Space Age Fantasy World

[Corvus 501]

So, what happens when a stereotypical fantasy world reaches space and achieves interstellar travel? Let's say that it's something like D & D, and that magic works on any planet and in space, though obviously certan spells may work diffrently on diffrent planets because they have diffrent conditions.

What happens? First Contact may work out diffrently, in most settings the races already know other races, and are used to the associated problems, but a group that uses magitech and magic meeting an advanced race that uses conventional technology and dosn't know about magic may be a bit jarring.

[madd0ct0r]

welcome to spelljammer

[Elheru Aran]

Yeah, you're basically looking at technology powered by magic rather than electricity/steam/nukes/whatever. You could literally take a wooden clipper sailing ship (a galleon might be more appropriate, but whatever) and float it out into space, with a magical sphere of force holding in atmosphere around it.

[Corvus 501]

I was thinking more along the lines of the future of a fantasy world, post industrial. Magitech would be common, and magic would take the place that computers take in the modern day. Instead of having a computer controlled ship, individual components would be enchanted to perform their job, all under the controll of controll alters, or similar interfaces. Alters may be networked and controlled from master controll alters, allowing central controll.

[Elheru Aran]

Then your problem becomes how to depict it in a way that you *know* the power source is magical, rather than just 'flip a switch and the light comes on', without becoming boring because you're yapping entirely too much about how it works rather than any semblance of plot.

[Esquire]

Amusingly, magic-based technology would probably look a lot like Apple products - think about it; shiny talking rectangles that, when disassembled, reveal intricate geometric patterns in precious metals? Whose design aesthetic does that sound like?

[SpottedKitty]

Heh, I remember a while back coming across a description of various SF and actual modern electronic and household gadgets, written up in D&D terms as magical artifacts. It made a surprising amount of sense — I can easily see a whole scenario coming together based on these ideas.

[Mr Bean]

Heh, I remember a while back coming across a description of various SF and actual modern electronic and household gadgets, written up in D&D terms as magical artifacts. It made a surprising amount of sense — I can easily see a whole scenario coming together based on these ideas.

Where? That's something I'd love to read

[Deathstalker]

Where? That's something I'd love to read

I remember reading an article in a Dragon magazine circa the early 2000s. Haven't been able to find the article, can't begin to remember what issue or title. Had examples like jets with invisibility and imps in/as calculators.

I found modern devices imagined as magic items in Dragon 327 on page 66.

[SpottedKitty]

Where? That's something I'd love to read

It's been so long I'm not sure where I found it. I remember there was a list of names in Elvish for kitchen gadgets, photocopiers, what we'd call today an iPod and DVD recorder, etc.

The one that gave me the best moment, though, was a bit of chain you spun round your head. After a moment you realise it's a magical version of the motion detector from the Aliens movies...

[fgalkin]

So, what happens when a stereotypical fantasy world reaches space and achieves interstellar travel? Let's say that it's something like D & D, and that magic works on any planet and in space, though obviously certan spells may work diffrently on diffrent planets because they have diffrent conditions.

What happens? First Contact may work out diffrently, in most settings the races already know other races, and are used to the associated problems, but a group that uses magitech and magic meeting an advanced race that uses conventional technology and dosn't know about magic may be a bit jarring.

In the Grim Darkness of the 41st Millenium, there is only war?


Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[biostem]

One issue is that technology may not progress that much, since there's not as much of a need for technological innovation, when magic can accomplish what you want. I'm thinking of things like an engine with a fire elemental in it to heat water to produce steam power, or a water elemental in your home to provide indoor plumbing. What you may have is some form of mass production of magical items, so as to facilitate this. After all, if magic is still relatively hard to learn, and though there may be an overall increase in general literacy, your average person may still be unable to cast even rudimentary spells...

[Gaidin]

One issue is that technology may not progress that much, since there's not as much of a need for technological innovation, when magic can accomplish what you want. I'm thinking of things like an engine with a fire elemental in it to heat water to produce steam power, or a water elemental in your home to provide indoor plumbing. What you may have is some form of mass production of magical items, so as to facilitate this. After all, if magic is still relatively hard to learn, and though there may be an overall increase in general literacy, your average person may still be unable to cast even rudimentary spells...

That might be slightly wrong. You're turning your technology into your artifacts and your magic into your power source. There's no reason to stop your "technology progression" at all. You need to engineer an artifact that does X? Contract that wizard. Hell, you might even have that analogy to science for the hilariously high level wizards that are doing the research for the stuff analogous to, you know, quantum physics, that the engineers aren't trying to make every day items with yet. I have no idea what idea what a fantasy novel would slot in there, but I'm pretty sure it could be done with a bit of creative thought. For things as rudimentary as indoor plumbing, I'd say that's more the technicians and literally plumbers and electricians that don't need to get above "Level 0" spells to do their work because literally, they're not designing new systems, but putting systems in place for the most part.

It has no need to change from our world insofar as innovation is concerned. You're just looking at a different system.

[Purple]

It all depends on the magic system and how it works. If magic is like D&D you could just have factories churning out wands of Create Water and a bag of holding attached to the drain for instant plumbing. But if magic is more rare and requires actual skill or worse yet innate talent than you'd look at a mostly regular setting with the occasional magically gifted inventor or engineer producing marvelous devices for the consumption of a rich elite.

[FedRebel]

I'd thik that 'Space Age Fantasy' would be the future of the Tolkienverse. Since magic declines with time the increased rarity going into the Fifth Age forces an industrial revolution that's spurred b the few magics left.

In that scenario either by accident or intent the magic 'preservation' ability of the rings of power is rediscovered, Robber Barons could exploit that to take over realms with iPad expy's.

I suck as a writer, here's a fanfic pitch...

'It is the height of the Fifth Age, humans and Orcs are locked in a Cold War between the "Federal Republic of Gondor" and the "Dominate of Mordor". The atmosphere of the world is that of 1950's Earth, but magic based technology has brought an advanced computer age (iPhones and iPad's with a mild dieselpunk aesthetic are common place.) Magic has become an extremely precious resource and is wielded haphazardly by industrialists who barely comprehend it's power...and a dark art has been rediscovered...and art that should've been left forgotten from ages past...and the mantle of evil has reopened to be claimed...

^ Yeah, not much of a brain fart, hence why I admit I suck.

[Gaidin]

You literally get space age fantasy in Glen Cook's Darkwar. Although that's from a genre of Science Fantasy as opposed to pure Fantasy. They're flying through space on a ship powered by magic and I can't remember what it's built out of and they literally run into humans doing their own exploring.

[Imperial Overlord]

You literally get space age fantasy in Glen Cook's Darkwar. Although that's from a genre of Science Fantasy as opposed to pure Fantasy. They're flying through space on a ship powered by magic and I can't remember what it's built out of and they literally run into humans doing their own exploring.

The space ship is basically an iron scaffolding. Bad ass psychic powers do all the heavy lifting.