Arcanepunk
Encyclopedia
The word arcanepunk refers to a fantasy world
where both magic and science exist. It applies to a genre
or a design
.
The magic and science are advanced enough that most people have access. Everyone is not scientist or wizard, but most people know how to use technologic and magic items. Scientific knowledge is comparable to the late 19th century or more advanced. This genre is often old fashioned, either by borrowing in fantasy or steampunk.
In most cases, magic and science have evolved in parallel. People use technomagic devices based on magic and science. Coal, oil and electricity are often replaced by crystals, mana
or glyph
s.
The most popular creature of the genre is the wargolem, something between golem
and robot. It appears in 1998 in Battle Chasers
comic books. It is known as warforged in the Eberron
campagn setting.
Three kind of universe aren't arcanepunk:
and steampunk
.
Arcane cames from arcane magic (2000), which means non divine magic of the gods in the Dungeons & Dragons
RPG.
(1966) is an arcanepunk detective story. This alternate history featuring two characters inspired by Sherlock Holmes
and John Watson, the detective Lord Darcy and his faithful magician Sean O'Lochlainn. The world and the characters will be taken up in several stories and novels.
The Discworld
series of books (1983) takes place in a fantasy world. The series uses more and more arcanepunk.
The Darksword trilogy (1987) takes place in an alternate history. Magic exists and people disdaim science.
Metropolitan (1995) and City on Fire
(1997) take place in an alternate history. The Earth is enclosed in a mystic barrier, the Shield, and the inhabitants live in large cities powered by a magical energy, the plasma.
The Bartimaeus trilogy (2003) proposes a uchronia based primarily on the existence of magic.
(1983) introduces firearms in fantasy.
Shadowrun
(1989) is the first arcanepunk RPG. It takes place in an alternate history in 2060. Both magic and science exist. Magic appears on Earth in 2011 and it changes our world. New supernatural races appear and wizards too.
Castle Falkenstein
(1994) takes place in 1870 in an alternate history.
Deadlands
(1996) takes place in an American Old West
alternate history. Ghost rock, a kind of magic coal, is used to create technomagic devices.
The Eberron
campaign setting (2002), created for Dungeons & Dragons is arcanepunk.
The Iron Kingdoms campaign setting (2004), created for Dungeons & Dragons is arcanepunk.
(2005) is the most popular arcanepunk video game. It comes from the Warcraft: Orcs & Humans video game (1994) and uses more and more arcanepunk.
Fable 2
(2008) and Fable 3 (2010) introduce arcanepunk in the world of Fable
.
Torchlight
(2009) is also arcanepunk.
League of Legends
(2009) is another example.
comic series (1998–2001) is the first comic arcanepunk. It takes place in a fantasy world. She stops at #9 and remains unfinished.
The Arrowsmith
comic series (2003) takes place during the First World War in an alternate history. The magic seems to have always existed and it seems as advanced as science in the early 20th century. The series ended at #6 and remains unfinished.
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
where both magic and science exist. It applies to a genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
or a design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
.
The magic and science are advanced enough that most people have access. Everyone is not scientist or wizard, but most people know how to use technologic and magic items. Scientific knowledge is comparable to the late 19th century or more advanced. This genre is often old fashioned, either by borrowing in fantasy or steampunk.
In most cases, magic and science have evolved in parallel. People use technomagic devices based on magic and science. Coal, oil and electricity are often replaced by crystals, mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
or glyph
Glyph
A glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written. A glyph is made up of one or more graphemes....
s.
The most popular creature of the genre is the wargolem, something between golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
and robot. It appears in 1998 in Battle Chasers
Battle Chasers
Battle Chasers is an American fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, launched in April 1998. It was one of the most popular American comics series in the late 1990s, but suffered from extreme scheduling problems, with an average of about six months between issues, including a delay of 16...
comic books. It is known as warforged in the Eberron
Eberron
Eberron is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of Khorvaire...
campagn setting.
Three kind of universe aren't arcanepunk:
- Universes where both magic and science exist, but exclude one other, as in TorgTorgTorg is a cinematic multi-genre role-playing game created by Greg Gorden and Bill Slavicsek and released by West End Games in 1990, which uses several innovative techniques...
RPG or Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick ObscuraArcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick ObscuraArcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is a single player / multi-player computer role-playing game developed by Troika Games and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was released in North America and Europe in August 2001 for Microsoft Windows...
video game
- Universes where science is insufficiently advanced, as in heroic fantasyHeroic fantasyHeroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...
or folk tales
- Universes where magic exists, but remains unknown, as in Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series of books or Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series
Etymology
The word arcanepunk, or arcane punk, appears on the net around 2007. It comes from cyberpunkCyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
and steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
.
