The Steampunk Boiler Room

Beck,

It would really depend on your story. I mean if there's sufficient reason why a submarine is perfectly acceptable but advanced weaponry is not, then go for it. However, you have to consider that the 1800s was the century the created advanced warfare: the Gatling gun, heavy cannon, repeating rifles, and even the precursor to the modern hand grenade. So I suppose it would really depend on what you're trying to go for: however, as a piece of technology fits very heavily into my story, warfare was greatly advanced in the time of mine (1890) because of that machinery, which might very well happen because of yours.

Hope that helps.

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J Boone Dryden
Director, the Milwaukee Writers Workshop
Director of Programming, WriteCamp Milwaukee