How to STOP Gunpowder?

[wordwalker]

Here's one different approach, besides the problems of manufacturing and society: if you want a more heavy-handed answer, the world could have a microrganism that eats one of the components of gunpowder, leaving what's left useless or even unstable. This might be a good plot twist if your hero's an engineer who's sure he can get everything right-- but you want something totally new to him to make it Just Not Work until he figures that out too. Or if some genius in the world's past (or right now) created this bug to prevent guns.

Another answer is magic. The more wizards are able to develop specialized spells, the harder they'd work at making spells to disrupt aim, then something to ruin gunpowder, and ultimately to detonate it. Guns might turn out to be more dangerous to their user-- but only when a wizard's around, and not if you use cannons to batter the wizard's town from outside his range.

 

[Chilari]

Ooh wordwalker, I love that micro-organism idea.

 

[Bortasz]

Here's one different approach, besides the problems of manufacturing and society: if you want a more heavy-handed answer, the world could have a microrganism that eats one of the components of gunpowder, leaving what's left useless or even unstable. This might be a good plot twist if your hero's an engineer who's sure he can get everything right-- but you want something totally new to him to make it Just Not Work until he figures that out too. Or if some genius in the world's past (or right now) created this bug to prevent guns.

Another answer is magic. The more wizards are able to develop specialized spells, the harder they'd work at making spells to disrupt aim, then something to ruin gunpowder, and ultimately to detonate it. Guns might turn out to be more dangerous to their user-- but only when a wizard's around, and not if you use cannons to batter the wizard's town from outside his range.

**** Yea!!!! This is AMAZING. I will use this. That Micro-organism will completely eliminate gunpowder from my world allowing to have a Steam Engine AND Medieval Knight xD SteamPunk Forever!!! I'm loving it!!!

 

[Terry Greer]

the world could have a microrganism that eats one of the components of gunpowder, leaving what's left useless or even unstable...

A very nice idea - saltpeter is energy rich - so would be perfect . It would be hard to get rid of sulphur and charcoal as there are so many other uses for them - and not having saltpeter would be a perfect block.

 

[WeilderOfTheMonkeyBlade]

Rain (set it in england) or develop water magic. Simple powder weapons, muskets, cannons, early rifles, will not fire in wet conditions.

 

[arboriad]

I've not yet been able to pinpoint why, but I believe the Chinese reserved gunpowder for fireworks for a long time. Why it took Western innovation to adapt it for war is another question. Perhaps culturally they kept a kabosh on invention. That's another thought; the development of technology is usually connected to the freedom allowed by your religious/cultural system, and how it views the world. Perhaps, worldwide, explosive power is the power of gods, since that's how the world was made.

If they believe in a god who could change the world at a whim, there's less confidence in studying a potentially quantum worldview. Hence scientific stagnation in many of our historical cultures. I believe China once said 'China has no tech, because she has no need of tech.' (paraphrase) That was until they were forced into the 20th century.

Stopping something in the mind can be more powerful than once it's in your hand.