/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>9753364
Late 13thC is a pretty good era, especially as it has lots of options and equipment early Templars lacked such as those hand-and-a-half swords (Swords of War to use the period term).

If you go for a shield, then a classic small heater is the way to go. You'll want a mail coif alongside the skullcap and great helm, luckily by this period seperate coifs with circular aventails covering the shoulders are now in fashion, which is good as those are the standard coif shops sell these days. Altering the coif so it fits properly is a big plus, loose flapping coifs look rubbish and are distracting in a fight.

I really recommend getting a proper surcoat instead of a tabard. They look a lot better and cheap cotton tabards are a staple of barrel-scraping LARP costume.

The mail is a big variable both in construction and coverage. You want something longsleeved and knee length or a little shorter. Attached mail gauntlets or mittens would be ideal but it's harder to get them off the shelf, they could be something to add at a later date if you wanted. Mail leg armour is also an option for future expansion.

Butted mail is a lot cheaper and can more easily be repaired and altered with only a set of pliers at home. Riveted mail is more historically accurate but is much more expensive and has a few other drawbacks. In both cases, smaller rings are better; 10mm is way too large, 8-9mm is normal. Some riveted mail is 6mm but that is very expensive. 8mm butted should be achievable and look good.

The gambeson underneath all that should be fairly thin for ease of movement, weight and not overheating. Decent soft kit really helps too, rubbish clothes can ruin a kit even if the armour and weapons are great.

>Is that common? I'm a complete beginner at the moment.
Some people hate the idea of wearing steel armour or have medical problems, so lightweight aluminium mail can be attractive or a neccesity. Most semi-fit people shouldn't have a problem with steel though.