Steampunk

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that imagines the advancement of Victorian-era steam engine technology. It uses the aesthetics of brass cogworks, gears, steam, and 19th-century fashion and the themes of science fiction, especially cyberpunk, from which it gets the "punk" part of its name. These themes of individualism and fighting back against tyrannical authorities are still present, but less central to the genre now. Steampunk is retrofuturistic, meaning it depicts a future as might be imagined by people in the past: zeppelins, elaborate clockwork, and steam power define the speculative steampunk world. Steampunk is a common setting for roleplaying games that straddle the line between the sci-fi future and the fantasy past. Containing elements of both futuristic technology and industry and a romanticized history, it's an attractive choice for an advanced medieval or renaissance fantasy setting or the precursor to a futurist science fiction. It's popular with players who want to explore the highly structured social order of Victorian and Edwardian England, love the aesthetics of shiny clockwork gadgetry, and want to explore an industrializing world with a touch of the fantastical.