No magic VS low magic VS high magic : low tech VS high tec.

[Cryomancer]

Magic : NO magic as the name suggests, is zero magic, like mount & blade, low magic is like Conan where magic is mostly ritualistic, dangerous and depends on the bargain with outsiders for knowledge. High magic is like D&D in certain campaings, with magical spaceships, floating cities and so on. On Netherese empire, everyone could use at least a cantrip.

Examples :

• No magic = Kingdom come Deliverance and Mount & Blade warband
• Low magic = Conan(games included) and GoT
• Mid = Gothic
• High magic = Pathfinder/D&D, mostly on Netherese and spelljammer campaign settings

Tech : Low tech is like middle ages and lower. Firearms are very limited and rarely used. Mid tech is anything between industrial revolution technology to modern technology with little SCI-FI elements on it. High tech is like Star Trek, where you can travel light years in fractions of seconds, teleport, terraform planets and so on.

Examples :

• Low tech = Age of decadence, mount & blade
• Mid tech = Arcanum, Fallout 1/2/new vegas
• High tech = Kotor 1/2

An game can be both, high tech and high tech like kotor 1/2 or low tech/low magic like mount & blade warband. Both are amazing RPG's. It is just a poll to ask about personal preferences.

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Of course, some times the distinction between magic and tech is hard. For eg, what is the difference between SCI FI zombies to fantasy zombies? One is caused by a virus, the other, by dark magic. What is the difference between a implant which gives the power to create "thermospheres" to a scroll that teaches how to evoke fireball?

 

[RNGsus]

Something between Thief and Arcanum tec and magic-wise.

 

[Ghulgothas]

High Magic Mid Tech. Magic should be extremely powerful but take time to master and not be usable by just anyone, as well as knowledge pertaining to it be hoarded by its ancient and conceited practitioners. Tech should be mundanely practical and more widespread but still capable of being used and iterated upon by everyone.

 

[Luckmann]

Why no no-tech?

 

[BarbequeMasta]

unga bunga caveman rpg when?

 

[Cryomancer]

Why no no-tech?

unga bunga caveman rpg when?

Even a rock pointed spear can be considered "tech"...

Maybe spore on cellular stages can be considered "no tech"

 

[Bohrain]

Can't really say I have an exact preference, though it's usually not the high magic or high tech variety. If technology is advanced enough it's indistinguishable from magic anyway. Usually I'm more interested in tech/magic having meaningful constraints and people acting in a way that makes sense in-universe. Stuff like people using melee weapons when engaging in lethal combat in a setting with readily available rapid fire weapons always irks me and the authors rarely try, let alone manage to justify people acting like dumbasses. I do like supernatural elements in settings, but limited in nature and with clearly defined boundaries of what magic can accomplish.

 

[Konjad]

Magic is stupid workaround for "I have no idea how to make any interesting setting, so here's AWESOME MAGIC!"

Any RPG would be better without it, really. Even D&D games could easily rely on the more authentic classes and ditch magic, but then stories would actually need to make sense not "here's the evil Sarevok, who wants to kill all because he's a son of EVIL god!"

As for tech, any can be interesting if enough thought is put into it.

 

[octavius]

Variety is good; any of the combos can be good, as long as the game mechanics, combat system and encounter design is good.

 

[Cryomancer]

If technology is advanced enough it's indistinguishable from magic anyway.

The difference is that you don't need a "external equipment" to do magic. An grenade launcher and a fireball spell are very similar however, you can disarm someone who have a grenade launcher but taking out the ability of casting fireballs on a D&D world involves feeblemind and other things.

ven D&D games could easily rely on the more authentic classes and ditch magic,

What about Arcanum? Or VtMB? The point of arcanum is the conflict between magic VS technology. And vampires are probably the hardest fantastical creature to "sci-fi it"

 

[Bony Hands]

Mid Magic and Mid Technology. I just like the idea of the two coexisting in some form and building upon each other. Like in a full fantasy setting a wizard might get a job working for a king or just squatting in his wizard tower all day, but something closer to modern day he might get a job installing magical security for a big company. Stuff like that, how magic would work in a more civilized time.

 

[Nortar]

The difference is that you don't need a "external equipment" to do magic. An grenade launcher and a fireball spell are very similar however, you can disarm someone who have a grenade launcher but taking out the ability of casting fireballs on a D&D world involves feeblemind and other things.

No, it's enough to take away wizard's bag of bat shit and other material components.

 

[V_K]

I find it a lot more interesting when magic and technology are merged together so you can't really distinguish their relative levels - like e.g. Geneforge.

 

[Cryomancer]

The difference is that you don't need a "external equipment" to do magic. An grenade launcher and a fireball spell are very similar however, you can disarm someone who have a grenade launcher but taking out the ability of casting fireballs on a D&D world involves feeblemind and other things.

No, it's enough to take away wizard's bag of bat shit and other material components.

Eschew Materials disagrees with you. Even taking you his spellbook, he only can't re memorize/attune his spells, he still can cast everything on his "memory"

Variety is good; any of the combos can be good, as long as the game mechanics, combat system and encounter design is good.

