gloranthan technology

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_voyager.co.nz>
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 12:47:37 +1200 (NZST)


Trevor Browne:

>Does this mean Gloranthan bronze is more analogous to RW iron than to RW
>bronze?

Yes. It would be best to treat Iron as being RW depleted uranium in terms of cost and availability (ie mostly used for military purposes).

>By 'certain areas' I am assuming the west here. This means that in order
>for most of mankind to be Neolithic or Bronze Age the majority of Pelorian
>and Theylan cultures will have to be Bronze Age, albeit sophisticated late
>Bronze Age, societies. And if Prax has no metal working of any kind that
>sounds pretty Neolithic to me.

The Pelorians and the Theyalans know about and work Iron. But most, if not all, of their iron is used for military purposes and is not found in the civilian sector (which is at least 95% of those cultures). The West is perhaps unique in that people who are not part of the military or ruling clique can be found with iron weapons and armour.

>So what are the technological limits of Gloranthan cultures?

It depends. Many wonders that the gloranthans would consider technology would be considered by us to be magical: Lunar Moonboats, Haragalan Sunscopes.

>Virtually all aspects of a society are significantly effected by that
>cultures technological level. Features such as stirrups, jointed plate
>armour, crossbows, rapiers, halberds and large literate populations all
>seem IMHO to be too advanced for a Bronze Age society.

_If_ you assume that bronze in modern glorantha is just as difficult to work and extract as the RW bronze age cultures. But IMO there has been a major increase in the amount of bronze used by glorantha over the years to the extent that it has become as cheaply available as iron was in the Iron Age.

>I also feel that in
>a world where the inquisitive, intelligent or well educated naturally tend
>towards the study of magic and religion, technological progress is bound to
>suffer.

The inquisitive, intelligent or(?) well educated in the RW have tended towards the study of magic and religion until modern times. Technological progress did not suffer for it did take place - the process of distillation, the horse-collar, glasses, gunpowder, the stirrup and so forth are all important technological development that took place despite the intellectual elite being concerned with more spiritual matters.

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