Random Poll of the Yesterday! (697)

[ProfParanoia]

Fantsy World Enders: Finding several magic fragments and doing a spell that takes a bunch of random people with a really long incantation process.

Tech World Enders from the 50's Alone: Point and press a button.

[Suutashi]

I'm inclined to say fantasy because their capacities and abilities are more difficult for the opposition to predict, and they're also not bound to the same reality laws as the scientific side. Even in a "magic is just sufficiently advanced science" scenario, the side labeled fantasy will obviously be the higher powered one. So probably fantasy all around.

there are many fantasy settings though where the most "powerful magics" consist of giant fireballs, calling down thunderstorms and mythical beasts like dragons. There aren't many sci-fi settings that don't have spaceships and atomic weaponry.

It is true that most fantasy is stuck in medieval technology. Still, it does depend on how effective the scientific weapons are against magical defenses. For example, dragon hides are often said to be immune to magic; if they're immune to nuclear radiation as well, nukes aren't much use against them, or anyone wearing dragonhide armour or capable of casting a shield of similar durability. Spaceships are another matter, but aside from orbital bombardment- which is about as useful as nukes, so above defense questions apply- there won't be a lot of space fighting going on if the fantasy side isn't using spaceships.

^

[ProfParanoia]

" or anyone wearing dragonhide armour or capable of casting a shield of similar durability."

Dragon-hide armor, so killed by a sword, arrows, pike basically? Or at least cut by one. I think we have something to pierce that.

[Callid]

Depends heavily on the type of the Fantasy world and the magic within it. Gods would clearly make things easy for the Fantasy side, as would Earth-Sea-like magic. Harry-Potter-like magic wouldn't really stand a chance, though.

[mangaluva]

JK Rowling has explicitly stated that in a fight between a wizard with a wand and a muggle with a gun, the muggle would win, so Harry Potter magic wouldn't win.

I wonder about Discworld magic. The problem with that stuff is that it very much does whatever it likes. I suppose the winner there would be whoever The Lady or narrativium favours.

[Akonyl]

JK Rowling has explicitly stated that in a fight between a wizard with a wand and a muggle with a gun, the muggle would win, so Harry Potter magic wouldn't win.

[Borealis]

JK Rowling has explicitly stated that in a fight between a wizard with a wand and a muggle with a gun, the muggle would win, so Harry Potter magic wouldn't win.

^win