tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-208045521016729336.post1956572320271325354..comments2022-11-09T05:07:01.502-08:00Comments on Realmcrafting: City Generation - The FactoriumGremlin1384http://www.blogger.com/profile/00062614422718891716noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-208045521016729336.post-35365405306208062852010-11-21T18:35:14.571-08:002010-11-21T18:35:14.571-08:00One thing to consider as you put together their te...One thing to consider as you put together their technology base is that even though a magical way of doing something exists, the mundane way may be cheaper. Is it cheaper to pay a Forceshifter, or construct a conveyor belt? That depends on how many Forceshifters there are, how demanding the work is, and how much of the substrate technology for conveyor belts exists. Your basic conveyor belt is very simple--just a belt of anything sturdy and flexible, some wheels, and some simple source of power, be it animal, water, human, or something more sophisticated.<br /><br />So if you want a mostly magical technology base, you need to set the maintenance costs of a magical work force lower than the development and maintenance costs of the corresponding technology. (Fortunately, that dovetails well with the ubiquity of magic that most players expect in a fantasy RPG.)<br /><br />A real-world example of what I'm talking about: the Romans had waterwheel technology but ignored it for centuries because slaves were cheaper. Then along came a plague, and, presto, suddenly it's more economical to use water power.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16713733132860556348noreply@blogger.com