Welcome
SevenSkies is set starting in 1830, but as is the way of things, Theah doesn't
exactly mirror the real world of 1830.
Theah has three main advantages, the remnants of Syrenth artefacts, a more liberal approach to knowledge,
and a spate of new developments in the past 40 or so years.
As a result it runs slightly more advanced by 10-15 years ahead of Europe in 1830. Steam
power has been in development for the past 80 odd years, from the basic
atmospheric pumping engines, to the more recent high pressure steam applications,
such as railways and maritime craft. Within the last 10 years there has
been a spate of railway building, most notably in Avalon, but also linking
other places throughout the rest of Theah.
With a couple of exceptions for gameplay's sake, the technology limit for the game is set as the Royal Exhibition of 1851. This means that no inventions after this date can be used, but you may use either articles from, or use components available at the exhibition to create new pieces of engineering to use in the game.
SevenSkies is NOT Steampunk, although it is an early Victorian based game with elements of
steam era technology. It could be described as 'proto-steampunk'.
The GT define the time period for Steampunk as being 1870 – 1900, which seems to
tie in the with the popular timeframe for such inventions.
As SevenSkies
is set 60 years earlier to this, there are a few things that will appear
steampunky, but are deemed in the game to be at the very initial prototype
stage. The GT have ultimate say on what can and cannot be used in the game.
This is not to say we're against technology, but we are attempting to keep
it within a certain timeframe to prevent it dominating the gameplay.
Players are welcome to make and bring along technology for the game, either as costume decoration or for providing some sort of function. Just run the idea past the GT – ideally Richard – before you start making the prop!
On the note
of props, please make them WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get as much
as possible. We're not expecting them to work properly, but at least make
them to look like what they're supposed to represent! Further to that, if
you define bits to be removable, attempt to actually make them remove on
the prop! Again, talk to the GT for assistance and ideas.
An example of
this is an eyepiece that someone has offered already for approval. The rationale
is that the eyeball has suffered a pressure related injury, and therefore
must now be kept in a sealed, and pressurised environment. The eyepiece
itself straps to the head, and has a small (non working) pressure gauge
mounted on the side to allow the correct pressure to be maintained. Such
an application, although unusual is completely possible within the 1851
limit. From a technology and period point of view this works well as it
brings in an interesting use of engineering, but doesn't dominate the character
or the game by it's existence.
3Di Productions