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Over the past 250 or so years, technological growth has happened at a rapid pace. Seventy years ago, the first programmable computers were built. They were the size of houses and had a few kilobytes worth of memory. Seventy years before that, there were no airplanes, radios, electric lights or non experimental motorized road vehicles. Seventy years before that there were no trains, ships were driven by sail and firing a gun almost inevitably involved cramming powder and ball down a barrel with a ramrod. Before the Age of Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution, things was on the whole much slower. A [[peasant]]'s day to day life in 1600 and work would generally be very similar to that of his great great grandfather living in 1500.  
'''Medieval Stasis''' describes the state of essentially all fantasy worlds that are not [[steampunk]]. As the title implies, most fantasy worlds are stuck at a technological level roughly equivalent to most of Europe in the year 1000.


Even so, if one was to compare either Europe, the Middle East or East Asia between 1500 CE and 1500 BCE, one would soon be aware of the differences. In the earlier times weapons would be made of bronze instead of iron, architecture would typically on a much smaller scale, ships and boats would be far cruder affairs, [[Firearm|firearms]] and other black powder weapons would be absent, literacy would be rarer, cities would be smaller, the roads would be much rougher and less expansive, and fewer areas would have cities. One would notice that there were various, though typically less pronounced improvements in the middle ages between 1000 and 1500, such as the rise of windmills, basic guns, improved construction and plate armor. Even if it's overall effects on the way most people lived were not always noticeable from generation to generation, gradual refinements in tools and methods gradually accumulated as the centuries went by, eventually making future refinements possible.
On the one hand, it would superficially appear that most of Europe was stuck in a developmental rut between the fall of the Roman Empire and the start of the early modern era in the 1400s, wherein the creation of centralized nation-states and the end of feudalism (eventually) led to a blossoming of science. However, even throughout the medieval era of Europe, advancements were being made: the rise of windmills, improvement in construction, the creation of plate armour, and the development of the very first guns. Although the overall effect on the common man from generation from generation were not noticeable, gradual refinements in tools and methods gradually accumulated as the centuries went by, eventually making future refinements possible.


Despite this, most fantasy writers tend to ignore this fact. Usually they settle their lands at a level of development comparable around 1000-1400CE and keep them at that level until the sun <s>novas</s> becomes a white dwarf. A [[Knight]]'s great great great etc, grandfather five thousand years ago fought against Orcs on the back of a great warsteed with [[sword]] and lance with in plate and a greathelm, just as he does at present. At most, some groups will be more advanced than others. This sort of thing got started with Tolkien, who was personally opposed to industrialization and modernization and described [[Middle Earth]] as being in a state of decline due to the ravages of Morgoth and Sauron, the decline of the elves and the destruction of Numenor; of course, 90% of other fantasy authors take the superficial elements of this without the [[Fluff|500 pages of background]] explaining why it's the case.
However, most fantasy writers ignore this fact and keep their lands at a developmental level equivalent to Europe in the middle of the medieval ages, around the year 1000, until the universe collapses. A [[knight]]'s ancestors five thousand years ago fought against Orcs on the back of a great warhorse, wielding [[sword]] and lance, wearing plate and a greathelm, just as he does at present. At best, some groups in the universe may be more advanced than others (for instance, China or Abbasid Caliphate analogues will usually have better technology), but nobody will be developing new technology.  


Even if an author decides to include magic in the setting as an attempt to explain the slowing of technological development in favor of throwing around spells, it still often makes no sense as to why society decided to stop its progress so firmly in medieval times, as opposed to any other particular period of history, like the Roman empire or ancient Egypt (which was a remarkably conservative society, changing very little between 2000 BCE and 0 BCE and only adopting new technology when someone conquered them with it, they were basically the closet an agricultural society ever got to medieval stasis), but instead progressed to an arbitrary point , which at its earlier stages actually saw technological regression from Roman times, and then stuck there for the next couple millennia.  
Even if an author claims that magic makes technological development unnecessary, it still often makes no sense as to why society decided to stop its progress so firmly in medieval times, as opposed to any other particular period of history, like the Roman empire or ancient Egypt (which was a remarkably conservative society, changing very little between 2000 BCE and 0 BCE and only adopting new technology when someone conquered them with it).


