Tech in Magnamund

[wayward_sage]

Just an idea,

Anyone think a sourcebook on the technology in the world of Lone Wolf would be cool? The Bizarre mix of tech and magic was one of the coolest and unique things about lone wolf! Maybe include unique tech inventions in the world. Unique prestige classes, dwarven techsmith, some sort of Darkland techsmith, ironclad captain? etc.

Wait, howbout the mechanical men with the lightning gun backpacks in book #19? The juggernaut fish atomoton from the deathlord of Ixia? The Orehauler from book 12? I loved that stuff! way cool!

the mix of technology was always a fav of mine. Joe seemed to be able to take the tech and make it seem old and arcane to me. Any thoughts?

Lets hear some thoughts on Tech in magnamund.

sunwolf

 

[August]

The ore hauler was called a Lajakeka. As for the rest of the tech, yes it was very much a part of the overall charm of the books. Could I will a whjole book with it? Certainly. Is it very high on the priority list? Unfortunately no.

Don't assume that means it won't happen.

-August

 

[redlaco]

The almost steam-punk feel of the tech certainly is one of the most intriguing and fascinating aspect of Magnamund. I hope somewhere down the line it will get more development. Maybe not a whole sourcebook, but it would fit perfectly as material for Sign & Portents articles. Isn't it so, Old Bear?

The other aspect of the setting that clicked with me :
1. Psychics
2. Ranger-types adventure
3. Bizarre & original monsters

 

[chrono_hal]

If you except the gunpowder technology that the Dwarfs from Bor own (and its rather classical to see dwarfs having a more advanced technology than other races in a med-fan world), the technological bits and the steampunk feeling that suddenly appear in book #12 seem to be the product of the Darklands only. No other nation in the Magnamund seem to have such things like the Lajakeka or the steampowered naval cruisers. And _this_ is not classical. I remember that I was pleasantly surprised by this when I read "The masters of darkness" for the first time. Not by the introduction of the technology itself, but by the fact that the Darklords were suddenly becoming far more than classical Sauron-like vilains with their hordes of ugly gobs - (oops, sorry, giaks) when the good guys have brilliant knights in shiny armour. As there is no mention of such engines involved during the first war with Sommerlund (during Zagarna's reign) it can even be suggested that, under Gnaag's reign, the MIT (Mozgoar Institute of Technology) has got new funds to lauch a vast program of mechanical engineering research.

 

[Winter Wolf]

I too very much enjoyed the predominately outdoor settings of the Game books.

My favourite piece of tech are the Elder Magi flying ships. Ever since reading Shadow On The Sand, the somewhat surprising appearance Banedons ship has really caught my imagination.

 

[Paido]

To be honest, for most of the tech in Magnamund I didn't care a lot ... :?

Things like the Bor muskets were more or less okay, and somehow I even came to terms with the Lajakeka (had enough of a Jawa Sandcrawler, maybe :wink, but I hated those Ironclads with a passion!

Ah, well. Didn't care that much for the psychic combat, too, but nevertheless I love Magnamund! So it can't matter that much, can it?

As there is no mention of such engines involved during the first war with Sommerlund (during Zagarna's reign) it can even be suggested that, under Gnaag's reign, the MIT (Mozogar Institute of Technology) has got new funds to lauch a vast program of mechanical engineering research.

*rofl* That's a good one!

My favourite piece of tech are the Elder Magi flying ships.

Yeah, those are fascinating. ... Though I always took them to be more of a magical nature. Or at least a combination of both. (But you're probably correct. Rats ... :wink


Paido

 

[chrono_hal]

Yeah, those are fascinating. ... Though I always took them to be more of a magical nature. Or at least a combination of both. (But you're probably correct. Rats ... )

