Ep. 225 Gnomish Technology (that looks like magic)

What if the greatest magic in the D&D world was actually technology? In this season 10 finale of FGGGbT we celebrate the gnomes: D&D’s most exuberant, most creative, and most explosion-prone technological pioneers. They dig into gnomish clockwork constructs, airships, and the philosophical question at the heart of every gnomish invention: is it poorly executed, or is it just missing safety features? Daniel J. Glenn argues mediocre execution. Dr. Michael Dennin and Ben Siepser argue it’s the purest form of “fail fast” engineering — and the debate gets surprisingly heated. Along the way they explore gnomish technology that mirrors real-world inventions — the Cup of Infinite Water (a pocket fire hose), the Magical Alarm Clock (which may wake you with a fireball), Hare’s Legs spring boots (ankle support sold separately), the Excessively Thin Hat of Excessive Coolness (remove before leaving extreme heat), and the marble-dispensing escape buckle that definitely won’t trip you up. They also talk dark vision goggles, the physics of cat eye reflectivity, the engineering of miniaturization, and why gnomes are the ultimate anti-capitalists — inventing purely for the joy of invention. Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!