I agree, but most games tends to be low tech/mid~high magic.

I find it a lot more interesting when magic and technology are merged together so you can't really distinguish their relative levels - like e.g. Geneforge.

Geneforge is a masterpiece. And is hard to "classify" it on low/mid/high magic~tech.

 

[Nortar]

The difference is that you don't need a "external equipment" to do magic. An grenade launcher and a fireball spell are very similar however, you can disarm someone who have a grenade launcher but taking out the ability of casting fireballs on a D&D world involves feeblemind and other things.

No, it's enough to take away wizard's bag of bat shit and other material components.

Eschew Materials disagrees with you. Even taking you his spellbook, he only can't re memorize/attune his spells, he still can cast everything on his "memory"

Have you ever tried looking just a bit beyond literal meaning.
The point I make is that magic does require use of "external equipment" be it magical focus, spellbooks or material components.
Or you want to say that fireball with 1pg material component is magic, but zomgball with 2gp material component is technology by your definitions?

 

[Cryomancer]

The difference is that you don't need a "external equipment" to do magic. An grenade launcher and a fireball spell are very similar however, you can disarm someone who have a grenade launcher but taking out the ability of casting fireballs on a D&D world involves feeblemind and other things.

No, it's enough to take away wizard's bag of bat shit and other material components.

Eschew Materials disagrees with you. Even taking you his spellbook, he only can't re memorize/attune his spells, he still can cast everything on his "memory"

Have you ever tried looking just a bit beyond literal meaning.
The point I make is that magic does require use of "external equipment" be it magical focus, spellbooks or material components.
Or you want to say that fireball with 1pg material component is magic, but zomgball with 2gp material component is technology by your definitions?

No all spells require expensive components and there are spontaneous casters but in overall, you are right. There are a lot of settings where magicians needs external factors like staves/wands to cast powerful magic. Dark/Demon souls is a example. Pyromancers doesn't need eqquipment to cast but are exception, sorcerers and clerics needs it. To rest properly, a wizard also need food/water on D&D.

And an Witch on Pathfinder is EXTREMELY dependent on her familiar to attune spells.

 

[anvi]

High magic, the rest whatever.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

S0rcererV1ct0r could you please put the option to change votes?
I misclicked...

 

[Luckmann]

Magic is stupid workaround for "I have no idea how to make any interesting setting, so here's AWESOME MAGIC!"

Any RPG would be better without it, really. Even D&D games could easily rely on the more authentic classes and ditch magic, but then stories would actually need to make sense not "here's the evil Sarevok, who wants to kill all because he's a son of EVIL god!"

As for tech, any can be interesting if enough thought is put into it.

Shit, I didn't think I'd meet someone that is trying to dual-class as an Ignoramus with specialization in Alignment *and* Magic.

 

[Cryomancer]

could you please put the option to change votes?
I misclicked...

Done.

I confess that I was expecting far more low/no magic awnsers.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

unga bunga caveman rpg when?

Live A Live had a caveman segment. The entire section used pictures for dialogues to showcase the primitive language, there was no currency, you've had to gather parts (bones, furs etc.) and bring them to a guy in the village to exchange them for better items. Main antagonist also used a small lizard both as a ranged weapon and underwear.

 

[anvi]

unga bunga caveman rpg = Skyrim

 

[JarlFrank]

Mid-tech mid-magic, or mid-tech low-magic.

Low to mid magic is more exciting because magic stays something special rather than being an everyday thing. It keeps its mystery and always has an air of danger around it. Too high magic makes magic mundane and boring.

I also prefer mid-tech (renaissance to 20th century) to pre-gunpowder tech, because honestly we've had enough pre-gunpowder generic medieval settings. And I like guns, even if it's just simple early handcannons.

As long as there's gunpowder, I'm happy.

 

[Bohrain]

The difference is that you don't need a "external equipment" to do magic. An grenade launcher and a fireball spell are very similar however, you can disarm someone who have a grenade launcher but taking out the ability of casting fireballs on a D&D world involves feeblemind and other things.

Depends on the setting. Just because D&D doesn't require foci to cast spells and DM's ignore reagent requirements in most low level spells it doesn't mean that magic doesn't require tangible objects to function in a setting. And you could have scifi setting without physical knicknacks for slinging molten death if people just controlled nanobots that can generate heat or some shit.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I just want either to be well implemented and rationally consistent. Arcanum probably does the best job with both tech and magic co-existing on a narrative basis, but the gameplay leaves much to be desired. The Forgotten Realms works as long as you don't ask too many questions, but that loose frame work helped give us the extraordinary spell casting that helps keep the Baldur's Gate series venerable.

While I definitely prefer high magic settings, they need to be consistent and not require too much suspension of disbelief. They also need to be fun and allow the player to engage in the magic. It's very tedious when the series speaks of archmages then zeniths at Firebolt II. If technology is to be prominent, I want it also to be well fleshed out without resorting to "space magic" like biotics in Mass Effect. Technology needs to be firmly grounded in the plausible and rational or else you're back into fantasy.

 

[BarbequeMasta]

Settings where Magic is purely elemental are as boring as a setting with magic could get.