Arcane cames from arcane magic (2000), which means non divine magic of the gods in the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
RPG.
Novels
Too Many MagiciansToo Many Magicians
Too Many Magicians is a novel by Randall Garrett, an American science fiction author. One of several stories starring Lord Darcy, it was first serialized in Analog Science Fiction in 1966 and published in book form the same year by Doubleday...
(1966) is an arcanepunk detective story. This alternate history featuring two characters inspired by Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and John Watson, the detective Lord Darcy and his faithful magician Sean O'Lochlainn. The world and the characters will be taken up in several stories and novels.
The Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
series of books (1983) takes place in a fantasy world. The series uses more and more arcanepunk.
The Darksword trilogy (1987) takes place in an alternate history. Magic exists and people disdaim science.
Metropolitan (1995) and City on Fire
City on Fire (novel)
City on Fire is an arcanepunk novel by Walter Jon Williams, first published in 1997 and nominated for the Nebula Award in 1997 and the Hugo Award in 1998...
(1997) take place in an alternate history. The Earth is enclosed in a mystic barrier, the Shield, and the inhabitants live in large cities powered by a magical energy, the plasma.
The Bartimaeus trilogy (2003) proposes a uchronia based primarily on the existence of magic.
RPG
Warhammer Fantasy RoleplayWarhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is a role-playing game set in the Warhammer Fantasy setting. Over the years, it has been through a number of phases and different publishers, most of which were related in some way to Games Workshop...
(1983) introduces firearms in fantasy.
Shadowrun
Shadowrun
Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
(1989) is the first arcanepunk RPG. It takes place in an alternate history in 2060. Both magic and science exist. Magic appears on Earth in 2011 and it changes our world. New supernatural races appear and wizards too.
Castle Falkenstein
Castle Falkenstein (role-playing game)
Castle Falkenstein is a steampunk-themed fantasy role-playing game designed by Mike Pondsmith and originally published by R. Talsorian Games. A GURPS version and several supplements were later published by Steve Jackson Games. The game is named for a legendary unbuilt castle in the Bavarian Alps...
(1994) takes place in 1870 in an alternate history.
Deadlands
Deadlands
Deadlands is a genre-mixing alternate history roleplaying game which combines the Western and horror genres, with some Steampunk elements. It was written by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group....
(1996) takes place in an American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
alternate history. Ghost rock, a kind of magic coal, is used to create technomagic devices.
The Eberron
Eberron
Eberron is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of Khorvaire...
campaign setting (2002), created for Dungeons & Dragons is arcanepunk.
The Iron Kingdoms campaign setting (2004), created for Dungeons & Dragons is arcanepunk.
Video games
World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
(2005) is the most popular arcanepunk video game. It comes from the Warcraft: Orcs & Humans video game (1994) and uses more and more arcanepunk.
Fable 2
Fable 2
Fable II is an action role-playing game in the Fable game series developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. It is the sequel to Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters, it was originally announced in 2006 and released in October 2008...
(2008) and Fable 3 (2010) introduce arcanepunk in the world of Fable
Fable (video game)
Fable is an action role-playing video game in the Fable series. It was developed for Xbox, Mac OS X, and Windows platforms, by Big Blue Box, a satellite developer of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft. The game shipped for Xbox on October 14, 2003...
.
Torchlight
Torchlight
Torchlight is an action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable...
(2009) is also arcanepunk.
League of Legends
League of Legends
The BetFred League of Legends was a darts tournament featuring some of the legends of the game of darts which commenced in May 2008. The tournament is broadcast on Setanta Sports in the United Kingdom....
(2009) is another example.
Comic books
The Battle ChasersBattle Chasers
Battle Chasers is an American fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, launched in April 1998. It was one of the most popular American comics series in the late 1990s, but suffered from extreme scheduling problems, with an average of about six months between issues, including a delay of 16...
comic series (1998–2001) is the first comic arcanepunk. It takes place in a fantasy world. She stops at #9 and remains unfinished.
The Arrowsmith
Arrowsmith (comics)
Arrowsmith is a fantasy comic book by writer Kurt Busiek and penciller Carlos Pacheco, published by Wildstorm's Cliffhanger imprint. It first premiered as a six-issue miniseries in 2003.-Plot:...
comic series (2003) takes place during the First World War in an alternate history. The magic seems to have always existed and it seems as advanced as science in the early 20th century. The series ended at #6 and remains unfinished.