Use the Technology template to write about technological artifacts, inventions, and machines. From the humble wheel to time travel and faster-then-light hyperjumps!
Contents
What should I use this template for?
Use the Technology template to write about technological advancements in your world, such as steam power, the wheel, or artificial intelligence. More abstract concepts, such as time-keeping systems (e.g. the Gregorian Calendar) or political systems (e.g. Democracy), could also fit the [url:https://www.worldanvil.com/learn/article-templates/tradition|tab[Tradition template, but could the Technology template would also work if the important part of the article is its invention or design process.
Technology has significant overlap with Item and Vehicle. For example, steam power would be a Technology, but a steam-powered ship would be a Vehicle. Similarly, nuclear fission is a Technology, but a nuclear bomb would be an Item (and a nuclear power plant a Building!). When choosing one, think about what's more important: the fundamental technology that powers it, or the shape, function, and design of the final item?
Template walkthrough
Remember that all prompts are optional! In fact, because there are so many types of technology, some prompts might not be relevant to you. As always, there's a free-writing section at the top (which we call vignette) and the prompts are under the "+ Prompts" button in the bottom toolbar.
If you scroll at the bottom, you'll find a couple of drop-downs to connect the Technology article to other Technologies, as well as to Species.
Feature recommendations for technologies
Here are some ideas on how to use other features with technologies:
- Whiteboards: Use this to draw plans and designs for a technology and then embed it into an article. Check the guide to Whiteboards.
- Timelines: With a timeline, you can create a visual history of technological developments in your world. Check the guide to Timelines.
Step-by-step guide to writing a technology
Here are some quick steps you can follow to create a technology:
- What's the current technological level? Before creating a new technology, it's essential to understand what technological level people in your world already have. This will most likely change depending on the area of your world too! If your world is based on ours, you can compare historical periods to get a rough estimate. But if your world has magic (or is more advanced than the real world), you'll have to make some assumptions about which technologies they'd have access to.
- What's this tech for? Sometimes discoveries are accidental, but if a technology becomes widespread, it's because there's a need for it—which is why the previous step in this list is so important! Additionally, if your world has magic, you'll need to figure out what needs are already covered by magic. For example, if magic in your world allows fast travel between distant locations at a low cost, technologies like aviation (or even cars and trains) might not see much development.
- What are the limitations of this technology? This is the fun part! Figuring out what the technology can do is important, but deciding what it can't do is even more important! This will add conflict in your stories and it will be a great hook for future developments. For example, if your magical fast travel technology only works for groups of ten people every hour, maybe future technological advancements will be about increasing its capacity or speed.
Community examples for inspiration
Need some inspiration? Here are some technology articles written by our amazing community!
