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Just a test to see what the results would be by committee. Vote for what you like...let's see how this unfolds. I kind of fixed a few things in place , like yes, for SOME reason there are costumes aplenty instad of everyone fighting in T shirts and jeans.

So, after a very long hiatus, it looks like I might be running a game again. Of course the potential players expressed interest in the one campaign idea that is least developed- a high fantasy/steampunk mashup that I've discovered could accurately be called arcanepunk. What I'm envisioning is a Cold War-esque scenario in which two large nations with disparate worldviews are competing for influence among smaller nations in an attempt to tip the scales of influence in their own favor. The two superpowers are at opposite ends of the high fantasy/steampunk spectrum that is arcanepunk. One (I'm calling it Techtopia until a real name emerges) has developed to an early industrial level of tech- trains, steam vessels, American Civil War firearms (a mixture of muskets, rifles, repeating weapons, cannons, etc.) - plus some airships. It has factories that build interchangeable parts, a parliamentary government that is only accessible to property owners (including intangible forms of property via banking, inventions, etc- you have to "buy in" to the system) that further disenfranchies the majority of citizens (many of whom have fled to cities for work in poor conditions- the evils of early industrialization). The secrets of technology and industry are jealously guarded - between guilds and government, engineers, technicians, and other skilled workers are closely monitored and not allowed to leave the country for fear of their arch-rivals catching up to them and neutralizing their technological advantage. That rival would be Magistan (again, a placeholder name). They are a feudal society dominated by magic- the noble families rose to power via carefully cultivating magical aptitude into their bloodlines via strategic marriages and forced acquisitions. They view magic as a gift from the gods, and advanced technology that imitates magic as man's usurpation of the divine prerogatives - plus wizards jealously guard their secrets, which makes for poor scientific advancement. Their population is roughly the same but they require more manual labor in the fields - so battle wizards supporting magically enchanted troops are how they hold out against firearms. A single wizard is capable of inflicting horrendous casualties if he or she is prepared, but there are relatively few such people (perhaps 1 in 1000 people have the gift of magic at all, and fewer still sufficient power to be useful on the battlefield itself instead of supporting the war effort in other ways). Stuck between them is a nation kind of like Switzerland that wants to remain neutral, and has successfully found a way to combine magic and technology far in advance of the others - basically it has used magic to jumpstart technology so that it doesn't need to burn coal at levels that pollute its cities, its airships can fly faster and higher due to the combo of resource efficient industry and reality cheating magic, etc. I imagine the PCs as being based out of this nation, helping to navigate the escalating tensions between shifting coalitions of power (worker's movements, anti-royalist conspiracies, religious schisms, etc.). Given this brief thumbnail sketch, what are your thoughts on how these nations might compete, what strategies and counterstrategies might they develop, what aspects do you think I need to consider without going off the deep end, etc.?