Why do Eberron airships look like flying boats?

[FlyingTurtle]

This nautical thing, with the open decks, it doesn't make sense. If I designed them, they'd all look like gleaming metal torpedoes. With WF archmages permanently welded to the exterior hull to throw pewpew at the enemy.

[SableShadow]

I would have started with lasers, eight o'clock, Day One!
.
.

[cdbd3rd]

This nautical thing, with the open decks, it doesn't make sense.

air = flying
ship = boats

If I designed them, they'd all look like gleaming metal torpedoes. With WF archmages permanently welded to the exterior hull to throw pewpew at the enemy.

Hey, there was no mention in the recruitment brochure of using our WF buddies as exterior armor plating.


...besides, gleaming metallic torpedos would be a tad too 'suggestive', I bet.
Especially so, with all those hand-waving lumps dotting the exterior...


...besides. Pirates don't ride torpedos.

[Gkar]

I think the author of the Ebberon series grew up watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDLifAZiRrg

[Illiain]

This is something you'd have to ask Keith Baker about, they've always looked like nautical ships since Eberron came out.

They were probably modified from existing ships, similar to how the CSS Virginia was made from the USS Merrimack during the American Civil War.

[cdemeritt]

This nautical thing, with the open decks, it doesn't make sense.

Says the guy named flying turtle....(turtles don't fly... Unless you chuck them)

Well, at least the Eberron airships are more believable than the cartoon I used to watch growing up with Space traveling sail powered pirate ships with open decks and such.. really silly when you think about it.

[SableShadow]

...besides. Pirates don't ride torpedos.

But cowboys can ride bombs...on second thought, maybe you're right.

They were probably modified from existing ships, similar to how the CSS Virginia was made from the USS Merrimack during the American Civil War.

Ding ding ding! Our collective Connecticut Yankee-ness doesn't automatically make King Arthur's Court a pack of morons.

[cdemeritt]

I think the author of the Ebberon series grew up watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDLifAZiRrg

Not quite... but Starblazers (redone in English) was one of my favorites in the 70's.... Off note, Syfy channel is currently airing them at 1am.

[Bodic]

to me they look like ships not boats.
ships must be at least 80ft stem to stern
boats sink(on purpose)
they are magetech.

[FordyTwo]

I've always been a fan of the flying boat thing. It's one of the many reasons I love Eberron (and Rogue Galaxy!).

[Hoglum]

Airships look like boats because fighters built them and said, "check this out. They can float on water."

Then the wizard said, "Oh yeah? Watch this."

[SableShadow]

I've always been a fan of the flying boat thing. It's one of the many reasons I love Eberron (and Rogue Galaxy!).

I always had a soft spot for Spelljammer, despite the Gammeroids, Gyvers, Giff, etc.

[Memnir]

I think the author of the Ebberon series grew up watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDLifAZiRrg

I used to. Good show.


I want to see this someday, too.

[Bargol]

The flying boat thing doesn't get me. I can appreciate the pirate theme thing and the air ships.

What confuses me is why are the boats two instances? The top deck is one and inside is another. Seems like excessive loading screens for no reason.

[Gkar]

Not quite... but Starblazers (redone in English) was one of my favorites in the 70's.... Off note, Syfy channel is currently airing them at 1am.

True, I was just too lazy to keep looking after I found the original version to post

[varusso]

Why do flying carpets looke like the product of a mage who wanted to fly, but with the convenience of having something to sit on, maybe bring a friend along, and a few other things for comfort? Because in all probability thats what it IS. Mage sitting in his study, trying to figure out what would be the simplest, easiest thing to animate with a permanent fly spll, looks down at his nice, soft, warm rug by the fireplace....

The king asks the royal archmage to come up with a (reusable) way to transport massive amounts of people from one place to another. A giant portal will get the job done once, but there's all that nasty business of having to bend time and space each time you want to open one, not to mention how much power it would take to open it each time, based on the sheer size of the thing, as well as maintaining it for lengthy periods of time. The solution? Use a method of transportation that already exists, and make THAT fly like the carpet. Lets see...a wagon? No, too small. An elephant? No, gotta feed it. <glances out his tower window toward the harbor, spies a seafaring ship....>

Ships would have been in relative abundance, and relatively easy to produce. You could literally take any seaworthy vessel and retrofit it with the flying crystals. Its actually a fairly common concept, and one that makes sense -- its the logical step. As the seafaring ships themselves progress in technology and design, so would the airships that they become. I havent seen a metallic seafaring ship anywhere in Eberron yet, either, so apparently their SCIENCE has not progressed far enough yet to figure out how to make metal float. therefor it simply doesnt occur to anyone to make a boat out of metal, therefore no AIRboats out of metal. Remember, technologically speaking, the campaign is set roughly in the dark ages. You might see some metal plating on ships here and there (akin to armor on a person or barding on a horse), but not whole ships made of it. It just doesnt fit with the setting. Generally speaking, the people of the realm (even the mages) would tend to see things the way their environment dictates it. It simply would not occr to them to make a a japanimation style metal airship, when all the boats they see are made out of wood.

[Chai]

Steampunk, which is what they are going for, has to have that old school technology look in part. Looks like they went with the 'Golden Compass" look, like a clipper ship that flies.

[Gkar]

I used to. Good show.


I want to see this someday, too.

I know, they need to subtitle or dub it! lol

[cdemeritt]

I want to see this someday, too.

Wow...Guess that's why SyFy is airing the old cartoon again... Do you have any info on this? like Is there a plan to release this in America? and When?

One thing I've noted of a lot of Japanese animation is that how few characters look Japanese, and the few that do are usually the bad guys.... Nice to see they are not doing this in the trailer.

[Schmoe]

I always had a soft spot for Spelljammer, despite the Gammeroids, Gyvers, Giff, etc.

Nothing got my creativity going like Spelljammer. It was awesome. Sadly, I never did get a chance to run a campaign in the setting, but it definitely impacted a lot of my campaigns. I think Wizardry VII (the old PC game) might have directly come from the setting too, especially with the Giff.