D&D General Introducing a Scientific Mindset to Dungeons and Dragons

[Yaarel]

The "Vacanti Mouse"? Nope - not gene spliced. It was cow cartilage cells seeded and grown in a mold and then implanted under the mouse's skin, back in 1996. It was an experiment about growing cells on scaffolds to regenerate organs, not gene manipulation.

Vacanti mouse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Fair enough, but the ear itself grew organically, without becoming an entire human body. The ear was selected for. Vacanti likewise spoke about growing a liver in isolation, and other human organs.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Who was it that said that highly advanced science was indistinguishable from magic?

Who said “a difference that makes no difference is no difference?” Science Fiction is indistinguishable from magic because it IS magic.

 

[Micah Sweet]

And never will be. Just as we will never invent warp drive. It’s plot-magic, not science.

So your opinion is that anything that is not 100% real world science is "magic", and presenting it as anything other than pure fantasy with no attempt at an explanation shouldn't be done? Interesting.

 

[Corinnguard]

Who said “a difference that makes no difference is no difference?” Science Fiction is indistinguishable from magic because it IS magic.

Some of the tech you and I use today was once found only in the pages of science fiction.

 

[Oofta]

And never will be. Just as we will never invent warp drive. It’s plot-magic, not science.

There are people that claim that there are realistic possibilities for warp drive. 'Warp drives' may actually be possible someday, new study suggests

Will it actually happen? Who knows. Personally I doubt we'll ever be able to get around the speed of light. Then again a couple hundred years ago nobody would have imagined we could type on a keyboard and have it available worldwide a few seconds later either.

 

[Lanefan]

So, the problem is this:
A GM, working science into their fantasy world, but leaning into real science, will run into inconsistencies because the fantasy doesn't match reality.

A GM, working the scientific method into their fantasy world, but not leaning into real-world science is going to have to make up all that "science" information out of whole cloth. How quickly do you figure the GM, spewing pseudoscientific gobbledigook, will create inconsistencies within their fantasy world's system?

And what's the point of it if the "science" isn't going to be self-consistent?

Well, until-unless one takes the steps required to make it match close-enough and make it self-consistent.

And those steps are not that big.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

As far as official products KP's Midgard is flat, with a world serpent ringing the outside to keep the ocean in.

But you're right about the round world thing... For some reason I definitely default to "of course it's round, that's how planets work!" I never really thought about why I default to that, and why don't I consider other options. And yet the planes of fire etc in my mind are NOT round- probably because they're already a very magical idea.

Yes! That's exactly why I was excited to purchase Midgard when it first came out. Kobold Press did something different with the Midgard setting. Dare I say...something fantastic.

 

[SkidAce]

And never will be. Just as we will never invent warp drive. It’s plot-magic, not science.

While I tend to agree with your point...

many people just as emphatically said airplanes would never fly.

 

[Distracted DM]

Yes! That's exactly why I was excited to purchase Midgard when it first came out. Kobold Press did something different with the Midgard setting. Dare I say...something fantastic.

I ran 13th Age in it for a while- I found it pretty inspirational stuff.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

We will never be able to travel across the galaxy. That is Star Wars stuff. Pure fantasy.