Quote Originally Posted by Rhavin View Post
For your catastrophe, you could go the SM Stirling route. In the novel series that starts with Dies the Fire, the premise is that one day several of the laws of physics simply changed and destroyed the underpinnings of modern technology.

Electricity is not well conducted by metals, or at least not well enough. Steam pressure does not build up to levels that would make it useful. And most explosive compounds now react more slowly, making them flammable rather than explosive. This resulted in billions dead and technology regressing to swords and bows very quickly.

In addition, the first generation born after the Change thought their parents and grandparents stories about Before were fantastical.
For the catastrophe, I kind of assumed that the world before was your standard PF/D&D campaign, so semi-medieval with alchemy, but no reliable electricity or firearms. I also have established thus far that using natural materials, things like alchemist's fire can be created as a sort of natural napalm, so I don't think this would entirely work.

However, you have gotten me interested in this novel, and I might have to try and find it somewhere. That's certainly a fun sounding concept.