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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fenris-77" data-source="post: 7876358" data-attributes="member: 6993955">I would suggest that there's no correct 'start here' answer. These conversations often whirl about in a madcap fashion as one person after another argues about how magic 'would' effect X, Y, and Z. The fact is we have excellent historical records for the actual IR, and no one has any clue about adding magic to that, not really. The cultural forces that shaped the IR are enormously complex and personally I think it's silly to try and get too granular about porting that history over to a fantasy setting. The thing that drives narrative is conflict and that would be my suggestion about where to start. Decide what kind of conflict you want, the who vs who about the the what, and then line everything else up behind that. That doesn't mean there aren't places to start though...1. Is the conflict class based? Changes in the labor market was a big part of the IR. Are people getting put out of work and are thus disaffected? 2. Is there a racial component? Is this powerful new technology equally in the hands of all nations, or is concentrated somewhere? (Humans or Dwarves being the usual culprit there)3. How does this new technology change the power base of the existing rulers and nobles? Do current nobles command this new tech or is there a rising new class of technology users? People fight wars to maintain their grip on power.4. When it comes specifically to war, which is super important, does this new technology trump magic, or are they used together in some kind of synergistic way? (if the answer is the latter then steampunk is a good index).Those are the kinds of questions I'd want to answer were I in your shoes.</blockquote>

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