Progressing technology

[Edgewood]

I'm not sure if this was the subject of a past thread but I'll put this one out there. In your campaigns, have you ever given thought to the progress of technology? For example, my homebrew is on the cusp of emerging from the "dark ages" and entering a sort of "renaissance" I have decided that the full transition will take about 100 years in game terms and I have started to plot out what changes wiill take place in terms of technology. Things like the invention of gunpowder, new advances in fortifications and castles, as well as better quality alloys. Of course I may have to consider the effect that this may have on magic, education, and politics, but for now I just want to map out the progress of technology. Has anyone else considered this? What was your solution?

 

[Crothian]

Ya, I had the printing press invented in the course of a campign and then slowly get more and more use. I'd love aproduct that like the old Civilization games that has a bunch of different discoveries and briefly says how it could impact a sociuety with and with out it.

 

[Celebrim]

Yeah, I've considered it.

And what I decided was that it was really really bloody complicated.

Take my word for it. You be better off reading a couple history books and relying on DM fiat.

 

[Rabelais]

Well... In our world the Renaissance brought about a renewed interest in Ancient Greece, and Rome. Plato and Aristotle shot to the top of the pops again.
One thing that I would bring in is a renewed interest in the Ancients.

 

[Starglim]

It might be interesting to have one particular invention just coming into favour.

Maybe one nation has invented a new military tactic that has defeated several of its enemies, and other nations are scrambling to arm some of their troops the same way, leading to heightened tensions as various kings become eager to try out their new model armies on someone.

Maybe a powerful spell has just been devised by a famous wizard.

Maybe a merchant cartel has started to build ships of a superior design that can carry far more cargo than before, or travel a route that was not thought to be practical earlier.

 

[Immak Antunel]

I once was in a game where a character tried to invent gunpowder weapons and instigate the renaissance. However, neither the character nor the player knew enough to pull it off. Silly paladin (or was he just a fighter?).

Anyway, I've never actually given much thought to it. Though now that I do... what if the bad guys were the ones inventing this stuff, and the good guys had to destroy the scientific innovations because the inventors were evil. Or even better, the inventors aren't evil, but their products would cause chaos and disrupt all existing order, and so they must be stopped anyway. Hmmm...

 

[Evilhalfling]

I have used one specific idea/invention spell gradually change society (a ring gate used as a telegraph machine) or in the current campain - the spells from the Draconomicon are being given away to enourage would be dragonslayers: Earthbind, Scale Weakening, Assay Reistance
etc.
But I dislike gunpowder tech and widespread magetech- so Im just going to ignore it really.
One of the things that contributes to the spread of technolgy boils down to the societies acceptance of new things (per Guns, Germs, and Steel - a great book for this sort of thing btw.) and my societies are not accepting. by DM Fiat.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Mine's at stone age, and it's gonna stay at stone.

On the other hand, it has some very competitive stone age tech.

 

[S'mon]

I rarely plan technology progress out, but looking back over the past ca 400 years of game-play in my game world and my art depicting equipment there has been clear technological progress, partly as a result of what edition of D&D I was using; eg when the game started in 2361 YE / 1st edition AD&D, the weapons & equipment had a Dark Ages to early-medieval feel, with Scalemail the typical armour; now (2744 YE/ 3e) it's more like 15th century late-medieval, with Full Plate for the elite warriors and studded leather or breastplate typical for the rest.
Currently it's an era of military specialisation; the mounted knight still dominates the battlefield but may be giving way to new elite infantry forces like the Northwoods Bowmen (think English Longbowmen) or the pike-armed mercenary Landsknechte.

 

[saethone]

i'm playing an altered ebberon campaign atm, its just like the ECS, except everything involving dragonmarks got bumped up just under 3,000 years...only house cannith has formed yet (warforged were just mindless golems btw, and were made by a cannith ancestor), and im thinking house orien will be forming soon too...the rest will probly be made by end of the campaign, the players may even get a say in how their house forms

in relation to tech, this means...the lightning rail is just being created...currently it only travels between sharn and wroat more tracks are being laid as they test the stability of the sharn/wroat track