Weapons increase the amount of damage you do in combat. Armor and shields reduce damage done to you, but also may also lower your effective Dexterity or cause you to expend Fatigue faster. (Note, however, that the weapon and armor system is quite flexible: administrators may +define combat objects that depart from these norms... for example, high-tech armor that does not reduce Dexterity.)

You do not have to have a readied weapon in order to attack. Attacking without a weapon is calculated as `bare-hand' damage, figured from your Strength and unarmed combat skills such as Brawling and Martial Arts (discussed further in Unarmed Combat.)

To ready a weapon or shield, type +ready <weapon or shield>. You must be holding the weapon in order to ready it. It must be created by a Argo program. If you drop the weapon or it leaves your possession in some other way, it will become unreadied and damage you do will be figured as bare-hand until you recover and re-ready it. +Ready works in the same way and follows the same syntax for melee weapons, missle weapons, projectile weapons, and shields. Readying takes one turn.

To use armor, type +put on <armor>. You must be holding the armor in order to don it, it must be created by a Argo program, and it must not be broken (armor rarely if ever becomes broken). If you the armor leaves your possession, the prop is recording its presence is removed and attacks against you are calculated without armor. Heavier armor takes longer to put on: donning armor takes 2 turns for each level of Damage Resistance provided. The heat of battle not a good time to don your DR 6 plate mail: you'll probably be dead before you get it on. (The time required for donning armor is a trade-off of realism for playability: it would take considerably longer than three minutes to don a full suit of plate mail.)

Unless combat events cause otherwise, weapons and shields remain readied until you unready them (+unready; 1 turn) and armor remains worn until you take it off ( +take off; 1 turn per level of damage resistance). So, it is technically feasible to remain armored and have a readied weapon at all times. However, the +check command shows a character's readied weapons and armor, and in many situations being armed and armored would be very inappropriate IC.

You do not have to own a weapon in order to ready or use it. Characters may lend weapons to each other. Also, quick-typing, non-lagging opponents can take a combatant's dropped weapon. Ideally, a situation such as this should be determined as a contest of skills rolled against Dexterity, but in any event, carrying a second weapon is not a bad idea.