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Magic systems and world-building
Sep. 8th, 2015 08:27 amCharles Stross had a guest-post on his blog recently, about magic system and the world-building process. In it, the author raises several questions they ask when doing the world-building.
I'd like to put forth another question to ask when considering a world with parallel magic and scientific systems:
Is the magic industrializable, or restricted to handi-crafts?
Because that's the difference between having levitating trains and mag-lev trains with enchanted room-temperature super-conductors as a key component. Really changes how the world looks.
If magic is restricted to handi-crafts, it means it's either The Secret Knowledge and isn't involved with science at all, or is used in industrial process in places were a bit of enchantment can do a lot of good. As in, streamlines the production of cell-phones, not used in cell-phones. That kind of thing.
I'd like to put forth another question to ask when considering a world with parallel magic and scientific systems:
Is the magic industrializable, or restricted to handi-crafts?
Because that's the difference between having levitating trains and mag-lev trains with enchanted room-temperature super-conductors as a key component. Really changes how the world looks.
If magic is restricted to handi-crafts, it means it's either The Secret Knowledge and isn't involved with science at all, or is used in industrial process in places were a bit of enchantment can do a lot of good. As in, streamlines the production of cell-phones, not used in cell-phones. That kind of thing.
