Would knowledge of modern sciences make a difference in Westeros?

[Bright Blue Eyes]

But you dont need ak-47 and drones to defeat medieval knights, simple muskets or arquebus are enough. Decent swordsmith can copy its mechanism and manufacture more.

:bs:

Those simple muskets and arquebusses were used parallel to medieval knights for two, almost three centuries.

[Señor de la Tormenta]

Anyway OP is about us and the things we know.

I dont know how to design a musket.

[SpringKing]

Anyway OP is about us and the things we know.

I dont know how to design a musket.

Neither did its inventor prior to v.1. You have the advantage of knowing that a metal tube containing highly combustible material and a round projectile(s), when ignited, becomes quite a desirable weapon. A working model then is merely trial and error.

[The Merry Other]

Anyway OP is about us and the things we know.

I dont know how to design a musket.

Well, let's just say you always have access to Google, never mind how :laugh:

[Van beyond The Wall]

How could they not make a big difference?

[The Marquis de Leech]

:bs:

Those simple muskets and arquebusses were used parallel to medieval knights for two, almost three centuries.

Exactly. Firearms have been used for ages, and didn't suddenly make knights obsolete - it's just the damn things were so unreliable and/or dangerous to use.

[The Golden Wolf]

If i am in the North then first thing first I head over to Winterfell and become Minister of Northern Infrastructure Development and Planning. Gonna pave the Kingsroad all the way from the Neck to the Wall and the roads connecting Winterfell to all its major vassal lords. Second is introduction of better farming techniques like said previously to increase crop yields. Third we must find some coal! Imagine if the North has huge coal reserves. Steam Power is one of the things that is really going to make the North a force to be reckoned with. Coal+Steam+large Iron foundries+better crop yields could help out the North Immensely. steam Powered ships and hot air balloons, cannons and simple muskets at first then on to hand cranked gatlings. It would be a steam punk dream! and keep it all looking Medival with swords and armor

I would probably have to write all my knowledge down in a volume of books and set up an academy to teach my own group of Northern maesters all my knowledge.

[Hypnomagica]

I literally cannot believe this is actually being discussed. A small artillary brigade could blow Harrenhall to peices in a few hours.

Knowledge of flight, rifling, combustion, hell even hot air balloons would be enough to conquer Westeros.

The Field of Fire would not have shit on the Field of Gatling Guns. and Artillery.

You could bring down every single stronghold in the book.

The Eeyrie? Send up a few hot air ballons armed with nalpalm.

King's Landing? Winterfell? Casterly Rock? Dakka that mother f**ker.

[WatcherInTheNight]

A Mosin Nagant is a very simply designed rifle that the Russians used for nearly a century. Plus it could double as a war hammer in a bind. It is accurate up to 800 yards. Even if you could only manage a crappy version at 400 yards you could pick off whoever you wanted in battle. Or keep any army from crossing the Neck ever. It could be possible for a house with teachable blacksmiths to produce a decent number and ammo.

[danm_999]

I think it'd be more worthwhile going for a slow build than a quick one. Developing modern weaponry and conquering looks good on paper, but upsetting the apple cart like that quickly seems like it'd invite swift reprisal, military and magical.

Seems more prudent to enhance your house with soft power. Use GM crops to develop food sources that can survive winters and improve crop yields that can be sold for profit to neighbours. Develop a non-military industrial capacity that looks similar to the industrial revolution in Europe did. Make luxury goods that can be exported to the wealthy and powerful. Attract scholars and learned men and women.

In effect, instead of taking up the sword, make yourselves the cultural, economic and technological epicentre of the kingdom. Build your population, your workforce, your infrastructure, so that if you do one day have to fight, you can outspend, outsupply, outnumber and outequip your enemies.

You mightn't live to see your house on top, but your descendents may.

[The Merry Other]

I think it'd be more worthwhile going for a slow build than a quick one. Developing modern weaponry and conquering looks good on paper, but upsetting the apple cart like that quickly seems like it'd invite swift reprisal, military and magical.

Seems more prudent to enhance your house with soft power. Use GM crops to develop food sources that can survive winters and improve crop yields that can be sold for profit to neighbours. Develop a non-military industrial capacity that looks similar to the industrial revolution in Europe did. Make luxury goods that can be exported to the wealthy and powerful. Attract scholars and learned men and women.

