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One last question and I think I'll be set:
What kind of engines do zeppelins in SbK use?
Right or wrong, my basic vision of SbK is The Three Musketeers folded into High Fantasy with Zeppelins sprinkled on top because, hey, Zeppelins make everything cooler- even the Nazis knew that! But Zeppelins also present a technological problem for the setting. There are Zeppelins and submarines but no railroads or Heliograph networks? The second pair are not anymore technologically advanced than a Zeppelin but are much more likely to change the setting's tone. Technology in a fantasy setting is a slippery slope, get too modern and you lose that fantasy flavor. Electricity I think it's safe to say is out so that does away with internal combustion engines and electric motors. Steam I'm guessing would be too heavy. That leaves what? Coal fired Stirling engines?
A canon answer would be great, but failing that, any ideas would be much appreciated!
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I had thought the same thing.
One possibility is of course handwavium. I believe the is a rich seam just been found in the Warhammer 40k universe.
A more serious answer would be to consider technological options.
A fixer based fuel as a start would be an obvious choice. Fixers can manufacture potions and explosives so some high octane fuel or chemical electricity store (there are lightning gyres so electricity is mastered in some form).
With an electrical source an engineer could invent an electric motor. essentially its just a coil, switch and magnet. Well within the technology of the environment. Also electric motors support boats, subs and airships but not trains.
The other option is a fuel that when it burns or is otherwise 'excited' releases a lot of gas. This would allow an effective 'steam engine' without the need for a heavy water resevior.
These were my thoughts anyway.
Chris
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Heh, we just did electric motors in class today (I'm a physics teacher).
Yes, the canon answer is: it's alchemical. Chemistry in the Kingdoms is substantially different than it is here, especially for inorganic chemistry. Alchemy prevails over chemistry. Even black powder, for all its similarities to our world's black powder, is not exactly the same. So the reactions that power a zeppelin's engines are alchemical in nature, taking place between as-yet unnamed (in canon; feel free to do it yourself) alchemical reagents inside a zeppelin-specific engine (more than one engine, really, for most zeppelins).
The functioning of the engine, once it receives its energy from the reactions in the alchemical fuel source, is based on a physics that is not quite our own. SK physics and real-world physics are not as divergent as SK chemistry and real-world chemistry, but they are not identical. Magic is to blame for that.
Despite the fuel being alchemical, engineers and not fixers are the primary figures in zeppelin construction and maintenance. This is just like our world; if you have a problem with your car, you go to a mechanic, not a petroleum chemist.
Zeppelins are far from the only place that engineering, alchemy, and even magic overlap. See, for example, the dream projector and dream gel in the engineering and alchemy sections.
So that's the story! Nice line about a rich seam of handwavium in 40k, by the way. ;)
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