The printing press

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How would the printing press impact a standard D&D fantasy world? How would things look one year out? Ten years out? One hundred years out?

 

[Presto2112]

One thing is you just KNOW some gnome wizard somewhere would figure out a way to mass-produce spell scrolls by the dozens. He'd spend X amount of XP to, instead of write a scroll, to instead create the spell plate for the press, and then just churn out scroll after scroll, until everyone and their dog with ranks in Use Magic Device is flinging magic missiles around like they're rocks. (insert deity here) only knows how that would be written as a mechanic, but the invention of one could, and should, logically lead to the advent of the other.

 

[Crothian]

How would the printing press impact a standard D&D fantasy world? How would things look one year out? Ten years out? One hundred years out?

I think the printing press is already in the D&D game. That's way everyone except Barbarians are literate.

 

[Ringan]

One major effect of the printing press's emergence was the expanded printing of all manner of religious pamphlets - this catalyzed the Reformation.

Analogously, I could see all proselytizing religions in a campaign embracing this new technology to spread their faith in a new, more cost-effective method of publicity.

Maybe it might expand knowledge of the rarer monsters (depending on campaign, illithids, beholders, etc.) amongst the less well-traveled as well?

 

[bento]

Maybe it would kill magic, just as science and technology killed much superstition in our world. Or maybe it spurs religious wars. Early adopting churches use the presses to produce cheap pamplets to spread the word and argue for the validity of their god's superiority.

Eberron appears to be a post-printing press society. They have journalists that are published in media and guilds responsible for communications.

 

[Deekin]

Maybe it would kill magic, just as science and technology killed much superstition in our world. Or maybe it spurs religious wars. Early adopting churches use the presses to produce cheap pamplets to spread the word and argue for the validity of their god's superiority.

Eberron appears to be a post-printing press society. They have journalists that are published in media and guilds responsible for communications.

Eberron does not have a printing press, Eberron has a 0th level spell the copies written work.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

I think the printing press is already in the D&D game. That's way everyone except Barbarians are literate.

Exactly.

As far as I can tell, the only thing that would happen if you put a printing press into D&D society is that a lot more forests would be chopped down. In most other respects, D&D society seems to represent a world that's about a century or so AFTER the printing press.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Perhaps wood elementals start a war?

 

[Scribble]

The King of Cormyr would start getting a lot more junk mail...

 

[Treebore]

How would the printing press impact a standard D&D fantasy world? How would things look one year out? Ten years out? One hundred years out?

Depends on financial backing and how agressively it is marketed.

I would guess a huge impact.

My house rules for scrolls and spellbooks makes it impossible to be done with a printing press.

It starts with the spell, "Scribe Spell" and the part that requires the mental energies and concentration of the caster. Can't mimic that with a printing press. It goes hand in hand with the scribe scroll feat in 3E.