As I said, Bor's musketeers are not really strange in a med-fan world (the first gunpowder weapons appeared at then end of middle-age and other classic med-fan worlds like Warhammer are more or less "renaissance-fantastique".) The Banedon's ship, I was seeing it exactly like you, of a magical nature or of a mix of technological and magical natures. But as for the Ironclads and the Lajakeka, I really saw them as the Darklords' "effort of war" like the building of the naval base of Argazad is : remember that, at the time of book #12, The darklands are at war with the rest of northern Magnamund for *eight years*, heroically standing alone against the world. Banedon says at the beginning of the book : "The war against the Darklords is all but lost." We must conclude that the conquest was not so easy. Remember also that when in Aarnak, the slavemaster says to Lone Wolf that, even if the armies of darkness are victorious, the price to pay is higher and higher. In the real world, wars were always periods of great technological advance because you have to get better weapons than your opponent or at least keep up with him. That's the way I see the Ironclads, the Lajakeka and surely, other weird inventions from the Darklands. In most of med-fan wolrds, technlogy seems without any importance because, why spend time and money to build machines when magic can do anything better and simplier ? On Magnamund, the good guys have magic and lazily rely on it. The Darklords also have a powerful magic but, in spite of this, they also work on technological weapons.

 

[Angantyr]

Actually, the idea of the enemy inventing more advanced technology is not that unique - in fact Tolkien did use it; not with Sauron, but with Saruman, who was developing Isengard into some kind of industrial plant, and when the hobbits came back to Shire the old water mill in Bywater had been replaced by a steam mill (or something that at least spewed smoke). Lotho Sackville-Baggins's henchmen had also been been building "modern" houses and such.

Tolkien obviously portrayed the industrial/modern "innovations" in a most negative light, and the same goes for the Ironclads and similar in Magnamund I think. So when I first read book 12, what I was thinking was that Joe had nicked the idea from Tolkien. :twisted:

 

[chrono_hal]

Bah. You said it, in LotR, the bad guys use technology to build a mill. Utterly grotesque. What a pitiful lack of ambition. Saruman's obviously past it. Magnamund's darklords use the power of steam to build true weapons that hurt really bad. They are more far-seeing.

 

[Greg Smith]

Saruman's explosive was pretty destructive at Helm's Deep.

 

[redlaco]

as for the Ironclads and the Lajakeka, I really saw them as the Darklords' "effort of war" like the building of the naval base of Argazad is. In the real world, wars were always periods of great technological advance because you have to get better weapons than your opponent or at least keep up with him. That's the way I see the Ironclads, the Lajakeka and surely, other weird inventions from the Darklands. The Darklords have a powerful magic but, in spite of this, they also work on technological weapons.

As chrono_hal and others hinted, most tech originate from the Darklands. So, August, did you describe them a little in the Darklands Sourcebook, or at least mention them?

 

[August]

It's mentioned, but I packed so much information into the book, there was not really time or space to elucidate. Besides, GMs don't rteally need stats for a Lajakeka; it's a massive set of buildings on tracks and wheels, after all.

As for the other tech, I've got plans for another book regarding this.

-August

 

[wayward_sage]

An idea August,

Maybe this book could be combined with magical and psychic items and artifacts? It could be a kind of Item Arcana and Technologica of Magnamund. I was reading through book 6 and i found the reptile guys who had a sort of crystal bazooka.

There's tons of quazi-mechanical/arcane and psychic devices in magnamund that could be described for characters to get their hands on. Or devices the characters could destroy. I'd love to see some new items that are inspired by lone wolf.

sunwolf

 

[adgramaine]

An idea August,

I was reading through book 6 and i found the reptile guys who had a sort of crystal bazooka.

sunwolf

Wasnt that Book 9, Cauldron of Fear? Now that I think about it, the crocaryx did have a few intersting toys at their disposal, and it did prove that not all "tech" things came from the Darklords...

Now weither of not that WAS tech remains to be seen. Either way, they were cool toys....

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, it was book 9 Cauldron of Fear. There are other areas in the books where tech is used.

I def. think it would be best to include it in a book with tons of arcane/psionic/tech items plus some info on how to use tech in magnamund.

But more importantly, there should be an extensive seciton detailing what tech differen't groups/countries have and how advanced they are and maybe their view of tech and psionics.

sunwolf