Do your players wear knee britches or lederhosen?

Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:23 am

Heh, in looking through some of my RPG books C&C PH, Gary's Living Fantasy and Yggsburgh, I got to thinking about clothing that PCs wear.

So, do you pay much attention to clothing? I don't suppose your fighters wear stocking, lederhosen or knee britches but perhaps your bards do. Or maybe only silly NPCs in those weird areas of town.

How about dalmatics, doublets, frocks, etc. And a caftan, surely a manly PC would wear one.

Girdles?

OK, and for those who are running adventures in Yggsburgh, what about wigs. Men wear them - it's very stylish!!

Let's face it, a comfortably attired PC is an effective and happy PC!!
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Harry Joy · Post by **Harry Joy** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:32 am

I always imagine my characters as being in fairly normal clothing, if not in armor. For that matter, I haven't played a heavily armored character in three or four years. My current guy has leather armor, but I imagine it as being rather simple and rudimentary, with a vest, white broadcloth shirt, simple pants much like jeans, plain boots and gloves.

And a saffron yellow sash. Man's gotta have sumthin' to set him apart.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:41 am

I don't much worry about the look of clothing of the time period. Simple pants, or leggings or pantaloons (sp?) are how they are often described in game. Back in the 2E days, players hated the look of the Arms & Equipment Guide as most everything didn't look like simple clothing that adventurers would wear.

-O
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Telhawk · Post by **Telhawk** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:46 am

Being a child of the '70s and '80s as I am, my concept of "ideal" fantasy RPG-style wear was locked and set in stone by John Boorman's Excalibur back in '81. I was never a fan of the overly-idealized "silverwear"-type armor that Arthur and his boys model in the last half of the movie, but the pre-Round Table stuff...well, it just completely fit the bill. Nichol Williamson's Merlin had the ideal wizard garb, and for the clerics - well, just take the armor, throw a nice tabard over it with the appropriate religious symbol, and things work out just fine. And thieves would probably have something like the leather garb that Arthur wears before Excalibur itself is pulled out of the stone. All your fantasy accoutrement needs taken care of in one movie, courtesy of Mr. Boorman.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:56 am

Tellhawk, that is very interesting. It is films to that have influenced how I thought characters would dress within a setting. The film that influenced me the most was Robinhood, Prince of Thieves. The clothing that the peasentry wears is rugged, yet common looking. Even the characters with wealth (the Sherrif, the Sherrif's cousin, old man Locksley, and the maid Marian) dressed rather rather simply, but with more designs and detail in the fabrics.

It might not be realistic, but the clothing of this film greatly influeced my thinking about fantasy clothing.

-O
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Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:00 am

I try to keep away from Renaissance type clothing if I can help it. I usually imagine fairly plain eleventh and twelfth century garb, but I'm not much struck on the tight fitting trousers visible on the Bayeux Tapestry. I guess, typically the kinds of clothes you see in Cadfael, Robin of Sherwood and Ivanhoe or in more recent films like Beowulf & Grendel, Kingdom of Heaven and, of course, The Lord of the Rings. I suppose Conan the Barbarian would also qualify for more 'fantasy' imagery. Of course, if I were feeling like camping it up, they might all be dressed like Hawk the Slayer.
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Rigon · Post by **Rigon** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:19 am

For some reason most of my characters wear kilts.

R-
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:20 am

Ah, Beowulf & Grendel, and Kingdom of Heaven are both great visual references to the look of fantasy games in my estimation. Great suggestions Matthew.

-O
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slimykuotoan · Post by **slimykuotoan** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:51 am

breeches and tunics all the way brother!

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:04 am

My current PC, a gnome wizard-druid, wears tie-dyed wool clothing, and little pants that are orange, with a nice yellow-orange "Supergnome" cape. He also has cute John Lennon glasses that are colored in orange. So... if you took JL and mixed him with Jerry Garcia, made him short, extended the nose... you'd have my gnome, man. Clothes are very important.

Aladar · Post by **Aladar** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 7:16 pm

Besides Kingdom of Heaven, another good movie that shows good "period" clothing is Timeline. I know its SciFi, but the clothing was very close to being accurate, plus the buildings were very well done.

When the time travellers bust out of the building they are being held in, you see just how flimsy (and thin) some of the walls were back then in a typical village, plus the thatched roofs. It didn't take much to burn them down.
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Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:27 am

A nice capuchon is all the rage these days.

I;ve tended in the past to make at least some allowances for period clothing. the study of which is a fascinating exercise in and of itself.

But the shoes. Oh, my sweet heavenly Man in the Moon, the shoes.

*gibber*
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Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:28 am

A nice capuchon is all the rage these days.

I;ve tended in the past to make at least some allowances for period clothing. the study of which is a fascinating exercise in and of itself.

But the shoes. Oh, my sweet heavenly Man in the Moon, the shoes.

*gibber*
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concobar · Post by **concobar** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:53 pm

long tunics or robes belted at the waist with wide leather belts. Think similar to roman dress.