Does technology (steamtech/magictech/clockwork/etc.) figure in your game? What kind?

[Psion]

As some of you may have seen, a few of my recent threads have been about tinkering with my new game world. Historically, I have eschewed any sort of mock-technology.

But that said, my new game world specifically incorporates mini-settings that feature such items (Bluffside, Mindshadows) and I'm considering a little change of pace.

Does your setting use any sort of fantasy technology? What kind? What rules do you use? How did you introduce it? How have your players taken to it?

 

[Crothian]

We are currently running Eberron so ya.

In my own setting there is bits of it around but I perfer to not name it as such. I like my fantasy mostly tech free and once I put one of those labels on it it changes people's perception.

I have guns that are fantasy based. I stole the idea from a Ronin Arts PDF. Basically to use them one needs a feat that means they have a conection with the elemental plane of fire and can ignite the fire in the weapons. It is not wide spread though existing pretyty much in one city state.

I have flying ships but those are Gnome only. No one is quite sure why they are builkt to human scale though

My version of high elves has magetech, but it secret and not well known.

The dwarves used to have magical napalm but there source for that is not under Kobold control.

So, ya, its there but very limited and restricted. I want it to add a bit of flavor to my world but not over take it.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

As a rule, I don't like to cross the streams for long-running campaigns. I find it raises more questions than it answers, and plausibility spirals out of control. I've done steampunk type stuff for shorter arcs, though. Even then, though, I tend to keep the tech level relatively low -- something like Spelljammer is out of the question.

 

[Masquerade]

Funny that this question should come up. I'm starting up a steampunk (well, "industrial fantasy dungeonpunk noir" was actually the most accurate term I've used to describe it) d20 game this weekend, so I answered the second one.

The third option is true for my regular D&D campaigns.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I didn't vote...I'd have voted for the option "Yes, but it depends upon the particular campaign."

I've done published settings & homebrews that feature tech of some kind that is at variance with a RW medieval setting...

OTOH, I've run both without.

 

[Aaron L]

Well, there are some peices of ancient technology here and there, and some alien devices left ver from invasions, but generally the smart people in my setting that would have developed anything very advanced have been dedicated to magic.

There has been an active campaign against technology going on for quite a while by some less scrupulous magic-users to discourage its development to keep that kind of power out f the hands of common people and firmly under their control, even. Theyve seen the kinds of things advancet technology can do from some of the leftover tech and actively prevent its development.

Plus, there is some magitech and some older psionic devices left over from a few centuries ago that are still found every so often.


Of course, I have a fervent desire to play some Dragonstar, and then technology would play a very heavy part

 

[Tonguez]

I once ran a Antidiluvian Psionics campaign (it was short lived) based on 'Crystal Tech'. So it had Sky Barges, floating cities, short range teleporters, telekinetic gauntlets, power Armour, levitation machines and 'crystal rays' (laser guns) all powered by crystals.
Each City in the setting had a central 'Temple of Light' in which a large crystal was housed and which powered all the crystal tech in the city (thus access to tech was controlled by the Priesthood).

I think things like crystal tech and the like can work in fantasy if it is limited and controlled. However once you get into using widespread steam tech you start moving away from 'DnD fantasy' into something else. Of course once you get a combustion engine the setting well...

 

[Storyteller01]

Running Dragon Star I introduced IK style fantasy tech as a means of letting the tech come through. Yep, I had to bring in fantasy tech so they'd actually use the real tech *shudders*.

PS: As said earlier, adding tech changes the game. I added the tech because I wanted something other than traditional D&D.

That said, I've run adventures that reverse the thought; they have to operate their tech in a typical D&D setting. It starts to have an impact when the ammo starts running low, batteries start to die, and skills found in typical D&D campaigns aren't there...

 

[Storyteller01]

Of course, I have a fervent desire to play some Dragonstar, and then technology would play a very heavy part

If you're near Upland CA, we could use a rogue. The campaigns also gestalted.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Back in high school I used to take turns Solo-ing with a friend in our shared game world. I featured a few cultures with more advanced technology, including magnetic powered rifles and steam powered devices (inspired by the Myst computer game). Lately though, I've gotten a bit more "traditional", and kept tech as either non-existent, or as long lost artifacts.