[WOTC Setting Search] Do you want to play in a Swashbuckling Steampunk setting?

Carnifex · Jul 26, 2003

Yep, I think rpgnow do both print & pdf.

Ferret · Jul 26, 2003

Whats steam punk?

Desdichado · Jul 26, 2003

steam - representing an industrial age form of technology, steam powered generators and the like. In fantasy, this also take the form of clockwork, coal-powered artificial men, steampowered armor suits, primitive firearms and the like.

punk - an outlook on life characterized by percieving the world as an anarchic dystopia.

steampunk -- often used to represent such fantastic things as the visions of Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, but that leaves the punk completely out of it -- those are scientific romances, more strictly speaking. Mix in some Dickens for the seedy side of victorian fantasy, and you've got yer classic steampunk. IK mixes steampunk elements with a more traditional (rather than Victorian) fantasy, which is a mix I quite like, and I'm actually homebrewing something that bears no small resemblance to the Iron Kingdoms vision.

Carnifex · Jul 26, 2003

Note of course that steampunk is not the only way to bring steam technology into a fantasy setting. Although never actually identifiwed as steam power, the dwemer machines in Morrowind are an interesting example of steam tech in fantasy that is not steampunk.

Steampunk does tend to be the more popular use of steam tech though.

Desdichado · Jul 26, 2003

No, and the term steampunk has been applied a lot to stuff that doesn't really belong to the genre (note: my reference to Jules Verne style scientific romance above.) Then again, I like the dark and gritty mixed into my fantasy already.

d4 · Jul 26, 2003

Carnifex said:
Talking of Perdido Street Station (a great book) China Mieville said in an interview ocne that he'd love for people to turn his books into an rpg setting (he was a gamer himself. after all, as shows through in a few comments in Perdido ).

do you mean that comment about the dirty and untrustworthy "adventurers"?

i thought that was great.

and the multi-racial, multi-talented party of adventurers did seem like a typical D&D group.

Carnifex · Jul 26, 2003

d4 said:
do you mean that comment about the dirty and untrustworthy "adventurers"?

i thought that was great. and the multi-racial, multi-talented party of adventurers did seem like a typical D&D group.

Yes

it was the wonderful quote about how adventurers are only interested in 'gold and experience'

Kirowan · Jul 26, 2003

Eh, it depends what they do with it. All of the elements sound kind of wacky together (steampunk + dinosaurs + traditional D&D races), but Deadlands sounded wacky to me when I first heard of it and I love that setting. I have a feeling WotC will come through.

Nick

Desdichado · Jul 27, 2003

Yet again; the WotC is not steampunk. Confirmed directly from the horse's mouth by Gargoyle twice (see other thread.)

Kai Lord · Jul 27, 2003

Joshua Dyal said:
Oh, and as pointed out, Kai Lord, steampunk actually incorrectly describes the new campaign setting. You're perpetrating the urban myth there, buddy.

Pointed out after I posted the poll. You say "dark fantasy plus trains" without clarification you get polls about steampunk. If WOTC or anyone doesn't like it they can consider it incentive to release teasers that actually paint an accurate picture of what they're trying to hype.