Armorer apprenticeships

Thu Feb 5 19:40:01 CET 2004

There probably also needs to be an upper limit to the apprentice adds,
perhaps something like no more than 1 per 10# of material.  You can't put 5
apprentices to work on a single dagger, but for armor and very large weapons
it would come into play.

The rule can probably be generalized to some degree for any sort of
"crafting" task, including "crafting magic" (in which case you need to
determine amount of work points required for enchantments, which will
provide a game mechanic for this at last, other then just casting the mana.

Just as a point of data, from http://wtimmins.tripod.com/lore/swords.html :

=================
if you are starting with iron ore, here's the sequence of operations. This
assumes medieval/ancient technology.

Smelt your ore - about2 days (with intermittent tending of the smelter).
This requires a smelter and a hellatious amount of charcoal.

Iron smelting is one of the reasons for the deforestation of Europe.

Shape your metal - you now have a billet of crude iron (steel is produced in
a reducing furnace, it is easy to get using modern techniques, it is very
hard to get using ancient techniques. "Damascus" steel was especially
prized, because it blended iron and steel in a "watered silk" pattern, that
was both strong and flexible. Germany in the late Middle Ages was also able
to produce good steel). Using a water or apprentice powered sledge hammer,
beat the metal into the rough size and shape you want. This probably takes
about 16-32 hours of work. Since the metal gets work hardened as you beat it
you need to reheat it in a forge, otherwise it gets brittle.

Shape your blade - you now have a number of billets of metal of
approximately the right size and shape. For a cheap blade, these can be
forged to shape (say about 4 hours) and then sharpened (say 4 hours).

For a good "pattern welded" blade you create some steel by heating iron in a
sealed box full of charcoal dust overnight. (8-12 hours). Then you forge
weld the steel billets to the iron billets and twist the two billets
together in a helix. Then you shape the twisted billet into a sword shape.
You then forge-weld a steel edge to this "twisted" body on both sides ofthe
body so that both edges join at the tip. Finally temper the whole thing, so
the body is flexible and the edges are stiff and will take a good edge.

Then you planish, fuller (put a "blood-groove" in) and shape the blade. This
is process is tremendously time-consuming (say 3 days 24 hours work) and
very tricky.

High quality katanas had alternating billets of iron and steel folded and
forge welded together all along the length of the sword. This process was
repeated 7 times. It took/takes weeks!

Finish your blade - File it to final shape and smoothness, polish it,
engrave it (optional), sharpen it (4-8 hours for a western sword, 2 days - 2
weeks for a high-grade katana for sharpening, say 2 days to a week for
shaping and polishing, any amount of time for engraving).

Hilt It - Form pieces of wood around the tang of the blade, shape them to
fit the hand, cast/forge quillons and pommel, assemble hilt, wrap grip with
wire/velvet. (Say 4 hours to cast quillons and pommel from brass. Assuming
you don't have to smelt the ore for the brass, 4 hours to planish and polish
quillons and pommel. Add any amount of time to engrave, bejewel or inlay the
quillons, pommel. Say 4 hours to cut and shape the wood to fit the tang of
the sword. Add 1 hour to wrap the grip well, assuming that you don't have to
make the wire/cloth).

Sheath It - Measure sword. Cut Thin strips of wood and leather to fit. Sew
leather around strips of wood. Decorate leather. Add metal fittings at tip
and top of sheath. Add mounting points for straps and staps. Possibly make a
sword belt to match. (8 hours for basic sheath, add any amount of time for
engraving, tooling, etc. )
==============

Assuming a weaponsmith wanted to make this "sword" (assume it is a
broadsword), ignoring the engraving and smelting steps, we have 24h to shape
the metal, probably another 24h to forge the actual blade, another 24h to
planish/fuller the blade, 8h to finish , 8h to hilt it, 8h to sheath it =
~72 work hours for a single blade.  DO we assume that 1 work point is an
hour or work?  Given the above data I suppose you could put a few
apprentices on (more than my 1 per 10# idea it seems).  This will make your
plain P&P broadsword.

SO do we assume the "going rate" for blades is 18h of work per pound of
weapon?  Or not a direct function (perhaps a power, more like (weight/4)^0.8
x 72 work points.

Then we can figure the proper work rate needs for the other weapons, or just
use the 72 for all metal weapons.

Probably requires some research, but we can probably come up with a few data
points and then throw together some "feel's right" formulas.

----------------------------------------
Burton Choinski
Principal Software Engineer, Quality Engineering
email: burton.choinski at matrixone.com

phone: 978-589-4089
fax:      978-589-5903

MatrixOne, Inc.
210 Littleton Rd.
Westford, Ma 01886
www.matrixone.com

The First in Intelligent Collaborative Commerce
----------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Alex Koponen [mailto:akoponen at MOSQUITONET.COM]
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 1:02 PM
To: POWERS-AND-PERILS at geo000.CITG.TUDELFT.NL
Subject: Re: Armorer apprenticeships

Okay, revised suggestion for when "or 80" skills have been tossed:

  In working a single forge an Armorer may have up to EL/2 (RU)
apprentices. These apprentices may add their EL, up to a maximum of 50% of
the Armorer's EL, to the Armorers effective skill in calculating speed* in
forging armor and weapons.
  Apprentices with less than the Armorer's EL learn at 2 expertise per day,
1 expertise per day if he has more than his maximum number of apprentices.
Literate apprentices may learn an additional 1 expertise per day if
supplied with the proper books and manuals.
  Typically an Armorer's Manual covers the basics up to EL1, then a series
of smaller, yet equally expensive books cover each EL while describing how
to make particular items or later how to improve one's skill
in particular aspects of the skill like quenching.

*In rules yet to be written...

On Thu, 5 Feb 2004 11:58:08 -0500, Choinski, Burton
<Burton.Choinski at MATRIXONE.COM> wrote:

>This sounds pretty good, but needs to be tweaked to a normal EL writing if
>the plan is to simplfy by tossing "or 80" skills and going pure singular
EL.
>Burton Choinski
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Alex Koponen [mailto:akoponen at MOSQUITONET.COM]
>Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 11:21 AM
>To: POWERS-AND-PERILS at GEO.CITG.TUDELFT.NL
>Subject: Armorer apprenticeships
>
>Suggestion:
>  In working a single forge an Armorer may have up to EL/20 (RU)
>apprentices. These apprentices may add their EL, up to a maximum of 50% of
>the Armorer's EL, to the Armorers effective skill in calculating speed* in
>forging armor and weapons.
>  Apprentices with less than the Armorer's EL learn at 2 expertise per day,
>1 expertise per day if he has more than his maximum number of apprentices.
>Literate apprentices may learn an additional 1 expertise per day if
>supplied with the proper books and manuals.
>  Typically an Armorer's Manual covers the basics up to EL10, then a series
>of smaller, yet equally expensive books cover another 10 EL while
>describing how to make particular items or later how to improve one's skill
>in particular aspects of the skill like quenching.
>
>*In rules yet to be written...
>
>
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