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[Random832]

When talking about surly, drunken midgets that are almost as wide as they are tall, I could well imagine them wearing wide-brimmed hats.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Possibly even a wok. maybe I've spent too long in China?

A wok? Like the stir-fry pan?

Maybe you meant this.

[bjlong]

A quick note: hats with wide brims were generally only worn by people who lived in the country--in urban areas, the wide brims were a hassle, and offered little benefit. Since I usually compare dwarven forts to cities, you should see where I'm going with this. A cloak was usually used by the peasants, and umbrellas were generally used only by nobles trying to keep off the sun.

That said, I'd imagine any city with lots of stability would start using umbrellas. For the usual dwarven fortress, I can imagine cloaks being handed out at the fortress exits.

[RavingManiac]

The way items work right now, umbrellas would either have to be a completely new type of object, or a type of clothing, worn on the hand.

In any case, unless they can be folded up, I find it hard to imagine dwarves carrying umbrellas about themselves while indoors. Since having dwarves equip them only while going outdoors would be a bit of a hassle, cloaks or sun hats (unless the hat is wider than the shoulders, it shouldn't be too cumbersome) would probably be much more practical.

Humans, on the other hand...

[SomGuye]

I can accept umbrellas if they are made from goblin or elf skin.

"This is an Elf Leather Umbrella.  It menaces with spikes of finely crafted Goblin bone.
On the object is an image of a dwarf and water in Kobold bone.  The dwarf is drowning, the water is laughing."

[praguepride]

I think adding in raincoats is a great idea. We also need to add in rubber so that we can make elastic clothes (last longer and fit better then regular pig tail fiber) , rubber bands (can bind multiple objects together) and bungee chords (attach them to miners so they don't fall during a cave-in, they "bounce back" to safety )

[SirHoneyBadger]

I think adding in raincoats is a great idea. We also need to add in rubber so that we can make elastic clothes (last longer and fit better then regular pig tail fiber) , rubber bands (can bind multiple objects together) and bungee chords (attach them to miners so they don't fall during a cave-in, they "bounce back" to safety )

Rubber's one of those iffy grey areas, where it seems like it could have easily been invented pre 1400AD (by trained alchemists, anyway), but it didn't actually happen until centuries after.

[bjlong]

No offense, but I wear hats on a daily basis. Anything wider than your ears can be a hassle.

I would like to see zone-based equipping get in. For example, there could be a rack of helmets next to the entrance of a courtyard that requires everyone passing it to put on a helmet.

[Footkerchief]

Rubber's one of those iffy grey areas, where it seems like it could have easily been invented pre 1400AD (by trained alchemists, anyway), but it didn't actually happen until centuries after.

Vulcanization wasn't discovered until later, but rubber and similar plant-derived latexes were used as early as 1600 BC.

[Pyrophoricity]

If the idea of standard umbrellas and parasols is unappealing to some people perhaps, as previously stated they can be reinvented for use in DF. For instance a parasol may sound out of place in a fort but perhaps if we call them "Sky shields" or forge the shaft from metal or indeed allow their use as an improvised weapon much like a mining pick then maybe others may warm to the idea.

(On a side notel; my thoughts are that the dislike for the umbrellas and especially parasols is most likely based on the object's association with the prudish rich of the 17th 18th and 19th century and to a greater extent 'posh' upperclassmen who can generally be held to be 'un-dwarven')

[SirHoneyBadger]

Rubber's one of those iffy grey areas, where it seems like it could have easily been invented pre 1400AD (by trained alchemists, anyway), but it didn't actually happen until centuries after.

Vulcanization wasn't discovered until later, but rubber and similar plant-derived latexes were used as early as 1600 BC.

And that's fine, as long as we're not talking about vulcanized rubber.

[praguepride]

Man, if it wasn't april 1st I'd think I was being serious

[SirHoneyBadger]

Man, if it wasn't april 1st I'd think I was being serious

The problem/genius (and I tried to explain this to my wife, after she told me last night-after midnight-that she'd spent $7200 on a new livingroom set) with that theory is that it's not actually a bad idea, and it's something we could actually use...

For that matter, I don't really think even vulcanized rubber would necessarily be a bad thing to have in the game. As useful as it is, it lacks the game-breaking potential of say gunpowder.

[Diotisalvi]

I don't know if I may help on this or other topic, I'm an italian reenactor from the Consortium of European Re-enactment Societies. I reenact the second quarter of 1300, but i'm in contact with many groups from beginning to late 1400. Anyway, in case of rain, and always when travelling, it's customary to dress an hoodless cloak with a separated hood, called "pellegrina", both in wool. Usually, over the pellegrina there was an hat with a pointed brim, that in case of rain would channel the rain away from the body. That was both for rain and for sun. Anyway, 1300-1400 in europe was colder than it is now.

[bjlong]

^^^ Interesting... so cloaks, hoods, and hats weren't separate. This makes a lot of sense, when I think about it. Something to keep in mind.

[Neonivek]

If the idea of standard umbrellas and parasols is unappealing to some people perhaps, as previously stated they can be reinvented for use in DF. For instance a parasol may sound out of place in a fort but perhaps if we call them "Sky shields" or forge the shaft from metal or indeed allow their use as an improvised weapon much like a mining pick then maybe others may warm to the idea.

Romans used a formation using Shields specifically to use against overhead attacks.

Also Skyshield isn't a needed term. Parasol means EXACTLY what Dwarves would use it form. Para = Shield and Sol = Sun.
(well alright Para doesn't EXACTLY mean shield... but still)

As for April 1st I completely ignore it now. People can't make good April Fools Jokes anyhow so Id rather treat their comments are stupid rather then as REALLY stupid jokes.