Dave's Rather Eclectic Attempt at a Steampunk Setting! (Long)

[Carnifex]

A note on the forests in England thing: By victorian times, most of the forests in England had been cut down for use in building naval vessels, I believe.

You could probably introduce the idea of forest "preserves" for the elves - maybe they have been shunted off into preserves much like american indians were in the west. This would build in some nice opportunities for conflict.

For various reasons, there still were significant areas of forests even in the Victorian period, though deforestation certainly was a factor. There still *are* large chunks of forest in some areas like the New Forest.

 

[Silverglass]

Try this site

http://link.bubl.ac.uk/ISC11332 for a Map of London from 1827 and 1859

another would be

http://booth.lse.ac.uk/ (which might be orderable in paper form)

All these are navigable maps rather than just a large picture so I dont know how much help they will be.

 

[dave_o]

A note on the forests in England thing: By victorian times, most of the forests in England had been cut down for use in building naval vessels, I believe.

You could probably introduce the idea of forest "preserves" for the elves - maybe they have been shunted off into preserves much like american indians were in the west. This would build in some nice opportunities for conflict.

It could also introduce an alternate history, one in which the power of the Navy wasn't as strong, due to Elven protection of forests. I mean, I wouldn't want to mess with Elves.

Although, in my spin on this thing, I'm gonna have the Elves make up the Asian populace. So that means more human-built railroads and such in my game, though I'm sure there still will be a good portion of Elven (Asian) laborers.

 

[Matt Lazarus]

This is shaping up into a fact packed forum. Between you all I'm sure we could dope out a d20 supplement book from all this material.

Any plans for the Cottingsly fairies in your world?

 

[netnomad]

I know Malladin's Gate is doing a d20 Modern like Streampunk game. here is a link for ya:
http://www.malladinsgate.com/products/productline.php?LineName=EtherScope&

Also Bad Axe Games has Grim Tales:
http://www.badaxegames.com/html/products/grim_tales/index.html

Carnifex: When is Steam & Steel: A Guide to Fantasy Steamworks due? How about a teaser (like a ToC or something.)

-Netnomad

 

[Carnifex]

I know Malladin's Gate is doing a d20 Modern like Streampunk game. here is a link for ya:
http://www.malladinsgate.com/products/productline.php?LineName=EtherScope&

Also Bad Axe Games has Grim Tales:
http://www.badaxegames.com/html/products/grim_tales/index.html

Carnifex: When is Steam & Steel: A Guide to Fantasy Steamworks due? How about a teaser (like a ToC or something.)

-Netnomad

Steam & Steel should be out around the end of September, at least that was the estimate Hellhound last gave me Hm.. teaser...

Here's the chapter list:

Steam Technology in a Fantasy Setting:
Covering how steam power works, how to incorporate steam technology into a pre-existing campaign that is already up and running, how to create a setting from scratch with steam technology integrated into it, the effects of steam technology in terms of society, industrialisation, magic, religion, and war. A series of sample steampower styles, including steampunk and two others, along with sample setting summaries for each style (the appendix includes a write-up of two of the three sample settings, giving a concrete example of how to integrate the rules provided in the guide into a campaign).

Creating and Using Steamworks:
Provides rules for using, making and breaking steamworks, including rules for malfunctions and fuelling. Includes a new skill and new feats, and some rules for magic/tech animosity.

Engines of Steam:
Rules for over a dozen types of steam engine, varying from conventional fuel-burners relying on oil or coal to more exotic ones such as necromekanical, arcane and alchemechanical ones (and wierder ones too). The full gamut from engines that eat souls to ones whose boilers are filled with the energy of the Plane of Fire.

Materials and Craftsmanship:
Provides rules for different levels of craftsmanship, from crude to high steam-power. Also provides lots of alternative materials for crafting steamworks from instead of steel and iron - from copper and gold to more exotic materials like adamantium or dragonscale plating.

Tools of the Trade:
A large selection of steamwork devices and related items, like rare and fantastical fuels. Also includes some firearms rules, rules for various other steamwork weapons, and rules for steamwork armour.

Edifices of Might:
Rules for steamtech buildings, from massive arcanist's towers and oil rigs to steamwork pump systems and printing presses.

Prosthetics - Melding Man with Machine:
Rules for steamwork prosthetics of all sorts, including magical upgrades. Also a short section of options for running a more gritty, low-healing campaign in which prosthetics are more important.

Constructs & Vehicles - Beasts of Steel:
A large selection of steamwork constructs, as well as highly customiseable vehicle creation systems, whereby you can add extra hit dice, AC, transport capacity ang lots of other extras to the base vehicle. For instance, you could make a dirigible with extra AC and hit die, drop cords to allow for rapid disembarkation of troops, and a storm dynamo to grant additional power to onboard spellcasters. Includes various vehicles like trains, dirigibles and ironclads. Also, in the constructs section, the Behemoth - a steamwork construct so big that creatures of Large or smaller size simply can't hurt it, and capable of demolishing entire castles and cities without too many problems (the best way to destroy a behemoth is send an assault team to board it and sabotage it from within, normal adventurers simply can't fight it on normal terms).

Prestige Classes:
5 prestige classes - the Balloonist, Inspired Inventor, Mechanist, Metalworker and Steel Knight.

Spells:
A short selection of new spells related to steam technology.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Here here is a site from one of my DM's... Actually Eris404 on these boards. She ran a Victorian Era/League of Extraordinary Gentlemen game last year, and some of her background info is on this page.

 

[netnomad]

Steam & Steel should be out around the end of September, at least that was the estimate Hellhound last gave me Hm.. teaser...

This sounds pretty cool. I'm looking forward to it. You might want to pester the powers that be that its not anywhere on the EN publishing site.

A few more questions: Does it have any thing on tinkered (think mechanical) items that don't require power?

Do any of the Prcs specialize in construct manufacturing?

Thanks!

-Netnomad

 

[Carnifex]

This sounds pretty cool. I'm looking forward to it. You might want to pester the powers that be that its not anywhere on the EN publishing site.

A few more questions: Does it have any thing on tinkered (think mechanical) items that don't require power?

Do any of the Prcs specialize in construct manufacturing?

Thanks!

-Netnomad

There are a very few, IIRC, items that are mechanical in nature but which are not steamwork. However, the focus is very much on steam tech rather than clockworks or other mechanical processes.

The Inspired Inventor is more based around a Leonardo da Vinci style inventor/mechanic than a construct specialist, and the Metalworker is a divine spellcaster PrC that does give a boost to Craft as one of its powers, so there are PrC's that are good for someone aiming to construct constructs but no construct specialists.

 

[Conaill]

There are a very few, IIRC, items that are mechanical in nature but which are not steamwork. However, the focus is very much on steam tech rather than clockworks or other mechanical processes.

Bummer! I was soooo looking forward to a good tinkering/clockwork sourcebook!

How hard do you think it would be to convert steamtech rules into clockwork rules? You'd need some guidelines on how long a contraption runs on a single "winding" of its spring, but you should have similar rules regarding use of coal anyway. If you have "the full gamut from engines that eat souls to ones whose boilers are filled with the energy of the Plane of Fire", then one where the engine is a big spring doesn't seem much of a stretch...