The subject says it all - what's holding them back? I demand answers.

sh*tty roads?

Aaand the rest of the text is filler so that I can post my comment.

thats an easy one, the reason is this, ***this is games workshop***its our IP we say what happens and when!***no bikes!***mind wipe and false data implanted is 5...4...3...2...1...downloading....*** bbbbbzzzzzzzzzz nar hew sorry about that went all dark there for a second, now where was I?

To quote Terry Pratchett

It takes a genius to think of something anyone could have thought of

No-one's thought of the rather complex gear-shift mechanisms necessary for decent bikes.

Also, see previous comment on the roads.

They can't miniaturise the steam engine enough to fit on a bike.

I for one am appalled that bicycle rules have not been included in the new edition. This just goes to show that FFG have no respect for halfling cyclists.

Seriously, I'm reminded of the episode of Deadwood (a show about the real wild west which is closer to Warhammer in tone than you'd think) where a bicycle was ridden through town. The poor roads were, indeed, prohibitive!

macd21 said:

And yet they can fit one in a horse...

I can reveal that in the playtest, we dealt with several different types of bike. I personally led my group through a trail bike scramble type adventure over several different types of terrain and including inclement weather. And we also experimented with using the Progress Tracker to emulate derailleur gear shifts. I've no idea which ones made it through to the final prodct, but I imagine BMXs and racing bikes did, and maybe a couple of the others.

monkeylite said:

This is the most important update on third edition since that rat catcher thingy. <shudder>

Seriously, are we talking inner tubes with valves or solid rubber tyres - and if so, where is the rubber imported from? I'm thinking Lustria, which explains why Karl Franz has a half-lizard daughter.

Bloody GW and their 12 year old clientel! Steamtanks! Gyrocopters! Never ever would such crap enter my campaign world!!!

PzVIE said:

Hey! I used to be one of those 12 year old clientel. A long time ago ...

Surely the bicycle is simply waiting for a PC to invent it. If it's not already there, then make it yourself and hey presto you've become one of those downtrodden tinkers with a grand idea that populate this world. You could even have tales of rival bicycle "inventors", having to expand your range to accommodate obsessed greenskins, and lusty young widows keen to marry the newly wealthy genius behind such a profitable device.

It's all there for the taking. Just go out and do it.

marklawford said:

Like he said, you could just have a character who is an Engineer and make it or have your adventurers protect one who is developing it and is at risk of being killed or the plans stolen, as a reward you could get one once come into production.

Ye Ancient One said:

Ooops ... well, at least it worked - you're hooked now

If I remember correctly, I also found these things cool at that time... it's just, it feels so wrong now! Can you imagine a steam-driven helicopter

And if they really invented the steam engine, first thing should be the railway, and then 90% of all combat encounters in all published adventures (which happen to be on roads through an Empire forest) would be obsolete...

And, to stay on topic, it should be steamcycle, if any!

Just because something happened that way in our history, doesn't mean it would or should happen the same way in Warhammer World. The people in Warhammer World have an entirely different way of thinking about technology. Remember that they don't have factories or automation either, and Engineers are very individualistic - they could never agree on a gauge to make railroads.

PzVIE said:

Sure, why not. All in all its a world filled with magic.

Imagine helicopter covered with dwarven runes. Or steam tank powered by warpstone.

Dwarven technology + dwarven rune magic...
Skaven technology + dark warpstone magic...

Yeah, it could work (im not saying that it would work flawlessly, or would not explode from time to time )

PzVIE said:

dwarfs on the other hand, they have a lot fo coal and a lot of steam powered warships, possiably a train network (see Warhammer Online) and yes even Louis Gagnon "Flying Steam Shovel" style Helecopters. (Which as that was invented in 1900, I do understand people thinking is a bit of a stretch).

marklawford said:

Just my words if you need something make your own stuff about it. After all that is what RPGing is about

And after all I think Jay owes us a session demo video

Armrek said:

I reckon that would be equal measures of fun and excruciating. But I'd watch it...

