D&D General D&D is now Steampunk (poll)

[GMMichael]

It seems that "medieval fantasy" no longer applies to D&D. It's more of a steampunk game, despite some of the art. Here's why:

• Default technology: the SRD offers PCs muskets, pistols, and airships.
• The Clarke rule: sufficiently advanced technology seems to be everywhere, given the number of classes and subclasses using magic.
• Species: the English word is post-middle ages, but Darwin made it pretty official in the 19th century.
• Cosmopolitan travel: it's not impossible to see a halfling and a dragonborn hanging out together, one of which could have arrived quickly, from distant lands, via Broom of Flying, Carpet of Flying, or the aforementioned airship. These travel modes rival, if not exceed, the speed of a locomotive engine.
• Industrial labor: cantrips, i.e. unlimited-use-spells, can do things like purify steel (acid splash), perform hard labor (mage hand), refrigerate (ray of frost), generate electricity (shocking grasp), and heat a boiler (fire bolt). In addition, rock gnomes can create, at will, "clockwork devices."
• Mass production: there's no mention of scarcity in the weapon, armor, or gear tables. (It does seem to apply loosely to magic items.)
• Apparatus of the Crab: enough said.

Agree? Disagree? Why isn't D&D now a steampunk game by default?

 

[TwoSix]

Not 100%, but it's a closer fit than Arthurian romantic fantasy or swords-and-sorcery.

 

[JConstantine]

Is steam-powered technology commonplace? No? It's not steampunk.

Even Eberron - a setting that is actually in the process of industrial revolution - is not steampunk.

 

[CreamCloud0]

voted NO. while i think DnD is moved out of the medieval aesthetic a good bit steampunk is a specific aesthetic all it's own which DnD does not check most of the boxes for and is not just the following step in the fantasy timeline of tech progession. DnD is more magitech than steampunk.

that said i do wish warforged was a default species

 

[bedir than]

I run smog-punk, which is dirty steampunk, in my goblin lands, but it takes a lot of work to make the magic feel like dirty tek. There's not enough clockwork tech, springworks, pneumatics, etc for steampunk to be considered the default.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

They outright said that default D&D is in the Renaissance at least. From the interview about the PHB, it was said to be the reason why there were firearms.

And that's consistent since Plate Mail was invented around the same time Firearms were invented in the real world.

 

[AlViking]

It's magic-punk if we have to give it a name. I have some steam-punk like elements in my game but it's not quite the same and it's certainly not pervasive.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It seems that "medieval fantasy" no longer applies to D&D. It's more of a steampunk game, despite some of the art. Here's why:

• Default technology: the SRD offers PCs muskets, pistols, and airships.
• The Clarke rule: sufficiently advanced technology seems to be everywhere, given the number of classes and subclasses using magic.
• Species: the English word is post-middle ages, but Darwin made it pretty official in the 19th century.
• Cosmopolitan travel: it's not impossible to see a halfling and a dragonborn hanging out together, one of which could have arrived quickly, from distant lands, via Broom of Flying, Carpet of Flying, or the aforementioned airship. These travel modes rival, if not exceed, the speed of a locomotive engine.
• Industrial labor: cantrips, i.e. unlimited-use-spells, can do things like purify steel (acid splash), perform hard labor (mage hand), refrigerate (ray of frost), generate electricity (shocking grasp), and heat a boiler (fire bolt). In addition, rock gnomes can create, at will, "clockwork devices."
• Mass production: there's no mention of scarcity in the weapon, armor, or gear tables. (It does seem to apply loosely to magic items.)
• Apparatus of the Crab: enough said.

Agree? Disagree? Why isn't D&D now a steampunk game by default?

Agree. The core tech level has definitely advanced. Couple that with magic and pseudo-science and, well, here we are.

 

[Reynard]

It isn't medieval but it is definitely not steampunk.

Do words no longer have meaning?

 

[Micah Sweet]

They outright said that default D&D is in the Renaissance at least. From the interview about the PHB, it was said that to be the reason why there were firearms.

And that's consistent since Plate Mail was invented around the same time Firearms were invented in the real world.

Firearms IMO should have been included when full plate was. You can divide stuff up by rough historical era if you want to restrict availability. That's what I do.