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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ruin Explorer" data-source="post: 72031" data-attributes="member: 18">Decide whether you want SteamPUNK or SteamTECH, there is a big difference. Most people want SteamTECH, and don't give a damn about the 'punk...If you do want the 'punk, that means introducing certain historic elements into society, like repression, and oppression, and most importantly, placing the PCs in the roles of rebels against that society, whether they want to destroy and return to a more peaceful-appearing past (Luddites), or whether they want to change it stop the overclass ruling the workers whilst sitting in their steamcars shipping champagne. Things like poor-houses, steam-age textile factories, indeed, factories as a whole, and the unpleasant and dangerous nature of steam-age tech are good things to do research on...It's a very good basis for a campaign, basically, the 'punk, but some people love Victoriana, and like to paint over the less attractive aspects, like the way the industrialization present in any steam-age setting tends to gut the countryside and force millions into dangerous, slave-labour-like conditions, instead focusing on the whole "gentlemen" angle, with scientists, discoveries, amazing journeys, and so on.If you're seriously thinking about running a SteamPUNK Fantasy/D&D campaign, I recommend a book to you,  Perdido Street Station, but if you just want steam-age technology, go to the library, I'm sure you'll find some good stuff...I'd disrecommend as GURPS Steampunk, it's a very empty book, with technologies that will offend the vast majority of Steampunk enthusiasts (like reactionless thrusters), and not enough on interesting stuff like Charles Babbage's difference engine (there's another book to check out, The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling also Steampunk).There are earlier forms of "Steampunk", too, like so-called "printing-press-punk", that a campaign can easily be formed around.Anyway, as I said, I think the most important decision to make early on is "SteamPUNK" or "SteamTECH", are the PCs going to be heroes out to change society (through modernisation or destruction), or out to maintain the status quo against such people?Magic Vs Tech is likely to be less of an issue, as unless magic has special guardians and restrictions on use, it will likely be subsumed into a from of technology/science...</blockquote>

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