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Message: <blockquote data-quote="willpax" data-source="post: 571011" data-attributes="member: 1602">Other factors to consider would be the metaphysical, social, and historical contexts. Metaphysically, you might ensure some conflict by having higher (steam era) technology and magic act as a zero-sum game: the more pervasive technology (and technological thinking) becomes, the less powerful magic is, and vice versa. So anyone with a vested interest in magic would eventually come to see technology as a hostile force. Such a metaphysic would also provide a powerful incentive on the part of the magical partisans to "nip it in the bud," so to speak. The alliances and factions involved in the struggle would depend on the social context of magic and technology. Was magic the provnce of the few, used only for the benefit of an elite? If that is the case then magic user have no natural constituency and may be forced to adopt hit-and-run tactics. On the other hand, magic might be used altruistically, leading the masses to feel that their way of life is being threatened by the loud machines and disturbing theories of the nation next door. This would vary from society to society. You might also try to flesh out your historical context--technology more often exacerbates old conlficts rather than starts new ones. Rather than have all societies determined by their attitude toward technology, you may want to have several other factors that lead to unstable alliances of varying degrees. Think about World War II--the Soviets, the British, and the Americans were all allied in their opposition to fascism, but that didn't make them the best of friends. At the very least, good versus evil probably won't be made irrelevant by technology--just create more complicated alliances by providing another way that good people could legitimately differ. This sounds like a very interesting idea.</blockquote>

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