[Game] Work Up a Steampunk Setting

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Dr. Beckenstein

(SNIP)

Question 47: Who are the five greatest living heroes, be them soldiers, explorers, scientists or police men?

I honestly think you should reconsider this question, entirely. The greatest heroes in a world such as this should be the player characters. They maybe shouldn't start out that way, but they should grow into the roles.

The problem with having five great living heroes is, at some point, the players may ask why those great heroes aren't solving these problems, themselves? Moreover, if you include such paragons in the setting, you risk overshadowing the PCs with NPCs operated by the GM, and that starts to look an awful lot like forcing the players to watch the GM wank.

That's no fun for anybody but the sort of GM I'd never want to play with, anyway.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by (E)

Question 42 armaments, partial answer.
The Junker-Becker theories on phlogiston in energetic vapours have eventually led to two fully realized military developments. The first is the vortex cannon, favoured as a defense against airship attacks. This weapon ignites an explosive blend of gas in an ignition chamber and launches a stable air vortex at it's target. While the range is short, the effects on an airship can be devastating.

The second development is known as the "Devil's mist" or worse by soldiers and military men the world over. It is a complicated and fragile device that emits a vapourous compound that explodes is a most energetic fashion when ignited. While the militaries of the world have yet to develop a version that can be fired in a shell or dropped from an airship the weapon has seen some use in naval combat, unfortunately the design has become known to various anarchist groups and it has been used on two occasions as a weapon of terror.

Note these may not be particularly effective weapons but they are ones that have captured the public's attention
Vortex cannon clip

Q42 Armaments, partial answer

While airships that engage in questionable activities may arm themselves with bits and bobs of weapons of all sorts, most especially Maxim water-cooled machine-guns, most military dirigibles step it up a notch.

The primary weapon used in the airships of His Majesty's Royal Navy mount between two and 20 Maxim QF-1 autocannons. A much more powerful version of Maxim's ubiquitous machine-guns, the 37 mm QF-1 fires shells that weighs nearly half a kilogram (37x 94R, with one-pound shells). Created by Hiram Maxim and his partner, Edward Vickers, the QF-1 (Quick Firing) autocannon fires a shell that just barely exceeds the minimum mass permitted by the Geneva Accords to explode upon impact.

The large infantry weapon initially drew little interest from the world's major militaries, because its bulk was seen as a problem for field operations (a similar complaint was initially lodged about the Maxim machine-gun, as well). However, as of about 10 years ago, the "pom-pom" guns (so-called because of the sound they make) found their way into the hands of the Boers, who promptly turned them on British coastal garrisons.

Despite their mass and bulk, the weapons proved devastatingly effective when used against British formations, and demonstrated an ability to penetrate many of the lighter fortifications built by British garrisons. The Boers solved the mobility problem by mounting them in the beds of trekker wagons drawn by well-trained draft horses, maneuvering them into position, and then beating hasty retreats as the British counter-attacked.

The British forces in South Africa responded by mounting Maxim guns on armored steam carriages, and requesting that His Majesty's Secretary of State for War purchase Maxim autocannons for Capetown's colonial troops. The SSW responded with unaccustomed alacrity, and the British began to mount their own "pom-poms" on armored vehicles, within two years. Now, the weapon, vehicle-mounted or not, has become a standard weapon for all British colonial troops.

The acquisition of the weapon by the British encouraged other militaries, both major and minor, to do the same. The widespread deployment of the now-successful weapon has also encouraged experimentation with other uses, some of which have proven successful, but others of which have not.

The British, as well as the French and Germans, began to experiment with the use of the QF-1 as an anti-aircraft artillery cannon, but reported disappointing results. The weapon lacked the range to reach high altitudes, and the fabric skins of airships proved too flimsy to trigger the contact detonator.

Additionally, the British discovered that the timed fuses for bursting rounds had an annoying tendency to fall out of the back of the shell during flight, rendering the explosive charges in the shell useless (a problem also reported by British infantry units, and one which Maxim company engineers are reportedly working hard to solve). Finally, the small caliber of the shell simply couldn't do enough damage, on its own, to bring down airships reliably, when fired from the ground.

