Technology

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Joshua
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Technology

Post by Joshua »

Steampunk. Victorian era steampunk. So, sewing machines (silk in this world comes from one of three spider farms), industrial machinery, and great cranes. Cars exist, but are closer to the model T with top speeds of 45-ish mph. Unfortunately, without plastics or proper robotics, better cars are prohibitively expensive to manufacture.

Due to manufacturing restrictions, no advanced electronics have been made. (Telephones exist, as does some early versions of radio.)

The Tok’l-metal creates machines that require very little energy to keep constant motion. when used to create trains, this creates an engine that only uses fuel when it has to speed up. The rest of the time, it simply needs to be cooled, producing steam as a bi-product.

Trains are the method of mass transit. They run horizontally on the plates, with great elevator cranes that lift and lower some cars from one level to another at certain stations. It's rare for an entire train to be lifted, and the engines almost always remain on their levels to prevent them from needing to stop, or slow down. The couple and decoupling happens automatically when the cranes engage. (more of a hooked, vertical ball-lift... giant loops of chain with hooks that constantly rotate.)
Entering and departing trains is done through continuously moving sidewalks in the stations, with circular platforms that help adjust for the speed transition. (This needs expansion, but it's the basic idea.)

Sun Lamps are listed under the city, for some reason.
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Joshua
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Re: Technology

Post by Joshua »

Tok'l Engines are the most prominent bit of Weird Science in the setting. It's basically a perpetual motion engine, that generate more and more heat as it's in use. The steam comes from needing to use water to constantly cool the engine and the water constantly boiling off.

Basic maintenance of a Tok'l engine is Craft: Engineering so long as the Tok'l metal inside isn't damaged. You could theoretically use a scavanged drive to repair another one, if the tok'l drive shaft is intact.

Actually making an engine needs both Engineering and the Weird Science talent.

These are often used to drive trains and other industrial machinery. For example, a drive-shaft powered by tok'l metal can run a whole room of sewing machines in a sweatshop. In fact, this almost requires the shop be run 24/7.

Without water, the tok'l metal will rapidly overheat, then explode. Industrial espionage often takes the form of getting the machines to explode.
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Joshua
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Re: Technology

Post by Joshua »

Apparently, since wood exists, but is rare, it makes heating in winter is a mess.

So, two bits are added.

First, Tok'l plants generate electrical power for the affluent areas and for the street lamps. In addition, they vent their steam through pipes into nearby houses for heating. This is a lot rarer in slums, but sometimes, sweatshops that use Tok'l drives to run their machinery will allow their employees to receive heated steam as part of their wage.

Second, I need a name for it, but I have added a self-fossilizing fungus, that creates the equivalent of coal. This is how poor people heat their homes.

Crazy inventors use small tok'l drives, but without proper maintenance, they do explode.
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