Le Pistolet
Dreamer
In my world, technology is stuck at a fairly backwards level, somewhere in the Dark Ages. However, one country has discovered the mysterious 'Drakpowder', a magical substance that produces great amount of head and small explosions, and is the equivalent to blackpowder.
They are the most radically developed state in the world, with the feel of the British Empire and Italian City States, and have moved far away from feudalism to free trade and a wealth based society. They had little military power beforehand compared to the other realms, so have embraced the new technology whole heartedly.
Their is however a distinct lack of interest in the power rooted in the different cultures of the other Kingdoms however, meaning they refuse to develop. One Kingdom is stubborn as it conquered the largest Empire using old technology, and refuses to embrace anything new. Two Kingdoms are based around honour culture, one downright refusing to embrace anything less than hand to hand combat to prove themselves, and the other based on tradition and ultra conservatism, although the new King is progressive and it is likely Drakpowder will eventually be accepted into their culture in a few generations.
The other Kingdoms embrace it on a varying level, some wholeheartedly and in great quantities, and some just plain can't afford the extortionate prices from the monopolising inventors.
My question however, is how do you think this could be balanced? I severely want the Kingdom (called the Commonwealth of Fyns) to have Drakpowder to give their tiny population a competitive edge and to justify their naval dominance, and musketeer like feel. However, it seems that if one were to introduce a monopoly on what is essentially gunpowder and thus industry that comes with it, they would take over the world?
How would you deal with this problem? I have yet to define the properties and uses of Drakpowder, so how would you tone down its potential use? Have you got varying technology levels in your world, and how does this affect politics/interaction/warfare?
Cheers
They are the most radically developed state in the world, with the feel of the British Empire and Italian City States, and have moved far away from feudalism to free trade and a wealth based society. They had little military power beforehand compared to the other realms, so have embraced the new technology whole heartedly.
Their is however a distinct lack of interest in the power rooted in the different cultures of the other Kingdoms however, meaning they refuse to develop. One Kingdom is stubborn as it conquered the largest Empire using old technology, and refuses to embrace anything new. Two Kingdoms are based around honour culture, one downright refusing to embrace anything less than hand to hand combat to prove themselves, and the other based on tradition and ultra conservatism, although the new King is progressive and it is likely Drakpowder will eventually be accepted into their culture in a few generations.
The other Kingdoms embrace it on a varying level, some wholeheartedly and in great quantities, and some just plain can't afford the extortionate prices from the monopolising inventors.
My question however, is how do you think this could be balanced? I severely want the Kingdom (called the Commonwealth of Fyns) to have Drakpowder to give their tiny population a competitive edge and to justify their naval dominance, and musketeer like feel. However, it seems that if one were to introduce a monopoly on what is essentially gunpowder and thus industry that comes with it, they would take over the world?
How would you deal with this problem? I have yet to define the properties and uses of Drakpowder, so how would you tone down its potential use? Have you got varying technology levels in your world, and how does this affect politics/interaction/warfare?
Cheers