GURPS Fantasy-Tech 1: The Edge of Reality

[Kromm]

I fear not at all
The katana or heat ray
For my helm bears horns

— Some hack

This week's offering over at e23 is GURPS Fantasy-Tech 1: The Edge of Reality, by Matt Riggsby. I'm not going to lie to you: In some ways, this is a teaser for GURPS Low-Tech, written by one of that book's authors. But it's also much more than that. While Low-Tech will cover realistic tech, it won't speculate much on things like ancient steam engines and electrical batteries, or represent alchemy as anything more than primitive chemistry. It certainly won't talk about flying chariots that shoot heat rays, much less using music to levitate pyramids! Whereas Fantasy-Tech 1 does all that and more. And if it's popular, you might just see more GURPS Fantasy-Tech volumes . . .

[Stripe]

Ordered! :D

On first glance, I liked the Very Cheap Swords article.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Go, steam cat!

[Ulzgoroth]

Page 12 table for combination weapons, all of them list damage as 1d with no type. Errata?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Page 12 table for combination weapons, all of them list damage as 1d with no type. Errata?

Yep. In the meantime, they're all pi+.

[Steven Marsh]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

Go, steam cat!

Yes, the steam cat continues to amuse me far more than a grown man should be amused. Each time I stumble across the image I giggle some more.

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Kromm

In some ways, this is a teaser for GURPS Low-Tech, written by one of that book's authors. But it's also much more than that. While Low-Tech will cover realistic tech, it won't speculate much on things like ancient steam engines and electrical batteries, or represent alchemy as anything more than primitive chemistry.

I remember the discussions during the low tech playtest on some of these items. I really like that some of that sees the light, even if it was deemed unsuitable for Low Tech proper

[sir_pudding]

How useful is it for my TL4+2, New Weird setting? If it is useful will I need to seriously rework the technology in the setting already to fit it?

[Edges]

I ordered it.

It looks great. It makes the LT gadgeteer much more viable. It's also just cool. It has fringe tech for fantasy.

A couple of minor things:

It says that Aluminum wasn't used until the 19th century. I seem to remember reading somewhere that aluminum was very rare but not unheard of in the pre-modern era. It was more precious than platinum and even some king or emperor had some in his crown. An Austrian emperor maybe? Anyone know what I'm referring to?

It also says that transparent aluminum is fictional. See ALON for a non-fictional "transparent aluminum." While it doesn't bend like pure aluminum, it's strong enough be a whale tank. And soft x-rays can make ordinary aluminum transparent over small time intervals.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

How useful is it for my TL4+2, New Weird setting? If it is useful will I need to seriously rework the technology in the setting already to fit it?

I'm not sure how to approach the question without knowing far more than I do about your setting. Most of the stuff in it is lower than TL 4+2 (a couple ornithopters excepted).

But quite a lot of TL 4 or 4+1 stuff might be ancestral to things used in your setting, and there's a good deal of that.

And there exist rules for using Esoteric Medicine in a game where it's effective, which might or might not be relevant.