Knights
& Kaiju is at its core a Pendragon campaign. Knights carry swords, usually.
Knights in a K&K campaign aren't much different. Nobility carrying melee
weapons as both defense and fashion is a standard trope.
But what
about wearing a proper knightly sword while crammed in a cramped and sweltering
cockpit? Not likely to be practical, even if we want to disregard comfort for
fashion. What would a proper knight of our post-apocalyptic 80s world wear for
personal defense and honor? Due to the cramped nature of the mecha cockpits the
personal arms of knights and other men-at-arms, such as squires, consist not of
swords, laser or otherwise, but of weapons that not as awkward within the
confines of a cockpit. These are by tradition daggers and knives, used mostly
for those few times a knight fights another knight sans mecha, and lacking the
technical base to manufacture personal scale energy weapons, light slug-thrower
pistols, which are used to deal with unruly peasants like bandits.
The
traditional courtly attire of knights are also influenced by the cramped and
hot cockpits. Clothes that would be associated with medieval knights, rightly
or wrongly, like long pointy shoes, huge sleeves, poofy pants, and neck ruffs
are right out because they would get in the way; likewise, tight and
constraining clothes are just as bad because of their tendency to hold too much
heat close to the body and cutting circulation off to extremities after long
periods of operation. (In case it wasn't apparent by now, I am taking a lot of
cues from Battletech regarding how Mechwarriors dressed while piloting, which
is mirrored slightly in how the members of Tekkaden from Iron-Blooded Orphans
dress while piloting Mobile-Suits/Workers while on a planet.) By their nature,
those mecha used for knightly pursuits have enclosed cockpits and produce a lot
of heat while in operation, forcing knights to wear as little as possible. In
short, members of the aristocracy and their warrior retainers dress like
post-apocalyptic warriors. Picture Conan or Thundarr, only without the fur, or
Sean Connery in Zardoz, or the Spartans in 300. That's right, knights
universally walk around in speedos and bootyshorts with a light harness for
carrying minor items, and a cloak or cape when not piloting. This is a post-apocalyptic
world from the late 80s and early 90s, and everybody dresses like it.
In
contrast with knights, peasants, not having to pilot stifling hot warmachines,
dress pretty much how you would expect peasants to dress.