How do you approach this retopo?

Internet Friend

Hi! I'm a hobbyist just doing some 3D after a long hiatus and had a general question. I'm making some fantasy gauntlets that have metal plates that overhang the knuckles. I'm curious if you would retopo this as a single mesh or split out the plates into their own mesh. I'm doing it as a single mesh (and making a big mess of it) thinking it would be better for rigging and not having wasted hidden polys and texture space, but it seems like uvs, baking, and texturing are going to be harder.

Is there a best practice for this? (besides avoiding this kind of design in the first place!)

HAWK12HT

Hi, you can do both ways single or split. Depends on your end goal if you wanna show super realistic deformation then make it as it would be in real life, looks like its a metal press technique to get those armor plates. 
On closer look of your highpoly on right I think splitting the plates as separate mesh would be easier and give you option for variations of plates on same hand mesh, just like weapon attachments.