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A Discussion Regarding The Techlock and Technology


TheArtificer
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Good day to everyone. I have a question of sorts. Well, it’s also intended to generally get a gauge of the server’s community and opinion, and to perhaps open a discussion. I'm mostly just speaking my mind. Please keep matters calm and civil, since some things discussed may be contentious. I also would like to apologize well in advance, for I have a very good feeling that this will be very tangential as opposed to being a well-structured essay. The subject is regarding the nature of the Techlock. See, I'm new, I'm not some community veteran or old-guard who can sway the lore team, or events or outcomes of certain civil wars… but I've hardly played, so I wouldn't really know about that. The thing is, I very much want to. But to explain the matter, I will have to share a little about myself.

 

I love and am obsessed with bits of technology in fantasy settings. Steampunk, retrofuturism, magitech, science-fantasy worlds, these have always fascinated me since I was a kid. Movies like Atlantis, Treasure planet, and others sparked my imagination, games like the old Neverwinter Nights, Ultima, and others occasionally presented small amounts of technology in their setting, and it fascinated me. Wanting to be an engineer IRL, it really helps transport me to another world, time, and place where things only in the most distant theory are possible. Ever since the start of fantasy, there's always been room to mix these things together here and there, settings and worlds like Spelljammer, Eberron, Magic The Gathering(Just look at anything involving Urza), so many of Hayao Miyazaki’s masterful films, I could provide examples for days. The truth is, science and technology have the capacity to conjure wonders unimaginable prior into real being in our universe today, and it’s hard to imagine this not being so elsewhere. This can be the example portion of this whole post, delving further into where I’m coming from, and just simply explaining what I like and enjoy. I’ve read Jules Verne, and played games like Bioshock, Thief 2: The Metal Age, The Dishonored Series, The Bioshock Series, Divinity: Dragon Commander, Path of Exile, Myst, Iron Harvest, Morrowind(And the rest of the Scrolls games), the Vaporum series, and more. I love playing an Artificer in D&D ever campaign that I possibly can. Hell, I loved the Legend of Korra, which I know wasn't exactly popular as a continuation of ATLA. You get the idea, you get the picture, I absolutely adore this sort of thing, and seek it out in media. I’m a massive uber-nerd for this sort of thing.

 

Technology and magic mirror each other in many ways. Of course, many world-building troubles and complications might arise from this, how do magic and technology exist? Where do they compete and where are they compatible? You have to treat technology as a sort of magic system in many respects, so some of Brandon Sanderson’s thoughts apply, generally, it has the power to greatly affect the feel and themes of a world. An industrial revolution is an incredibly transformative event, after all.

 

In a day and age where Netflix’s Arcane tops charts, Magic The Gathering is creating planes and card blocks like the new Kamigawa and New Capenna, The Legend of Zelda features ancient Shieka magitech as a core part of its worldbuilding, and science-fantasy elements become less niche and work their way bit by bit into the spotlight and mainstream, I want to ask. Why does Lord of The Craft have to imitate Tolkien ad nauseam until the end of time(or at least the server, presumably), and even disregard the surprising technologies that actually did exist during the medieval period and throughout history (I’ve taken a History of Science and Technology class, I can debate this if you really want). Who exactly mandates that it has to be limited to one kind of RP, one kind of world, one kind of story, one kind of context, one time-period, doesn’t it ever get old?

 

This is where the rant ends. I really just wanted to toss these ideas out there, because I've wanted to get it off my chest. Part of me is playing devil's advocate here, I want to know what people think. I’m being disingenuous. I know a bit more than I’ve let on, despite my hours on the server probably being 2 at most.

 

The other thing about technology compared to magic, is that, while similarly arcane in its complexity and required knowledge, is that it leaves a more permanent artifact, sure spell tomes can exist, but technology(and artifacts in general) is very much a matter where, once its out, it can be difficult to put the cat back in the bag. When something is invented, the factions in power seek that power, people study, learn, teach, and perpetuate that knowledge. And even if all the skilled craftsmen and engineers who worked on these things have vanished, then their works can still be unearthed, and potentially reverse-engineered(if enough of them is left to do so with). The other relevant property, is that technology is built upon learned principles generally fundamental to reality, and methods and discoveries can be reapplied in different contexts, and improved in efficiency- realistically, the tech train doesn't easily stop moving once it has been started- someone will usually think of all sorts of uses for things which already exist, and try all sorts of wacky stuff. In truth, all fantasy worlds, regardless of tech-level, do have a certain techlock of their own- to prevent a runaway effect and maintain a particular vibe, to prevent a Kaladesh from becoming an Neon Dynasty, so to speak(I understand they are different planes obviously, they were just examples of tech style). Some, like Divinity, opt for a magical unexplained reset that just simply wipes all of the technology, and presumably all of the knowledge, tools, memories, possibly people, and drive to replicate it, or even think to replicate it. This is terrible writing, but I do understand why it’s done. Many settings relegate their technology to little pockets, advanced ancient lost and dead races and civilizations, whose incredible works simply cannot be understood, they are simply too vexing and arcane, and perhaps nobody quite bothers… for some reason, or an isolated and mysterious island of tinker gnomes. The Dwemer’s secrets lie guarded away in buried ruins, defended by magimechanical automata that pose great threat to all but the most skilled and capable, or armies and legions. Only a few characters understand their works, like Sotha Sil(and a significant amount of that understanding likely came about post-’ascension’ via the heart of Lorkhan), and sparingly few scholars, artificers, and alchemists who appear only at special occasion. Regardless, I digress yet again. This isn't about The Elder Scrolls.