I wanna say thank you to all you guys who explained these steam-things to me, but I'm still not sold to steam-driven helicopters or similar funny devices which were only invented to attract a broader audience (or sell more extremely cool-looking miniatures)... somehow that's a little bit too ridiculous for me!

So, still no steam-devices in my warhammer world. But eventually I'll let Wolfgang Kugelschreiber invent the bycicle, have a Marienburger spy report about it back home, the cycle gets stolen, the PCs become involved entually and behind the whole plot is a Skaven Grey Seer, who wants to experiment with his newly developed warpfire-motor and is looking for a suitable vehicle to act as mount for it: Title would be Highway to Under-Empire ! Not suitable for PCs with only 1 Fate Point or less...

on the OP - why would they want one - a tank smites your enemies - a Bike would help the Empire how? I can see a Human or even better Dwarf Engineer approaching the Emperor for funding for a {insert war amchine} but a bike would be... And exactly how does this help me/ the Empire?

Can't see it being beyond someone to make one - you'd have to convince some young Nobles (or merchant scions) that its "cool" and then a fashion could spread but not sure it would be widespread or long lived (lack of good roads, protection for the rider and need).

Be an interesting encounter though!

re Steam power - hasn't that been in there from the beginning (or near) - I recal from my youth steam ships going off to Lustria to fight Slann and Amazons and strange magic powered Daleks being created..............

final thought - often even if the technology is there to be used - people don't always use them in the way others do - IIRC the Romans had the materials and tech to create a steam engine but never did...............

Da Boss said:

Why would they need a bicycle?

If they want to go from point A to point B, either walk or go by horse. If you're a noble, get a coach. Making something small to transport one person seems a bit of overkill for a steam engine...

Eh? No steam engine? Then what powers the gears?

What? You move the gears yourself!? What on earth for? If I wanted to exert myself, I don't need this... "bikesicle", I'll just walk! And I don't want to exert myself, so I'll keep my coach, thank you!

Da Boss said:

The has been used by the military in order to dispatch messengers (before fast communication like the telephones/radios), scouts, and even to speed up light infantry on the march. Although roads and terrain do play into this, a group of soldiers on bicycles can cover a greater distance than those marching on foot with the same amount of energy expended (terrain such as mountains negates this and given the tech used in the construction of the bicycle the conditions of roads/need of roads comes into play). Before some brings up the use of horses as scouts and message runners lets look at the cost of employing either one. A horse has to be breed, fed, trained, and bought, as well as a trained rider being used to relay information. If any of you have actually ridden a horse you will know its not as easy as just climbing on one unless its a well trained horse (non combat) or a completely broken nag.

On the other hand an unskilled militia man can be deployed on a bicycle with only minimal training on how to ride a bicycle, all you need to do is a have some replacement chains and tires and they can get the message there quickly. If you want more information on how bicycles have been used by the military or are even still being used by some militias a quick wikipedia search will give you more information then most people want to know.

Da Boss said:

I believe it was the Greeks that made the first steam engine before Rome founded. However do to technological limitations, the creation of large scale models were a bit out of their league do to the pressure strains.

As for the Romans, well similar to the Greeks they didn't possess the metalergy required to create anything reinforced enough to take the strain either (in their case it would have been more research into refining processes and I'm not refering to the Byzantine empire which lasted a lot longer and by its fall obviously did have to refining processes).

Technological acheivement is not always linear. And it may regress. And just because it happened in our history. Does not mean that the fantasy world of Warhammer will develop in the same manner.

The greeks had flamethrowers. The device did not reapear until WW1 i believe. Thats a long time from its invention to its proliferation.

I'm sure lots of inventions came and went, because of war, destruction of libraries, and the death of the inventor ,before they could bring their idea to the public eye.

go ahead and add bycicles, why not. They would be expensive, hundreds of gold unless you start making machines to mass produce machines.