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How do you deal with anachronisms in your #ttrpg games?

Say a character would like to invent a bicycle in a medieval setting. Do you let him?

#ttrpg
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Kingu 👺 Depends how complicated the bicycle is. Draisienne, yes. Pedals on a wheel, dubious. Any chain and gears, no way.
@Kingu 👺
S. Lott
S. Lott  
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and there’s the problem of having materials and tools to make those things. Sure, they can talk about fabricating a chain. But. Materials and skills? Requires the invention of new tools just to make the parts.
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@S. Lott @Kingu 👺 Even the concept of chain would require some new tools to already exist to be thought of.
@Kingu 👺 @S. Lott
S. Lott
S. Lott  
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perhaps. Depends on the players. My crew would have laughed about the impossibility and moved on. But stubborn players may insist they have the idea.

Okay then. Do you have the means? No. But. You can side quest the specialists who *might* be able to implement your concept.

Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@S. Lott @Kingu 👺 I would personally grill the player about how they got the idea in the first place. Unless their player had some specific forward-thinking ability, I would definitely like to see some receipts.
@Kingu 👺 @S. Lott
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