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

[Robert Ranting]

Steamtech in my setting

I voted that I made my own setting which features it "strongly", but the truth probably falls somewhere between that and the "occassional curiosity" option. My setting's level of tech varies widely depending on the country, as each race has a different attitude about it and what it can or should be used for. ...I'd go into it, but there's too many political, social, and historical issues that effect the selective proliferation and stagnation of different technologies.

The Highlights:

Basically, flintlocks, trains, canned goods, cotton-gins, etc. exist, but the means of production are controlled by a select elite in a couple countries, who usually do not have the best interests of society in mind. Clockworks and steam-boiler driven automatons or vehicles can exist, but are the playthings of mad inventors and their noble patrons. While a party of adventurers might stumble across the occassional Gyrocopter or Clockwork Badger, the average citizen would be astounded that such things could be built. Also, magic and technology do not play well together. Attempts to combine the two generally have disasterous results (Natural 1 = Explosion, most likely), so you won't find many +1 flintlock pistols laying about (in fact, as of the current time, there are 2, both in possession of a 15th level Human Unfettered PC).

Robert "'As It Should Have Been, Not As It Was'" Ranting

 

[Melan]

High technology has featured heavily in my games. This is a definite pulp fantasy influence - going back to some of my favourite fantasists like Leigh Brackett (in The Sword of Rhiannon and The Book of Skaith, for example) and Jack Vance, as well as Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant, a CRPG with a very strong technology element. These elements aren't ubiquitous, but a group of PCs will probably meet them sooner or later.

On the other hand, I do not have things like flintlock muskets, clockworks or steampunk devices (including the infamous lightning rail) in my campaigns. It is all high tech or nothing.

 

[Aaron L]

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

Oh, how I wish I could come play!

I've had an idea for a tech-ninja type Rogue from Blue Dragon dominated space who specialized in industrial espionage would be fun as hell...


But alas, I live in PA.

 

[Li Shenron]

I have never used it but I often think that it would be a nice change of style for a campaign or two.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Imagine earth as a magicxal place where arcane and divine forces allow people to channel these energies. Now imagine back to the time right before the industrial revolution began. In a way, think Masque of the Red Death, w/o the entity known as the Red Death. Now imagine that setting in a post 'arcane-industrial' revolution. That would be my campaign setting.

 

[the Jester]

I voted "occasional curiousity"... in my campaign, ancient "radiomancy" technology is a relic of the ancient Miloxi Empire, which was an empire of tabaxi. It tends to give pcs a "RADs" number... which increases over time, and sometimes makes characters fall ill or even worse.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I voted "occasional curiousity"... in my campaign, ancient "radiomancy" technology is a relic of the ancient Miloxi Empire, which was an empire of tabaxi. It tends to give pcs a "RADs" number... which increases over time, and sometimes makes characters fall ill or even worse.

Are you using Goodman's Underdark accessory?

 

[Starglim]

I really like Iron Kingdoms, but I'd like to think it uses steam power as an aesthetic element, not a technology. I won't say I've never seen mock-technology done well, but nothing immediately springs to mind.

 

[Dr Simon]

In the World of Conclave we ended up including some technology, but not a great deal of OTT steam-punky stuff. The setting assumes a slightly higher tech-level than the usual fantasy default, more akin to 17th century with printing presses, clocks, banking, calculus etc. all existing but still quite rare and the province of curiousities and the few 'natural philosophers'.

One nation, the Technocracy of Hudan, has pushed the envelope further than elsewhere, mostly due to their access to various magically-empowered minerals created by the death of a god. They are closer to the Industrial Revolution, but also blighted by magical pollution creating mutants and other wierdness. They also jealously guard their secrets and have a special subset of agents dedicated to preventing theft of their items.

Guns are around, but quite rare. Hudanese guns are, as mentioned, kept exculsively to Hudan (yeah, right, there are no gun-runners, honest). Other nations have developed explosives seperately, but they aren't as reliable.

Part of the interest is to set things up so that, potentially, some sort of arms race develops.

****

On a not-Conclave note, I once ran a campaign back in college, which I'm resurrecting soon, that featured high tech (some ancient heroes were actually marooned travellers from an advanced world, that old schtick). In the original campaign the tech stuff was obviously laser guns and the like. In the revisited version, I'm making it seem more magical (rather than a laser rifle looking like a gun, it is more like a sort of white organic staff, for example, and is known as an energy staff). Tech is known by the general populace as being 'different from magic', and doesn't interact with spells/abilities/items that specifially affect magic. It's all in the hands of the guild of Tech-Knowledgists, who are sort of controlled by the government but may, at some point in the campaign, go a bit out of control. Further, it gives me the opportunity to use Chaositech as an equal and opposite force, in the hands of some bad guys.

 

[diaglo]

currently refereeing an OD&D(1974) campaign.

so Yeah.

edit: dwarves (which includes gnomes)