CWBP 2 : Era and Technology

[vorropohaiah]

a gun does to magic what the crossbows done to archers in the real-world - it give a lot of power to someone who hasn't spent a lifetime training for it, and i think that's a very interesting thing to put into a fantasy world. Perhaps just one region or area, or maybe make it a very volatile emerging technology.

i know i have nothing to do with this thread though as your'e 'spamming' the first page i couldnt help but notice the thread

[Jalyha]

Okay, I like the idea of bending rules, and, as the first post said,

many people associate magic with the middle ages but it doesn't have to be that way

Right now, everything except the "mid-magic" (was it that or high magic?) is still just in discussion phase.

What we need to do is figure out the *general* level of technology... the era... and any major exceptions to that, so that *everyone* can work on their own things, that still *fit* in the same world.


I think you'll find a lot of resistance to modern, realistic additions on a global scale.

I'm pretty sure that doesn't keep any pocket societies from advancing faster than others.

Even if we decide, collectively, that no, the world doesn't have guns/gunpowder, that won't keep the people in your land/game/story from discovering a mystical black powder, almost more dangerous than it is useful, and turning to a few elite soldiers (or peasant fodder) to try utilizing it as a weapon.

Of course that would have to make sense, in some way with whatever level of technology people in the world *already have* .... and that "already have" is, I think, what's being discussed.


Now, all that aside, I don't think guns/musket battles/etc are *necessary* to add the level of turbulence you want. And I'm not violently opposed to the world having guns/gunpowder (though others might be). I simply think we can find a more creative *unique* way to add that turbulence.


What *I* personally enjoy, is writing a battle scene where I (I mean my generals) have to use my (their) wits... using the lay of the land, placing my archers, calvary, etc, in just the right locations, beating away at them, and then pulling a wizard out of my back pocket to strike the forest behind their calvary with lightening, setting it on fire, scaring their horses, sowing disorder in the ranks.

Bunch of guys in a trench with guns kind of does detract from that.

But I'm one person and one opinion, and there's lots of people involved in a community project.

If everyone thinks someone should have invented guns/other modern/futuristic weaponry, I could live with it.

I would like to know how it benefits the world (or rather, our collective use of the world) before anything is decided one way or the other, though.

[Jalyha]

a gun does to magic what the crossbows done to archers in the real-world - it give a lot of power to someone who hasn't spent a lifetime training for it, and i think that's a very interesting thing to put into a fantasy world. Perhaps just one region or area, or maybe make it a very volatile emerging technology.

i know i have nothing to do with this thread though as your'e 'spamming' the first page i couldnt help but notice the thread

That's why you should jump in to the project .. you're trapped now MUHAHAHA... ha...ha?

[Scoopz]

Okay, I like the idea of bending rules, and, as the first post said,
...

Bunch of guys in a trench with guns kind of does detract from that.

...

If everyone thinks someone should have invented guns/other modern/futuristic weaponry, I could live with it.

Not to beat a dead horse, but i'm not sure we're on the same page. This:



is an arquebus, no trenches, nothing particularly modern about it. It's got less stopping power than a crossbow. (at range, close it up it's a beast,)

[Jalyha]

Yes, but what I'm worried about is all the different technologies that makes standard in the world... and how fast they evolve/take over.


In the comparitive age of technology vs the age of the world, that is relatively modern. Old west is modern. Discovery of the Americas is modern. Pretty much anything 13th century + is modern to me, and there were some modern inventions even before then.

Now I'm not saying that modern is bad, but it's *more advanced* than what I pictured.

I'm worried about things like... now our people have gunpowder, steel at the very least, maybe more, they know what guns *can* do, they can create small explosions.

It does not take long for those things to develop past a point where you can control it.

My personal opinion is that the earlier we *start* our world (technology wise) the longer we can USE it without the tech taking over.

And speaking of crossbows, I'm very much on the edge just outside of opposing them

But, as I said, personal opinions. I'd like to see other people's views on the matter too

[Ghostman]

I guess I'll chime in then, even if it won't be much of a contribution to the discussion. Hypothetically, were I in a position to dictate things... this world's level of technology would be based on a mix of influences from the Inca empire and New Kingdom Egypt. That said, I'm content with the late-ish medieval setup we seem to currently be aiming at. I'd rather not deal with the consequences of firearms, but I'm not die hard opposed to early cannon or the like as very novel inventions.

P.S. If you want to insert turbulence into the world, make most of the states small and add some Viking-like dudes would be my recipe.

[Scoopz]

Well, I propose we set it closer to Ghostman's suggestion.

Perhaps... post-roman? (with a heavier armor being present, but ultimately not prevalent?)

Maybe along the lines of these kinds of soliders floating about:



EDIT: I have to say those are actually a pretty heavy mishmash of about 5 distinct periods.

[Jalyha]

Dude totally planted his shield in the ground and did a touchdown dance


I like that idea very much. We could even move a bit forward of that (not a lot!)


But I really like the thought of Egyptian-ish and/or Inca-ish influence as well

I have a much better idea of what I don't like than what I do like

[Scoopz]

Well.. which Kingdom of Egypt did you mean Ghost? Like Hellenic Egypt or pre-Alexander Conquest Egypt?

[Falconius]

I say we mix and match what we like from any period. Which is why I did the template at the beginning of the thread. That looks good to me though.

One has to also remember that we have a whole world to play around with though. If you want aztec derived stuff throw that in etc.

We seem pretty evenly divided about the gun issue. I've seen two supporters and one maybe, and me, Jalyha, and Ghostman for no guns. So perhaps we can compromise and say that they've started working out early cannons in the odd case?