Technology VS Magick, who suffers most in the feud?

As far as I can perceive, in the ceaseless fictional struggle between technology and magick that exists in Arcanum, magick seems to always come out of it for the worst, which to me makes no bally sense.

Magick does almost everything that technology can do in Arcanum, and in fact it does it better! If I was given the choice between the harm spell and a rifle of any kind, I would go in for the harm spell, its more efficient, its more damaging, and you don’t have to buy endless supplies of ammunition for it. Sod that for a game of soldiers!

The only real thing that technology seems to have over magick is transportation, but I am sure that said issue could easily be overcome in the boundaries of Arcanum’s reality.

I ask for your opinions?

 

While I do concede that a lack of ability among the general populous may limit the ability of using Magick as a form of transport, is the same not true of trains? Most would not know how to use a train with no prior knowledge; they would have to be taught! Much is the case with those who would teleport others across the world, have them master that one spell, and have that be their lively hood. It works to the same end as a train, just with a more mystical (and in my humble opinion, accurate and efficient) means.

 

I can see your point there, so Technology does serve much better as transport than Magick can, but what of weaponry? Surely a basic harm spell or some such can't be too difficult to learn? A gun cannot hold a candle to a harm spell in terms of damage! Whats more, the gun requires maintenance, and it requires constant purchase of ammunition for it, where as the 'ammunition' of Magick replenishes itself!

 

Once more I must concede, it seems that I do not know entirely enough about Magick within the reality of Arcanum (I sadly have only recently started playing the game again, and when I played it last was when it had first been released). I still hold that magic is better, if only because it grants power solely to those who wish to work for it, but I do see how from a pragmatic standpoint technology is superior simply for convenience. That won’t stop me from bally always playing as a Magick user mind you.

 

But how long would that take?
"What's this? You have never taken the train before? Well, basically you just get in and sit down."

 

I was speaking of learning how to drive the train, not sit in it.

 

Sure, but even than can be superficially taught in a day. In six steps it would seem.
Compare that to a lifetime of training the mind and body to learn magick.

 

Once more I state my admittance of Magick being a worse option than Technology simply for convenience, though I also stand by the point that magic is itself much more effective than technology.

 

That's fair to say but at the same time, really quite pointless. All your doing is stating the obvious. However, there is a counter arguement to it anyway. Magic requires fatigue. Where as technology can infact help restore fatigue. If you swapped everybit of technology we used these days with some form of magic, everyone in the world would be fucking knackered.

 

A somewhat weak rationalisation.

 

But under that rationel, everyone would have to have regular shots of fatique replenishment. There's a place to make money!

 

I remember guns being quite powerful according to the lore. Doc Roberts himself puts a bullet between the eyes of any mage who runs his mouth.

 

Even then, the mage the Doc killed must've been a weak one since i don't think mere bullets can kill a powerful mage, what with magic barriers or even just his magic aura.
Ever tried using a gun as a "100 aura" mage? It explodes in your hands! I would think it's the same with bullets.