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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Baron Opal II" data-source="post: 8774400" data-attributes="member: 6794067">Mid to late 1700's. There were a number of inventions that made looms more efficient or allowed for more complex patterns all over the world. different spindles, staffs, looms, shuttles- they made steps easier, in particular making the thread. The two big jumps in production were utilizing waterwheels to run looms, and being able to program patterns in water-driven looms with punch cards of wood or horn. Which, incidentally, where the idea of using punch cards to program computers later came from.One thing to look at is a timeline of invention. When I wanted to make an "advanced society" I looked at inventions and discoveries from the 18th and early 19th centuries. I didn't want things to look "modern", but things that obviated the major time drains of daily life seem miraculous when it's a 18" x 12" stone slab that's covered in runes which gets hot so you can cook on it.I had this in one of my games- people came across a society that had a lot of free time. Many people spent this looking at the night sky and studying movements of the stars and planets. Some people had a nocturnal lifestyle, others more crepuscular. Since the people had strong lore in geomancy and telluric magic, everyone had these stones that let them cook and warm their homes without wood, oil, or coal.That was all well and good. Our gaming sessions run over dinner, so we take an hour break to eat. One of my player's eye widened in horror when I pulled out an induction hot plate, about 18" x 12", plugged it in and used it to warm up the spaghetti sauce with it. Not an object from the 1800s, true, but I don't think I was making a conscious connection when I talked about the village.</blockquote>

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