 

Now, onto how any of this at all relates to Lord of The Craft, beyond trying to turn it into something that it’s not. I’ve read about the past, about things like Smoggers and Thanium devices, the list seems to go on- devices that were once accepted, and once existed prior to the establishment of the (current?) Techlock. I won't lie, I adore the sound of that stuff. It looks to me like you guys tried it. From what I can tell, there was such significant tech-creep that the techlock became absolutely necessary to keep it in check. It simply must be discussed how technology relates to RP itself. It is obvious to me how balancing, CRP, and fun for everyone can be… potentially negatively impacted by simply letting these ideas run free and wild. It’s clearly a problem if one nation is the Fire Nation, and has such a technological advantage that its screwing over others, and forcing people to advance to compete whether they like it or not, it’s obviously a problem when the people managing sieges and battles now have to deal with one side rolling out steam-tanks or some nonsense. I suppose it's also a problem if someone's 'so unique and special of a character' that went through the bureaucratic nightmare of endless applications and back-and-forth with staff/loreteam to have throwable vials of horrible alchemical concoctions and chemical weapons, or a repeating crossbow that only requires like, 1 or 2 emotes to spam-fire, and regular soldiers and guardsmen with sword and shield have to deal with the BS of fighting that.  I understand these things. I also know that tinkering and technology aren’t entirely crippled today either, it’s just very carefully and cautiously selected and limited. I know automatons and animati still exist, that special magic items and creations exist in circulation here and there, things like mechanical arms which can spray pressurized water, and that a long-forgotten, ancient buried thanium bomb might still detonate causing a massive disaster from time to time, that Urguan’s navy consists of steam-powered paddleboat ironclads. I know these things, and I’m sure there’s still a place and room for me, and things that I can explore. I’m not the kind of roleplayer who wants to invent or bring about technology for powergaming or to crush my competition with the power of “SCIENCE!!!”, and I genuinely care about the experience of others. I just personally love the flavor of fantasy tech, and writing these things. I don’t want to ruin things for anybody. But of course, this sort of thing is still what I tend towards, it’s the sort of thing that Iove and get the most enjoyment out of. And I understand you can tell me to go somewhere else, but, this is the biggest RP server in existence at the moment. I don’t know of a server more my style that exists anymore. My first character is a Dwarf, and I plan to go through the trials necessary to work my way up the ranks of Clan Irongrinder. I want to make interestingly and creatively written and flavored- and well-balanced- magic items, and sell them, introduce them to the world. But I have read a few past forum debates about this very topic, and they were not without vitriol.

 

After this long-winded wall of text, the real question I want to ask is this:

Am I welcome here? 

 

And also, to be entirely earnest, to a lesser extent, the secondary question is:

Will the current state of the techlock ever change? Will there be exceptions for me to enjoy? Will things like smoggers ever exist again? Cannons at the very least? Or did I just miss out on all the cool tech before it got banned forever? Did I just arrive here too late?

Edited by TheArtificer
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30 minutes ago, TheArtificer said:

I also know that tinkering and technology aren’t entirely crippled today either, it’s just very carefully and cautiously selected and limited. I know automatons and animati still exist, that special magic items and creations exist in circulation here and there, things like mechanical arms which can spray pressurized water, and that a long-forgotten, ancient buried thanium bomb might still detonate causing a massive disaster from time to time, that Urguan’s navy consists of steam-powered paddleboat ironclads.

 

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Heya! We've actually a very nice variety of artificery feats, and smoggers does indeed still exist, if that helps you. I'll be bringing up this thread in the LT chats so we can have a nice discussion, but for now, here's some reading for ya- as a general rule, big tech advancements are probs always gonna be alchemical in some nature

 

 

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1 minute ago, Valannor said:

Heya! We've actually a very nice variety of artificery feats, and smoggers does indeed still exist, if that helps you. I'll be bringing up this thread in the LT chats so we can have a nice discussion, but for now, here's some reading for ya- as a general rule, big tech advancements are probs always gonna be alchemical in some nature

 

 

Thanks a ton! I'll be sure to read these.

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I would honestly prefer the opposite approach in the reducing of magitech, but I don't think you're not welcome here. 

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