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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SKyOdin" data-source="post: 5389999" data-attributes="member: 57939">I think it is a lot easier than it appears at first. You just need magic to obey a couple of central tenets. First: magic can't produce energy out of nothing. If magic requires some kind of finite or limited source of power to draw upon, even if it is as simple as the inherent magical energy of a spell-caster. Second: magic requires a significant amount of labor from trained mages in order to function and be maintained.The core advantages brought about by the industrial revolution were that it allowed people to draw upon large amounts of cheap energy that gave the further advantage of significantly reducing the amount of labor and manpower required to preform all kinds of jobs. If magic can't replicate that, then it could never be used to emulate the industrial revolution.For example, lets consider a steam engine powered by magic flame. If the flame is a source of free, infinite energy, then yes, it will be something that could serve as the backbone of an industrial revolution. If the flame works by drawing on the strength of a trained mage, then it would probably be cheaper to hire brute human labor to perform the task than it would be to hire a trained wizard to exhaust himself keeping a flame lit.The possibilities of a magic-industrial revolution are completely dependent on the basic cost-benefit ratio of magic, which is something that can easily be adjusted to taste.EDIT: Thinking about, the best way to explain this is in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness. Sure, magic might be able to facilitate various forms of technology, but the important question is can it do so at a price cheap enough to be worthwhile? The continual light might give light indefinitely, but most people it would be far cheaper to just buy a few decades worth of candles for the same money. If magic is expensive, it would never replace more mundane forms of technology.</blockquote>

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