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Varying Technology

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
 

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
Perhaps rather than give Fyns the monopoly, give them an inventor who did not develop Drakpowder but who is brilliant and being paid to work out what it is and make some too - like how when new technology comes out in the real world, like a smartphone or tablet PC, all the companies which aren't Apple put their best people on making the same thing. This way they'd be a step behind those with the monopoly, financially ahead of those without one but who are paying for it, and have the military clout necessary to maintain its position; perhaps if the Drakpowder this inventor develops is less potent, less refined than that of the others, but the military leaders of Fyns are better educated than those in other countries, and one or two are more imaginative, they could develop a formation which gives them the strategic edge if not the technological one. It'd be superiority by combined assets of technology, intelligence and imagination.
 

Artless

Minstrel
(I have used 'blackpowder' in my response, because it is more natural to type for me :p)
Well there are probably a number of ways you could deal with this.

Firstly, Of course, remember that the first blackpowder weapons used in warfare where actually cannons, that could fire 2-3 times a day.
For a good account of these used in battle, read Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell. It will give you a pretty solid idea of the limitations of black powder cannons.

You could make it prohibitively expensive to use and produce, so it isn't utilised in a military context.
It takes an awful lot of practice with live firing blackpowder weapons in order to be proficient at killing with them. This is why the British redcoats where so succesful, they practiced live firing a ridiculous amount, whereas other nations never did, using live ammunition only in battle. Not to mention, humans (trained or untrained) often instinctively aim high when using blackpowder weapons.
Blackpowder weapons also assume smoothbores, no rifling, so are only really accurate up too 100 feet, generally 50 feet is better, hence the traditional manouver until you can see the whites of the eyes then pull the trigger. Plus of course, the time taken to reload is painfully slow, so generally one shot would be all soldiers would get off before engaging with bayonets
If you want to read some good books dealing with blackpowder weaponry, The Sharpe series is fantastically detailed and well researched.

So, with a little bit of research into the capabilities of blackpowder weaponry, not to mention laying down guidelines, it won't actually be that difficult to work it into the story. It won't mean they take over the world, after all the Chinese, nor the Ottoman Empire managed this. There are tactics to deal with firearms from a medieval point of view. Create them!
I would definitely recommend you research the historical introduction of black powder weapons into warfare, and the ways they where combated by countries that didn't have them. Just don't charge your knights into the teeth of a fusilade!
Don't forget other forms of ranged weaponry either. Archers (and even crossbows to some extent) where cheaper, easier, more accurate and had greater range than the first smoothbore muskets.

Hope that all helps!
 

Le Pistolet

Dreamer
Cheers guys, you basically summed up what I was thinking anyway, I just needed confirmation that it wasn't all powerful...

I think that the Kings who are open to buying it will be starting to pay people to deconstruct the weaponry they've been sold, I like that idea a lot. They have a university and the Kings with more money will be able to commission these scholars to work for them as engineers.

The powder itself will be limiting. It will give the small Fyns army an advantage in the initial rounds, like you say, for maybe one or two salvos, but then I think they will be relying on their skills with rapiers to save their skins.

It'll also be expensive/difficult to create (I'm currently thinking it being comprised of crushed skin shed from a Drake) so they will not be risking wasting too much unless in terms of profit, as loss and gain of money are vital to Fynsii culture.

Thanks again :)
 

Derin

Troubadour
Depending on how you balance the other resources in your kingdom, darkpowder may not be effective to travel with anyway. Gunpowder is useless if wet, after all; or you could go the opposite route and make it dangerously volatile.
 

Imperialis

Acolyte
Also, you might think of making it a matter of training, after all this new substance and the weaponry involved with it would be complicated to use at this stage, with complex loading procedures and learning how to care for your powder, so each man would need time you just don't have to invest with a crossbow, or real guns. Following the trend, I might recommend researching into weapons like the 15th century hand-cannons. I really like how there are these Renaissance cultures mixed in with these Dark Age ones, it creates a cultural fusion I find rather appealing, arquebus vs. longbow, rapier vs. longsword, floppy hats vs. iron helms. :)
 
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