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[Servant Corps]

In many games, there are usually two seperate 'paths': the Path of Magic and the Path of Technology. Those who are magicans hate guns, and those who love guns hate being healing. The Magicans and the Technologicans see the other side as morons, and seek to 'retifcy' this via warfare.

I never understood why this mythos exist in games. Why not just combine the two approaches of Tech and Magic? You pull out the sniper rifle for some long-range targeting, then start throwing Magic Fireball as you attempt to escape the guards, heal your wounds using a first-aid kit, and then teleport to safety? After all, if magic is real, it would seem dumb to close your ears and say, "That's unscientific, we should instead spend millions of dollars researching how you throw fireballs scientifically instead of casting runes!"

[Karlito]

I always thought that sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic.

[Servant Corps]

There is a big difference between firing bullets from your gun and firing bullets from your hand.

[Boksi]

See, if magic exists and follows certain rules, it's obviously a part of technology. There's no difference between using "mana" or whatever to create a fireball and using a chemical reaction.

[Servant Corps]

...Which leads to a question. What if magic exist and doesn't follow any rules at all, like Chaos in Warhammer 40K?

But that's kinda offtopic. What I want to do is stop magicans and technologists from waging pointless wars. I don't see the point of having this sort of thing. 'Game balance'? Don't you already got balance since you have to devote certain points to tech skills and certain points to magic skills?

[Gunner-Chan]

It was mostly a balancing mechanic in PnP rpgs I would guess, but I guess some people took it too far.

[Aqizzar]

There have been a few games where magic and technology could be combined.  Not many videogames that I know of, but several tabletops.  Deadlands had gunslingers with enchanted bullets and such.  The GURPS setting Technomancer was exactly what it sounds like, with Infernal Combustion engines and magic computers.  Of course, a lot of the more outre animes follow the idea that machines can be magical as well, if only in de facto.

As to the theory, it can be presented a few different ways, the most obvious being opposed or non-opposed.  Arcanum did a pretty good job of explaining the Opposed stance, by pointing out that technology is the precise application of physical laws, while magic is the willful destruction of them.  They went a little too far with the idea, but the principle can be said that magic is inherently problematic for machinery at least, because, by definition, it can rewrite the physical principles a machine operates on.  Any magic in the presence of a machine would make it break down or behave erratically.  Why it didn't also kill living creatures, which are really just fantastically complicated chemical machines, is never addressed by any such gameworld.

On the other hand, if your particular form of magic operates on it's own consistent, repeatable, verifiable principles, then in can become a form of technology all of it's own.  In the old days, games referred to this as Thaumatology, the scientific study of magical theory and practice.  Provided it doesn't automatically disrupt the natural process of physics, there's no reason magic can't exist along side any other technology.

[Boksi]

And then there's dungeon punk...

[Psyco Jelly]

BAH! Why spend years learning the arts of magic when you can buy a laser!
BAH! Why spend thousands of dollars on a laser when you can shoot fireballs!

I say BAH to both. Genetically engineer mutant beasts that can shoot fireballs! Summon one of those alienware laptops! Utilize both to their fullest! BOTH BEND REALITY TO MY WHIM.

Where would magical artificers fall in to this?

[Neonivek]

Magic Vs. Technology is an odd development especially since not to long ago... most Fantasy settings had Wizards who were the scientists of the world.

Heck Dungeons and dragons usually works that way.

[Cthulhu]

Is this one of those Jericho-style invisible wars?  Because I've never heard of these things clashing.

[LegoLord]

I remember the He-man cartoon having something similar, although it was just magic and tech in the same world, not really fighting.

Personally, I think if magic does or even ever did exist, it has grown incredibly weak due to the increasing knowledge of chemistry and physics.  Like they are opposing forces, you know?  Strange things did use to happen in the old days, when people didn't know any better.

[Neonivek]

Is this one of those Jericho-style invisible wars?  Because I've never heard of these things clashing.

It is a lot more uncommon then most people "Claim" it is. However you can find it sometimes.

-In World of Darkness' Mage system... When people started to lose faith in the magical... magical creatures started to die and mages found it increasingly difficult to get their magic out.
--However in the same vien... The greatest scientists in the setting... ARE the mages who use their magic to gain scientific insight as well as to overcome limitations in current physics. You want Robots in the modern world? Well only the mages have them.

-Reed Richards as a scientist openly opposes magic (Dr. Doom however uses both science and technology openly... however he really has to... Reed Richards is famos for his dues Ex Machina devices of total nonsense)

-In this weird game... I cannot remember what it is called... You can play a purely magical race who could fight a purely technological race. They hate eachother.

[Aqizzar]

Personally, I think if magic does or even ever did exist, it has grown incredibly weak due to the increasing knowledge of chemistry and physics.  Like they are opposing forces, you know?  Strange things did use to happen in the old days, when people didn't know any better.

...No.  Just, no.  Ignorance of physical laws never gave earlier civilization any power to thwart them.  Science works whether you know it exists or not.

[LegoLord]

Oh no doubt.  Just funny things used to happen (thinking of Moses) that we now know can't happen.
Never said everyone could use it.