{"id":86,"date":"2026-02-12T00:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T00:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myweb.fiu.edu\/fvarg027\/?p=86"},"modified":"2026-04-21T00:04:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T00:04:31","slug":"the-dragon-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myweb.fiu.edu\/fvarg027\/2026\/02\/12\/the-dragon-dilemma\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dragon Dilemma: Are Dragons Steampunk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Doesn’t take a thinker<\/span><\/strong> to know why the game is titled Dungeons & Dragons<\/em>. It\u2019s not for the taverns or the mage towers or even the edgy rogues that never show up to campfire show-and-tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, D&D is about dragons and their domains; the absolute jewel<\/span><\/strong> of mythical beasts, spitting fire and poison to guard mounds of invaluable treasure. Now, I\u2019m being deliberately glib only to prove a point, because D&D is never dependent on anything to be memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can make whatever possible in your own worlds and have it be entirely removed of dragons, especially because of what they impose on the part of tone and setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what I\u2019m proffering is that: there is an irrevocable draconic identity built into the bones of D&D, one that shouldn\u2019t go unaccounted for. Like an invisible contract, people expect dragons; they are tradition! Dragons sit atop a hoard of gold, fending it from the lauded heroes. This is<\/em> fantasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You might balk at this. You might believe that dragons are out, a tired, iterative remnant of the fantasy genre that you want no part of! Why insert an obligatory monster, like the dragon, when I can include a much more interesting, subversive beast: the flumph<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, you\u2019re partially right. When I began experimenting with the world of Warbound, I, too, was reluctant to write dragons into the setting because I was adamant in adhering to the contract of the steampunk genre. I thought that dragons leaned too far into high fantasy\u2014the medieval quest to slay a foul beast\u2014than the sci-fi dystopia of industry that I was going for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why is that? Why can\u2019t I have my dragon and eat it too? This got me thinking. It might be a worthwhile practice, a great workout for our worldbuilding muscles: can we believably write monsters into settings that would be initially unusual for them? I, for one, gladly take up the charge to attempt this. So, fellow inventors, the question today is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can we make dragons steampunk?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Soaring Into Warbound<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to bring dragons into Warbound, we will be following the core thematic elements described in The World of Warbound<\/a>, so please go and read that post before returning to this one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steampunk is characterized by its connection to the Industrial Revolution, the Victorian Era, and the Edwardian Era. There\u2019s a reason steampunk is frequently situated between these histories, and that\u2019s for the sheer storytelling promise laden in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intrinsically, steampunk acts as commentary on imperialism, slavery, government corruption, and unchecked innovation. These central themes will serve as the cornerstone for which we integrate our draconic bestiary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019d be remiss to mention that Eberron<\/a><\/em>\u2014the D&D campaign setting that is the foundation for Warbound\u2014already has a host of dragons within it: The Progenitor Dragons<\/a>. That means we will fortunately be spared the task of fabricating dragons from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first requirement I will need for dragons in Warbound is what I feel is distinctly absent from dragons in any customary D&D world: mystique <\/strong>and enigma<\/strong>. For too long have dragons lost this sense of unfathomability<\/strong>,<\/mark> of ancient magic and bewildering scale, that I feel is necessary to make dragons feel fresh and mystifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is a consequence of writers\u2019 obsession with applying science and factual accuracy to what shouldn\u2019t be. There are even whole sections of the Forgotten Realms wiki dedicated to explaining the dietary processes of dragons. We won\u2019t concern ourselves with anything of the like, because our goals here are to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n