It's for Voyager.
Voyager is basically a project to take Pathfinder beyond the medieval era. Now, Pathfinder is much more a speculative technology setting than it is a realistic example of medieval technology (it's really a mash-up of several different medieval tech levels). If Pathfinder is basically a Punk setting, not a realistic medieval tech setting, I see no reason Voyager can't be the same. Instead of strict historical accuracy, Voyager has a LOT of speculative technology. It starts out in the 1500s with Clockpunk, boasting three different Clockpunk tech levels: 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s. Then it moves into the 1800s and Steampunk. Here we have three more tech levels, this time Steampunk: 1820s, 1860s, 1880s/90s. Afterwards we move into Dieselpunk, starting in the World War 1 era with a Steampunk-Dieselpunk hybrid tech level, then moving into a 1920s/30s tech level and a World War 2 tech level. It also has rules for Biopunk, which can be combined with pretty much any Steampunk or Dieselpunk setting easily, and therefore exists as an add on to other tech levels, not it's own tech level.
Here is where I planned to end things. Then I had an idea, however. Modernpunk. Modern fiction has all sorts of speculative technology that doesn't actually exist. Remember the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier? Iron Man's suits? Those airships in the Ace Combat games? Super effective viruses and chemical weapons? Modernpunk is basically all that and more, in one setting. It gets two tech levels: 1950s/60s, and modern day.
I'd love opinions on what should go into Modernpunk. I surely haven't seen all the cool speculative tech out there. I'm interested in both proposals or prototypes that never took off and totally fictional stuff. If any of you know of any, I'd love to see them. So far, I've got aircraft, armor suits, and WMDs. I know full well I'm missing a lot. I'd also like ideas for a different name. It starts in the 50s, so Modernpunk isn't necessarily accurate.
I think "Modernpunk" already has a name: Science Fiction.
Its subgenres are cyberpunk, spy novels, military fiction, science fiction, weird fiction, horror, science fiction, speculative fiction, science fiction and science fiction.
See a pattern? Science Fiction already covers everything "Modern Punk" could, and more.
Science Fiction is a very broad term. Clockpunk, Steampunk, and Dieselpunk are all Science Fiction. I suppose a more accurate term for Modernpunk would be Subgenre. I'll edit the OP.
See, I understand this may be a personal preference, but I have a problem with the term "punk" being tacked onto the end of any odd word to supposedly "create a new genre." Cyberpunk was a cool term. Steampunk was clever. Ha-ha, we all get it. K. W. Jeter took "Cyberpunk" and twisted it for the stuff he was writing. Okay, great.
NOW NOBODY EVER DO IT AGAIN.
But, nope, now we have Dieselpunk, Magepunk, Dungeonpunk, Cow Punk, Clockpunk, and even Punk Punk (somebody please explain why that one's necessary).
There is ZERO difference between Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Dungeonpunk and Clockpunk. They are all Steampunk. They share an IDENTICAL aesthetic. The only difference is that some items are wind up in one, some are powered by gas in another, and more are powered by magic in the other. But Steampunk can - and usually does - incorporate alternate power sources, including gas, magic and clockworks. You can't change one small feature in a genre and name it a new genre. If it's otherwise aesthetically identical to its parent genre, then it just IS that genre. This sort of crap happens for the worst of reasons; either somebody's ego is huge and they want to take credit for nothing, or they are so bogged down with the minutia of the thing they don't realize there's no difference. It's like a Star Trek freak changing the name of one race from Klingon to Clingon and claiming he has invented a totally new genre. It's the worst kind of nerd behavior.
(And by the way, I loved the TVTropes site more than anybody, until this thread hipped me to the fact that they are entertaining this ridiculousness. I think this may finally move me to sign up so I can knock some heads together and make some fanboys cry.)
Worst of all, where does the impact of the terms Cyberpunk and Steampunk go when everything else in the world can become a "Punk Genre" just by putting a different hat on it? And where does it stop? Was Taxi Driver "Taxipunk?" Are Michael Moore's documentaries "Docupunk?" Is The Lord of The Rings "Ringlordpunk?" How long before we are up to our earlobes in "Vampirepunk," which of course, has to be considered a different genre from "Werewolfpunk," which has no relationship whatsoever to the incredibly original "Frankenpunk" --- or maybe Frankenstein is Steampunk?
But why debate where a story should fall when we can just come up with an entirely new genre for it anytime we want?
END OF RANT
I never really gave it that much thought. I'm pulling the phrase "I thought up a new subgenre" from the thread title. I do not feel like having a debate on the use of the word Punk or on when one has or has not thought up a new genre or subgenre.
Do you have any modern speculative or prototype technology to point me to? I need as much tech as possible. That's what Voyager is all about: Pathfinder with tech levels other than ancient or medieval. It's got new skills and skill uses, feats, combat mechanics, and class archetypes to go along with the new tech, but the new tech is what it's all about.
I believe that the discussion of terminology would best be taken to its own thread.
That being said, I recommend raiding Shadowrun splatbooks for technology. Shadowrun codifies most of the good ideas from literature and other media, and has also dealt with the presence of magic in a gritty, high technology setting.
Read Neuromancer as well while youre at it.
Im also gonna leave this here for you
I'll add some more later. There is some stuff not listed there that may be of interest.
Thanks for the resources, Brambleman. They are appreciated.
Yea, I don't want to argue proper terminology in this thread. That's why I changed the thread title (twice), so as not to provoke arguing. I want to discuss modern speculative technology.
Glad to be of help.
I submit, from Neuromancer, and not on the previous resource.
Large Caliber riot Gun.
Described as being like a large grenade launcher, with a revolver chamber, and a barrel you could fit your fist down. It fires sandbag jellys at subsonic velocity and is "technicaly" nonlethal.
From my own speculation, Clothing with wire mesh in it could form a tesla cage, or an antenna,.
First, I like the idea, do you plan to release this as a book, a pdf, or is this just a personal project?
Secondly, some examples would be helpful. I mean "modern speculative technology" is a very unique phrase. Do you mean things like earthquake machines that work by interfering with the magnetic field (ala Nicola Tesla, back in the day) or do you mean personal jet packs that you strap on your back and allow faster than light travel?
It's a free PDF.
I refer to any speculative technology (stuff from fiction such as techno thrillers or comic books, interesting prototypes or abandoned proposals) that is supposed to exist from the 60s to the modern day or near (as in, up to ten years from now) future.
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Glad to be of help.
I submit, from Neuromancer, and not on the previous resource.
Large Caliber riot Gun.
Described as being like a large grenade launcher, with a revolver chamber, and a barrel you could fit your fist down. It fires sandbag jellys at subsonic velocity and is "technicaly" nonlethal.From my own speculation, Clothing with wire mesh in it could form a tesla cage, or an antenna,.
Wasn't there an animated series? Thundar the Barbarian - set in the future he goes up against a wizard whose magic is technological - he has a suit that allows the capture of lightning to capacitors and the discharge of energy down his staff to a victim who is touched with the end. Electricity goes to ground through the victim.
A Staff with a Ceramic 10KV isolator and gold panel capacitors on a Djed gives you egyptian Electropunk - the ability to collect electrostatic energy and use it to kill or power other projects.
A ballista, up one size category, that fires a girder. If you mount it on wheels it will also propel your crew backward out of harms way. :)