However, while efforts to use the weapon in a surface-to-air role proved disappointing, its adoption as an air-to-air weapons has been quite successful. Dirigible air combat takes place at much closer ranges than anti-aircraft artillery engagement, and the crews of the airships are highly motivated to achieve superior marksmanship skills. The turret gunners target engines or other hardpoints, but also study the internal design of potential enemy airships.

This allows them to aim for the pressurized fuel tanks inside the craft. Airship crews can hit those effectively with contact bursting shells, precisely because the fabric on the outside of the dirigible does not trigger the contact detonator at the point of the shell. This allows the shell to penetrate to the interior of the enemy craft and detonate upon contact with the fuel tanks.

The effect of bursting shells on tanks of pressurized hydrogen sulfide almost always has results accurately described as "catastrophic."

The number and mounting configuration of the QF-1 depends entirely on the role of the airship in question. The British Royal Navy's fast "Sparrowhawk" pursuit dirigibles mount one QF-1 in each of two turrets located on the port and starboard sides of the craft, where the prow cone meets the main body of the small dirigibles. This allows the turret-gunners to focus fire on a single target at short range, directly ahead of the airship so as to supplement the short-range prow-mounted vortex cannon, while at the same time providing decent arcs of fire in nearly every other direction.

By comparison, the Royal Navy's massive "Bustard" class transport dirigible mounts two QF-1s in a forward turret, two in an aft turret, one each in two different turrets in the keel, another two in single-mount top turrets, and six QF-1s in three twin turrets on either side. (Military observers, however, note that the position of the two "pop-out" keel turrets, forward and aft of the roll-on/roll-off loading ramps, limit their arcs of fire directly beneath the vessel.)

According to scuttlebutt in the military and intelligence community, the British have been so pleased with the performance of the QF-1 in dirigible combat, that they've begun to work with the Maxim company on a 40 mm version, which would double the mass of the shell, while using modern materials to minimize any increase in the weight of the weapon, itself.

(The QF-1 appears on p.130 of my copy of G: High Tech, as the "Maxim 1-pdr Q.F. Mark 1, 37x94mmR Hotchkiss (U.K., 1889-1916)". I don't know what the stats might be for the 2-pdr Q.F. Mark 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF_2-pounder_naval_gun)

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

I honestly think you should reconsider this question, entirely. The greatest heroes in a world such as this should be the player characters. They maybe shouldn't start out that way, but they should grow into the roles.

The problem with having five great living heroes is, at some point, the players may ask why those great heroes aren't solving these problems, themselves? Moreover, if you include such paragons in the setting, you risk overshadowing the PCs with NPCs operated by the GM, and that starts to look an awful lot like forcing the players to watch the GM wank.

That's no fun for anybody but the sort of GM I'd never want to play with, anyway.

Nah, I think it's fine. It's not like people don't want to play in the Star Wars universe because of the existence of Luke, Han and Leia. NPCs only risk becoming GMPCs if they happen to join the group, and that doesn't necessarily happen. These would just be famous people in a big world, that should appear to be living and breathing instead of standing still waiting for the PCs to wander on stage.

Such characters serve to flesh out the world, and if they do enter the story, it could be as-
- mentors: "I was trained in Bartitsu by Edward Barton-Wright himself"
- rivals: "We must reach the mines of King Solomon before Quartermain!"
- enemies: "I once cheated Wyatt Earp at poker, so I can never go back to Tombstone."
- plot device/Macguffins: "Professor Einstein's been kidnapped by cultists!"
- or mission givers: Sherlock Holmes- "I'm off to thwart Moriarty in the Alps, so I've recruited you to take care of things in London until I return."

Besides which, this seems to be a particular gaming philosophy, perhaps narrativism, that not all GMs or gaming groups necessarily subscribe to. As such, I think it's a GMing decision about how NPCs are used or portrayed in a setting, and not a world-building decision. And further besides, a GM who doesn't like an NPC presented can invoke Rule Zero and do away with him as he likes, just as with any magic that might be in the setting if the GM prefers no supernatural stuff.

