Thanks for the comments, guys.
Yes, the finished version will have names- though approximate dates are a good idea I had not thought of.
A few folks are kind if missing the point though, so I will clarify.
The sheet is a bare bones starting point.
As such, it is intended for people with no background in historical armor research to quickly familiarize themselves with what they see on a practice field when they show up.
I made a deliberate decision to show bar grills, because thats what a newbie will see.
More advanced information will come later....
Confusing a new person by presenting the ideal, but not showing them the reality is not a good idea in my opinion, and counterproductive.
Let them nudge their way in first....
Give them a taste of what we do, and don't drown them in too much information at the start.
Educate them along the way, in doses they can digest.
The initial sheet is more or less "brain diarreha".
I sketched as helm types popped into my head, with no attempt at organization or finished designs.
I agree, I could have done one type of greathelm- I just thought of several at once, and each type is rather differently shaped enough that I thought at the time that it was worth listing each.
I actually thought of putting in a spun top- but thats covered more or less by the hemispherical spangenhelm...And I figured it was covered.
I could add one to the final version- but honestly, the spang covers the basic shape without needing to add one more design.
(And I didn't feel like poking the stuffier members so blatantly....
)
In the end, this is intended to be ONE sheet of printed out paper....
Therefor several of the helms shown are likely to be deleted, just to make room for whats not there yet.
(They also need to be large enough on the sheet that someone reading it can pick them out without eyestrain...)
All helms were shown without drapes or aventails because not everyone uses those, and they usually need to be added later when you buy a helm.
I felt it was not productive to imply to a newbie that their first helm will automatically come with one already provided....(At least, that was my logic while sketching.)
Since this is for people just starting out, what armor they pick for the first kit will be what they manage to find, make or buy.
Don't try to force them into spending $2000 on full period gear before letting them on the field.
They need to decide first if they like fighting.
Once the bug hits...They'll go gear crazy.
I also chose basic helm patterns specifically because a lot of fighters make their persona choice based on the helm first.
Let them start out in whatever gear they can cobble together.
They can always cover it.
But the helm is the soul of a fighter's kit.
This is to give them a decent starting point that is neither intimidating, nor impossible to puzzle out because they do not have a frame of reference already.
It gives them the initial information to ask questions without feeling stupid.
Thats really important for a new person, and it gives more confidence to get involved.
All the rest comes later.
-Badger-
