CruelSummerLord said:
In the real world, humankind has gradually progressed technologically, and is constantly updating and changing its own thoughts and beliefs, both processes taking places over the centuries.
But in a fantasy world, things often take a different turn. Human and related cultures are still using the same swords and armor they used over two milennia ago when it comes to warfare. Tavern gamblers play poker, blackjack and roulette inspired from real-world gambling, when they did not exist in their current forms, if at all, during the Middle Ages. Social and political theories that are more at home in our modern world than in the medieval one pop up everywhere.
Some parts of art and culture will progress, others remain the same. Some aspects of technology never seem to change at all-man never invents the internal combustion engine and never invents gunpowder. Whatever happens, he and the other races will still be swinging swords and favoring sorcery over science.
To me, this is all good; I make no excusees whatsoever for having such anomalies in my games. But how do you as a worldbuilder justify having mercenaries play the equivalent of Texas Hold 'Em when they're dressed in plate mail and carry around broadswords? How do you justify that none of the highly intelligent and advanced cultures in your world has ever discovered gunpowder? How do you justify that man cannot invent a car or a submarine to save his life, and is forced to rely on grunt labor, whether his own or that of an animal, to get his work done?
I justify them in part by the fact that oil, coal and the like, and resources most necessary to provide the combustion needed to provoke industrialization and gunpowder, are either in too short supply to be able to be used on a mass scale, or they're being used by nonhuman races who have better things to do with it than embark on harebrained schemes of inventing-most notably, using it to stoke their forges, burn trolls and black puddings, or do other conventional things that people in a D&D world use fire for.
Remember, in our real world mankind never had to compete with another race for the use of these resources. If we did, chances are our competition would get control of at least some of those resources and use them for other things that we have no interest in. The presence of nonhuman races in the gameworld opens up all sorts of possibilities for explaining why some humans are still organized into Dark Age-like tribes, while others might be organized into city-states similar to those of Renaissance Italy, all while sharing the same continent.
Also, I have no objection with tinkering with the laws of science to achieve the desired results. Remember, when you cast fireballs and lightning bolts, you're basically creating energy out of nothing, which violates the basic laws of thermodynamics. If we can get away with that, I think we can get away with making gunpowder simply too explosive, reactive and dangerous to use properly. If gunpowder is too dangerous, no one will ever experiment with it, and guns are never invented.
Some might say that having social or religious restrictions might work, but that doesn't prevent "freethinkers" and subversives from still experimenting on these things anyway, and gaining followers. Of course, when the gunpowder is simply too dangerous, too deadly and tragic to use properly, these "freethinkers" are not contributing to the progress of man; they're simply a bunch of destructive nutcases who richly deserve the Darwin Awards they're going to receive.
Thoughts?
First...real, is not fantasy. How things progressed in the real world, is in its own way, an accident. Things built upon themselves in such away that now, we think that to be the only way that science, religion, or w/e have to grow, or ever had a choice to grow and change over any period of time. That, since things are the way they are, they never could've been any other way. That is simply not the case. One thing does not always beget another. Just because you have gunpowder, doesn't mean you leap to muskets...and then on and on till we have Wark Hawk missles today, that simply isnt true. Now, about the games like Poker or w/e, that is simply a lack in the DM's creative pool; but that doesn't mean he or she is a bad DM. He could've called it something else, and it would've been the same.
Also, you must understand, that clothing, or arms, or language....don't set a certain level of social growth. Think where we'd be if the Dark Ages hadn't happened? Would everything have happened the same, or would different roads bring us to mirror like, or even strangely closes aspects of our life today, yet till be differnt.
And, in warfar, there is always a loop. Think about it today, we are going back to wearing armor, and for many years. WWI, and even WW2 ther was no armor wore by soliders...today that's not the case. So perhaps having swords return, or knights with riffles isn't so strange.
My question to you is, how much do you know of our own history? How many times were advances tecnologies lost, then refound over and over again? How many differnt times in history were there things, which today, are considered common, but back then, were advanced?
You must also consider this. IF in a magial world...who cares about coal, or oil? Your WILL is a fule that can't run out, your race lives for hundreds if not thousands of years? Need drives change, but if there is little need for change...wouldn't there be lilttle change? THink of the elves...why would they evolve...why would they care for things that really should only matter to humans? Humans need to better their lives, not elves. Men need to over come the world, while elves, and other magical-born races simply bend the world to them.
You brought up gunpowder, but did you know that it was first discovered in asia? My question to you is, why didn't asia just take over? Most people think that power leads to corruption first, but perhaps, once long ago, that wasn't such...and perhaps thats why it isn't that way in fanntasy games unless the DM sees fit to make it so.
OH, and about Fire balls breaking laws of science...that isn't true. Creatiing a fire ball, if put into a scientific pattern of logic could be done many ways. Say, the caster sucked out all the heat energy from the fire in the room, and drew it into the air around his hand. Once there, he manipulated the amount of oxygen within the area so that it was more likely to become flameable. With this done, the caster then sped the air pressure around his hand to the point that enough friction was created so that the heat energy, and the overdosed level of oxygen created a flame. One lit, the caster then lowered the level of oxygen so that the flame continued to burn, but didn't burn out or blow up. With this, the caster would be able to move this fire through the air, chaning and bending the laws of science to make it so that fire had the right settings to burn. And, if the caster was able to do this, it could be assumed that while he was doing this, he was also manipulation the air, so that the right amount of gasses were avaliable so that the fire continued to have something to feed upon.
Transfering energy, from one form into another isn't fantsay, is science on a level that we can't do yet, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be done this way.
What about being invisiable: the caster simply bent light around his body so that those trying to see him wouldn't. Now, since light wasn't hitting him, he wouldn't be able to see at all while the spell was in effect, but he wouldn't be seen by those looking for him. Now to make it so that he caster could see Xray, or inferred might take the ability to change biology so that the eye could process the light, and send the info to the brain, but if the caster could, there is no reaason that he could'nt do those things either. (but with Xray, the caster might give off a little radiation, but that too could be changed, or put safely into another form of energy to be reabsorbed into reality.)
What about shields: bending spacial rifts in pockets of gravity so that the energy within an oncomming missle was slowed, or stopped. The energy was returned back into potential energy, no longer kenetic.
Same thing with floating, or flying: bending the earth's hold on you with gravity, by mastering this, the caster would be able to fly.
Most everything fantasy can be explained if you think about it, and take the time too do some reading.
game on.
