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Time to (hopefully) breathe some life into these forums.

So. Been fiddling around with a world for the past several years, working with a setting which I arbitrarily decided would not be more advanced than an early Industrial [Revolution] level of technology. I'd had it in my mind that certain human inventions would be strictly prohibited, (especially firearms,) but lately I've been starting to rethink that particular aspect a bit. I'd like to have some sense of stagnation in the native culture, particularly regarding inventions and technology, but it may just end up being more of an alternate area of focus (like devoting more time and energy to the arts versus the sciences, for example).

As it is now, the most advanced race is mainly powered by wind and water, since they live almost exclusively around rivers, shorelines, et cetera. Metals are mostly limited to some weapons and tools, since it tends to corrode easily in the warm and humid atmosphere unless it's a hardy alloy. I don't imagine electricity would be well-explored as a power source, since they're already content with mechanical power, and it would be a bother to string up so many metal wires just to work a superfluous appliance. (Electricity and water also don't tend to mix very well -- or rather, they mix too well.)

So far, it's more medieval/renaissance than industrial, except for a streamlined division of labor. I've been thinking a lot about chemical sciences, though; explosives in particular, because that was the biggest issue that brought about the ban on human technology, (which was introduced over a period of two or so centuries, up until around the mid- to late 1800s, I think). I guess I have two questions: Does any of this sound reasonable as part of a conculture; and Is it possible to have things like nitro glycerin, thermite, and helium in a world that never developed beyond the steam engine?

(I guess the later could be technically answered by just doing some research into the history of whichever compound I'm wondering about, but since the culture and level of technology isn't quite the same, it's a little tough to tell.)

Hm, those are some good points. Come to think of it, I should definitely look into the history of black powder and the like... Thermite I was worried about because (as far as I can remember) it uses powdered aluminum and rust, and the former is too reactive to occur as a pure metal in the wild and it's difficult to manufacture. (On the other hand, there are other elements and compounds that can be used, so maybe I could look into that instead... Again, need to think about availiability of materials.)

At this point, seems like a good idea to just ditch the general ban, and just run with the idea of xenophobia and pride that I'd already been toying with. (Heh, good thing the idea for this culture is still so fluid, pardon the pun...) 'Course, that leaves the matter of hammering out the rest of their identity, and what effect that has on history, technology, et cetera... Electricity will still probably be an alien concept, or at best a curiosity, or -- wait a sec, maybe limited use would work better. Electrolysis has been around for ages, using simple batteries and the like. Could probably expand the use of metals a bit, since after my first post, I discovered a nifty compound to rust-proof stuff. Still don't see power lines everywhere, though; there's the issue of fuel and stuff too, now that I think about it.

Guess I'll be doing a lot of reading to help me figure this out. Thanks for the feedback. 3nodding