D&D General The Transition of a D&D World into the Industrial Era

[generic]

My most recent campaign setting, the one in which I am running my current game, is a fantastical setting, grounded in realistic physical principles, that has begun the transition into an industrial era of automation and factory production.

The technology level is Renaissance-level in terms of firearms and weaponry, but early industrial era in terms of factory production of goods, especially textiles, and production of rudimentary engines and basic combustion technology.

The main way I have addressed this in the setting is through the introduction of these advances from session zero onward, including in the armories of foes and potential foes.

One of my main questions, or, perhaps, the main purpose of this thread, is to determine how magic (low magic/mid magic in most of my campaign regions, and mid-high magic in one region), monsters (my setting has most of the classic ones, except for 'common' Dragons, because all wyrms are rare and legendary in my world, nigh extinct, actually), and other factors prevalent in D&D settings would affect the pace, efficacy, and outcome of an Industrial Revolution in such a fantasy world.

I plan to offer my thoughts after others have given input.

What might be the implications of such an Industrial Revolution, and how might you address these advances?

 

[Zardnaar]

Big one if you mix it with magic. And how far into the IR you set it.

 

[Tony Vargas]

My most recent campaign setting, the one in which I am running my current game, is a fantastical setting, grounded in realistic physical principles, that has begun the transition into an industrial era of automation and factory production.

So, I take it some of the fantastic, if not overtly magical things, like typical D&D monsters that are physically impossible for a variety of reasons, are just helped along with a bit of magic?

The technology level is Renaissance-level in terms of firearms and weaponry, but early industrial era in terms of factory production of goods, especially textiles, and production of rudimentary engines and basic combustion technology.

Mills making textiles go back to the very beginning of the industrial revolution, of course. While steam engines came a little later, and internal combustion engines closer to the 20th century.

One of my main questions, or, perhaps, the main purpose of this thread, is to determine how magic (low magic/mid magic in most of my campaign regions, and mid-high magic in one region), monsters (my setting has most of the classic ones, except for 'common' Dragons, because all wyrms are rare and legendary in my world, nigh extinct, actually), and other factors prevalent in D&D settings would affect the pace, efficacy, and outcome of an Industrial Revolution in such a fantasy world.

Well, if magic can intentionally help along inventions the same way it (unintentionally?) helps along monsters - smoothing little stumbling blocks like cube/square laws and the like - wizard-inventors could make really bad designs just work, without too much need for refinement. You could have things like brick dirigibles, ornithopters, perpetual motion machines, walking robots (I mean, there're already golems), whatever mad Victorian fantasy you can dream up, really.

Some monsters - giants, dragons, bulettes even, maybe - could be fairly quickly wiped out as the revolution proceeds to weapons and you get cannon if not chainguns mounted on airships and flying machines. Others, the smarter, smaller, differently-invulnerable ones, could thrive in Industrial-revolution cities. I could imagine Shadows infesting slums, oozes living sewers rising for the occasional meal and leaving a locked-room mystery behind, plagues of rats, firebeetles, and stirges…

 

[Zardnaar]

Big impact early on was textiles and steel Mills.

Damascus steel for example was really only good vs the alternatives. IR foundries could crank out high quality be steel in quantities that obsoleted hand crafted steel.

India was important to UK due to textiles. Made things like silk, spices and other luxury goods less relevent.

 

[Arvok]

I'd say the two biggest military innovations were gunpowder (and more specifically, cannons) and the development of the long range sailing vessel.

Once cannons became popular in Europe, the castle system was rendered obsolete. Within a few decades, the network hugely expensive of defensive structures needed to be re-built to be of any use. The amazing thing was that they accomplished this in less than a century.

When the caravel was developed and perfected, ships had nearly unlimited range (they still had to stop for fresh water and to resupply food, but they didn't need to do that at an established port). Coupled with the compass and the sextant, ships could travel far from land and explore all kind of new things (like the Americas). I don't know how much of Eberron's surface is water, and how much is unexplored, but that could make a huge difference.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'd say the two biggest military innovations were gunpowder (and more specifically, cannons) and the development of the long range sailing vessel.

Once cannons became popular in Europe, the castle system was rendered obsolete. Within a few decades, the network hugely expensive of defensive structures needed to be re-built to be of any use. The amazing thing was that they accomplished this in less than a century.

When the caravel was developed and perfected, ships had nearly unlimited range (they still had to stop for fresh water and to resupply food, but they didn't need to do that at an established port). Coupled with the compass and the sextant, ships could travel far from land and explore all kind of new things (like the Americas). I don't know how much of Eberron's surface is water, and how much is unexplored, but that could make a huge difference.

Both of those things predated the IR.

Religion may have played a role. If you can forge a bronze church bell a cannon isn't that hard.

IR transitioned to making cannons out of steel eventually.

Mass production for some things also predates the IR.

 

[generic]

Mills making textiles go back to the very beginning of the industrial revolution, of course. While steam engines came a little later, and internal combustion engines closer to the 20th century.

I should clarify, I meant steam and coal-based combustion engines which drive pistons using water tanks, and other such rudimentary engines, not the classical internal combustion engine.

Thank you for your input!

 

[Morrus]

Sounds a lot like our ZEITGEIST setting! Magic vs Technology is a really fertile ground for fantasy storytelling. Steam pushing out the fey, and the dire consequences thereof.

 

[Zardnaar]

Sounds a lot like our ZEITGEIST setting! Magic vs Technology is a really fertile ground for fantasy storytelling. Steam pushing out the fey, and the dire consequences thereof.

+1 for this Zeitgeist is ideal for this idea.

 

[Arvok]

Both of those things predated the IR.

Religion may have played a role. If you can forge a bronze church bell a cannon isn't that hard.

IR transitioned to making cannons out of steel eventually.

Mass production for some things also predates the IR.

My point (which I didn't convey very well), was that if you have renaissance-level military technology you need to look first at how that's going to affect the world. Military tech tends to drive everything else because the powers with the strongest militaries tend to dominate everyone else. There are rare exceptions, but it doesn't really matter if your means of production are better than the other guys' if they can march into your country and capture your workforce & factories. Of course, to do that they need to have a means of force projection and the infrastructure to support that, etc.