material question

hello all,
just had a material question. I wanted to make some armor, but I don't have the steel or leather. I was wondering if a strong plastic will work. I have a thick plastic barrel I can cut up. is that allowed or is it strictly not allowed?

P.J.

From the rulebook

In Knight Realms, two things judge the value of a piece of armor: the amount of protection it gives (what it covers and how sturdy it is), and how authentic it is. Good, thick armor that looks like it was cobbled together in your garage will do, but a suit of armor that is made from authentic materials and design will offer greater protection. We do realize that a suit of plate mail is not cheap, and chain mail does not grow on trees, but we encourage players to make an effort to make their armor as realistic as possible.

Ultimately, your armor’s coverage and authenticity will be evaluated to decide how many Armor Points you get for it and if it warrants a soak. These points and the soak are the only things that matter for the purpose of Knight Realms. You do not have to worry about the armor physically protecting yourself from any blows swung at you (i.e. – a hit to exposed skin OOG still must deal with Soak and Armor points, even if it did not hit the armor). The boffer weapons used at Knight Realms are designed not to hurt anyone, even someone wearing no armor at all.

A major thought about homemade armor of most of the safety marshals tends to be making sure that it's safe for not just you but other players as well. If you wouldn't hit your own weapon on it for fear of it damaging your weapon or perhaps sharp edges that costuming/fleshy bits would get cut, ripped, or hurt on, then it probably won't pass inspection. Do unto others as you'd want done to you.