Hey, I should try this. One thing tho: I like anachronisms. That gets one to thinking how is this possible, or could this have happened? Archaelogy indicates that the ancient Greeks had electric batteries of a crude sort. What were they doing with that electricity? Definitely on my list of things to avoid is uber-baddies like Sauron. Replace the Shadow with god-like beings with mortal origins and feet of clay. Gotta play with this magna carta concept.

Good stuff. Might be off the topic of this article but any chance you could discuss the interaction between a GM’s magna carta and players’ (usually unwritten) magna cartas?

One thing tho: I like anachronisms.

So that would go on your “likes” Magna Carta.

any chance you could discuss the interaction between a GM’s magna carta and players’ (usually unwritten) magna cartas?

Coming soon. There are a lot of indie games, like Primetime Adventures and Dirty Secrets, where the game is all about the player creating a collaborative Magna Carta. It’s not called that, but it’s the same principle.

you are not saying that a fantasy game should never have mobile trebuchets powered by peasants on giant hamster wheels (which would be awesome), but rather that an armourer stocking both bronze breastplate and Maximilian-style full plate on the same shelf, even though both are ‘heavy’ armour, or something like using Continual Light globes in every peasant’s hovel (or every dungeon corridor) as though they were electric lights, right?

I’m saying that in a straight-up fantasy game, my paladin shouldn’t have a phase plasma rifle (40 megawatt range), UNLESS I have clearly indicated that those sorts of thing might turn up in the setting for some reason. For example, in Brimstone and Gall, the general tone of the setting is late 17th/early 18th century, but there are a few, sparing steampunk elements out of the late 19th/early 20th century. That’s built in.

But the armor point is a good one, too, that speaks to look/feel/tone of the game. If I set up a culture where their army runs around dressed like Roman centurions, and another who dress like Samurai… well I need reasons for that. Because It one culture as better arms and armor, the other is going to go out of its way to steal that tech so they can have better arms and armor, too. I also don’t see one armorer making varying styles of heavy armor, because he’s probably going to be specialized… unless some adventurer came and traded in the old bronze breastplate.