Your World is Backwards!!! Is Everyone Just Dimwitted?

Where is the advance of science and technology in almost every fantasy setting out there? Histories often stretch back thousands if not millions of years and there are a plethora of gods who are genius’ (not to mention player characters whose intelligence would rival that of Einstein’s - I give him a 17). Yet, in most the settings I read, there is little in the way of scientific advancement and technological advancement. Why? Why so medieval? 

 I Have a Solution

But first I must address the most common reason given for a lack of technical wizardy in fantasy settings. In a word, it’s the wizardry in wizards. It has often been relayed to me that magic supplants the need for technical advancement as it can perform any task needed and better. Magic, it seems, is one of the culprits for the dumbing down of our beloved fantasy worlds.

The second most common reason given is that the worlds are too primaeval or chthonian to devote precious labors to scientific advances. Many settings are brutal places. Dragons flit about here and there scorching people, giants amble through whole regions slaying anything in their path, and finally, some miscreant demon may simply change the ‘laws of nature’ for no other reason than he can. Utter chaos, non-specific random destruction, and deific whim hinder advancement.  

Other reasons have been given over the years as well, but need not be addressed here. I don’t particularly care which explanation is used as long as it works in the word in which I am adventuring (I can only suspend so much disbelief before comedy sets in). And now I have accidented upon another solution to this paradoxical issue. This solution, as is my fitting, involves the machinations of the powerful, the scathing hatred of the resentful, and the greed of the mercantilists amongst the other witless evils engaged in by the high and low on a daily basis. 

 The Guild is Guilty of Guilding

Did you know that the clothmaker’s guild in Florence during the 14^th century had over 20,000 members and that Paris alone had over 350 guilds operating inside the city during the same era? Guilds were huge, numerous, and wealthy. With that wealth and control of various aspects of trade and production, came staggering influence and power. In some cases, the guilds were more powerful than the Barons who ‘ruled’ them.

The guilds controled everything about their industry. Who could join, how long they apprentice, prices of goods, craftsmanship, materials, disbursement, merchanting, etc. Powerful guilds controled all of this and more in the region they operated. There were enforcement wings and occasionally guilds would hire mercenaries to ensure their desires were met. Many guilds, especially those in the weapon’s making industry, were patronnes of knights and the military because they controlled the weapons and arms making industry, providing reliable high quality war making material. Landed gentry were also patrons of guilds as their gold flowed from the commerce the guilds managed.

In short, guilds were powerful. To maintain that power, the guild had to guard its secrets, control the quality of goods, create strict guidelines for entry to the guild, and conduct other activities to maintain their power. Guilds would fight one another, hire mercenaries, assassins, carry out sabotage of competitors, and run protection rackets just to maintain their control. Did you know that Giovanni de’Medici was head of the wool merchants guild in Florence. That is the family that inspired Machiavelli to write “The Prince.”

 

Imagine This

You are the leader of a guild of wizards, let’s say, The Midday Moon Battalion. You have worked hard your whole life to attain the position of Ultra-Supreme Super Grand Master Wizard of all Wizards and get to don the tall purple flop hat festooned with stars. You can do lots of magical things, like cast fireballs. Now, let us just say a really smart scullion shows up one day and says, “I have invented a machine that can cast explosive balls further than you can, faster than you can, with less preparation than it takes you, and that causes considerably more damage.” Then the scullion tests the machine and it works. Further, he notes that anyone can be trained in its use in about ten days. Let us say the scullions name is Badaz Howitzer.

Well, I’d kill him or someone would. Minimally I would make sure that Howitzer never saw the light of day and the scullion would find himself in a new guild, one with offal mongers. And that is actually how things panned out in reality (minus the wizarding part). The guilds stifled innovation and competition. At least this has been argued by Sheilagh Ogilvie. There are others who dispute this. But for the sake of argument, let’s say Ogilvie is correct.

Guilds are very guarded of their secrets, wealth, influence, relationships, and power. This power manifests in controlling trade routes, production of goods, procurement of materials, marriages, friendships, alliances, contracts, etc. Those at the peak of their power and wealth tend to be more conservative in outlook and do not look kindly on change or something that might upset the current order of things. Kings, queens, barons, leaders, guilds, etc. quite actively work to maintain everything in its current state of affairs, sometimes without them even knowing it.

Just a thought.