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Old 08-08-2017, 06:13 PM   #211
Kax
 
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Default Re: Yrth technology

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
The primary driver keeping the TL low on my Yrth is the fact that human culture's population (including the halflings and goblins integrated into it) are maybe 30 million, tops and 90% of them are illiterate.

With the very large contributing factors of lack of large population concentrations and carefully-maintained conservatism.

Yeah, keeping TL low wouldn't be hard if it weren't for the Underground Engineers. :D
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Old 08-08-2017, 06:37 PM   #212
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Default Re: Yrth technology

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With the very large contributing factors of lack of large population concentrations and carefully-maintained conservatism.

Yeah, keeping TL low wouldn't be hard if it weren't for the Underground Engineers. :D
Another feature of my Yrth: the anti-tech forces are not at all shy about using magic to retain power. Any conspiracy that isn't well defended against scrying, mind reading and mind control is doomed.

As a consequence, the UEs require magical expertise to survive. If a tech revolution ever does come to Yrth, the outcome is going to be more Technomancer than Steampunk.
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Old 08-08-2017, 07:12 PM   #213
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With the very large contributing factors of lack of large population concentrations and carefully-maintained conservatism.

Yeah, keeping TL low wouldn't be hard if it weren't for the Underground Engineers. :D
It wouldn't be difficult anyway. My Yrth doesn't have "Underground Engineers". Or a Ministry of Serendipity. Or patent offices. The highly intelligent have a distinct tendency to go in for magic, or alchemy, or the Church. Advanced offworld technology that somehow manages to be somewhat useful is treated like an exotic kind of magic item. They don't have the population for an industrial revolution and they aren't that impressed by handguns when their upper class are kitted out with generations-old enchanted armour and weapons.
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Old 08-08-2017, 08:25 PM   #214
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Another feature of my Yrth: the anti-tech forces are not at all shy about using magic to retain power. Any conspiracy that isn't well defended against scrying, mind reading and mind control is doomed.
The problem I like to point out with the entire tech suppression effort is even if seemed like a good idea now, it makes no sense at all when technology starts first appearing centuries ago. At that point, it's not a rival power, but it is a source of slightly better luxuries mages want just as much as anybody else. What motive do mages have to suppress, say, printing *in 1500* when it first starts leaking through?
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Old 08-08-2017, 08:40 PM   #215
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Default Re: Yrth technology

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The problem I like to point out with the entire tech suppression effort is even if seemed like a good idea now, it makes no sense at all when technology starts first appearing centuries ago. At that point, it's not a rival power, but it is a source of slightly better luxuries mages want just as much as anybody else. What motive do mages have to suppress, say, printing *in 1500* when it first starts leaking through?
* Economic competition with the wizards who were already making a good living as magical printers.

* The mages have Divination; they can see threats coming in advance. Ditto for the dragons.

* But, yeah; not all technology was suppressed. Bits made it through when the mages find them useful or harmless. Aralaise ships and swords, a hint of clockwork, germ theory, etc.
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Old 08-08-2017, 09:34 PM   #216
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Default Re: Yrth technology

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* Economic competition with the wizards who were already making a good living as magical printers.

* The mages have Divination; they can see threats coming in advance. Ditto for the dragons.

* But, yeah; not all technology was suppressed. Bits made it through when the mages find them useful or harmless. Aralaise ships and swords, a hint of clockwork, germ theory, etc.
Magical printers could not have been making loads of money making it the job of the bottom rungs. Not enough clear and present danger to all mages to effect a violent global conspiracy.
Either way, global perfect conspiracies involving humans simply do not pass the laugh test. Especially if it's the only one or only major one in a setting.
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Old 08-08-2017, 09:55 PM   #217
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Magical printers could not have been making loads of money making it the job of the bottom rungs. Not enough clear and present danger to all mages to effect a violent global conspiracy.
Either way, global perfect conspiracies involving humans simply do not pass the laugh test. Especially if it's the only one or only major one in a setting.
The Online version of Pyramid had an article with an alternate concept, the High Guild, which was styled as an organization of very high-powered Wizards who were organizing the Tech Suppression. One of them being a Djinn, actually.

But if you want a more potent cause for the tech suppression, just add a mysterious group of very high-powered beings who are suppressing it using incredibly powerful magic. Maybe even make them responsible for the Banestorm acting the way it did, as some sort of enigmatic plan of theirs.

Heck, this could be a justification for adding "Fantasy Gods" to Yrth. Replace the Eternal faith with a belief in a pantheon of Native Gods who interfere with mortal lives. But who are also known for "assuming forms you are comfortable with", so the more benevolent ones approached the human newcomers in the guises of Angels and Archangels. All the while, trying to keep the newcomers from disrupting the status quo of Yrth too much.
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Old 08-08-2017, 10:57 PM   #218
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Default Re: Yrth technology

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But if you want a more potent cause for the tech suppression, just add a mysterious group of very high-powered beings who are suppressing it using incredibly powerful magic. Maybe even make them responsible for the Banestorm acting the way it did, as some sort of enigmatic plan of theirs.

The canonical strong hint in Banestorm (which I'm rereading in toto after too long, considering I'm running the setting at the moment) is dragons backing and/or manipulating the feudal powers and mages.

Which makes some sense; what dragon wants organised groups of people with cannon?
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Old 08-09-2017, 12:37 AM   #219
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Default Re: Yrth technology

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Magical printers could not have been making loads of money making it the job of the bottom rungs.
In twelfth century England, a single book cost around the same as a warhorse. More than a labourer's annual wage.

And printing did not come through alone; other technologies came with it. Enough, IMO, to plausibly motivate a mage somewhere to run a Divination on "what's going to happen to us if we keep allowing this technology to develop?".

And, as mentioned, dragons. Who are well-motivated to take a long term view.

Yeah, you could poke holes in it if you try. But it's close enough to work for me without shattering WSoD.
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Old 08-09-2017, 02:04 AM   #220
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Default Re: Yrth technology

It's as sensible as most DF stuff, but Banestorm was intended to be a bit more internally consistent.
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