Last week we showed off some of the guns we’ve been creating, but I have a confession to make – we didn’t really have a plan. And that’s alright as far as I’m concerned because the act of generating those guns eventually led to a plan. So today we’d like to talk about weapons, and inventors.

All of the guns in EDGAR are the handiwork of at least one Victorian inventor. Some may be unidentified if the origin is mysterious, but in general, every weapon will have an inventor associated with it. Each inventor creates guns with their own aesthetic, stat ranges, and even special bonuses.

In order to establish backgrounds for these “designer weapons”, we’ve started looking into the lives some of the era’s most brilliant minds. Sprinkled throughout our imaginary stories, will be facts and half truths. People who actually interacted will team up to make weapons, organizations who actually existed will be have secret, shadowy actions. The most important part about telling a lie is putting just enough truth in it to make it believable. I don’t pretend that our stories are believable, but they straddle the line between real and imagination, which is a quite interesting place to be.

In the journal section of the game, players will be able to go read about the various characters, locations, and stories they’ve already encountered. Here are some examples of the inventor’s stories:

Stephenson & Stephenson’s Steam-Powered Guns

“All the speed of a rocket – all the force of a locomotive!”

George and Robert Stephenson, a father and son duo, were pioneers in the steam engine and locomotive fields. For many years the pair created and improved all sorts of steam-powered technology. After the completion of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825 (which marked the first time passenger traffic had traveled by steam) the interests of the two separated. George continued to expand Britain’s railroad infrastructure, while Robert, influenced heavily by fellow inventor and friend Jacob Perkins, began experimenting with steam-powered firearms. With George’s railroads covering a majority of the expenses, Stephenson & Stephenson soon became the primary manufacturer of steam-powered weaponry.

Stephenson & Stephenson guns use dark woods, dark metals, and brass. Their firing is recognizable by the sight and sound of escaping, pressurized steam.

Royal College of Chemical Agents

“When you aim, aim for that vital spark.”

Founded in 1845 by August Wilhelm von Hofmann, the Royal College of Chemical Agents was a secret society composed of the world’s most brilliant chemists. These men performed dangerous experiments in darkened basements, discovering new chemical reactions everyday. Rival organizations, such as the less brilliant “London Atoms” or the greedy, gold obsessed “Alchemists”, began attempts to steal their secrets and infiltrate their ranks, forcing the College to begin carrying arms in self defense. What started as anesthetic needles hidden in their gloves quickly turned into full on chemical sprayers and acid capsule bullets as this unseen war waged in the shadows of the scientific community.

RCCA guns are recognizable by the clear beakers and tubes containing an assortment of colorful liquids.

Joule-Thompson Dynamics

“The fieriest firearms ever made!”

A fruitful collaboration spanning the years between 1852 and 1856, placed a handful of powerful fire weapons on the market. Together James Prescott Joule and William Thomson 1st Baron Kelvin, in addition to establishing the first and second laws of thermodynamics (respectively), created limited run lines of, what they called, “fire throwers”. Using their profound understanding of heat and machine energy to contain the scorching hot temperatures within the weapons, JT Dynamics were able to put “Greek Fire” into a relatively safe and easy to use package for everyday use.

JT Dynamics guns are recognizable by their coal black color, as well as the pilot flame located just outside the muzzle of every gun.

I hope you enjoy our alternate history as much as we do, and as always, thanks for reading!

– Wrought Iron Games