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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wraith Form" data-source="post: 3442651" data-attributes="member: 10789">I'm just looking to do some brainstorming, as I've created the bare bones of a setting but I'm a new-ish DM and feel like I'm barely treading water in the middle of a stormy ocean.Setting: .ALT post-Renaissance Europe, specifically France.  The Industrial Revolution is in it's infancy--foetal stages, really--and is occuring in secret.  My major France-like country's military (Dementleiu if you've read Ravenloft, but minus the horror trappings) has secretly been developing guns and steam tech--specifically, steamjacks.  The common man knows nothing about this.  Pretend Russia lives right next door to France, in a nation named Khador.Dementlieu has a thriving criminal element, a Guild based loosly on our real-world Mafia, which exerts considerable influence in governmental affairs--they have spies everywhere, and blackmail the snot outta the ruling classes in order to avoid...'punishment.'My players, a thief, bard and dragon shaman--all 3rd level--are in the 'employ' of (read: 'being blackmailed by') the Guild.Dementlieu's military has a rift: there is a splinter cell / shadow faction of the military which has sold the first prototypes to the neighboring country Khador.  These Dementlieu military dissidents want to sell the guns to Khador because Khador is gearing up for war with yet another country.  The guns will turn the tide of war to the Khadorites, a political and military friend to Dementlieu.  The Guild discovered details of the arms sale (spies, remember?) and had the players pose as Khadorite military, buy the guns, and have the guns shipped back to the Guild.(Confused yet?  If it makes it easier to understand, just swap 'France' and 'Russia' for the fantasy names.)Here's where I need help.  Khador knows that Dementlieu is capable of manufacturing weapons.  Dementlieu's military had a batch of prototype weapons stolen by dissidents in their own military a few weeks ago.  The Guild now has the weapons (and the Dementlieu military has no idea, not even the dissidents).Where do I go from here?  This is ripe for conspiracy & intrigue, but I'm having a tough time seeing the opportunities, especially for my players to be involved.  How can I play up the emerging steampunk technology?</blockquote>

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