The Campaign Builder's Guild

I've heard people both praise and look down upon the "Steampunk" setting.  So, what I'd like to ask is how you would efine such a setting, and what do you feel their place is in D&D?

I dislike steampunk. I don't disrespect it, but it just isn't my thing.

I agree with Rae.  There isn't a proper option in the poll to express my opinion.  It's certainly 'fantasy', but being 'fantasy' is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for me to actually like it.

Define steampunk.  Seems to me like it is an ill defined description about things I have seen for decades.

Well, the poll won't let me edit it.  i jst thoguht this would be a good idea to discuss...  maybe it wasn't such a bright idea...

Oh no, it's good for discussion purposes, but not for a poll so much, as opinions tend to have much more nuance than a poll can handle.

I think the term steampunk is confusing.  What exactly does it mean?  Does it just mean that you have industrial cities in a fantasy world, magic and technology colliding with lots of spikey-haired punks and gangs roaming the streets?  Does it just mean modern/futuristic technology options are available in a fantasy?  I'll vote sometime, but I'm not sure the question is votable at the moment.

To quote the wiki: "Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction which came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. It concerns works set in the past, or a world resembling the past, in which modern technological paradigms occurred earlier in history, but were accomplished via the science already present in that time period. It is often associated with Cyberpunk and shares a similar fanbase but developed as a separate movement."

I think we used to call this, in the old days (the eighties), speculative fiction, the whole Confederacy with needle guns bit.

I might play in this sort of setting if it was like the old Wild, Wild West show or The Assassination Bureau, but I do not think I would have enough interest to run such a game.

I'm a huge fan of steampunk, personally. Love it. It's fun to make and to play in. My current setting was originally going to be more steampunk, though I ended up using magic to power things instead.

If done well, then yes, but Steampunk can be grossly mishandled. Train-Jackings, Murder on the Orient Express, and numerous other Lovecraftian themes mesh well with steam punk. I have coal and steam engines in Hazra'Ghalduur, which mimic the Trans-Siberian railroad, connecting a vast nation that might otherwise be too big to manage without them.

As for other some other options, Steam-powered iron golems seem like a natural fit. Steel foundries, curious tinkerers, and a burgeoning scientific community could really add some tasty flavor.

The clash between magic and technology (or feudalism and industrialization) can lead to ample opprtunities for story-fueling conflicts. I do like the idea, I just don't like most anime renditions of the subject. The turn of the 20th century was a fantastic and interesting period of history. If one can mix the best elements of the industrial revolution with those of a fantasy setting, it could be wonderful. In many ways I've trying to do just that with my homebrew.

-Nasty-

Eh, I like "Iron Kingdoms," and "Final Fantasy 7," but I really have nothing else useful to add to this conversation...

I intend to design a steampunk-ish setting eventually, but I don't think they fit into the traditional fantasy role. As a literature student, I believe that the soul difference between science fiction and fantasy is quite simple: fantasy stories center upon the journey of the hero and magic/technology is just a tool or part of the atmosphere, where science fiction stories center upon how magic, technology, or "the other" (aliens, creatures from another dimension, robots) interact with and change society. Steampunk tends to be written with a more science fiction feel; my take on a steampunk setting would fit the fantasy mold of story telling.

Remember "any suitably advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".

In my standard setting, though, I do have a world where steam power and gun powder are accessed technologies. There are coal powered trains and the militia carry muskets and front loaded pistols. I've made it simple by treating firearms as marial crossbows (they just have better threat ranges than crossbows, damage is the same).

Like psionics, industrial technology doesn't fit some people's views of their setting, but I think everyone already knew that.

I am a HUGE Aasimov fan...so I can indeed see what you mean Xeviat. Good Sci-Fi is more focused on society, than it is on heroes. Aasimov used robots to tackles issues like prejudice and soul-searching. Really almost all of his stories have a metaphoric relation to issues that we as people deal with in normal life, but they are noticably missing traditional heroic figures.

-Nasty-

So if a typical fantasy setting (say, Greyhawk) all of a sudden has an invention of guns, pistols, rifles, and cannons, does it become steampunk, or are firearms not considered high-tech enough to warrant the title?

QuoteSo if a typical fantasy setting (say, Greyhawk) all of a sudden has an invention of guns, pistols, rifles, and cannons, does it become steampunk, or are firearms not considered high-tech enough to warrant the title?

Not really.

*Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction which came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. It concerns works set in the past, or a world resembling the past, in which modern technological paradigms occurred earlier in history, but were accomplished via the science already present in that time period.* -Thanks Wiki-

Think of steam punk as a setting where the ideas of inventors like Leonardo da Vinci were embraced and actually played a huge role in Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries. Imagine his tanks were actually used on the battlefields, and his submarines became common.

With steam punk you take an idea with some precedent, embrace it, and expand upon it. Eberron is very close to steam punk in the sense that it takes magic to a whole new level. Everbright lanterns are common in every major settelment. Magewrites opperate shops in every city. The airships and lightning rails are magical advancements without precedent in a the world of D&D. The technology was there all along, but it was never taken to this level in any previous D&D setting.

The Automail of Full Metal Alchemist is also very conceptually steam punk. Mechanical limbs in an early 20th century setting based largely upon post WWI Germany. It's a genre that really hasn't yet come unto its own, but it has great potential.

-Nasty-

One of the problems with steampunk is it is still in it's infancy, despite however old it might actually be: With Fantasy, you can point to it and say "That's Fantasy." with Science Fiction, you can point to it and go
"That's Science Fiction." With Steampunk, the best you can do is point to it and go "uhhhhhhhh..." It isn't even defined as being a subsection of Fantasy or Sci-Fi, just a subsection of Speculative Fiction.

Of course, that is also the advantage of Steampunk - it isn't so clearly defined that people will rabidly jump on your back and say "This isn't steampunk!!!!1!11one" And the feel Steampunk has - the gritty feel that I love so much, is one thing that seems to be a constant.

If I remember correctly, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Dark Fantasy (or Horror) are all lumped together as Speculative Fiction. Either that or "Speculative Fiction" is a word for "Science Fiction" for those without the guts to admit that they're nerds.

One or the other. Maybe something else.

PS: That was said mostly in jest; class was canceled today so I'm quite happy.