1632 Tech
The 1632 universe operates on a different set of rules than other SF or Alternate History shared universes.
To the extent possible, we try to write the stories in such a way that they are plausible in the real world, and to that end we use real science and real technology.
This section documents the rich and complex results of our author’s and reader’s contributions to that plausibility.
Some of the sections or items listed in the 1632 Tech menu below are constantly shifting lists of posts about that material. Others are pages that link to semi-static resources. Feel free to dive deep and enjoy what you find.
The Grid
Originally created by Virginia Demarce, The Grid contains the names and relationships of all the people who came through the Ring of Fire. A must-read resource for anyone writing about the people of Grantville.
Dead Horses
Many smart people have discussed the technology of 1632 over the years, and chances are your idea has already been covered. Start your research here to see if your idea has been previously discussed, disproven, or dismissed.
FAQs
A favorite saying in the conference is that a dead horse will suddenly kick or outright get up and start walking around when someone new asks questions. Don’t let the existence of the FAQs keep you from bringing something up.
Maps
Maps of Grantville & Thuringia showing the effects of the Ring of Fire event. Real maps of Mannington, WV on which Grantville is based. Other topographical, political, and economic maps.
1632 Search Engine
Mike Watson has created a search engine with the full text of many novels in the Ring of Fire series, as well as issues of the Grantville Gazette. This site solves many problems in researching 1632 canon.
Gazette Extras
Material (bibliographies, tables, research notes, deleted text, etc.) which didn’t fit into a gazette article but which the author thought was worth making publicly available. Like the extras on a DVD.
1632 Discussion Forums
Baen’s Bar WebBoard
Baen publishing runs the Bar, a lively WebBoard for readers and fans of all the Baen publications. The fans and authors of the 1632 series hang out in 1632Tech, submit new stories in 1632Slush and talk about the stories in 1632SlushComments. The Bar is accessible by web browser, email or NNTP.
Baen’s Bar Archive
The searchable Bar archive is currently offline.
Other 1632 resources:
Story Snippets
At the Collected Driblets of Baen Joe Buckley collects the story snippets posted to Baens Bar by various authors. He has parts of drafts of several 1632 universe novels, including the long anticipated 1634: The Bavarian Crisis.
Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@usit.uio.no> has a collection of snippets of stories posted on the Bar.
1632 Roleplaying Game
Check out the 1632 Roleplaying Game from Battlefield Press.
Non-1632 Sites
Checking Period Names
To find names and check location and period go to the WorldConnect Project. In the advanced search (left column) enter any surname and given name. In the next “page” go to the bottom and clear everything, then input the name you want to check, and enter the date(s) you want to check. (This information brought to you courtesy of Virginia)
Translation
Can’t sprechen Sie mit die Völkern? Try Google Translate. Paste in text and it gives a rough transliteration into and from many languages. Google is constantly improving this site. It also will display a translated web page.1911 Encyclopaedia BritannicaAmong the books that made it through the Ring of Fire, the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, stands out as the ultimate premodern resource. Peter Klancic has written a FAQ listing online sources for the 1911EB.Mannington, WVVisit the Mannington web site. Mannington, of course is the town upon which Grantville is based. If it wasn’t in Mannington in May of 2000, it missed the Ring of Fire.View Mannington From SpaceMicrosoft Research Maps has both picture and topographic data down to one-meter resolution.