But hey, at least we get dudes with [[Pauldrons|pauldrons]].
But hey, at least we get dudes with [[Pauldrons|pauldrons]].
==Notable Examples of Medieval Stasis==
*'''[[Lord of the Rings]]:''' Tolkien was a naturalist that wasn't too fond of industrialization, so the heroes of his stories preferred Medieval Stasis as well. Of course, unlike most of the writers that he inspired, Tolkien had [[Fluff|five hundred pages of background]] explaining why (namely, Middle-Earth was in a state of decline due to the ravages of Morgoth and Sauron, and the decline of Númenor and the elves), so it's much more excusable.
==Notable Examples ''without'' Medieval Stasis==
*'''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battles]]:''' The Empire and the Dwarfs are actually about the level of most European countries around 1500, at the start of the early modern period and the Renaissance. They're also advancing, albeit slowly (the constant Chaos invasions don't help).
*'''[[Iron Kingdoms]]:''' The Iron Kingdoms setting is one of the best examples of steampunk. They're developed to the extent of the Victorian era (the mid-to-late 1800s), with a slow-but-growing industrial revolution and the discovery and development of electricity and chemistry.
*'''[[Eberron]]:''' Eberron is so-called "dungeon punk," so the technology is a strange mixture of all eras (plus a lot of magic!).


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Revision as of 15:01, 2 March 2014

Medieval Stasis describes the state of essentially all fantasy worlds that are not steampunk. As the title implies, most fantasy worlds are stuck at a technological level roughly equivalent to most of Europe in the year 1000.

On the one hand, it would superficially appear that most of Europe was stuck in a developmental rut between the fall of the Roman Empire and the start of the early modern era in the 1400s, wherein the creation of centralized nation-states and the end of feudalism (eventually) led to a blossoming of science. However, even throughout the medieval era of Europe, advancements were being made: the rise of windmills, improvement in construction, the creation of plate armour, and the development of the very first guns. Although the overall effect on the common man from generation from generation were not noticeable, gradual refinements in tools and methods gradually accumulated as the centuries went by, eventually making future refinements possible.

However, most fantasy writers ignore this fact and keep their lands at a developmental level equivalent to Europe in the middle of the medieval ages, around the year 1000, until the universe collapses. A knight's ancestors five thousand years ago fought against Orcs on the back of a great warhorse, wielding sword and lance, wearing plate and a greathelm, just as he does at present. At best, some groups in the universe may be more advanced than others (for instance, China or Abbasid Caliphate analogues will usually have better technology), but nobody will be developing new technology.

Even if an author claims that magic makes technological development unnecessary, it still often makes no sense as to why society decided to stop its progress so firmly in medieval times, as opposed to any other particular period of history, like the Roman empire or ancient Egypt (which was a remarkably conservative society, changing very little between 2000 BCE and 0 BCE and only adopting new technology when someone conquered them with it).

But hey, at least we get dudes with pauldrons.

Notable Examples of Medieval Stasis

  • Lord of the Rings: Tolkien was a naturalist that wasn't too fond of industrialization, so the heroes of his stories preferred Medieval Stasis as well. Of course, unlike most of the writers that he inspired, Tolkien had five hundred pages of background explaining why (namely, Middle-Earth was in a state of decline due to the ravages of Morgoth and Sauron, and the decline of Númenor and the elves), so it's much more excusable.

Notable Examples without Medieval Stasis

  • Warhammer Fantasy Battles: The Empire and the Dwarfs are actually about the level of most European countries around 1500, at the start of the early modern period and the Renaissance. They're also advancing, albeit slowly (the constant Chaos invasions don't help).
  • Iron Kingdoms: The Iron Kingdoms setting is one of the best examples of steampunk. They're developed to the extent of the Victorian era (the mid-to-late 1800s), with a slow-but-growing industrial revolution and the discovery and development of electricity and chemistry.
  • Eberron: Eberron is so-called "dungeon punk," so the technology is a strange mixture of all eras (plus a lot of magic!).
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