In effect, instead of taking up the sword, make yourselves the cultural, economic and technological epicentre of the kingdom. Build your population, your workforce, your infrastructure, so that if you do one day have to fight, you can outspend, outsupply, outnumber and outequip your enemies.

You mightn't live to see your house on top, but your descendents may.

Yeah, but where's the fun in that? I want to slaughter the armies of my rivals, smash their castles into rubble, take their wealth, etc, all in the name of bringing progress and civilization to this dark and barbaric land called Westeros :lol:

[The Marquis de Leech]

Knowledge of flight, rifling, combustion, hell even hot air balloons would be enough to conquer Westeros.

Hot air balloons would certainly be useful, but I really don't see how they could conquer Westeros. To aim properly you'd need to fly close to the target, which makes you vulnerable to archers.

[Hammermen's Revolt]

The problem is that this is a contradictio in termis: modern weaponry stem from modern modes of production, which are incompatible with feudalism. Factories need workers, not farmers. Workers need cities, not castles, and the ruling classes are bourgeois, not feudal lords. The whole dynamic of feudal house-war would be replaced with economic competition/war and nationalist warfare (for example the Crimean war or first world war)

[Kuma]

Exactly. Firearms have been used for ages, and didn't suddenly make knights obsolete - it's just the damn things were so unreliable and/or dangerous to use.

Then why now we use firearms instead of swords?

[SpringKing]

The problem is that this is a contradictio in termis: modern weaponry stem from modern modes of production, which are incompatible with feudalism. Factories need workers, not farmers. Workers need cities, not castles, and the ruling classes are bourgeois, not feudal lords. The whole dynamic of feudal house-war would be replaced with economic competition/war and nationalist warfare (for example the Crimean war or first world war)

Modern weaponry, like all technology, stems first from an idea. No, youre not going to initiate the Industrial Revolution overnight and start cranking out AKs immediately. But you are going to bring a fabulous wealth of proven ideas to a stagnant society. You wouldnt necessarily need to be able to manufacture anything yourself. Simply sketching out designs like Michaelangelo should be sufficient to kickstart a tech revolution. Design a simple brass canon, or crude steam engine, and the human ability to build off of good ideas will snowball it from there.

That the feudal system would inevitably be replaced seems more to be a problem of longing to perpetuate a seemingly romantic way of life. Probably the same kind of feeling that prompted GRRM to create a static world of swords and sorcery in the first place :}

[Knight Of Winter]

Then why now we use firearms instead of swords?

Because firearms now are way faster, more reliable and overall better than arquebuses and muskets people used several centuries ago.

[littleRickon]

I'm not very impressed by bringing in weapons technology. Useful, but not sustainable. Also, these ideas and techs spread very fast. In a homogeneous society like Westeros, it doesn't take much for one of your priced gunsmiths to offer himself to the court of King's Landing, Lannisport or wherever.

Instead, I would focus on building a strong economy, outgrowing and then outspending everyone else. Put someone else on the throne and control him to deflect the repercussions if anything goes wrong.

So, my top 3 picks for tech to employ in Westeros:

1) infusion of modern economics: encourage guilds, banks etc...

2) fertilizer: chemistry could be one of the big winners in such a scenario. See your farmers outgrow others by a few times and use the freed labor to speed up urbanization

3) steam engine: doesn't require too much tech, and opens up a billion applications, turbo-loading your economy (thanks for the idea to a poster upthread)

[PancakeMountainThatRides]

Personally, I don't have enough knowledge about engineering or anything to do anything other than say, "Hey, this might be a good idea." My area of expertise lies more in biological and medical sciences. I could introduce sterile technique (or even just simple hygiene), new types of medications (e.g. penicillin), and vaccinations. That's not even to mention what I could do teamed with someone who could help me construct a microscope. That probably wouldn't make me very much money in Westeros, though, and most people would probably laugh at me. Still, it'd be about the only thing I'd be good for since I don't know how to make a steam engine or guns.

[Señor de la Tormenta]

I can be a great cook, with all the recipes westeros hasnt found out, and all kind of alcholoic brebages they dont know about.

[King of Vaes Tolorro]

Atomic Bomb

Bring it on.