Electropunk?
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"Anachronistic" Technology in a Fantasy Setting
- Thread starter Devor
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Zero Angel
Auror
Yeah! or lightningpunk!
wordwalker
Auror
Another anti-electricity plot is in however magic works. Maybe any significant electricity scrambles magic (but of course that's not a barrier, it's a choice-- or an anti-magic weapon), or tends to pool into lightning elementals, or the laws of magic just say electricity doesn't flow well in whatever way seems like it's part of your magic system rather than an add-on.
Myth WeaverI pointed this out on one of the other 'technology' threads, but:
It's not just a matter of ability, but inclination when it comes to tech. The roman artisans were good enough to where they could have built enough technological items to constitute a sort of industrial revolution - but Rome was built on slave labor, and the slave owners saw technology as a direct threat to their wealth and status. Talking about contraptions ranging right up to crude steam engines here, and complex geared mechanisms. The greek philosophers *knew* alot of their ideas could be directly applied to real world engineering mechanical issues, but found the very thought to be horrifying - it destroyed the 'purity' of the ideas, I suppose you could call it.
That said, assuming a competent artisan class on the ancient greek / roman level, combined with some capable scholarship, at least the following becomes feasible:
1) crude steam engines - stationary, probably used as pumps, or maybe to run elevator type mechanisms, or even power tools of sorts.
2) Windmills and waterwheels - as pumps, and for mill work.
3) crude submarines - some early experiments here go back to the 1600's, and the ancients made use of diving bells.
4) Signal towers - either heliographs or semaphores, or failing that go with blinking lights at night. Very usefull.
5) Bicycle. This is something that if it had been concieved of in Roman times, it could have been built and widely used. Think leather belt instead of chain, solid wheels. Very heavy and clunky by todays standards, but given the excellent quality of the Roman road network, it would still let people travel 40-50 miles a day, easy. In my main world, it was developed for military purposes and 'went public' immediately afterwards.
6) balloons. Hang gliders *could* work, if the builder had the right materials AND the knowledge, either from experimentation, or from consulting the appropriate natural philosopher. Range would be fairly limited, though.
7) larger clockwork mechanisms.
It's not just a matter of ability, but inclination when it comes to tech. The roman artisans were good enough to where they could have built enough technological items to constitute a sort of industrial revolution - but Rome was built on slave labor, and the slave owners saw technology as a direct threat to their wealth and status. Talking about contraptions ranging right up to crude steam engines here, and complex geared mechanisms. The greek philosophers *knew* alot of their ideas could be directly applied to real world engineering mechanical issues, but found the very thought to be horrifying - it destroyed the 'purity' of the ideas, I suppose you could call it.
That said, assuming a competent artisan class on the ancient greek / roman level, combined with some capable scholarship, at least the following becomes feasible:
1) crude steam engines - stationary, probably used as pumps, or maybe to run elevator type mechanisms, or even power tools of sorts.
2) Windmills and waterwheels - as pumps, and for mill work.
3) crude submarines - some early experiments here go back to the 1600's, and the ancients made use of diving bells.
4) Signal towers - either heliographs or semaphores, or failing that go with blinking lights at night. Very usefull.
5) Bicycle. This is something that if it had been concieved of in Roman times, it could have been built and widely used. Think leather belt instead of chain, solid wheels. Very heavy and clunky by todays standards, but given the excellent quality of the Roman road network, it would still let people travel 40-50 miles a day, easy. In my main world, it was developed for military purposes and 'went public' immediately afterwards.
6) balloons. Hang gliders *could* work, if the builder had the right materials AND the knowledge, either from experimentation, or from consulting the appropriate natural philosopher. Range would be fairly limited, though.
7) larger clockwork mechanisms.
psychotick
Auror
Hi,
Hero's steam engine wasn't really what we'd call a steam engine. It could do no practical work, and really just explored the principle that jets of steam could propely things.
Aeolipile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In order to make a steam engine really work you need a complete design, including a way of capturing the kinetic energy of the turbine in this case, and converting it into work (pistons, valves and cranks etc). And of course you need some fairly advanced metallurgy, good steel, because the pressures in a boiler are quite large.
Cheers, Greg.
Hero's steam engine wasn't really what we'd call a steam engine. It could do no practical work, and really just explored the principle that jets of steam could propely things.
Aeolipile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In order to make a steam engine really work you need a complete design, including a way of capturing the kinetic energy of the turbine in this case, and converting it into work (pistons, valves and cranks etc). And of course you need some fairly advanced metallurgy, good steel, because the pressures in a boiler are quite large.
Cheers, Greg.
Zero Angel
Auror
In my tech vs magick setting, when magick came back into the universe it once again occupied the "space between", the "universal medium", the "fifth element" area of the cosmos and as a result radio transmissions and wireless transfer became next to impossible. It can still be accomplished with a massively power-intensive pulse of energy to "clear the air", but because of the energy involved, this is rarely used. Instead, direct lines are. Unfortunately, this means that the terrannean empire rarely communicates with the space empire. Also, it means that the direct lines between olympias (cities) are a tempting target for terrorists / rebels.
Plus in any tech setting with magick, you have to look out for gremlins!
Mindfire
Istar
Assassin's Creed put a wrist mounted semiautomatic pistolette in Renaissance Italy. Anything can be believable.
And yes, it is a semiautomatic. How else can you explain the fact that Connor has to tediously reload his pistols and musket after every shot, while all Ezio has to do is buy some new ammo and pop it in?
And yes, it is a semiautomatic. How else can you explain the fact that Connor has to tediously reload his pistols and musket after every shot, while all Ezio has to do is buy some new ammo and pop it in?
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