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[bryant]

So, steampunk. It's a loose, poorly fitting excuse for a genre. The Wikipedia entry reveals that pretty definitely. You got your computer parables, you got your obsession with steam, you got your fantasy tropes. You do not got decades of cheap adventure novels defining the genre. We make do with what we have, thusly.

Let us assume that the class warfare aspect of steampunk does not appeal to our prospective player as a primary focus of the campaign. I'm keeping the steam-powered automata-driven London, cause come on, how cool is that? The task at hand becomes finding a premise that makes good use of the setting. Doing Scotland Yard operatives is easy but then the setting is just background, rather than integral.

I have never been adverse to layering a touch of the horrific into my settings.

Let's say that the gears of the difference engines, when layered as closely together as they must be in order to achieve the necessary efficiencies, attract visitors. Angelic and demonic alike? That's sort of cool. Actually, that's really cool, since nothing says angels are going to approve of the Queen.

I'm almost lifting from Dark Inheritance here, but it's a cool setting. I can pull the Brotherhood of the Iron Rose, the Eight Heavenly Dragons, the International Geographic Society, and the Promethean Order wholesale, so I will. Drop the godgenes, drop the titans.

I believe that this consequence is not widely known. In fact, the Engines are only just now getting big enough. Characters should be people who have some sort of relation to the Engines -- whether people who live nearby, mechanists, members of the House of Engineers? (Our third legislative body, occupying an uncomfortable slot between the House of Lords and the House of Commons.)

Huh. Sure. Angels/demons manifest as mechanicals, a la the Turk. But with ... well, I'll save that.

Doodle, doodle.

Comments

[gconnor.livejournal.com]

Your post made me think of two things.

1. That movie which I forget the name, but it had an unlikely set of superheroes, Dr. Jekyl, an invisible man, and a foreign inventor dude with the big-ass submarine. I wonder if that was set in about the same period, if not genre?

2. Speaking of the "third legislative body" I wonder if the stonemasons got their start around that time period? Their story is probably chock-full of both conspiracies and ancient illuminati-like mysticism (or at least mysteries)

That is all for now.

[amberley.livejournal.com]

The movie gconner mentioned is The League of Extraordinary Gentleman although the comic was much better, in my view.

I'm sure you've read Tim Powers' The Anubis Gates, but have you seen the anime Sakura Wars in which an all-female Tokyo singing theatrical troupe are also the pilots of steam-powered mecha protecting Tokyo from demons. (The Theatre is to build their teamwork and develop their chi.)

In his introduction to the recent illustrated 'Salem's Lot, Stephen King talks about how Dracula displayed the triumph of Victorian notions of science over the ancient superstitions (blood transfusions,
gas lights, etc.).

I like the title The Queen's Angels or Angels for the Queen but that may just be me. Is The Great Game involved, or is the
intent to keep it set in London? Perhaps Russia and England's quiet struggle somehow reflect the struggle in Heaven.

Or then there's always Phil Foglio's Girl Genius but that over-the-top feel may not be what you're going for.

If you want to ignore class as an issue then adapting My Fair Lady to have Professor Higgins make a bet to uplift a fallen angel to restore her to angelic status through proper education is probably not the direction that interests you, but I must admit I'm charmed at the though of Higgins declaring unto God, "There is no evil, only poverty and ignorance, old sport." Mix liberally with Faust if desired, or Lady Constantine.

[bryant]

The Great Game may be involved; there's some discussion of dropping it into Memphis instead of London. Huh. The pyramids could hold some mighty big Engines, couldn't they?

Girl Genius is a bit over the top. It's cool but not what we're looking for in this one.

I have not seen Sakura Wars; perhaps I should. I have discovered a trend of apocalyptic literature in the Victorian era; or rather, my sweetie has. Dating librarians has its advantages.

[michele-blue.livejournal.com]

Just so I don't forget what we talked about this morning:

An alternate Victorian-era Britain. The Great Pyramids act as the focus for improved performance/results of massive engines, much like ones in London (which are inexplicably malfunctioning or behaving oddly or whatnot - another reason to pick up and head to Egypt. Affecting workers is one thing, but when the higher classes are perhaps beginning to feel it - horrors!). Automata as both personal companions and engine workers; unknown to most, the automata are highly susceptible to the influence/control of complex spiritual entities.

An as-yet-unnamed British corporation in charge of the project, with the full backing of the Queen and the government. A chief designer/engineer who has a companion automaton with its own motives. A move to Egypt; a massive effort to build replica engines /within/ the Pyramids themselves. Displacement of stone and relics; local reaction to that. Where do the artifacts go? What are the repercussions of disturbing such a site?

The engines in the Pyramids are ready to go; automata are at their stations. Distinguished visitors are all on hand to see it all begin...

...and there we are.

In the future/things to ponder: pipeline to bring whatever energies the engines create to London/other British territories. What are other countries doing - there must be espionage related to the British efforts. The Spanish moving to the South American pyramids, the Dutch to Indonesia and the like.

Influences we spoke of: Gentle's "Ash" novels, Gaiman's "American Gods" (though the book made me go GRRRR), the Mummy, Ian McLeod's "The Light Ages" (aether engines, check it out. Good stuff.), Mielville, Amelia Peabody, and so on.