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Oddly enough, if you look at the Lord of the Rings movies through the
lens of an anthropologist, you come to a remarkable conclusion:<br>
1) Workable Buttons, as opposed to toggles, are a fairly late
invention. Hobbits have buttons, everybody else uses low tech laces.<br>
2) Tailored & fitted clothes are an 18th century invention. Since
Cloth is the most labor intensive product - loose or voluminous
sleeves, clothing, etc are a sign of the wealthy in lower tech
cultures. After the industrial revolution, tailored clothing, &
lots of different sets of clothing became a sign of the wealthy.
Hobbits have Post-Industrial Revolution styled tailored clothing,
everyone else wears baggier medieval styles.<br>
Conclusion: Hobbits are the highest tech culture in the LOTR!!!<br>
<br>
Skal,<br>
Sven<br>
On 2/13/2010 4:36 PM, Mark Ahnen wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:SNT127-W4941E851348A494B8F9F0EA34B0@phx.gbl"
type="cite">
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--></style>Granted, Rubin....how
long did it take to go from fueling fireworks in China to blasting the
gates of Constantinople? Not 2 millenia. And hydralics were used by
the ancient Greeks in their temples.<br>
<br>
A quick study of 'secret ops' and truly secret ops shows people are
inventive and keep secrets poorly. Indeed, many civilizations 'invent'
things separately....but not in fantasy worlds.<br>
<br>
Fantasy worlds are remarkably stagnant. <br>
<br>
<hr id="stopSpelling">
Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:11:58 -0600<br>
From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:jurrubin@gmail.com">jurrubin@gmail.com</a><br>
To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:runequest@rpgreview.net">runequest@rpgreview.net</a><br>
Subject: Re: [Runequest] Medieval Tech Levels<br>
<br>
Heck, I've had dwarves in my campaigns protect their underground cities
using primitive gunpowder and water-powered traps. They just don't
share that technology in the same manner the medieval guilds wouldn't
share their secrets.<br>
<br>
<div class="ecxgmail_quote">On Sat, Feb 13, 2010 at 5:47 PM, Mark
Ahnen <span dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:ahnen@hotmail.com">ahnen@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="padding-left: 1ex;" class="ecxgmail_quote">
<div>Asher, et al,<br>
<br>
Something that is dreadfully missing is cause and effect.<br>
<br>
Weapons develop in response to technology available and
defenses employed.<br>
Defenses develop in response to technology available and offenses
employed.<br>
<br>
What I find so bothersome, wearisome, annoying, what have you, is that
in fantasy roleplaying...technology apparently hits a level and
stagnates for millenia (some ancient, bastard sword floating
around...or are ancient, enchanted/cursed weapons all clubs?)<br>
<br>
Basically, you are focussing on stagnation. That's cool...is it really
worth spending so much time to justify it?<br>
<br>
Just something to think about....<br>
<br>
My best,<br>
Mark<br>
<br>
<hr>
Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:29:41 -0800<br>
From: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:soltakss@yahoo.com">soltakss@yahoo.com</a><br>
To: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:runequest@rpgreview.net">runequest@rpgreview.net</a><br>
Subject: Re: [Runequest] Medieval Tech Levels
<div>
<div class="h5"><br>
<br>
<div
style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
<div>Asher<br>
</div>
<div>> I've been contemplating the weapons list and the year
1300 AD. It<br>
> seems to make an a difference if I set a Europe-centered campaign
prior<br>
> to the Late Middle Ages -- or to a technologically equivalent
fantasy<br>
> realm. From the 1300's onwards, we get platemail -- and a variety
of<br>
> weapons that developed in parallel with it. (In response to<br>
> platemail?)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Personally, I wouldn't be too fussed about what was and was
not available in any particular period.</div>
<div><br>
> I recently read that the bastard sword (or something very like it)<br>
> first appeared around 1250, and that the first records of English
long<br>
> bows in battle are from around the 1280's or 1290's. I am<br>
> contemplating that era as a cut-off date; to keep those two
weapons,<br>
> yet exclude the Late Middle Ages.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>English longbows were not used in massed form until that time,
but longbows may well have been used by individuals earlier. How could
you have a Robin Hood campaign without longbows? I'd introduce them in
the 1180s and have them become more and more available after that.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As for bastard swords, I don't see a problem with them
throughout the High Medieval period. The Normans of the Norman Conquest
probably wouldn't have used them, but medieval knights certainly could
have and I'd have them in my game from 1150 onwards.</div>
<div><br>
> Any thoughts or reactions? Am I missing something significant?
(Given<br>
> my weak grasp of medieval history, I'm probably missing a great
deal.) </div>
<div> </div>
<div>I'd say don't worry about it. As long as things aren't
completely anachronistic then go for whatever you feel comfortable
with. Crossbows in the medieval period are fine, so why not longbows?
Bastard swords and broadswords are fine, but kukri probably aren't
around in Europe.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>See Ya</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Simon</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
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