With my first post on here I'd like to poll the community for some plot ideas, if that'd be alright. I want to do a High Fantasy story, but with a "unique selling point". Instead of it being set in the typical Medieval period I was shooting for a Colonial-type era where technology is becoming more advanced; guns, trains, electricity in their early stages (but don't read that as Steampunk). In order for tech advances to be more efficient than magic I neutered it by declaring in this world only women can use magic. But without getting into unrelated details, my original plot was a young Elven inventor would travel across the land with compatriots to show his new creation to the Hall of Inventors, while avoiding the army of an old, anti-technology, barbarian king. That was my idea, but it seems a little too.... typical. Any ways I could put a new twist on the same old formula, or a whole other plot line that I'd could consider?
I would see this as steampunk fantasy, even if you don't want me to. I would also find the elves a little jarring, though it's hard to explain why.
If it makes you a little less jarred the other fantasy races; orcs, dwarves, trolls, are part of the world. But thanks for the input. Appreciate it.
You can have fantasy that evolves into sci-fi over time. Magic is just science that has not been deconstructed yet.
Hmm. More jarred. If you're creating a different fantasy world, I'd want the difference to keep going. Elves, orcs, dwarves, trolls, etc., always have a recycled feel for me.
If it's only women who can use magic, surely it's more logical for them to be the ones in positions of power? And for them to be the ones leading the Luddite hordes? In other words, it should be the army of the old, anti-technology, barbarian QUEEN. And then you're ushering in technology as a male suffrage/equality movement, and the Hall of Inventors becomes an underground, revolutionary movement.
Oooo, I never considered that possibility. I expected to make the sorceresses disgruntled about the new tech taking away the populace's reliance on magic, but never that they would force technology underground. I could run with that. Thanks.
I'm with @Shadowfax - if the women have had magic through the entire development of this civilization, then I'd expect them to be more powerful and I'd expect all the social structures to reflect that. Not just women in power but otherwise exactly the same as our actual history. Like, you know all those political quips about "If men had babies, we'd have two years paid maternity leave" or whatever... like that, but even more so. How many of the things we take for granted in society are because of male dominance? I guess it depends how long ago women would have gotten the magic powers, but conceivably we could have actually evolved differently because of magic, especially magic in the hands of only one sex. Even if you say magic developed, say, at the same time as the agricultural revolution, I'd expect there to be huge changes. It would also depend on just how powerful the magic is and how it can be used, but I think you'd need to look at a significant overhaul of pretty much every aspect of our culture if you went with this idea. It could be really cool!
I agree. It needs to be consider seriously and complexly this women magic thing. I would add that I agree ChickenFreak, don't do the stereotypical races. I'd create your own races, world lore and magic origin and rules. Not only is it more original so appeal but you get to have fun designing some interesting versions of these concepts. And I would recommend generally avoiding high fantasy plot cliches as well, like ambitious power-hungry darklords, old wise protagonist mentor guys or underdog heroes with special powers/weapons and/or destiny on their side. You can do these things well but only if you attempt to make them feel different from their familiar bland Hollywood-style incarnations.