[Dr. Beckenstein]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

That should be 46d.

Corrected that.

[Dr. Beckenstein]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

I honestly think you should reconsider this question, entirely. The greatest heroes in a world such as this should be the player characters. They maybe shouldn't start out that way, but they should grow into the roles.

Okay, I changed that to "most famous".

[Dr. Beckenstein]

Global hotspot #2: Indochina

The Japanese (and British) may claim this area, but they have not conquered it.
Various rebel groups, native leaders, foreign powers and even corporations resist them.
On the mainland, the mainly Buddhist inhabitants fight against the fanatic Japanese Christian missionaries who try to convert the "heathens" in the name of the emperor - and the zaibatsus that have leased large tracts of land from the government. The living conditions in this "corporate fiefdoms" are even worse than in the Belgian possessions in East Africa.
On the mainly Muslim islands, the rebels get also support from the "protector of the faithful" in far-away Constantinople, and many a young gentleman from the Ummah joins his brothers in faith to fight against the infidel suppressors. Since piracy is a honoured tradition on the islands, European ships are also target as rubber plantations or tar coral mines.
Add a wild hodgepodge of bandits, opium lords, mercenaries, spies and warlords to the mix, and you got a powder keg with a lot of burning fuses. The Kra canal could make things better - or worse, the experts are not sure.


Question 49: What happened to Italy?

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by Dr. Beckenstein

Question 34
What are popular tourist destinations?
...
34a) Auyan Tepui Resort

Maybe the world most exclusive hotel is located on a high mesa in the border area of Venezuela and British Guyana...

Answer 34
Tourism in General
As seen with the notable example of Auyan Tepui, there is a modern trend towards resorts and hotels in locations otherwise inaccessible by surface transport- whether by road, train or boat. With the advent of heavy-duty cargo dirigibles, it has become possible, and even relatively profitable, to essentially plop a resort in the middle of nowhere, a very attractive and spectacular nowhere, mind you, and then send it regular shipments of supplies to keep it serviced, borrowing much from San Moritz model as an early form of remote resort. Thus we have seen ever more remote but desirable locations become mini-resort locales, such as Machu Picchu in Peru, Lhasa in Tibet, or the immense salt flats of Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

Furthermore, the widespread availability of Holland Walkers, such as the enthermalised and enfridgerated models, make even extreme climates or environments attractive locations for tourists to visit. And with the expertise gained in building underwater pressurised accommodations by the Celts and Norwegians, otherwise inhospitable domains, such as mildly active volcanic calderas, have been made accessible to tourists-of-means by installing observation tunnels and platforms that come perilously close to the action.

A couple of notable tourist resorts include:
Answer 34b)
The Norrannnex
As King Gustav V stepped onto the Arctic ice and removed the helmet from his Bang-Fredrickssen Thermulator, he joked that, "this is just like the northern annex of the Kungliga palace!" His Majesty was of course referring to the sumptuous quarters that had been erected a mere few kilometres from the North Pole for his royal pleasure. Adjoining a much older atmospheric research station, the royal quarters were intended to be temporary, but ended up becoming the centre of a rapidly expanding complex of small hotels, resorts and support buildings. The station is now a popular tourist destination in both summer and winter, when tourists come to witness the Aurora Borealis at its peak.

Answer 34c)
Dappled Reefs Aquamarine Cabinettes
Located just off the shore of Saint-Barthélemy in the French West Indies, Dappled Reefs is a complex of underwater accommodations that face on to the picturesque coral reefs of the area. Located at a reasonably shallow depth of between 20 and 30 feet, the rooms of the hotel are built with large bay windows constructed from fused quartz, the strongest known transparent material, giving excellent views of the local colourful marine life in its natural habitat. While docking facilities are provided for surface vessels, submarines and dirigibles, most guests make use of the pneumatic transport tubes connecting back to the island. Guests can spend their daytimes wandering amongst the reefs and a pirate-era wreck in the bathyphilic dress provided, then dance away the evening in the grand subaquatic ballroom as moonlight sparkles and glitters down through the waves.

