How not steampunk can something be while still being steampunk?

[MightierThanTheSword]

I know that sounds completely absurd, but hear me out. I am writing a novel, that is why I joined here some 15 minutes ago. (I have had this page bookmarked forever, but never registered) In my novel, the world utilizes steam power and the like for odd creations, but it is not really victorian, it is more of a primitive steampunk, with the setting being more akin to the late middle ages than to the late 19th century. Is it still steampunk?

[Snark MacQuarrie, Esq.]

In my opinion it's the steam (and, to a certain degree, the punkiness) that makes it steampunk, not the setting; so if you ask me, yes!

[Doctor Trakov]

Steam-powered crusades?
Count me in.
Although if it was late-middle ages, it would be more of a steam-powered battle of agincourt.

[Sir Nikolas Vendigroth]

I recently thought that steam-nazi'd make the ultimate bad guys.

[balthazarbelmonte]

It can be as not Steampunk as you want.  There's no point in trying to box it in.  There will always be people who will claim it's not truly Steampunk unless it meets their arbitrary standards, but that's true of any genre.  And because you're approaching things from a literary angle, most of the technical hard-asses won't really pay attention anyway.  So much of what is considered "steampunk" in literature doesn't take place in the Victorian era or on this planet or in this timeline.  Literature should never be bound to the restrictions of other people's preferences.

[Atterton]

It depends how literal you get. It might not be proper steampunk, but it would still be the overall kind of retro-futurism. Some people start using different words for different time periods. For example Flintstones, which some refer to as stonepunk.

[MightierThanTheSword]

Oh, I wasn't going to change it to fit the definition of steampunk, I was just wondering if it would fit in enough to discuss it here

[balthazarbelmonte]

We tend to be pretty open to discussing all sorts of things here.  If it's not "Steampunk" enough for some people they'll ignore it or they'll post asinine comments which can, in turn, ignore.  But most of the people here will gladly talk to you about anything even vaguely related to Steampunk.  Either way, you should drop the asking-if-you-can-discuss, and start the discussing 

[Hieronimous Stonebender]

we'll discuss anything. We'll just tweak the subject matter enough to consider it steampunk.

[Ethyl Cannes]

Mostly agreeing with other folks here. I do know there's a discussion thread (http://www.brassgoggles.co.uk/bg-forum/index.php?topic=7181.msg115970#msg115970) for those of us playing a sort of Greek-history-with-steam-power game online called Ikariam

So I'd say the definition is pretty broad

[Captain_Minty_Gearhertz]

Q: Is it steampowered high technology, in an era that didn't have high technology?
A: Yes
 Then it's steampunk.

[Luella Dobson]

It can be as not Steampunk as you want.  There's no point in trying to box it in.  There will always be people who will claim it's not truly Steampunk unless it meets their arbitrary standards, but that's true of any genre.  And because you're approaching things from a literary angle, most of the technical hard-asses won't really pay attention anyway.  So much of what is considered "steampunk" in literature doesn't take place in the Victorian era or on this planet or in this timeline.  Literature should never be bound to the restrictions of other people's preferences.

I agree; simply write it to your vision without worrying about if it's enough of one genre or not. :3 I guarantee you, a steampunk audience will pick it up with simply the mention of steam!
just, don't make the mistake of The Difference Engine and not fully explain the world around the characters first. I'm reading it right now and if I didn't have steampunk as a background, I'd be even more lost.

[kiskolou]

Crazy steam-powered machinery? I'm in, no matter the age.

[Hamilton]

I know that sounds completely absurd, but hear me out. I am writing a novel, that is why I joined here some 15 minutes ago. (I have had this page bookmarked forever, but never registered) In my novel, the world utilizes steam power and the like for odd creations, but it is not really victorian, it is more of a primitive steampunk, with the setting being more akin to the late middle ages than to the late 19th century. Is it still steampunk?

Dear Sir,

Never be afraid of being absurd, certainly here. Think of this place as the laxative for your thought process.

A novel you say, machinery be damned, is it a ripping yarn?

Do damsels swoon? Does the hero/heroine cut a dashing figure - are there secret passages? Does the main character have a nifty gadget cum thingymajig. Does the costumes allow for big pockets and flaps? Can we have grime and brass (that's athought had brass been invented then?). Whatever plenty of leather and studs.

If as you say the adventure (for I assume it is an adventure) is set in the middle ages the solution to your problem appears simple, just design the armour to have rivets.

This should be sufficient to ensure a suitably steamy flavour. 

Good luck in your endeavours.

LH 

[groomporter]

It depends how literal you get. It might not be proper steampunk, but it would still be the overall kind of retro-futurism. Some people start using different words for different time periods. For example Flintstones, which some refer to as stonepunk.

I agree with the retro-futurism, but then I tend to lump Steam (or diesel, stone etc...) Punk as a sub-genre of Alternate History. Alternate History is usually "what if history happened differently" (What if the South won the American Civil War) whereas Steampunk simply twists it into "what if" they could do "X" with technology.

[chironex]

Two words:
IRON KINGDOMS.

A rather more original world than the typical pseudo-medieval fantasy world, but not Victorian by any stretch of the imagination. Blends 18th century and 19th with a little of 20th century- And of course it has pirates and steam-powered robots!

Steampunk doesn't belong to any world or time, as is evidenced by the Knight Hawk models by TSR (the capital ships look like flying steam trains); the steam tanks, gyrocopters; Rat Tank etc of Warhammer, the steam version of the Huntsman spider tank from Nuclear Renaissance; Iron Juggernauts, Ironhorse, TW steam powered conversion engines for many conventional vehicles and Dwarven Ironships of Rifts.
Alastair Reynolds even has steam and cyberpunk in the same place at the same time!

[MightierThanTheSword]

well thats good, I guess. Perhaps I will post some of the text when I have more time to work on it

[Professor]

As a steampunk novelist myself, I've often asked myself the same question.

I think, though, that the proof of the validity and staying power of a genre is when people start changing and morphing it to their own devices. Look at Tolkien, the "father" of fantasy literature (some might argue there were precursors, like William Morris, but I digress...)--and then take a look at where fantasy is now. Rather different now, isn't it?

I say take the jump. Make the rules. If you can't be free within the constraints of your own imagination, they you're not free at all. Guidelines are just that: guides. Not RULES.

Take a wrench to it! Tinker!

[Captain_Minty_Gearhertz]

Ok, how about in the future of this world. Everythings flooded, airships/boats are the best way to traverse the mega-ocean. Floating cities (static, chained in place) but, e-mail, internet, mp3 mobile phones pagers and the ilk sit alongside massive crystal powered spider tanks...
Steampunk?

[Atterton]

Not really no.

[MightierThanTheSword]

tolkien is not the father of fantasy, he just created many of the fantasy stereotypes used today

[Prof. Brockworth]

It's all in the attitude.