Let's Read: Traveller, 1977 Edition, Characters & Combat, page 41-42

Page 41, and now we’ve got some tables. ‘Weapon and Equipment Weights and Prices.’ That’s a handy thing to have. All the information that was in the weapon descriptions is now handily tabled for our viewing pleasure. I find it easier to absorb the information this way, since I can do on-the-spot comparisons. There’s no new information here, it’s just easier to read.

The bottom of the page has the Body Armor table, but all it offers is the name, price, and description of the armor. Man, that Battle Dress stands out with its six-figure cost.

I’m going to do two pages at once here, because there really isn’t anything special about the first page. So, the next page gives us the Weapons Matrix, and now we get a sense of what armor can do in this game. And man, do you ever want to be wearing some kind of armor…If you’re not wearing armor, even the guy with the spear is going to kick your butt. Guns are just going to annihilate you; it’s not going to be pretty.

Oh, what’s this? The first set of weapons are natural ones, and it’s the first mention of unarmed combat that I’ve seen. I guess it’s just standard melee rules for those. We have the following natural weapons available: Hands, claws, teeth, horns, hooves, stinger, and…thrasher? What the heck is that? Whatever it is, it’s nasty; it has the highest modifiers against any armor, including Battle Dress. Seriously, I want a thrasher even over an automatic rifle. +7 against no armor, Jack, and Reflec; +4 against Mesh, Cloth and Ablat, and it’s the only weapon that doesn’t get a negative modifier against Battle Dress. That is monstrous. Or alien; since it’s under the ‘natural weapons’ section, I’m guessing it’s some sort of special animal/alien creature attack.

As for the rest, Battle Dress just shuts it all down (except thrasher). The only reason to wear Reflect armor is if you know you’re going up against someone with lasers, against which this armor has a -8 modifier. Against most of the rest of it, it’s no better than plain old blue jeans and T-shirt. Ballistic firearms (except body pistols) will tear through it like tissue paper.

What else stands out? Mesh and cloth are pretty good against melee weapons and firearms, but not much against lasers. Oh, and there’s a note at the bottom that laser fire ablates ablat armor DM by one with every shot. So, it’s good at first, but it won’t last very long.