[(E)]

Answer 49
What became of Italy?
After being ground under the boot of the French and the Hapsburgs Italy is only just finding itself as a nation the first prime minister Camilio Benso has established a liberal foundation for government that so far has been less than stable. 26 prime ministers in the country has been gripped with a nationalistic fervor. As a result of this the country is endeavoring to make their "huge strides ahead (il passo avanti)" program of advancement a success. Large amounts of capital are being invested in huge public projects, a rail based launching system that they hope will place a capsule in orbit (they seek to upstage the french), an expansion of several factories in Turin (among them Lamborghini, "Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili" and Alfa romeo) . A bohemian atmosphere can be found in the cities as the stratophication of society is less obvious than else where.

Question 50
How do the wealthiest of the wealthy flaunt their fortunes?

[(E)]

Question 42, continued but not completed
The great exhibition of militaria is to be held at the crystal palace.
The advances in technology on show will surely display the Empire's superiority in the military application of human advancement.
Prominent displays at the small arms exhibition hall include.
- the Whitworth-puckel precision repeating rifle with a variety of telescopic lenses available to further demonstrate the accuracy for which the company has become famous for.
- the webley-fosbury revolver has been revamped for the new century with several improvements in reliability and a range of new calibers available. Will they be able to succeed and take the place of the Nagant 1899 revolver in overseas markets?
- The heavy "Claymore" shotgun with its unusual square barrel and rectangular ammunition has been demonstrated with much acclaim from the abundant crowds.
- the Louisiana confederacy inventor John Thompson demonstrates his one man machine gun that fires a diminutive pistol round. Belt fed from a box beneath the weapon this gun has wowed onlookers and in this reporters opinion the Birmingham small arms company is on to winner having just signed a deal with the inventor.
- the Japanese type 32 motorized weapon mount has been displayed. A tracked handcart of sorts that the operator walks behind protected from enemy fire by a stout steel shield. The water cooled machine gun mounted on the cart is moved by a single operator with the cunning mechanisms of the cart providing motive power.
- The Bren semi-automatic carbine experienced a dramatic failure when a missfeed from the unusual vertically mounted "dinnerplate" "magazine" caused the marksman to suffer a nasty injury to his face.
- The Henry hydraulic elephant rifle was fired only once at the firing range as the retort was of such violence that window panes where broken in the next building! This may have been expected as this mammoth of a hunting weapon fires an astounding 1/2 a pound of lead in each shot.
- Lincoln Vickers' rifle and pistol propelled grenades served as a bit of comic relief for bored onlookers as the dummy rounds he was exhibiting would detonate in the most erratic fashion showering onlookers in brightly coloured flour.

Question 51
While magic exists in the corners of the world and does not get spoken of in polite company. Does magic interact with technology in any way? Are there "bespoke craft masters" who make items of extreme quality for example? Or are there areas that dull people's ability to do magic due to large amounts of technical machinery? Is the opposite true, does magic reduce the functionality of machines?

[TGLS]

Question 45
Are there Gadgeteers, or just pretty good inventors?

Answer to Q45
Gadgeteers are a rare occurrence. If it could be measured (it can't; Gadgeteers are only distinguishable from regular inventors by their talent), then you would find that they appear in about 100 people per generation. Because of social expectations and isolation, few actually reach full potential. The ones that do reach their potential tend to leave a bit of a mark on the world though.

Question 51
While magic exists in the corners of the world and does not get spoken of in polite company. Does magic interact with technology in any way? Are there "bespoke craft masters" who make items of extreme quality for example? Or are there areas that dull people's ability to do magic due to large amounts of technical machinery? Is the opposite true, does magic reduce the functionality of machines?

Answer to Q51
One day, it may be possible to create technology that interferes or enhances (or runs on) magic. Right now, nothing of the sort exists. Some craftsmen use magic (consciously or not) to produce equipment, but it works in tandem with skill, not as a replacement. While some magic exists that interferes with machinery, enhancing it is rather impractical (messing with the laws of physics tends to hamper precision built equipment), unless the machine was designed for it in the first place (which it usually isn't)