Lxcharon
Discussion time!
I was reading other people's campaigns, (specifically Vladimiravich's "Lux Tenebrae":https://campaign-40374.obsidianportal.com/ ) When I came to the realization that while I have a strong concept of religion and science in my world, I haven't really thought of Magic's place in the world, especially with the advent of technology in the world and an industrial revolution. I have a tendency to forget magic when creating roleplaying worlds because (funny because creating magic systems is normally the first place I start when writing stories) I think because playing mostly D&D they've watered down their magic so much it feels more like a video game mechanic than a breathing part of the world.
Aaaaannnywaaay, How does magic and technology interact in your campaign? Does magic give room for the advancement of science? Does science end up replacing magic? I'm interested to see how you guys do it.
Comments
-Abersade
DM of "Rise of the Durnskald - Wrath of the Fallen Goddess":https://rise-of-the-durnskald.obsidianportal.com/
GM of Rise of the Durnskald: Wrath of the Fallen Goddess - February 2016 CotM
GM of Core: The Ashes of Alcarna - April 2020 CotM
GM of Stream of Kairos
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Keelah Se'lai,
Keryth
"Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
"2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
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Where something does occur that is similar in nature to a modern technological phemonemon, e.g. electricity, it is still just seen as "magic" by the inhabitants.
twiggyleaf
CURRENT CAMPAIGN: "Mysteria":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/mysteria - set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: "Shimring":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shimring
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com
Just trying to help out.
Hope that made some sense, it's always been a grey area to me and is kind of hard to put to written word.
~Mae
CotM Selection Committee
But that's not always the case. How I treat technology depends on how I treat wizards. But I usually have the two interact through class warfare. If almost anyone can do magic with proper training, then magic is seen as common and technology is viewed as the choice of the wealthy, the elite. After all, only the rich can afford the best technology.
If on the other hand, magic ability is something only a few bloodlines can learn (those strongest in the bloodline are sorcerers rather than wizards) then magic is the tool of the aristocrats, while technology is viewed a the commoner's tool. After all, what nobleman would be caught dead handling guano (I use a different material component for fireballs), or sweating at a forge in order to fuel his magic.
Sometimes, I mix it up a bit, magic is the province of the old aristocrats, while technology is the seen as belonging to the nouveau riche nobles or the merchant class. The same holds true with medical technology vs the churches. The church is usually against the advances in medicine as it cuts into their profits.
New inventions (or even the hint of new inventions) can be cause for some great urban adventures as guilds move against inventors. I remember an dungeon magazine adventure where the quill merchants guild assassinated the inventor of the printing press, that resulted in a murder mystery adventure.
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XCom: Defiance - Campaign of the Month November 2016
Keryth, my actual novel has the same concepts, being modern day with magic being secret so it doesn't influence technology. This is also the Star Wars way, where it's not secret so much as so rarely used that it doesn't influence technology. I'm thinking this maybe the route I go. Or not secret but as cgregory said something that only certain people have access too. Like the rich.
Now I'm starting to think about Leylines and how magic is in everyone, but only the very wealthy can afford to send their children to the Magic Academies to learn magic, that way it gives way to magic being used by random npcs if I need it (because technically everyone can use it) but learning to use it costs so much it removes it from the hands of most of the population and therefor science is created to fill the gaps.
Creating a believable, breathing world is so important to me and my story telling, hence the reason i'm always asking these questions haha.
I think William Gibsonesque steampunk type stuff would fit pretty well with the Georgian era. You can also bear in mind that it was just after Isaac Newton so there would be quite a bit of "NEW SCIENCE" stuff that you could throw in to the mix.
twiggyleaf
CURRENT CAMPAIGN: "Mysteria":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/mysteria - set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: "Shimring":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shimring
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
BUT, one of my favorite "magic versus technology" settings is from an old game called Arcanum, which was basically a Tolkien-esque fantasy world in the wake of an industrial revolution. Magic and technology became opposed forces (something to do with technology stabilizing and harnessing natural forces, while magic bent and broke the natural order). Quite fun watching technologists' guns explode in their hands when they tried to shoot at a mage, hehe! Since tech was the rising power, magic was becoming more heavily scrutinized and regulated, and races that traditionally were strongly magical had a lot of social conflict. Mages had to ride in a "special" caboose at the back of the train so as to be as far as possible from the steam engine and minimize risk of causing malfunctions.
I will have to definitely check out Arcanum (I remember that game coming out, but never playing it) It definitely looks like a game I can gleam ideas from.
TORG (That Other Roleplaying Game) mixed magic and technology by having different realms force their realities on various geographical locations. For example, England now had magic and 1800s technology, more advanced technology didn't work once it entered that area, unless you were a Storm Knight and able to temporarily force your native reality work in your immediate area. While Japan had advanced technology from the 2050s, but no magic.
Malifaux, Through the Breach offers a nice mix of magic and wild west/steampunk technology. Earth has no magic anymore, but the horror World of Malifaux has magic and it has physically concentrated magic, Soul stones, that can be transported back to earth to be used like a battery pack for the former Mages on Earth
http://www.wyrd-games.net/through-the-breach/
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XCom: Defiance - Campaign of the Month November 2016
And the issue I have with TORG (well not really with TORG because they're different dimensions and so it makes more sense) as well as many other worlds that use differing levels of tech is that historically I don't find it believable. Countries that touch don't have that big of a gap in tech. Even colonial america and europe were fairly close and it would take months and months for any travel or communication between them. The idea that country A is running around in magitech robots and neighboring country B is in the dark ages just doesn't ring true to me. Like even if one was protecting their secrets, the other would be trying to emulate or steal the ideas.
Its definitely worth picking up on GOG if you can stand the old isometric RPG interface (and spare $5 or however much). An incredibly atmospheric, detailed, and well-written game, I still go back and play it periodically, though admittedly through the lens of nostalgia (I'm not sure how it would hold up to fresh eyes today).