Magic vs. Technology
The recent RPG research had me pulling out my d20 Sorcery and Steam book. It certainly didn't have what I was really looking for, but it did have a good section on incorporating steampunk-ish technology into a world. And it brought up a point that, perhaps, hadn't fully clicked in my mind before in the "what's different between magic and technology" debate.
Magic (unless deliberately designed otherwise) can exist on its own. Technology, however, requires infrastructure, and that has inherent implications.
Oh, a secret inventor/society could create a few prototypes on their own, sure. When you start getting into airships (plural) or mass-produced anything, you need factories. And you need mines. And transport for the parts. And... The making of things en masse almost unavoidably causes a big change in society to support it - something that we have historical evidence of.
Magic (unless deliberately designed otherwise) can exist on its own. Technology, however, requires infrastructure, and that has inherent implications.
Oh, a secret inventor/society could create a few prototypes on their own, sure. When you start getting into airships (plural) or mass-produced anything, you need factories. And you need mines. And transport for the parts. And... The making of things en masse almost unavoidably causes a big change in society to support it - something that we have historical evidence of.
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