Note: said society is preindustrial and has ample access to flowing water, but not fossil fuels or radioactive deposits. It also has access to mountain hot springs, which I thought could also be used as “batteries” during times when streams freeze. This last point is what set him off.
He also really hates wind turbines.
Hydropower is really neat. Water powered trip hammers and bellows can make a blacksmith’s work a lot easier, and a watermill can make great quantities of flour.
Another cool thing to do in a preindustrial society with ample access to flowing water is canals. You can fit so much stuff on a canal boat.
Canals were so useful that heaps of canals were built in England even during the industrial revolution alongside railroads. It makes sense that if you’re digging something up you can then use it under the rails as ballast and it gives you flexibility if there’s an issue with either option.
One of the only charming things about TERF island is that they still have a subculture of weirdos who live on canal boats
canal boat youtube is kinda neat
Best one I’ve seen is the guy who built a model railroad inside his canal boat home with a canal boat lock built into the model railway layout
oh wow that’s great
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
I really want to do a TTRPG game that centers on traveling up and down rivers. Like the players get an “itinerary” from a medieval person and it looks like a subway map where the lines are rivers and tributaries.
https://unece.org/transport/documents/map-european-inland-waterway-network-2018
I DM’d a Pathfinder game centred around trains, once. I made the setting teeter on the edge of industrial revolution, but with magicks to handwave away mechanics/plot problems.
It was real fun. And unsurprisingly very easy to railroad the players back on track. Train aesthetics are cool.