Re: [MUD-Dev] Virtual Chemistry

[cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA (Chris Gray)]

[Marian:]

:If you want to make things real complicated you could have things like
:the zodiac be of importance.  E.g. you can't hope to create the strong
:potions involving the 'flowing' aspect  unless the moon is in the sign
:of aquarius, the strongest lunar aspect of 'flowing' and so on.  There
:is really no limit to what you could do  if there are laws that under-
:ly the way the entire world works (al)chemically speaking.  For a more
:complete understanding you really should read books on alchemy though.
:And if you do, please post a summary here <gr>

Well, maybe. I have one here, entitled "The Lure and Romance of
Alchemy", by C.J.S. Thompson. He covers people, history, equipment,
secret alphabets, formulae, etc., all in light detail. I haven't read
the book, but have browsed it. It seems to be a lot of hogwash, designed
to fool people. Probably was. The alchemists did come up with a lot of
useful processes, equipment and knowledge that has lead to modern
chemistry, but things like the Philosopher's Stone, the Elixer of Life,
etc. are likely stories made up to get funding from rich folks. It looks
like a lot of the workers made things up as they went along, so there
often wasn't much in the way of a usable theory. They traded info on
processes and materials, however, and that's how chemistry was born.

--
Chris Gray   cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA