Armor

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Chainmail is not consistent regarding armor:
  • The large-scale Missile Fire table on page 11 defines three categories of armor: Unarmored; Half-Armor (or Shield); and Fully Armored.
  • The individual Melee table in Appendix B defines four categories (each can be improved by the addition of a shield): No Armor; Leather (or Padded) Armor; Chain (or Banded, or Studded, or Splint) Mail; and Plate Armor.
  • The individual Missile Fire table in Appendix B uses the term “class of armor” and assigns a number to each category in the individual Melee table.
  • Lastly, the large-scale Melee table in Appendix A abstracts armor as a function of troop quality (Light Foot, Heavy Horse, etc.).
Below is an attempt to make sense of the different types of armor the game deals with, mapping the eight categories of armor on the individual combat tables onto the large-scale combat considerations:


GROUP A. NO PROTECTION AGAINST VOLLEYS OF ARROWS
Treat these as "unarmored" on the large-scale Missile Fire table.

Category 1 (no armor)
Typical for peasants.
Treat as Light Foot or, if mounted, Light Horse.
No protection other than luck.
 
Category 2 ("leather")
Typical for Light Infantry and Ranged Infantry such as Archers.
Treat as Light Foot or, if mounted, Light Horse.
Examples:
  • Leather armor - armor made of hardened / boiled leather, usually covering only the torso.
  • Padded armor - known as gambeson or aketon, a quilted garment covering torso and often limbs; inexpensive and common.

GROUP B. HALF-PROTECTION AGAINST VOLLEYS OF ARROWS
Treat these as "half-armor or shield" on the large-scale Missile Fire table. 

Category 3 ("shield only")
Typical of Light Infantry.
Treat as Light Foot or, if mounted, Light Horse.
A shield is just a piece of armor held in the hand, sometimes strapped to the wrist or forearm. It is used to intercept attacks from melee weapons, such as spears, and from ranged projectiles like arrows. A shield provides both active defense (blocking) and passive protection by covering lines of attack during combat. It offers no body armor, but grants partial protection against missiles.

Category 4 ("leather + shield")
Typical of Light Infantry or Heavy Infantry.
Treat as Light Foot, Heavy Foot or, if mounted, Medium Horse.
Examples:
  • Leather armor and shield - protected torso and improved missile defense.
Category 5 ("chainmail")
Typical of Heavy Infantry and Elite Heavy Infantry.
Treat as Heavy Foot or, if mounted, Medium Horse.
Examples:
  • Chainmail - more commonly known as just "mail", is armor is made of interlinked metal rings forming a flexible mesh. Perhaps the chainmail in this category is meant to represent a hauberk only, not a full set.
  • Banded mail - the authors probably meant lamellar or segmented armor.
  • Studded mail - the authors probably meant a plate-lined coat, usually called brigandine. 
  • Splint armor - rigid splints over a backing; covers torso and limbs.

GROUP C. FULL PROTECTION AGAINST VOLLEYS OF ARROWS
Treat these as "full armor" on the large-scale Missile Fire table. This is not the same as being arrow-proof.

Category 6 ("mail + shield") 
Typical of Elite Heavy Infantry and Armored Infantry.
Treat as Elite Heavy Foot, Armored Foot or, if mounted, Medium Horse or, if the horse is barded, Heavy Horse.
Examples:
  • Chainmail and shield - high-quality armor and improved missile defense.
  • "Chain +" - there seems to be a word missing on the table. Perhaps the authors meant to inlclude in this category the common medieval combinations of "Mail and Gambeson" or "Mail + Splint Armor" or maybe Chain+ just meant a full kit of mail (more protective, and more expensive, than just a hauberk).
Category 7 ("plate") 
Typical of Armored Infantry, Knights.
Treat as Armored Foot or, if mounted, Heavy Horse.
Examples:
  • Plate armor - full harness, offering near-total body protection, but extremely expensive and requiring assistance to don or doff.
Category 8 ("plate + shield") 
Typical of Armored Infantry, Knights.
Treat as Armored Foot or, if mounted, Heavy Horse.
Examples:
  • Plate armor - full harness, offering near-total body protection, but extremely expensive and requiring assistance to don or doff.

NOTE #1: HELMETS

In the Middle Ages, many types of military and some ceremonial helmets were developed, most of them made of metal. The great helm, emerging in the late twelfth century during the Crusades, remained in use until the fourteenth century. (Helmets are not given specific rules in Chainmail, but their presence or absence could help you determine a unit's level of protection in particular situations).


NOTE #2: BARDING

Chainmail has two armor categories for horses: no armor, and barded. Treat any horse with barding as a Heavy Horse.


(this post will be updated as my reading of Chainmail and OD&D progresses)

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