Re: Steampunk Jammer

In <URL:news:local.spelljam> on Wed 03 Aug, Scratch wrote:
[snip]

> >You might want to think carefully about telegraphs, as they
> >introduce cheap and accurate long distance communication,
> >something that really changes a culture. Terry Pratchett's
> >"Discworld" stories have recently shown what can be done with
> >just mechanical semaphores and the right (or wrong) attitude -
> >clever use of signal fires/smoke, or more powerfully heliographs,
> >can do quite a lot.
>
> Now that you mention it, I just bought a Pratchett book not too long ago.
> Haven't gotten started with it yet though. I guess the same could be done
> (planet wise) with a kite (conditions allowing).

Kites could be fun, but unless you have pretty stable weather,
are I think unlikely to be used for regular communication.

Maybe you could have man-kites with spotters on them with
spyglasses? [grin]

And hand-semaphore paddles, so they can communicate with the
ground? [grin]

(Don't wave your arms too much, while flying on a kite!)

Most Pratchett books are at least worth a read, I've found, and
some of them are really amazing works of fiction.


> But whats a heliograph? Isn't that a sort of telephone that uses light
> instead of electricity as a transfer medium for sound? Or am I totally off
> the mark?
[snip]

You reflect the sun off a mirror - a polished metal shield was
sometimes used. Flashes of sunlight can be seen against a darker
background a long way off, then you just need an agreed code. All
the different schemes rely on some way of signaling to someone as
far off as possible, without sending a runner/rider.

If you used the full alchemical manikin creation rules, with the
options for the longer range Mind Links, having the homonculus at
one end, and their master at the other, gives a highly secure
method of instant communication. Micro homonculi would probably
do, as long as they have some way of transcribing messages, such
as hands to write with, or voices to repeat them to (short-hand
trained) scribes.

Really high Wisdom communicators might have quite a few
homonculi, maybe as many as five, making them a switchboard for
communicating with quite a few places, or even military forces.

Of course, there are hazards for the comms operator, including
mental attacks on any of their homonculi, and the injury they
receive if any of their homonculi die. Being a communicator would
be an alternative to entering the priesthood for high Wisdom
characters, though it is not really fleshed out as a class.

Having at least one homonculus which has (Comms) Telepathy, and
hence acts as a universal translator, that the comms operator
could tap and make use of, might be a good idea. Useful if
dealing with peoples with different languages.

If your homonculi are good enough to have (Bio) Aport then they
form a system for moving small packages around, travelling
along the Mind Link, as well. Throw in Height Control and Share
Power, and at least a pair of homonculi, and you can move people
around as well! [grin]

(Of course, some people may need a lot of calming down, before
they will relax enough for Share Power to be able to shrink them
down small enough to 'transport' with the homonculus. [grin] )

Seeing as you are interested in in-sphere operations, I don't
expect that Mind Links not reaching into the phlogiston would be
a problem for you, though the longest range ones will reach
between crystal spheres, reconnecting automatically when the
phlogiston is exited.


> >Now, if your democratic militarism extends to the afterlife, then
> >the idea might be that some spirits are in elected positions of
> >power, or have certain jobs as a result of being skillful at them
> >that give them more power. Praying to divine union leaders? [grin]
>
> Does create an interesting religion doesn't it? Kinda sounds like the
> Egyptian idea of the afterlife where its just regular life after death.

It could be very different, but just not hierarchically organised
- it depends on how much control the spirits of the dead have
over their immediate afterlife environment. If some wished to
live in a community like a city, then there might be a council,
or city admin, which the city dwellers had agreed controlled a
lot of the details! [grin]

One big issue is, what is the purpose of the afterlife? R&R?
Training and preparing for the next life? Protecting the living
from the dangers of planar attack? Some/all of the above?


> >Maybe their idea is that the afterlife just gets on with itself,
> >and you have your funerals and baptisms, to celebrate people
> >entering and leaving life, maybe with the occasional memorial
> >service, but nothing else. "Maybe we will meet in our next
> >lives?" [grin]
> >
> >It could be that the idea is that you do as good a job as
> >possible at being whatever your life has led you to, and,
> >eventually, you get to leave the Wheel Of Incarnation, and ascend
> >to a higher, unknown, plane of existence.
> >
> >Whatever produces the right results for your campaign!
>
> That would definitely fit the feel of the nation. I'd start posting what I
> have now, but a) its 30 pages long and b) no where near complete.
[snip]

I am certainly interested in what you produce!


> >It is possible that scientists are treated in the same way as
> >priests of gods, people with a strong belief in the Scientific
> >Method, and the sacred Null Hypothesis, and this is one reason
> >they are uncommon, and treated with suspicion.
>
> Have you read "Foundation" too? Its a good way to keep the common man from
> attaining technology. But that also has the impact of making technology
> slightly out of reach for the common person because they would regard it as
> holy. If taken to such a point, it would require someone from a "holy
> scientist" to operate a train. That's definitely not a position one would
> imagine someone as high up as a scientist filling.
[snip]

If you mean the Azimov book, yes, but quite a long while ago.

It might work better if you make a clear distinction between
scientists and technologists, the first being the ones seeking
understanding and new knowledge, and the second looking for
practical ways to use what the scientists have produced, or
improving the existing way of doing things, or repair stuff.

So, the common person would not want to become a scientist, with
their long (university?) theoretical training in the Sacred Ways
of Science, but a technician or engineer would be seen to be
something anyone practical could apprentice in. That gives you
your train drivers, and anyone else needed to run or repair the
tech, rather than come up with radically new stuff.


> > > >Just a few random thoughts...
> > >
> > > That was more then random I think. Thanks you helped a lot.
> >
> >We aim to confuse! Or, was that help? Anyhow, glad to be of
> >assistance!
>
> Lol thanks. I'll be sure to try and show off what I have once I'm done with
> all of this. But as it stands I keep focusing on my new ideas and
> forgetting to finish the old ones. XD

I find keeping a list of bullet points, or doing one of those
'spider', or idea development, diagrams, can be useful. Stops the
ideas from getting lost in all the text! [grin]


Good Luck!

--
Dreamer
dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk
http://www.romsys.demon.co.uk/