The Byzantine Path of GADD

In all my wargaming years, I have to say that GADD (Gamer's Attention Deficit Disorder) is rather common occurrence. By GADD, I mean that I am in the middle of one project only to have my interest piqued by another conflict or period. I then go rushing off into a new project, abandoning the old one.

Well, my latest bout of GADD has to do with this:

Basil II Bulgar Slayer

Yes, I'm on a Byzantine kick now. How did that happen?!

It Started with Armor

As COVID vaccines are rolling out, I have been thinking about returning to my favorite hobby - live action roleplaying (LARP). I've posted before about this hobby (here's a post about my kits over the years). Anyway, I began thinking about armor.

Here is my current set. I love the look, but right now my lower torso is exposed, and the cuirass is difficult to put on by myself.

I also have this faux brigandine made of leather and steel rivets. It is easy to put on, but it is a bit heavier than I like.

I began pondering armor because I have a bunch of these lying around. With 4 cats, I tend to order a lot of pet supplies.

It dawned on me that these boxes would work great for making armor templates. I decided to experiment.

My Armor Experiments

I'm interested in making a brigandine coat with plastic plates. I found a simple pattern and set about doing a test version out of a Chewy box and a t-shirt. It faltered, however, when it came to riveting. I began to look for something easier to make.

This led me to lamellar armor. In this type of armor, the plates are laced together (which is a lot easier than riveting). I decided to try it out and began searching for patterns and instructions.

Historically, lamellar armor was not widely used in western Europe. It was more prevalent in Asia (e.g. samurai armor) and eastern Europe. What intrigued me most was references to Byzantine lamellar armor (kind of like what ol' Basil is wearing above). I was disappointed to learn that Byzantine lamellar was riveted to a leather backing. Oh well, I may try to make some Byzantine-inspired lamellar without the backing.

Which Leads To

Anyway, this has now led me into research on Byzantine military equipment, which has led to research into Byzantine military history, which has inspired an interest in gaming some Byzantine battles.

I have another horse & musket battle to post, but don't be surprised to see some Byzantine battles in the near future.