Bicycles in YOUR campaign setting!

[BlueBlackRed]

Most people would use horses as they'd be cheaper (kind of).
And rich people would ride flying carpets rather than some metal contraption.

And weren't bikes invented long after gunpowder?

 

[Sejs]

I could see them, though pretty much only as a toy for the very rich. Oh ho ho, look at this expensive bit of ironmongery nonsense I'm so rich that I can afford to throw money away on! Come! Let's toodle around the courtyard on it for a bit. Don't worry if you fall over, that's all part of the fun. Oh ho ho.


I will admit a certain inner smile at the idea of the bicycle being inspired by some mage summoning up a batch of outsiders from Mechanus that looked like the wheelmen from Return to Oz, however.

 

[Barak]

I, of course, have a Prestige Class centered on it's use.

 

[Nifft]

Bicycles and bicycle repair men are hunted by packs of Plausibility Ninjas, who exist specifically to terminate any transportation, good and/or service not listed in the PHB.

-- N

 

[Nyeshet]

Bikes in D&D? :blink:

That's an . . . odd idea. I could, perhaps, see one or two in a gnomish settlement - itself in the middle of a large gnomish nation that is relatively advanced. What's that island in Faerun, Landun or something like that? Perhaps in one of the cities there. It would be as rare and exotic as fire arms. Possible, but quite unlikely. Not at all used by adventurers, I would think, due to the ease of breaking, the scarsity of spare parts with which to fix it, and the fact that it cannot handle some terrains as well as a horse might be able to do so (such as open field, most forms of rough terrain, steep trails along escarpments, etc. This doesn't even take into account that the wheels would be solid wood or metal.

Personally, I think it would be better to introduce the horse drawn carriage. I seem to recall an (older) fantasy series that I came across in a library one day. Its entire premise focused around an individual in a low magic / late middle ages fantasy world (just about to enter the renaissance, so think around the early 1300s) who first developed the horse drawn carriage - and his latter attempts to start the equivalent of a busing line for elite customers between two major cities (ie: 2-6 wealthy individuals taken from one city to the other in a horse drawn carriage). Its been ages since I read those books. I wish I could recall the titles or the author. It was only 2-4 books long, that series. Ah, well.

 

[Xyanthon]

Well, I don't think for the type of fantasy gaming I prefer that they would fit very well. However, I could stand to ride my real life bike a bit more, heh.

 

[Greylock]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NecUwKc1-c

Watch it.

 

[Hussar]

I voted "No Way!", but I assume that you are talking about domesticated bicycles. Vast herds of wild bicycles, of course, can be encountered roaming the Paving Plains.

RC

RC FTW

Never thought about it to tell the truth. Don't have any major issue with it. Bicycle rickshaws in the city would make a lot of sense I suppose. I doubt they'd be terribly common.

Although, the idea of a bicycle leads to one with big, fat wheels, long front fork and a nice comfortable seat, combined with animate object.

My half orc rides a hawg. Now that would be ... groovy.

 

[Maggan]

I could see them working in Iron Kingdoms (which is essentially steampunk anyways) or possibly Eberron, but Greyhawk, FR, etc., are too medieval/Renaissance-derived for bicycles to feel right to me.

What an odd question! Now I'm curious as to what brought it up.

I gave it some thought, and after I browsed my latest Privateer purchase, Five Fingers, I felt I could actually add bikes to the Iron Kingdoms without any problems at all. They wouldn't look like the bikes we have today, more like the bikes did when they were invented.

Also, I could see adding a proto-bike to WFRP as well. And maybe even in Sigil (Planescape).

/M

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Though I voted "yes but weird," in all honesty, it depends upon the design of the particular campaign I'm running.

Most of what I've run in the past has been plain vanilla D&D.

OTOH, sometimes I run Jamoca Almond Fudge w/ Butter Pecan Fried Icecream D&D.

...the bikes go in the second category, btw.

As for the mechanics of them...nobody said they had to be precisely the same kind of bike we know today with skinny, rubbery tires.

The main reason for the rubber isn't so much comfort as traction.

A little natural rubber on large (wide) cylinders, while slow, wouldn't be that uncomfortable. The mass of them would distribute shocks a little differently.

Or they could be made with the same wheels and steering as carts and carriages...and have the shock absorbtion handled by springs under the seat. According to Inventors.com:

Like most other fundamental mechanisms, metal coil springs have existed since the Bronze Age.

Besides, they're not THAT anachronistic...Leonardo DaVinci designed (but did not build) one in 1480. (http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/3861/racebike.htm)