Mixed Armour types in EIR Legions

[Imperial Dave]

so do you think 'old hands' preferred mail to segmentata?

[Jim Webster]

so do you think 'old hands' preferred mail to segmentata?

I suspect that the capital cost being taken out of your pay meant that you probably tried to loot or otherwise acquire mail and just pay for segmentata 

[Imperial Dave]

an unsuspecting new recruit might be charged for mail but receive shiny new segmentata whilst old hands laugh and scheme behind his back

[Jim Webster]

I suspect the centurion would make sure that he was the one who took the backhander to make sure the newbie got the kit 

[Andreas Johansson]

Did the the greatⁿ-grandsons of Marius's Mules still carry their own gear on campaign in EIR times? If so I'd expect the new recruits to end up with the heavier hamata (assuming, of course, there indeed were units with mixed armour).

Are there any comparative studies on the protection offered by segmentata and hamata?

[Jim Webster]

Did the the greatⁿ-grandsons of Marius's Mules still carry their own gear on campaign in EIR times? If so I'd expect the new recruits to end up with the heavier hamata (assuming, of course, there indeed were units with mixed armour).

Are there any comparative studies on the protection offered by segmentata and hamata?

On various websites various reenacters state their opinions. So Segmentata protects a smaller area better but hamata has better overall coverage
But I haven't found anything which warrants dignifying with the term 'study' 

[Imperial Dave]

I suspect the centurion would make sure that he was the one who took the backhander to make sure the newbie got the kit 

indeed....!

following on from this though I wonder how much DIY stuff went on in the rank and file eg someone going for a shorter mail shirt (or longer) according to taste and purse etc

[Jim Webster]

I suspect the centurion would make sure that he was the one who took the backhander to make sure the newbie got the kit 

indeed....!

following on from this though I wonder how much DIY stuff went on in the rank and file eg someone going for a shorter mail shirt (or longer) according to taste and purse etc

For a shorter mail shirt you just need a mail shirt and a pair of snips 
Longer would cost money, but you might have been able to buy/make your own, rings. You'd probably need them for patching and suchlike so somebody in the camp must have made them.

[Nick Harbud]

Roman Body Armour by John & Hilary Travis takes the view that for much of the period mail, segmented and scale armours tended to coexist within individual units and what one received tended to be most dependent upon what the armourers wanted to produce.  This is turn was heavily influenced by the bits of armour returned to them for salvage, what was looted off bodies after a battle and generally what involved them in the least work to turn out a complete set of lorica.

BTW, this book is really good and has lots of pictures for those interested in minutiae of how these things were constructed and what they were like to wear.

[DougM]

Thanks Nick, that's what I was hoping to hear.

[Imperial Dave]

Roman Body Armour by John & Hilary Travis takes the view that for much of the period mail, segmented and scale armours tended to coexist within individual units and what one received tended to be most dependent upon what the armourers wanted to produce.  This is turn was heavily influenced by the bits of armour returned to them for salvage, what was looted off bodies after a battle and generally what involved them in the least work to turn out a complete set of lorica.

BTW, this book is really good and has lots of pictures for those interested in minutiae of how these things were constructed and what they were like to wear.

purchased.....

[dwkay57]

Do any rules differentiate between the type (i.e. mail v segmenta) in terms of any effect? Or is it just the portrayal aspect that we are considering here?

[Imperial Dave]

I was under the impression it was a portrayal thing.....if we were going down the route of differentiating between armour types for mechanisms purposes then that would be a level of granularity that would make Phil Barker do a double take

[dwkay57]

I thought that was the case, but always useful to check.

The "old" WRG MI/LMI/MC classifications used to lump together leather, lesser or un-armoured types which to me always seemed a bit generic.
Possibly one for the rules discussion threads.

[Imperial Dave]

replied on that and see my comments about horse armour...under WRG it was much more improtant/differentiated!