BuddyJC]

Wow, thank you for a very comprehensive answer.