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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DarkKestral" data-source="post: 3630620" data-attributes="member: 40100">Basically, I'm talking 'real world' for my medieval fantasy, so...Guns are ok, though they'll be hard to reload in combat. THey had reloadable early versions starting around the 1400s, and had single-shot type dealies in the 1100s in Asia, so we can do medieval guns really easy.Printing is in, because well, movable type presses were first built in the 1050s, and Gutenberg made his in 1450, so they're well within the medieval capacity to build, and if literacy is as common as it is appears to be standard D&D, then the presence of the printing press helps explain that. (Seriously, only one hero class is illiterate. Clerics and wizards pretty much have to be literate, real world druids were usually the scribes for their tribes and so D&D druids probably should be, bards only a little less, rangers a little less than that, fighters can be, sorcerors should be just so they aren't completely screwed...)Mechanical computers are in, though they're mostly astronomical computers, and not really the 'general purpose' type associated with steampunk. The classical Greeks had 'em (look up the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism" target="_blank">Antikythera Mechanism</a> for an example) so they're doable, but as I said, limited. They're also generally quite BIG.Clockwork's in, for the reason above, since most of the big computers WERE clocks. That's all people originally wanted out of computers.. the ability to know the time an event would happen. Mostly, I'd limit clockwork to defensive machinery (for an example, think of a gate w/ a clockwork lifting mechanism, so that only one person is needed to close or open a heavy gate.)Large scale machinery's OK too, since the Romans had pumps and whatnot during their empire. Siege engines were common enough in the medieval era, and I am pretty sure some medieval castles had pumps to help w/ water supplies in time of siege, so that the castle could remain on the high ground. However, most large scale machinery is stuff that is either designed for war (siege engines and similar types of gear) or is stuff that makes it a lot easier to defend a place during war (water pumps and similar stuff)But, the presence of all of these technologies is LIMITED. Sure, there are printing presses, but in general, no one knows how to build them except printers' guilds and perhaps the occasional group of monks and/or clerics. Wizards shouldn't probably have them, unless they too have a guild, and their own spellbooks are likely to be hand-written, meant mostly for their own consumption. (Wizards hoarding knowledge? That's just too classic to give up..) Sure, there's a clock, but it's kept at the village's main temple and is used only by the priests and the bell-ringers to ensure that the faithful come to worship at the right time. Sure, there's a gigantic clockwork mechanism, but it's the gate lock for the castle's main gate. Guns are generally complex, sometimes unreliable, hand-built, and probably only owned by the local lord and handed out only during wartime. Any time you see a lot more of a technology than that, chances are that area or race is known for producing that type of stuff. So you can largely IGNORE them in gameplay, most of the time, without affecting the feel.However, things such as railways, airships, ornithopters (well.. successful ones at least, though a genius might produce plans for one which they THINK will work), and long distance communication machinery are pretty much out of the question, because they weren't around until well after the Renaissance period.</blockquote>

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