Difference between revisions of "ZR Chronicles"
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Most magical items and similar 'standing' applications of mana require highly-trained mages to construct and maintain, until the recent invention of 'mage-free' templating techniques that have transformed the face of war. While they have gradually risen in prominence over the course of the last century, it was only in the Great War that the old world learned the power of modern 'templated war'. | Most magical items and similar 'standing' applications of mana require highly-trained mages to construct and maintain, until the recent invention of 'mage-free' templating techniques that have transformed the face of war. While they have gradually risen in prominence over the course of the last century, it was only in the Great War that the old world learned the power of modern 'templated war'. | ||
===Leadcasters=== | ===Leadcasters=== | ||
| − | Battlefields have been dominated for centuries by variations of these mana-fuelled | + | Battlefields have been dominated for centuries by variations of these mana-fuelled projectile weapons. Melee weapons are found mostly in ceremonial or specialist roles. |
| + | |||
===Striders=== | ===Striders=== | ||
The noble Strider, knight-giant of the battlefield, is the emblem of power. Or was. These mighty walking machines can carry heavy weapons into the teeth of the enemy, protected by thick armour and the cheers of their infantry comrades. Unfortunately, the complex and idiosyncratic mana-mechanisms needed to make a metal man walk have thus far proven impossible to template, and so Striders were eclipsed by Clovian tanks in the Great War and many now say their time is fading. | The noble Strider, knight-giant of the battlefield, is the emblem of power. Or was. These mighty walking machines can carry heavy weapons into the teeth of the enemy, protected by thick armour and the cheers of their infantry comrades. Unfortunately, the complex and idiosyncratic mana-mechanisms needed to make a metal man walk have thus far proven impossible to template, and so Striders were eclipsed by Clovian tanks in the Great War and many now say their time is fading. | ||
Revision as of 13:20, 15 March 2010
ZR Chronicles is set in a world of magic and wonder that recently discovered the horror of industrialised warfare.
Setting
Paradigm
Magical/magitech 1900-1939.
Mana
The world is suffused by mana, a potent psychoactive energy source. Throughout history all nations have used it and abused it, whether in its material form, bound into magical items or stored inside the body itself.
Most magical items and similar 'standing' applications of mana require highly-trained mages to construct and maintain, until the recent invention of 'mage-free' templating techniques that have transformed the face of war. While they have gradually risen in prominence over the course of the last century, it was only in the Great War that the old world learned the power of modern 'templated war'.
Leadcasters
Battlefields have been dominated for centuries by variations of these mana-fuelled projectile weapons. Melee weapons are found mostly in ceremonial or specialist roles.
Striders
The noble Strider, knight-giant of the battlefield, is the emblem of power. Or was. These mighty walking machines can carry heavy weapons into the teeth of the enemy, protected by thick armour and the cheers of their infantry comrades. Unfortunately, the complex and idiosyncratic mana-mechanisms needed to make a metal man walk have thus far proven impossible to template, and so Striders were eclipsed by Clovian tanks in the Great War and many now say their time is fading.
Vehicles
The Zwentibold Rotary Engine, replacing older steam-based power systems, has led to the rise of vehicles based on rotary motion rather than the imitation of nature. The Great War saw these come into their own, as first Clovia and allies and then their Triumvirate enemies fielded full battalions of heavily armoured 'tanks', changing the face of war forever. Aside from still-disputed issues of design, Zwentibold-based machines have the critical advantage that they can be templated for mass production.
Aircraft
Technology marches on. Airships, based on lifting gas perhaps augmented by magic, have long been a supplement to oceangoing trade. The advent of Zwentibold engines and lighter alloys however has seen 'aeroplanes' that rely exclusively on mechanical lift begin to emerge. They played little role in the Great War, but many think they will dominate the next as tanks did the last.
Beasts
Rar!
Geography
It's a round world with continents and oceans.
The Old World
The heart of civilisation. Victorious Clovia stands as the dominant power, but is suffering internally. The Triumvirate have licked their wounds and risen with a vengeance, spurred by venomous demagogues. Independent powers cower in fear, or seek to exploit the situation for their own gain.
The New World
Natives and colonists and mysterious interiors. Here be dragons.